Parallel Time-to-Digital Converter with Delayed Reference Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing time-to-digital converters face challenges such as low maximum resolution, limited range, high power consumption, increased implementation complexity, reduced accuracy, higher noise, and non-linearity, which hinder their performance in achieving high-resolution time-to-digital conversion.
Innovation Solution
A time-to-digital converter circuitry comprising multiple constituent TDCs that operate in parallel or serial modes, with a reference signal provider generating delayed versions of the input reference signal with stochastic or random delays, and a digital signal combiner processing the output signals to enhance resolution, range, and accuracy, while reducing power consumption and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple constituent TDCs operate in parallel mode with delayed reference signals, then maximum resolution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The TDC is divided into multiple constituent TDCs that operate in parallel, each processing a portion of the time interval measurement. This segmentation allows the system to achieve higher resolution by combining the outputs of multiple smaller measurement units, effectively dividing the complex measurement task into manageable parallel operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension by applying different delays to reference signals fed to each constituent TDC. This creates a multi-dimensional measurement space where time intervals are measured across multiple parallel channels with staggered timing, effectively increasing resolution without proportionally increasing complexity in a single dimension.
2Measurement precision
If multiple constituent TDCs operate in parallel mode, then maximum range is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement range is segmented across multiple constituent TDCs operating in parallel, with each unit handling a portion of the total measurement range. This allows the system to achieve extended range capability while distributing power consumption across multiple lower-power units rather than requiring a single high-power converter.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple constituent TDC outputs are merged by the digital signal combiner to achieve an extended measurement range. The combining process integrates the measurement capabilities of individual units, creating a composite measurement system with greater range than any single constituent TDC could provide alone, while maintaining efficient power usage through parallel operation.
3Measurement precision
If multiple constituent TDCs are used with digital signal combining, then accuracy is improved, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accuracy improvement is achieved by segmenting the measurement process across multiple constituent TDCs, each contributing to the final accurate measurement. The digital signal combiner then integrates these segmented measurements, allowing high accuracy to be achieved through modular construction rather than a single complex high-precision unit.
4Measurement precision
If delayed reference signals with stochastic delays are provided to constituent TDCs, then resolution is improved, but non-linearity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stochastic delays are applied in the temporal dimension to reference signals fed to different constituent TDCs. This creates a randomized time-interleaved measurement scheme that improves resolution by effectively sampling the time interval at multiple offset points, while the digital signal combiner compensates for the introduced non-linearity through appropriate processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs calibration and correction mechanisms that provide feedback to compensate for non-linearity introduced by stochastic delays. By measuring and characterizing the delay variations, the digital signal combiner can apply correction factors to maintain measurement linearity while preserving the resolution benefits of stochastic time-interleaved operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A time-to-digital converter (TDC) circuitry for converting a phase difference between an input reference signal and an input clock signal to a digitally represented output signal. The TDC circuitry comprises multiple constituent TDCs, a reference signal provider, and a digital signal combiner. Each TDC is configured to convert a phase difference between a constituent reference signal and a constituent clock signal to a digitally represented constituent output signal. The reference signal provider is configured to provide the respective constituent reference signals to each of the TDCs. In at least a parallel operation mode of the TDC circuitry, each respective constituent reference signal comprises a respectively delayed version of the input reference signal with different respective delays for at least two of the respective constituent reference signals. The digital signal combiner is configured to provide the digitally represented output signal based on the digitally represented constituent output signals of the TDCs.