Ring Oscillator Time-to-Digital Converter for Precise Phase Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional time-to-digital converters have low detection accuracy for time differences and are not suitable for high-precision applications, leading to increased power consumption and chip area requirements, making them unsuitable for low-cost and low-power applications.
Innovation Solution
A time-to-digital converter comprising a phase detection circuit, a filter circuit, and a ring oscillator circuit, with a digital control circuit to adjust the reference signal delay, allowing for high-precision phase difference detection and reducing power consumption and chip area by using a distributed detection unit structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional D trigger-based time-to-digital converter is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of time difference deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ring oscillator circuit as an intermediary component between the phase detection circuit and the digital output. The ring oscillator converts the phase difference information into a frequency-modulated output signal, which can be more precisely measured. This intermediary transformation enables higher measurement precision without requiring direct complex digital circuitry for time difference measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional direct digital sampling method (mechanical/electrical switching approach) with a phase-to-frequency conversion approach using ring oscillator. This substitution transforms the measurement mechanism from direct time domain sampling to frequency domain measurement, achieving higher precision with different architectural complexity.
2Measurement precision
If detection precision is improved in conventional scheme, then measurement accuracy increases, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ring oscillator circuit operates by generating periodic oscillations whose frequency is modulated by the phase difference. This periodic action allows the system to encode time difference information in frequency variations, enabling precise measurement while maintaining lower average power consumption compared to continuous high-speed digital sampling in conventional approaches.
3Measurement precision
If detection precision is improved in conventional scheme, then measurement accuracy increases, but chip area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ring oscillator circuit serves multiple functions: it acts as a frequency generator, a phase-to-frequency converter, and a signal modulator. By integrating these functions into a single circuit block, the patent achieves high measurement precision without proportionally increasing chip area, as the same hardware structure performs multiple critical operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A time-to-digital converter and a phase difference detection method are disclosed. The time-to-digital converter includes a detection unit and a digital control circuit. The detection unit comprising: a phase detection circuit, a first and a second clock signal are respectively coupled to an identical input terminal of the phase detection circuit and a reference signal is coupled to another input terminal of the phase detection circuit; the phase detection circuit is configured to output a pulse width corresponding to a phase difference between the first or the second clock signal and the reference signal; a filter circuit, coupled to an output terminal of the phase detection circuit; a ring oscillator circuit, coupled to an output terminal of the filter circuit and configured to output an oscillation clock signal corresponding to the pulse width. The digital control circuit is configured to provide the reference signal and receive the oscillation clock signal.