Apparatus, circuits and methods for calibrating a time to digital converter
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorYu-Tso Lin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus, circuits and methods for calibrating time to digital converters (TDCs) are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a circuit for calibrating a TDC is disclosed. The circuit includes a multi-bit delay circuit, a counter, and a register. The multi-bit delay circuit is configured for delaying a clock signal by a total delay time. The counter is configured for counting rising edges of the clock signal within the total delay time to generate a counted output. The register is configured for controlling the total delay time of the multi-bit delay circuit based on the counted output.
Claims20
A circuit for calibrating a time to digital converter (TDC), comprising:
- a multi-bit delay circuit configured for delaying a clock signal by a total delay time;
- a counter configured for counting rising edges of the clock signal within the total delay time to generate a counted output;
- and
- a register configured for controlling the total delay time of the multi-bit delay circuit based on the counted output.
An apparatus for calibrating a time to digital converter (TDC), comprising:
- a multi-bit delay circuit configured for delaying a clock signal by a total delay time;
- a counter configured for comparing the total delay time with one period of the clock signal to generate a comparison output;
- and
- a register configured for controlling the total delay time of the multi-bit delay circuit based on the comparison output.
A method for calibrating a time to digital converter (TDC), comprising:
- passing a first signal through at least one of a plurality of delay cells of the TDC that is configured to determine a phase difference between the first signal and a second signal;
- measuring a total delay time for the first signal to pass through the at least one delay cell;
- determining that whether the total delay time is larger than one period of the first signal to generate a determination result;
- and
- calibrating the TDC based on the determination result.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.