Patent ID: 11108537

Abstract:
Techniques are described for accurate tracking of a radiofrequency (RF) carrier for amplitude-modulated signals in unstable reference clock environments. For example, some embodiments operate in context of clock circuits in devices configured for near-field communication (NFC) card emulation (CE) mode. The clock circuits seek to generate an internal clocking signal by tracking a clock reference, such as an RF carrier. In some cases, the clock reference can unpredictably become unreliable for periods of time, during which continued tracking of the unreliable clock reference can yield appreciable frequency and phase errors in the generated internal clocking signal. Embodiments implement phase delta detection with time limiting to limit the magnitude of such errors in the internal clocking signal introduced while tracking an unreliable clock reference. For example, embodiments force gating of phase tracking signals to limit their duration, thereby limiting impacts of those phase tracking signals on the clock circuit output.