Patent ID: 6943604

Claim:
A device for correcting the duty cycle of a clock signal, comprising: a duty cycle modifying device receiving a clock signal whose duty cycle is to be corrected, and a clock signal complementary to the clock signal, wherein the duty cycle modifying device comprises: a delay device for the clock signal and the complementary clock signal by which a variable delay of the corresponding clock signal can be adjusted, and wherein the duty cycle modifying device is adapted to generate at an output a clock signal with corrected duty cycle and a complementary clock signal with corrected duty cycle; and a duty cycle determining device that receives the clock signal with corrected duty cycle and the complementary clock signal with corrected duty cycle from the duty cycle modifying device and examines the clock signals, and adapts the clock signals to generate a correction signal that indicates whether the current duty cycle of the clock signal with corrected duty cycle and of the complementary clock signal with corrected duty cycle deviates from a predetermined desired duty cycle, wherein the correction signal controls the delay device of the duty cycle modifying device such that the variable delays are adjusted such that the desired duty cycle is achieved, and wherein the duty cycle determining device comprises: an orientation device and a difference determining device, with the orientation device being designed such that it is adapted to orientate the rising or falling edges of the clock signal with corrected duty cycle and of the complementary clock signal with corrected duty cycle such that they coincide in time, and to feed the orientated clock signals with corrected duty cycle to the difference determining device which is designed such that it is adapted to determine whether there is a difference in time between the durations of the H-levels or of the L-levels of the orientated clock signals, so that, in the case of a difference, a corresponding correction signal can be sent to the delay device of the duty cycle modifying device.