Patent ID: 7336106

Claim:
A circuit for comparing the phase of a first input signal to the phase of a second input signal, the circuit comprising: a phase detector configured to receive the first and second input signals to compare the phase of the first input signal to the phase of the second input signal; the phase detector operable to generate a first output signal responsive to the second input signal leading the first input signal by at least a first phase difference; the phase detector further operable to generate a second output signal responsive to the second input signal lagging the first input signal by at least a second phase difference; and the first output signal to be used to add a first delay to the second input signal to decrease the phase difference between the first and second input signals, the second output signal to be used to subtract a second delay from the second input signal to decrease the phase difference between the first and second input signals, and the sum of the first and second phase differences being greater than each of the first and second delays.