Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/700,515, filed Jul. 18, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to operation of phase-locked loops, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for loop bandwidth control of phase-locked loops.  
         [0003]     Communications standards, such as GR-253-CORE, “SONET Transport Systems: Common Criteria” and GR-1 244-CORE, “Clocks for the Synchronized Network: Common Generic Criteria” specify criteria for the various clocks used in communications equipment for synchronous timing applications. These synchronous timing applications typically use phase-locked loops (PLLs), where a PLL can be an electronic circuit with a voltage or current-driven oscillator that is adjusted to match in phase (and thus lock on) the frequency of an input reference signal. The GR-253-CORE and GR-1244-CORE standards provide MTIE (Maximum Time interval Error) requirements for the cases: after the input reference has been switched, the input reference has changed in frequency or phase, after a holdover. In addition, these standards specify a low bandwidth in order to filter out jitter in the input reference signal. Furthermore, these standards specify a minimum phase error within the MTIE limits.  
         [0004]     There are existing methods for controlling operation of PLLs. One existing method uses only two levels of bandwidth, i.e. locked or unlocked. Another existing method requires the capability to measure the instantaneous loop frequency and set the integral loop frequency.  
         [0005]     The methods and apparatus described herein helps to achieve the requirements set forth in standards such as GR253-CORE and GR-1244-CORE for stabilizing the phase, after a change in reference or recovery from holdover, within the required time limit, while reducing the jitter associated with a large loop bandwidth change.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A method for controlling loop bandwidth of a phase locked loop is provided. The method comprises setting the loop bandwidth to a value, calculating at least one of a phase error and a frequency change that occur subsequent to any setting or adjusting of loop bandwidth, and adjusting the loop bandwidth based on at least one of the phase error and the frequency change  
         [0007]     A phase-locked loop is provided that comprises an oscillator outputting a frequency, a counter module receiving the frequency from the oscillator, a phase detector receiving a signal from the counter and a reference frequency, and a filter receiving an output of the phase detector. The filter is operable to set a loop bandwidth, calculate at least one of a phase error and a frequency change that occur subsequent to any setting or adjusting of loop bandwidth, and adjust the loop bandwidth based on at least one of the phase error and the frequency change.  
         [0008]     A phase-locked loop is provided that is programmed to increment a loop bandwidth when a phase error is above a phase error threshold and the loop bandwidth is below a maximum bandwidth and decrement the loop bandwidth if the phase error is below the phase error threshold, a frequency change is below a frequency change threshold, and the loop bandwidth is above a minimum bandwidth.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a flow-diagram illustrating a method for loop bandwidth control of a phase-locked loop.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a phase-locked loop configured for loop bandwidth control. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The methods and apparatus described herein improve upon existing methods for managing operation of phase-locked loops (PLLs) by providing better control over loop bandwidth than the existing methods and by eliminating measurement of an instantaneous loop frequency and setting of an integral loop frequency. Loop bandwidth is the effective control loop range of the PLL. A PLL can only track noise (e.g., changes in phase and/or frequency) within the bandwidth of the PLL. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the loop bandwidth for a PLL is based on integral frequency and phase error measurements. Such exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be incorporated into any type of PLL, for example, linear (analog) PLLs, digital PLLs, or all digital PLLs, where the loop bandwidth can be discreetly changed over a range of values and the integral frequency and phase error can be measured. One exemplary embodiment uses the Semtech ACS8530 PLL. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used, not only for synchronous timing applications in communications equipment, but for other PLL applications.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a flow-diagram illustrating a method for loop bandwidth control in the form of a loop  100 , according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Some of the actions described in and illustrated by blocks in the flow diagram may be performed in an order other than that which is described. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that not all of the actions in the flow diagrams are required to be performed, that additional actions may be added, and that some of the actions may be substituted with other actions.  
         [0013]     Referring specifically to  FIG. 1 , at block  105 , counters step up counter and step down counter are initialized to zero. A loop bandwidth is also initialized to a value dependent on the particular application in which the loop bandwidth is controlled. In an exemplary embodiment, and referring to the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the register T 0 _DPLL_locked_bandwidth can be used to set the loop bandwidth and can be initialized to one of the following values: 0.5 MHz, 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 15 MHz, 30 MHz, 60 MHz, 0.1 Hz, 0.3 Hz, 0.6 Hz, 1.2 Hz, 2.5 Hz, 8 Hz, 18 Hz, 35 Hz, and 70 Hz. In other exemplary embodiments, a similarly configured register in other PLLs is used to set the loop bandwidth.  
         [0014]     At block  110 , actions, or a subset of the actions, can be performed, specifically, phase error and integral frequency are read, phase error is normalized, filtered phase error is calculated, integral frequency change is calculated, and filtered frequency change is calculated.  
         [0015]     Phase error can be defined as the difference in phase between that of an input reference signal and an output of the voltage controlled oscillator of the PLL. In an exemplary embodiment, and again referring to the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the register sts_current_phase can be used to read phase error. In other exemplary embodiments, a similar register in another type of PLL can be used to read the phase error. Integral frequency can be defined as the short-term average frequency of the oscillator of the PLL. In an exemplary embodiment using the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the register sts_current_DPLL_frequency can be used to read the integral frequency. In other exemplary embodiments, a similarly configured register in other PLLs is used to read the integral frequency.  
         [0016]     Phase error can be normalized to adjust a reading of zero phase error by the phase detector of the PLL. In one specific embodiment, the phase error is normalized as follows: if the phase error reading is not negative (i.e. zero or a positive value), one is added to it.  
         [0017]     The filtered phase error can be calculated according to: F phase error  (i+1)=(D phase error ×(F(i))+G phase error ×(X phase error  (i+1))+R(i))/(D phase error +1), where: F(i) is the integer filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); X phase error  (i) is the phase error at reading (i); R(i) is the remainder filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); D phase error  is a damping factor, (set for filtered phase error calculations), adding weight to the stored value; G phase error  is a gain factor, (set for filtered phase error calculations), adding weight and resolution to the input value; and F phase error (i+1) is the filtered phase error. In an exemplary embodiment, the value of D phase error  is two and G phase error  is ten.  
         [0018]     Integral frequency change is calculated by taking the difference between the current reading of the integral frequency and a prior reading of the integral frequency. Filtered Frequency Change can be calculated according to: F frequency change (i+1)=(D frequency change ×(F(i))+G frequency change ×(X frequency change  (i+1))+R(i))/(D frequency change +1), where, F(i) is the integer filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); X frequency change (i) is the integral frequency change at reading (i); R(i) is the remainder filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); D frequency change  is a damping factor, (set for filtered frequency change calculations), adding weight to the stored value; G frequency change  is a gain factor, (set for filtered frequency change calculations), adding weight and resolution to the input value; and F frequency change (i+1) is the filtered frequency change. In an exemplary embodiment, the value of D frequency change  is three and G frequeucy change  is one.  
         [0019]     In another exemplary embodiment, a filtered value of the integral frequency (filtered integral frequency) can be used in place of integral frequency. Filtered integral frequency can be calculated according to F integral frequency (i+1)=(D integral frequency ×(F(i))+G integral frequency ×(X integral frequency  (i+1))+R(i))/(D+1), where, F(i) is the integer filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); X integral frequency (i) is the integral frequency at reading (i); R(i) is the remainder filter result (output from the filter) from reading (i); D integral frequency  is a damping factor, (set for filtered integral frequency calculations), adding weight to the stored value; G integral frequency  is a gain factor, (set for filtered integral frequency calculations), adding weight and resolution to the input value; and F integral frequency  (i+1) is the filtered integral frequency.  
         [0020]     At block  115 , the PLL is checked to determine if it is in a holdover state. During holdover, the input reference frequency source to the PLL becomes invalid and no other valid replacement input frequency is available. During holdover, the PLL can use stored frequency data, acquired when the input reference frequency source was still valid, to control the output frequency of the PLL. If there is currently a holdover, the next block is  170 . Otherwise, the next block is  120 .  
         [0021]     At block  120 , the absolute value of the filtered phase error is compared with threshold one. Threshold one is a predetermined value based on the particular application in which the loop bandwidth is controlled. An exemplary embodiment value for Threshold one is twenty, but values in the range of one to ten times the G phase error  may be used. If the absolute value of the filtered phase error is greater than threshold one, the next block is  125 . Otherwise, the next block is  145 .  
         [0022]     If the absolute value of the filter phase error is not greater than threshold one, at block  145 , the absolute value of the filter frequency change is compared with threshold three. Threshold three is a predetermined value based on the particular application in which the loop bandwidth is controlled. An exemplary embodiment value for threshold three is five, but values in the range of one to ten times the G frequency change  can be used. If the absolute value of the filter frequency change is less than threshold three, the next block is  170 . Otherwise, the next block is  150 .  
         [0023]     At block  150 , a step down counter is incremented and the step up counter is set to zero. At block  155 , the step down counter is compared with threshold four. Threshold four is a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. An exemplary embodiment value for threshold four is fifteen, but other values within the range of ten to twenty can be used, depending on the time to wait before stepping down the loop bandwidth. If the step down counter is greater than threshold four, the next block is  160 . Otherwise the next block is  170 .  
         [0024]     At block  160 , the loop bandwidth is compared with the minimum bandwidth. Minimum bandwidth is a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. In an exemplary embodiment using the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the minimum and maximum bandwidths range from 70 Hz to 0.5 MHz. If the loop bandwidth is greater than the minimum bandwidth, the next block is  165 . Otherwise the next block is  170 .  
         [0025]     At block  165 , the loop bandwidth is decreased by a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. In an exemplary embodiment using the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the register T 0 _DPLL_locked_bandwidth, used to set the loop bandwidth, can be decreased or stepped down to any of the following values: 0.5 MHz, 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 15 MHz, 30 MHz, 60 MHz, 0.1 Hz, 0.3 Hz, 0.6 Hz, 1.2 Hz, 2.5 Hz, 8 Hz, 18 Hz, 35 Hz, and 70 Hz. In other exemplary embodiments, the loop bandwidth may be decreased, but using other values. The next block is  170 .  
         [0026]     At block  170 , a poll timer is started. The poll timer has an expiration value that is a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. An exemplary embodiment poll timer expiration value is one second, but values within the range of 100 ms to five seconds can be used. The next block is block  175 . At block  175 , if the Poll Timer has expired, the next block is  110 . Otherwise, block  175  is repeated until the poll timer has expired.  
         [0027]     Referring back to block  120 , if the absolute value of the filter phase error is greater than threshold one, the next block is  125 . At block  125 , the step up counter is incremented and the step down counter is set to zero. The next block is block  130 .  
         [0028]     At block  130 , the step up counter is compared with threshold two. Threshold two is a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. An exemplary embodiment value of Threshold two is ten, but values within the range of five to fifteen, depending on the time to wait before stepping up the loop bandwidth can be used. If the step up counter is greater than threshold two, the next block is  135 . Otherwise, the next block is block  170 .  
         [0029]     At block  135 , the loop bandwidth is compared with the maximum bandwidth. Maximum bandwidth is a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application. In an exemplary embodiment using the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the minimum and maximum bandwidths range from 70 Hz to 0.5 MHz. If the loop bandwidth is less than the maximum bandwidth, the next block is  140 . Otherwise the next block is block  170 .  
         [0030]     At block  140 , the loop bandwidth is increased by a predetermined amount, dependent on the particular application or PLL used. In an exemplary embodiment using the Semtech ACS8530 PLL, the register T 0 _DPLL_locked_bandwidth, used to set the loop bandwidth, can be increased or stepped up to any of the following values: 0.5 MHz, 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 15 MHz, 30 MHz, 60 MHz, 0.1 Hz, 0.3 Hz, 0.6 Hz, 1.2 Hz, 2.5 Hz, 8 Hz, 18 Hz, 35 Hz, and 70 Hz. In other exemplary embodiments, the loop bandwidth may be increased, but using other values. The next block is  170 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a phase-locked loop  200  configured to implement the above described methods. Specifically, phase-locked loop includes an oscillator  202  providing an output frequency that is also provided to a counter  204 . The phase locked loop  200  further includes a phase detector  208  receiving a signal originating from counter  204  and a reference frequency  210  that may include data. An output of the phase detector  208  includes a phase error, based on a comparison of counter  204  output and the reference frequency  210 , at an integral frequency which is input to loop filter  212 , whose output controls operation of oscillator  202 , for example, a voltage controlled oscillator, thereby completing the loop of the phase-locked loop  200 .  
         [0032]     In an embodiment, based on the phase error and integral frequency inputs, the loop filter  212  is programmed to adjust the loop bandwidth of the PLL  200  based on the signal output to oscillator  202 . As described above with respect to  FIG. 1 , PLL  200  is programmed to reset step up and step down counter registers  220  within counter  204  to zero and the loop filter  212  is initialized to a value which provides a bandwidth applicable for the application.  
         [0033]     As the PLL  200  operates, phase error and integral frequency are read within loop filter  212 , stored within registers as described above, and the phase error is normalized. Loop filter  212  then is programmed to calculate a filtered phase error and the integral frequency change. The loop filter  212  then calculates a filtered frequency change which is utilized to adjust operation of oscillator  202 .  
         [0034]     The PLL  200  further is configured to determined a holdover. During holdover the PLL  200  uses stored frequency data to adjust operation of the oscillator  202  and the reference frequency  210  is ignored. PLL  200  further includes registers  230  that retain the threshold values described above. Loop filter  212  is programmed to compare loop bandwidth to the minimum and maximum bandwidths and to make adjustments to the loop bandwidth register based on the phase error.  
         [0035]     In the foregoing description, the invention is described with reference to specific example embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions. Further, a machine-readable medium may be used to program a computer system or other electronic device and the readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.  
         [0036]     While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Technology Category: 5