Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to phase locked loop (“PLL”) circuitry, and more particularly to digital phase locked loop (“DPLL”) circuitry. 
   PLL circuitry is a frequently needed type of circuitry. For example, in the reception of clock data recovery (“CDR”) signals, PLL circuitry may be used to help match the frequency and phase of a controllably variable clock signal to the clock information that is embedded in the received CDR signal. The frequency-and-phase-matched clock signal can be used as a “recovered” clock signal, which is useful, for example, in processing the data information that is also recovered from the CDR signal. 
   PLL circuitry may include a “digital” portion (“DPLL circuitry”). For example, after a frequency match has been achieved, several versions (“candidate clock signals”) of the frequency-matched clock signal may be produced. Each of these versions is shifted somewhat in phase relative to the other versions. The digital portion of the PLL circuitry may be used to make a final selection of the version that has the best phase match. Relative stability in such a final selection is important (e.g., to avoid final selections that change too soon (prematurely) or too often (“hunting”)). Also, it can be important to avoid “glitches” in the recovered clock signal. Glitches can be associated with certain types of changes in the final selection of the clock signal version to be output as the recovered clock signal. A glitch is typically one or more signal transitions that are fragmentary or too close to one another or to other transitions in the recovered clock signal (i.e., signal transition spacings that are too small a fraction of a proper recovered clock signal cycle). 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with certain aspects of the invention, the one of a plurality of phase-distributed candidate clock signals that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal (e.g., a CDR signal) is selected by preliminarily selecting two of the candidate clock signals that are adjacent to one another in phase and such that at least one of the preliminarily selected signals has no other candidate clock signal with phase between it and the transitions. A final selection is then made between the two preliminarily selected signal, but a change in the final selection is only allowed while both of the preliminarily selected signals have the same polarity. 
   In accordance with certain other aspects of the invention, apparatus is provided for selecting from a plurality of phase-distributed candidate clock signals the one of those signals that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal such as a CDR signal. The apparatus includes preliminary selection circuitry that selects two of the candidate clock signals that are adjacent to one another in phase, at least one of these preliminarily selected signals having no other candidate clock signal with phase between it and the transitions. The apparatus further includes final selection circuitry that selects the one of the preliminarily selected signals that has phase closer to the transitions, the final selection circuitry being operable to make a change in selection only when both of the preliminarily selected signals have the same polarity. 
   In accordance with still other aspects of the invention, the one of a plurality of candidate recovered clock signals that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal is selected by preliminarily selecting two of the candidate signals that are adjacent to one another in phase, a first of the preliminarily selected signals having phase earlier than the transitions, and a second of the preliminarily selecting signals having phase later than the transitions. The second preliminarily selected signal is used to clock a final selection request signal through a delay chain, and the final selection request output by the delay chain is used to make a final selection between the preliminarily selected signals. 
   In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, apparatus is provided for selecting from a plurality of phase-distributed candidate recovered clock signals the one of those signals that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal, the apparatus including phase detect circuitry for comparing the phase of a currently finally selected one of the candidate recovered clock signals to each of the transitions. The phase detect circuitry produces a first signal if the transition is later than the phase of the currently finally selected signal, and it produces a second signal if the transition is earlier than the phase of the currently finally selected signal. The apparatus further includes digital integrator circuitry for digitally integrating the first and second signals together. The apparatus still further includes preliminary selection circuitry for preliminarily selecting two phase-adjacent ones of the candidate recovered clock signals based on more significant information from the digital integrator circuitry, and final selection circuitry for finally selecting one of the two preliminarily selected signals based on less significant information from the digital integrator circuitry. And the apparatus includes delay circuitry for delaying response of the final selection circuitry to the less significant information relative to response of the preliminary selection circuitry to the concurrently produced, more significant information. 
   Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a simplified schematic block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of circuitry in accordance with the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a more detailed, but still simplified schematic block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a portion of the  FIG. 1  circuitry in accordance with the invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows several illustrative signal waveforms that are useful in explaining certain aspects of the invention. All of these waveforms are drawn with reference to a common horizontal time-line, along which time increases to the right. 
       FIG. 4  is a simplified block diagram of illustrative, more extensive circuitry that can include circuitry of the type shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a simplified block diagram of an illustrative system employing circuitry in accordance with the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Illustrative circuitries that may employ DPLL circuitry are shown, for example, in Aung et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/805,843, filed Mar. 13, 2001, and Lee et al. U.S. patent application No. 10/059,014, filed Jan. 29, 2002. The circuitries shown in these references are also examples of circuitries in which the circuitry of this invention can be employed. Because these references provide illustrative contexts for the present invention, it will not be necessary herein to go into great detail about such contexts (although  FIGS. 4 and 5  herein and the accompanying description of those FIGS. do provide some illustrative context information). For example, it will be assumed in what immediately follows that the input signals to the DPLL circuitry shown herein come from circuitry of the type shown in the references, and similarly that the signals output by the DPLL circuitry shown herein are employed as shown in the references. All context information assumed or provided herein is only illustrative. Many other contexts are also possible. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 1 , DPLL circuitry  150  receives serial data (e.g., a CDR signal) via lead  152 . DPLL circuitry  150  also receives eight candidate recovered clock signals via leads  154 . These eight candidate recovered clock signals all have the same frequency, which matches the frequency of clock information in the CDR signal on lead  152 . However, the phases of the eight candidate recovered clock signals on leads  154  are all different. Preferably the shift in phase from one of these signals to the next is substantially equal to one-eighth of a cycle of any one of these signals. Thus the phase of each of the signals on leads  154  is shifted by 45° from the preceding signal in the group when the signals are ordered on the basis of phase. In other words, the eight signals on leads  154  collectively divide one full cycle of any of these signals into eight equal fractions. DPLL circuitry  150  operates (as will be described later herein) to select two of the eight signals on leads  154  as final recovered clock signals on leads  192 . Omitting for the moment details that will be discussed later, the two signals thus finally selected are in general the true and complement of the candidate reference clock signal having the phase that best matches the phase of the clock information in CDR signal  152 . Operation of the  FIG. 1  circuitry will now be discussed in more detail. 
   The recovered clock signals on leads  192  are applied as clock signals to phase detect circuitry  160 . This circuitry compares the phases of transitions in CDR signal  152  to phases of the recovered clock signals (from leads  192 ) and produces “UP” or “DN” signal pulses on leads  161 , depending on whether the phase of the recovered clock signals needs to be delayed (“UP”) or advanced (“DN”) to make the recovered clock signals better match the phase of transitions in CDR signal  152 . In circuitry  160  the recovered true clock signal may be compared in phase to positive-going transitions in CDR signal  152 . The recovered complement clock signal may be compared in phase to negative-going transitions in CDR signal  152 . 
   Circuitry  160  also uses recovered clock signals  192  to produce a retimed serial data signal on lead  200 . This may be done, for example, by using an appropriate one (or a phase-shifted version of an appropriate one) of the recovered clock signals to clock CDR signal  152  into a register. The output signal of the register is the retimed serial data signal on lead  200 . 
   Circuitry  162  operates as N-to-1 filter circuitry on the UP and DN signal pulses output by circuitry  160 . For example, circuitry  162  may divide by an integer N (which is greater than 1) the number of UP pulses received to produce a “DIVUP” output signal pulse only after N UP pulses have been received. Circuitry  162  may do the same thing with respect to DN pulses, so that a “DIVDN” output signal pulse is produced only after N DN pulses have been received. The DIVUP and DIVDN signals are output via leads  163 . A purpose of the filtering provided by circuitry  162  is to avoid reacting to the UP/DN signals before phase detect circuitry  160  has had a chance to examine the previously chosen phase and make an UP/DN decision based on that phase choice. N to 1 filter circuitry  162  is clocked by one of the recovered clock signals from leads  192 , and also by a second clock signal that is one of the recovered clock signals  192  after frequency-halving by divide-by-2 circuitry  166 . Some functions in circuitry  162  can be clocked at the full recovered clock rate. But other functions, such as synthesized counters, need the slower clock signal produced by divider circuitry  166 . 
   DIVUP and DIVDN signals  163  respectively increment and decrement a counter in phase select circuitry  164 . Circuitry  164  is also clocked by a frequency-halved recovered clock signal produced by divider circuitry  166 . It will be appreciated that elements  162  and  164  effectively low-pass-filter and digitally integrate the UP and DN signals together (over time) to help smooth out the response of the circuitry to indications of need to change the phase of the recovered clock signal. It will also be appreciated that, in the particular embodiment being described, UP and DN signals are only produced in response to transitions in CDR signal  152 . In the absence of further transitions in the CDR signal, the circuitry is therefore stable with respect to any recovered clock signal selection that has been made. As a consequence, the illustrative circuitry does not require CDR signal  152  to comply with any particular run length limitation. Run length monitoring circuitry can be added if desired. 
   The more significant bits (“MSB”) of the count from the counter in circuitry  164  control “preliminary” selection of two pairs of two of the eight candidate recovered clocks  154 . The two candidate recovered clock signals in each pair have phases that are separated by 45°, and the pairs are 180° out of phase with one another (i.e., the more phase-retarded signal in each pair is 180° out of phase with the more phase-retarded signal in the other pair, and the same is true for more phase-advanced signal in each pair). In the immediately following discussion we will first give primary consideration to only one of the above-mentioned pairs (i.e., the signals referred to as P 1  and P 2 ). Later we will come back and supplement the consideration of the other pair (i.e., the signals referred to as N 1  and N 2 ). 
   Considering first the selection of signals P 1  and P 2 , these are two phase-adjacent ones of the eight candidate recovered clock signals on leads  154 . These two selected signals are “phase-adjacent” because they have the smallest possible phase difference (45°) between them. At various times during operation of the circuitry, any two candidate recovered clock signals, separated in phase by 45°, may be selected as P 1  and P 2  based on the MSB of the circuitry  164  counter. At any given time, however, (after the circuitry has been in operation long enough to have reached reasonable stability) the two candidate recovered clock signals that are selected as P 1  and P 2  by the MSB of the circuitry  164  counter are the two signals having phases that most nearly match the phase of positive-going transitions in the clock information in CDR signal  152 . This generally means that one of the selected signals will have phase that is somewhat behind the phase of positive-going transitions in the CDR signal clock, and the other selected signal will have phase that is somewhat ahead of the phase of positive-going transitions in the CDR signal clock. In other words, the circuitry attempts to keep the phase of positive-going transitions in the CDR signal clock information between the phases of the two candidate recovered clock signals selected as P 1  and P 2  by the MSB of the circuitry  164  counter. 
   Multiplexer circuitry  170  actually makes the selection of the two candidate recovered clock signals P 1  and P 2  as described in the preceding paragraph. Multiplexer circuitry  170  is controlled to make these selections by SP 1 [2:0] and SP 2 [2:0] output signals of phase select circuitry  164 . These SP 1  or SP 2  signals are derived from the above-described MSB information. Although any other consistent convention could be used, in the illustrative embodiment being described herein, the higher the value represented by SP 1  or SP 2 , the later (more delayed) the phase of the candidate recovered clock signal that will be selected in response to that SP 1  or SP 2  value. As has already been anticipated, the two signals selected by the SP 1  and SP 2  signals are respectively referenced P 1  and P 2  in  FIG. 1 . 
   Only one of the two sets of signals SP 1  and SP 2  is allowed to change at any one time. For example, if SP 1  and SP 2  are selecting candidate recovered clock signals P 1  and P 2  having phases that are respectively behind and ahead of the CDR signal clock information phase, and if it is then found that the phase of P 2  is now also behind the phase of the CDR signal clock information, SP 2  (and therefore P 2 ) does not change. Only SP 1  (and therefore P 1 ) changes. In particular, the change in SP 1  is from selecting the candidate signal having phase behind the phase of P 2  to selecting the candidate signal having phase ahead of the phase of P 2 . In this way the phase of the CDR clock information remains between the phases of P 1  and P 2 , but only one signal selection (in this example the selection of P 1 ) changes at any one time. Thus there is always one set of signals SP 1  or SP 2  that is unchanged during any change in the other set of the SP 1 /SP 2  signals. By the same token, there is always one of signals P 1  or P 2  that is uninterruptedly output by circuitry  170  during any change in the other P 1 /P 2  signal output by that circuitry. 
   At the same time that multiplexer circuitry  170  is selecting P 1  and P 2  as described above, that circuitry also selects the complements of P 1  and P 2  (referred to as N 1  and N 2 , respectively). (All “complement” signals are 180° out of phase with the corresponding “true” signal.) The SN 1 [2:0] and SN 2 [2:0] output signals of phase select circuitry  164  control circuitry  170  to make these complement signal selections. 
   A final selection of one of signals P 1  and P 2  for use as the recovered clock signal is made by so-called digital interpolator circuitry  182 . Within circuitry  182 , circuitry  184  compares the SP 1  and SP 2  information. If SP 2  is greater than SP 1 , the phase of P 2  is later (more retarded or delayed) than the phase of P 1 . In that case compare circuitry  184  causes multiplexer circuitry  186  to select P 2  for application to the clock input terminal of register chain  188 . On the other hand, if SP 1  is greater than SP 2 , the phase of P 1  is later (more retarded or delayed) than the phase of P 2 . In that case compare circuitry  184  causes multiplexer circuitry  186  to select P 1  for application to the clock input terminal of register chain  188 . From the foregoing it will be seen that multiplexer circuitry  186  always outputs the one of signals P 1  and P 2  with the later phase. It will also now be appreciated why it is desirable for only one set of signals SP 1  or SP 2  to be allowed to change at any one time (e.g., to increase the reliability of operation of comparison circuitry  184 ). 
   The data input to register chain  188  is a less significant bit (“LSB”) of the count in the above-described counter in phase select circuitry  164 . The LSB information can be the least significant bit of the count in the circuitry  164  counter, or if there are several bits in that counter with significance less than the previously described MSB information, the LSB can be one of those less significant bits (preferably the bit with significance just less than the MSB information). The LSB signal propagates through register chain  188  at the rate of the clock signal (P 1  or P 2 ) applied to the clock input of that chain from the output of multiplexer  186 . After thus propagating through register chain  188 , the LSB signal information is output by that chain as final selection signal SEL. The SEL signal is used to control multiplexer circuitry  190  to select either P 1  and N 1  or P 2  and N 2  as the recovered clock signal and its complement. In particular, if SEL is 0, circuitry  190  selects P 1  and N 1  for application to leads  192 . If SEL is 1, circuitry  190  selects P 2  and N 2  for application to leads  192 . 
   Reviewing the operation of the circuitry from a relatively high level, the phase of the clock signal applied to register chain  188  can change by no more than 45° at any one time. This helps register chain  188  continue to operate satisfactorily during any change in the signal selected by multiplexer  186 . Register chain  188  delays the time between any change in the LSB information and the use of that information (as SEL) to cause a change in the selection of P 1 /N 1  or P 2 /N 2  for application to leads  192 . If the MSB and LSB information both change at the same time, the delay in use of the LSB information that results from passing that information through register chain  188  prior to use to control multiplexer  190  prevents a change in candidate clock signal selection by multiplexer  190  from occurring too close in time to a change in candidate clock signal selection by more upstream multiplexers  170  and  186 . This means that any change in (“preliminary”) selections by multiplexers  170  and  186  has been made and the results of those selections have been well stabilized before any change in further (“final”) selection among those preliminary selections can be attempted and made by multiplexer  190 . Ensuring in this way that the initial or preliminary selections (by multiplexers  170  and  186 ) and the final selections (by multiplexer  190 ) are well spaced apart in time helps ensure that the final selections (the recovered clock signals on leads  192 ) are free of “glitches”, even when those final selections change, as they typically do at least from time to time. After the immediately following additional point, further glitch-preventing aspects of the circuitry will be discussed in connection with  FIG. 2 . 
   Before leaving  FIG. 1 , it should be pointed out (if it is not already apparent from what has been said) that whenever a change is made in the preliminary selections by multiplexer circuitry  170 , the LSB information will typically already be causing multiplexer circuitry  190  to finally select the signals P 1 /N 1  or P 2 /N 2  that will not change as a result of the preliminary selection change. This is so because (as has been said) only one of the two sets of signals preliminarily selected by multiplexer circuitry  170  is allowed to change at any one time. Moreover, the set that is allowed to change is the set that is more distant in phase from transitions in CDR signal  152 . But before that preliminary selection change occurs, the LSB/SEL information will have caused the final selection (via operation of multiplexer circuitry  190 ) to be selection of the preliminarily selected set that is closer in phase to transitions in CDR signal  152 . So, although a change in preliminary selection is immediately reflected at one set of the inputs to multiplexer circuitry  190 , that has no immediate effect on the outputs of circuitry  190  because SEL is then causing circuitry  190  to derive its outputs from its other set of inputs. And there is no change in the signals applied to that other set of circuitry  190  inputs. Only well after a change in one of the sets of inputs to circuitry  190  can SEL change to cause final selection of that changed set of inputs. This is ensured by operation of delay circuitry  188 , which delays any change in LSB prior to appearance of that change in SEL. This description, of course, assumes normal operation of the circuitry. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 2 , that FIG. shows an illustrative embodiment of digital interpolator circuitry  182  in somewhat more detail. The portions of this circuitry that relate to selection of OUTP (the finally selected recovered clock on lead  192   a ) will be discussed first. Then the similar circuitry for selecting the complement of OUTP (i.e., OUTN on lead  192   b ) will be discussed. 
   As has already been said, the final selection between P 1  and P 2  is controlled by LSB. An LSB transition should not cause a glitch in the output clock OUTP (or OUTN). To prevent such a glitch, LSB is forced to transition at the final output mux  190   a  only when P 1  and P 2  are the same logic state (high or low). (The same is true for N 1  and N 2 , i.e., they are forced to be in the same logic state when LSB transitions at final output mux  190   b .) 
   First, SP 1  and SP 2  are compared in circuitry  184 , and the later phase clock among P 1  and P 2  is selected to register LSB. For example, if SP 1 =2 and SP 2 =1, then the phase of P 1  is greater (later) than the phase of P 2  and therefore P 1  is selected to register LSB. 
   The waveforms in  FIG. 3  illustrate the glitch-free operation of the circuit in  FIG. 2 . The “safe window” in  FIG. 3  shows the area where SEL is guaranteed to switch. As can be seen from  FIG. 3 , P 1 =P 2  and N 1 =N 2  in this safe window. This ensures that SEL changing state and causing a change in the sources of output clocks OUTP and OUTN does not cause a glitch in OUTP and OUTN (because both possible sources for each of those signals then have the same logic level). 
   Another characteristic of the circuitry that helps to ensure glitch-free operation is that the TCO (time from clock to output) of shift register stage  188   d   1  ( FIG. 2 ) plus TSEL (time from a change in SEL to a change in the output of the multiplexers  190   a  and  190   b  controlled by SEL) is less than the “safe window” Also, the dummy loads (shown in dashed lines in  FIG. 2  (e.g., multiplexers  186   b–f , registers  188   d   2 – 5 , and buffers  189   b–e )) help to match the delays between the five clocks (i.e., P 1 , P 2 , N 1 , N 2 , and the clock to the fourth register  188   d   1  in register chain  188   a–   188   d   1 ). 
   Illustrative circuitry  500  in which DPLL circuitry as described above can be used in accordance with the invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . Circuitry  500  is assumed to be programmable logic device (“PLD”) circuitry. Phase locked loop (“PLL”) circuitry  510  receives a reference clock signal having frequency related to the frequency of the clock information in the CDR signal  152  also received by circuitry  500 . For example, the reference clock signal frequency can be the same as the frequency of the CDR signal clock information, or there can be an integer multiple relationship between these two frequencies. PLL  510  produces the above-described eight candidate recovered clock signals on leads  154 . DPLL  150  uses the signals on leads  154  and CDR signal  152  to produce final recovered clock signal(s)  192  and retimed data signal  200 . These signals may be used and/or further processed in other interface circuitry  520 , and/or they may be applied to PLD core circuitry  530  (e.g., the general-purpose programmable logic circuitry of PLD  500 ). Examples of other interface circuitry  520  that may be included are (1) byte alignment circuitry, (2) 8-bit/10-bit decoding circuitry, (3) channel de-skew circuitry, (4) byte de-serializer circuitry, (5) decryption circuitry, etc. Examples of such possible other interface circuitry  520  are shown in such references as Aung et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/805,843, filed Mar. 13, 2001, Lee et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/059,014, filed Jan. 29, 2002, Lee et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,140, Venkata et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/195,229, filed Jul. 11, 2002, Venkata et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/273,899, filed Oct. 16, 2002, Venkata et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,044, and Venkata et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/317,264, filed Dec. 10, 2002 . Other interface circuitry  520  may exchange signals with PLD core circuitry  530  via leads  522  and  524 . For example, signals for controlling certain operations of circuitry  520  may come from PLD core circuitry  530  via leads  524 . Further processed data signals and/or signals indicating the status of various aspects of circuitry  520  operation may be applied to circuitry  530  via leads  522 . There may be still other connections (not shown) between various elements in  FIG. 4 . For example, PLL  510  and/or DPLL  150  may indicate “loss of lock” to circuitry  530 . As another example, DPLL  150  may include circuitry for monitoring the run length of CDR signal  152  and may indicate any “run length violation” to circuitry  530 . 
     FIG. 5  illustrates a PLD or other circuitry  500  like that illustrated by  FIG. 4  in a data processing system  602  in accordance with the invention. Data processing system  602  may include one or more of the following components: a processor  604 ; memory  606 ; I/O circuitry  608 ; and peripheral devices  610 . These components are coupled together by a system bus or other interconnections  620  and are populated on a circuit board  630  (e.g., a printed circuit board), which is contained in an end-user system  640 . Any of the interconnections between element  500  and any other elements may be made using the above-described CDR signaling. 
   System  602  can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as computer networking, data networking, instrumentation, video processing, digital signal processing, or any other application where the advantage of using programmable or reprogrammable logic is desirable. Circuitry  500  can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions. For example, circuitry  500  can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor  604 . Circuitry  500  may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resource in system  602 . In yet another example, circuitry  500  can be configured as an interface between processor  604  and one of the other components in system  602 . It should be noted that system  602  is only exemplary, and that the true scope and spirit of the invention should be indicated by the following claims. 
   It will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the invention, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the number of registers  188   a–d   1  in register chain  188  can be varied (e.g., increased from four) if desired. As another example of possible modifications, the use of eight candidate recovered clock signals  154  is only illustrative, and any other suitable, larger or smaller, plural number of such signals can be used instead if desired.

Technology Category: 5