IP Library Granted Patent US 12700866
Granted Patent B2
US 12700866 · App. 18/990,799 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Phase-locked loop clock data recovery architecture

Inventor: Kailash Chandrashekar (Portland, OR)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H03L7/0807H03L7/091H03L7/093
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12700866
App. No.
18/990,799
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A clock data recovery circuit that uses a phase-locked loop circuit is disclosed. The clock data recovery circuit includes a phase circuit that generates a modulation signal using a recovered clock signal and an input signal that encodes multiple data symbols. A phase-locked loop circuit generates the recovered clock signal using the modulation signal and generates a feedback signal whose frequency is a non-integer factor of the of the recovered clock signal. The phase-locked loop circuit further generates the recovered clock signal using the feedback signal and a reference signal.

Claims (57)

1 . An apparatus, comprising:

a phase circuit configured to generate a modulation signal using an input signal and a recovered clock signal, wherein the input signal encodes a plurality of data symbols; and

a phase-locked loop circuit configured to:

generate the recovered clock signal using the modulation signal;

generate a reduced frequency signal, wherein a first frequency of the reduced frequency signal is less than a second frequency of the recovered clock signal;

generate a plurality of phase signals using the reduced frequency signal;

generate, using the modulation signal, a feedback signal based on respective phases of at least two phase signals of the plurality of phase signals, wherein a ratio of respective frequencies of the feedback signal and the recovered clock signal is a non-integer value; and

modify the recovered clock signal using the feedback signal and a reference signal.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein to generate the modulation signal, the phase circuit is further configured to:

perform a phase-frequency comparison of the input signal and the recovered clock signal to generate an error signal; and

filter the error signal to generate the modulation signal.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein to modify the recovered clock signal, the phase-locked loop circuit is further configured to:

perform a phase-frequency comparison of the reference signal and the feedback signal to generate a phase-difference signal;

filter the phase-difference signal to generate a filtered signal; and

adjust a frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the phase-locked loop circuit is further configured to adjust the frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein to generate the feedback signal, the phase-locked loop circuit is further configured to determine a phase relationship between the feedback signal and the at least two phase signals using the modulation signal.

6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the phase-locked loop circuit includes an oscillator circuit configured to generate the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.

7 . A method, comprising:

receiving, by a phase circuit, an input signal that encodes a plurality of data symbols;

generating, by the phase circuit, a modulation signal using the input signal and a recovered clock signal;

generating, by a phase-locked loop circuit, the recovered clock signal using the modulation signal;

generating, by the phase-locked loop circuit, a reduced frequency signal, wherein a first frequency of the reduced frequency signal is less than a second frequency of the recovered clock signal;

generating, by the phase-locked loop circuit, a plurality of phase signals using the reduced frequency signal;

generating, by the phase-locked loop circuit using the modulation signal, a feedback signal based on respective phases of at least two phase signals of the plurality of phase signals, wherein a ratio of respective frequencies of the feedback signal and the recovered clock signal is a non-integer value; and

modifying, by the phase-locked loop circuit, the recovered clock signal using the feedback signal and a reference signal.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein generating, by the phase circuit, the modulation signal includes:

performing, by the phase circuit, a phase-frequency comparison of the input signal and the recovered clock signal to generate an error signal; and

filtering, by the phase circuit, the error signal to generate the modulation signal.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein modifying, by the phase-locked loop circuit, the recovered clock signal using the feedback signal and the reference signal includes:

performing, by the phase-locked loop circuit, a phase-frequency comparison of the reference signal and the feedback signal to generate a phase-difference signal;

filtering, by the phase-locked loop circuit, the phase-difference signal to generate a filtered signal; and

adjusting, by the phase-locked loop circuit, a frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising adjusting, by the phase-locked loop circuit, the frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.

11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein generating, by the phase-locked loop circuit, the feedback signal includes determining, by the phase-locked loop circuit, a phase relationship between the feedback signal and the at least two phase signals using the modulation signal.

12 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising sampling, by a sampler circuit using the recovered clock signal, the input signal to generate a plurality of recovered data symbols.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the phase-locked loop circuit includes an oscillator circuit, and wherein adjusting the frequency of the recovered clock signal includes controlling a frequency of the oscillator circuit using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.

14 . An apparatus, comprising:

a first device configured to transmit a data signal via a communication bus, wherein the data signal encodes a plurality of data symbols; and

a second device configured to:

receive the data signal via the communication bus;

generate a modulation signal using the data signal and a recovered clock signal;

generate a reduced frequency signal, wherein a first frequency of the reduced frequency signal is less than a second frequency of the recovered clock signal;

generate a plurality of phase signals using the reduced frequency signal;

generate a feedback signal based on respective phases of at least two phase signals of the plurality of phase signals, wherein a ratio of respective frequencies of the feedback signal and the recovered clock signal is a non-integer value; and

modify the recovered clock signal using the feedback signal and a reference signal.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein to generate the modulation signal, the second device is further configured to:

perform a phase-frequency comparison of the data signal and the recovered clock signal to generate an error signal; and

filter the error signal to generate the modulation signal.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein to modify the recovered clock signal, the second device is further configured to:

perform a phase-frequency comparison of the reference signal and the feedback signal to generate a phase-difference signal;

filter the phase-difference signal to generate a filtered signal; and

adjust a frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second device is further configured to adjust the frequency of the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.

18 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein to generate the feedback signal, the second device is further configured to determine a phase relationship between the feedback signal and the at least two phase signals using the modulation signal.

19 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the second device is further configured to sample, using the recovered clock signal, the data signal to generate a plurality of recovered data symbols.

20 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second device includes an oscillator circuit configured to generate the recovered clock signal using the filtered signal and the modulation signal.