Pulse output direct digital synthesis circuit

1. A clock signal generator responsive to a frequency control word and a reference clock signal having a reference clock frequency f ref , the clock signal generator generating an output clock signal having a frequency f gen , wherein f gen is less than f ref , the clock signal generator comprising:

(a) a modulo-N counter which accepts the reference clock signal as input, said modulo-N counter generating a phase-indication signal of the reference clock, wherein said phase indication signal has N clock phases repeating at a frequency of f ref /N;

(b) an accumulator which by iteratively accumulating a frequency control word into a modulo-N adder, produces an accumulated value, wherein at least one bit of said accumulated value is fed-back into said modulo-N adder for adding modulo N to said accumulated value in the next iteration;

wherein N of said modulo-N adder is the same integer as in said modulo-N counter; and

(c) a clock edge selector which receives as inputs said phase indication signal and at least one bit of said accumulated value and by comparing said inputs selects an edge of the reference clock signal upon which to toggle the state of the output clock signal.

2. The clock signal generator, according to claim 1 , wherein said clock edge selector selects said edge from: (i) only rising edges of the reference clock signal, (ii) only falling edges of the reference clock signal or (iii) both rising and falling edges of the reference clock signal.

3. The clock signal generator, according to claim 1 , wherein said clock edge selector selects between a rising edge and a falling edge of the reference clock signal based on at least one bit of said accumulated value.

4. The clock signal generator, according to claim 1 , further comprising:

(d) an analog circuit operatively connected to said clock edge selector which corrects jitter of the output clock signal based on at least one bit of said accumulated value.

5. The clock signal generator, according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency control word includes a dynamic control value, the clock signal generator further comprising:

(d) a dynamic control interface operatively connected to said accumulator for inputting the dynamic control value, thereby dynamically controlling output clock frequency f gen .

6. The clock signal generator, according to claim 5 , wherein said dynamic control interface is an asynchronous interface, the clock signal generator further comprising:

(e) a timing module operatively attached to said accumulator which times input of said dynamic control value into said accumulator thereby removing external timing requirements.

7. The clock signal generator, according to claim 1 , whereby an increase of the value of N, decreases the minimum achievable output clock frequency f gen without affecting the absolute jitter in the output clock signal.

8. A system comprising a plurality of clock signal generators of claim 1 , wherein the same reference clock signal is used for all the clock signal generators.

9. A receiver comprising a clock signal generator of claim 1 .

10. A method for generating an output clock signal responsive to a frequency control word and a reference clock signal having a reference clock frequency f ref , the output clock signal having a frequency f gen , wherein f gen is less than f ref , the method comprising the steps of:

(a) inputting the reference clock signal into a modulo-N counter thereby generating a phase-indication signal of the reference clock, wherein said phase indication signal has N clock phases repeating at a frequency of f ref /N;

(b) iteratively accumulating a frequency control word into a modulo-N adder, thereby producing an accumulated value;

(c) feeding back at least one bit of said accumulated value into said modulo-N adder for adding modulo N to said accumulated value in the next iteration;

(d) receiving as inputs said phase indication signal and at least one bit of said accumulated value;

(e) upon comparing said inputs selecting an edge of the reference clock signal for toggling the state of the output clock signal; and

(f) toggling the state of the output clock signal on the selected edge of the reference clock signal.

11. The method, according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of:

(g) upon completing said toggling, initiating another iteration of said accumulating.

12. The method, according to claim 10 , wherein the frequency control word includes a dynamic control value, further comprising the step of:

(g) dynamically adjusting output clock frequency f gen by varying said dynamic control value.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said dynamically adjusting output clock frequency f gen includes dithering said output clock frequency f gen thereby substantially reducing spurious noise of the output clock signal.

14. The method, according to claim 12 , further comprising the step of:

(g) scaling said dynamic control value with a scaling factor between zero and one.

15. A multiple-port communications receiver comprising a plurality of receivers sharing a single reference clock signal having a reference clock frequency f ref , each of said receivers including:

(i) an analog-to-digital converter which receives and samples an input analog signal thereby generating an input digital signal;

(ii) a timing detection circuit which processes said input digital signal and outputs dynamically a dynamic control value; and

(iii) a clock signal generator responsive to said dynamic control value which outputs an output clock signal having a frequency f gen , wherein f gen is less than f ref , the clock signal generator including:

(A) a modulo-N counter which accepts the reference clock signal as input, said modulo-N counter generating a phase-indication signal of the reference clock, wherein said phase indication signal has N clock phases repeating at a frequency of f ref /N;

(B) an accumulator which by iteratively accumulating a frequency control value which includes said dynamic control value into a modulo-N adder, produces an accumulated value, wherein at least one bit of said accumulated value is fed-back into said modulo-N adder for adding modulo N to said accumulated value in the next iteration;

wherein N of said modulo-N adder is the same integer as in said modulo-N counter; and

(C) a clock edge selector which receives as inputs said phase indication signal and at least one bit of said accumulated value and by comparing said inputs selects an edge of the reference clock signal upon which to toggle the state of the output clock signal;

wherein said output clock signal is input to said analog-to-digital converter, whereby sampling of said analog-to-digital converter is frequency and phase locked to said input digital signal.