Specific phase position detection

1. A specific phase position detection circuit comprising:

a detector that detects first and second temporal positions which have respective desired phase offsets from an upper peak position and a lower peak position of an analog signal having periodicity, and

a phase signal generator that outputs a phase signal indicating the detected first and second temporal positions,

wherein the detector comprises:

a reference position detection unit configured to detect, as first and second reference positions, the first and second temporal positions for which a signal level of the analog signal matches a predetermined threshold value;

a first phase detection unit configured to generate a first detection signal indicating a first specific phase position in a first half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions;

a second phase detection unit configured to generate a second detection signal indicating a second specific phase position in a latter half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions; and

a logical operation unit configured to generate a phase signal indicating the first and second specific phase positions by taking logical sum of the first and second detection signals,

wherein the first and second phase detection units each includes:

a measuring unit configured to measure a length of a reference period based on the first and second reference positions;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a partial period which has a fixed ratio in relation to the reference period; and

a detection signal generator configured to generate the first or second detection signal indicating the first or second specific phase position based on the first and second reference positions and the partial period.

2. A specific phase position detection circuit comprising:

a detector that detects first and second temporal positions which have respective desired phase offsets from an upper peak position and a lower peak position of an analog signal having periodicity, and

a phase signal generator that outputs a phase signal indicating the detected first and second temporal positions,

wherein the detector comprises:

a reference position detection unit configured to respectively detect, as first and second reference positions, the first and second temporal positions for which a signal level of the analog signal matches a first predetermined threshold value for each cycle of the analog signal;

a first phase detection unit configured to generate a first detection signal indicating a first specific phase position in a first half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions;

a second phase detection unit configured to generate a second detection signal indicating a second specific phase position in a latter half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions; and

a logical operation unit configured to generate a phase signal indicating the first and second specific phase positions by taking logical sum of the first and second detection signals,

wherein the first and second phase detection units each includes:

a measuring unit configured to measure, as a reference period, a length of time from the first reference position to the next second reference position, or a length of time from the second reference position to the next first reference position;

a calculation unit configured to calculate a partial period which has a fixed ratio in relation to the reference period measured in the previous cycle for each cycle of the analog signal; and

a detection signal generator configured to detect, as the first or second specific phase position, a temporal position offset by the partial period calculated by the calculation unit from the first or second reference position detected in the current cycle, and to generate the first or second detection signal indicating the first or second specific phase position.

3. A specific phase position detection method for detecting temporal positions which have a specific phase as specific phase positions for each half cycle of an analog signal, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting, as first and second reference positions, two temporal positions for which a signal level of the analog signal matches a first predetermined threshold value for each cycle of the analog signal;

(b) generating a first detection signal indicating a first specific phase position in a first half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions;

(c) generating a second detection signal indicating a second specific phase position in a latter half of each cycle of the analog signal based on the first and second reference positions; and

(d) generating a phase signal indicating the first and second specific phase positions by taking logical sum of the first and second detection signals,

wherein generating a first detection signal and generating a second detection signal each includes the steps of:

measuring, as a reference period, a length of time from the first reference position to the next second reference position, or a length of time from the second reference position to the next first reference position;

calculating a partial period which has a fixed ratio in relation to the reference period measured in the previous cycle for each cycle of the analog signal; and

detecting, as the first or second specific phase position, a temporal position offset by the partial period from the first or second reference position detected in the current cycle.