IP Library Granted Patent US 8,305,123
Granted Patent B2
US 8,305,123 · App. 12/623,713 · Granted Nov 6, 2012

Duty detection circuit, duty correction circuit, and duty detection method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,305,123
App. No.
12/623,713
Granted
Nov 6, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a duty detection circuit including: a first capacitor; a first transistor that controls charge or discharge currents of the first capacitor during a first period of a clock signal; a second capacitor; a second transistor that controls charge or discharge currents of the second capacitor during a second period of the clock signal; and a latch circuit that detects that a potential of one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor reaches a predetermined potential, and latches an output based on a result of the detection.

Claims (26)

1. A duty detection circuit comprising:

a first capacitor;

a first transistor that controls charge or discharge currents of the first capacitor during a first period of a clock signal;

a second capacitor;

a second transistor that controls charge or discharge currents of the second capacitor during a second period of the clock signal; and

a latch circuit configured to assert a first control signal when an electrical potential of the first node reaches a predetermined potential before an electrical potential of the second node reaches the predetermined potential and to assert a second control signal when the electrical potential of the second node reaches the predetermined potential before the electrical potential of the first node reaches the predetermined potential.

2. The duty detection circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a reset circuit that resets the potential of the first capacitor and the potential of the second capacitor.

3. The duty detection circuit according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first transistor and the second transistor comprises a PMOS transistor.

4. The duty detection circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the first transistor receives the clock signal, and the second transistor receives an inverted signal of the clock signal.

5. A duty detection method comprising:

charging or discharging a first capacitor during a first period of a clock signal;

charging or discharging a second capacitor during a second period of the clock signal;

alternately repeating the charging or discharging of the first capacitor and the charging or discharging of the second capacitor;

detecting that a potential of one of the first capacitor and the second capacitor reaches a predetermined potential before a potential of another of the first capacitor and the second capacitor reaches the predetermined potential; and

latching a result of the detection.

6. The duty detection method according to claim 5 , wherein the first capacitor is charged during the first period, and

the second capacitor is charged during the second period.

7. The duty detection method according to claim 5 , wherein the first capacitor is discharged during the first period, and

the second capacitor is discharged during the second period.

8. The duty detection method according to claim 5 , wherein the potential of the first capacitor and the potential of the second capacitor are reset before the charging or discharging of the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

9. A circuit comprising:

a first capacitor coupled to a first node;

a first transistor coupled to the first node to charge the first capacitor during a first period of a clock signal;

a second capacitor coupled to a second node;

a second transistor coupled to the second node to charge the second capacitor during a second period of the clock signal;

a latch circuit coupled to a third node and a fourth node, the latch circuit configured to assert a first control signal on the third node when an electrical potential of the first node reaches a predetermined potential before an electrical potential of the second node reaches the predetermined potential and to assert a second control signal on the fourth node when the electrical potential of the second node reaches the predetermined potential before the electrical potential of the first node reaches the predetermined potential.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 26, 2010
From: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025193/0138 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 23, 2009
From: KIKUCHI, KAZUTAKA
To: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 023557/0240 →