IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,205,458
Granted Patent B2
US 10,205,458 · App. 15/644,632 · Granted Feb 12, 2019

Run-time output clock determination

Inventors: Jared L. Zerbe (Woodside, CA); Brian S. Leibowitz (San Francisco, CA); Masum Hossain (Edmonton, CA)
Assignee: Rambus Inc.
H03L7/16H03K3/0315H03K5/00006H03K5/13H03K5/14H03L7/06H03L7/0995H03L7/24H03J2200/10
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,205,458
App. No.
15/644,632
Granted
Feb 12, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a first clock frequency multiplier, multiple injection-locked oscillators (ILOs) having spectrally-staggered lock ranges are operated in parallel to effect a collective input frequency range substantially wider than that of a solitary ILO. After each input frequency change, the ILO output clocks may be evaluated according to one or more qualifying criteria to select one of the ILOs as the final clock source. In a second clock frequency multiplier, a flexible-injection-rate injection-locked oscillator locks to super-harmonic, sub-harmonic or at-frequency injection pulses, seamlessly transitioning between the different injection pulse rates to enable a broad input frequency range. The frequency multiplication factor effected by the first and/or second clock frequency multipliers in response to an input clock is determined on the fly and then compared with a programmed (desired) multiplication factor to select between different frequency-divided instances of the frequency-multiplied clock.

Claims (32)

1. A method of operation within an integrated circuit device, the method comprising:

generating a frequency-multiplied clock signal in response to an input clock signal;

determining a multiplication factor between respective frequencies of the input clock signal and the frequency-multiplied clock signal; and

selecting one of a plurality of frequency-divided clock signals to be an output clock signal based, at least in part, on a difference between the multiplication factor and a predetermined multiplier value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the plurality of frequency-divided clock signals in response to the frequency-multiplied clock signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the multiplication factor between respective frequencies of the input clock signal and the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises counting transitions of the frequency-multiplied clock signal over an interval defined by transitions of the input clock signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined multiplier value indicates a desired frequency ratio between the input clock signal and the output clock signal, the method further comprising determining a difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising receiving the predetermined multiplier value from a source external to the integrated circuit device and storing the predetermined multiplier value within a programmable register of the integrated circuit device, the programmable storage register being coupled to provide the predetermined multiplier value to the ratio logic.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein determining the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value comprises dividing the multiplication factor by the predetermined multiplier value.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein determining the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value comprises indexing a lookup table to obtain a value indicative of the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value from the lookup table.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises generating a frequency-multiplied clock signal having a fixed frequency as the input clock signal frequency transitions between a plurality of different frequencies.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises generating a frequency-multiplied clock signal that transitions between different frequencies in response to transitions of the input clock signal frequency.

10. An integrated circuit device comprising:

a clock multiplier circuit to generate a frequency-multiplied clock signal in response to an input clock signal;

ratio logic to determine a multiplication factor between the frequencies of the input clock signal and the frequency-multiplied clock signal; and

clock selection circuitry to select one of a plurality of frequency-divided clock signals to be an output clock signal based, at least in part, on a difference between the multiplication factor and a predetermined multiplier value.

11. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 further comprising a clock divider circuit to generate the plurality of frequency-divided clock signals in response to the frequency-multiplied clock signal.

12. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 wherein the ratio logic to determine the multiplication factor between the frequencies of the input clock signal and the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises circuitry to count transitions of the frequency-multiplied clock signal over an interval defined by transitions of the input clock signal.

13. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 wherein the predetermined multiplier value indicates a desired frequency ratio between the input clock signal and the output clock signal, and wherein the ratio logic comprises circuitry to determine the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value.

14. The integrated circuit device of claim 13 further comprising a programmable storage register to store the predetermined multiplier value, the programmable storage register being coupled to provide the predetermined multiplier value to the ratio logic.

15. The integrated circuit device of claim 13 wherein the circuitry to determine the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value comprises circuitry to divide the multiplication factor by the predetermined multiplier value.

16. The integrated circuit device of claim 13 wherein the circuitry to determine the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value comprises a lookup table and circuitry to obtain a value indicative of the difference between the multiplication factor and the predetermined multiplier value from the lookup table.

17. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 further comprising:

a signaling interface to receive the predetermined multiplier value and an instruction to store the predetermined multiplier value from a source external to the integrated circuit device;

a programmable storage register; and

control circuitry to store the predetermined multiplier value within the programmable storage register in response to the instruction.

18. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 wherein the clock multiplier circuit to generate the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises circuitry to generate a frequency-multiplied clock signal having a fixed frequency as the input clock signal frequency transitions between a plurality of different frequencies.

19. The integrated circuit device of claim 10 wherein the clock multiplier circuit to generate the frequency-multiplied clock signal comprises circuitry to generate a frequency-multiplied clock signal that transitions between different frequencies in response to transitions of the input clock signal frequency.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating a frequency-multiplied clock signal in response to an input clock signal;

means for determining a multiplication factor between respective frequencies of the input clock signal and the frequency-multiplied clock signal; and

means for selecting one of a plurality of frequency-divided clock signals to be an output clock signal based, at least in part, on a difference between the multiplication factor and a predetermined multiplier value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2018
From: ZERBE, JARED L.; LEIBOWITZ, BRIAN S.; HOSSAIN, MASUM
To: RAMBUS INC
Reel/Frame 047058/0105 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 15130802 · Apr 15, 2016
Continuation 14565802 · Dec 10, 2014
Continuation 13983836
Provisional Application 61504155 · Jul 1, 2011
Related Publication 20180069556A1 · Mar 8, 2018