Fast acquisition clock recovery using a directional frequency-phase detector

Abstract

A phase-locked loop circuit is disclosed. The phase-locked loop circuit includes a fundamental/quadrature phase comparator circuit (,) that compares an input bitstream (IN) to fundamental and quadrature phases of an output clock signal (CLK, CLKQ), to generate logic signals (I,, I,) corresponding to the state of the output clock signal phases at the time of each transition of the input bitstream. Compare logic (,) in the fundamental/quadrature phase comparator circuit (,) generates anticlockwise (A) and clockwise (C) signals to a state machine (,), in response to the logic signals (I,, I,) varying from a prior state (X,, X,) in opposing directions in a sequence; the sequence and directions are indicative of the polarity of the error frequency between the input bitstream and the output clock signal. Beginning with the first comparison and in response to the anticlockwise (A) and clockwise (C) signals, the state machine (,) issues a high gain charge or discharge signal (UPC, DNC) to a charge pump filter (,), to raise or lower the voltage (V,) at a capacitor (,) and thus increase or decrease the oscillation frequency of a voltage-controlled oscillator (,) that generates the output clock signal (CLK). This charge or discharge operation continues until the opposite one of the anticlockwise (A) and clockwise (C) signals is produced by the compare logic (,), at which time the state machine begins issuing lower gain discharge or charge signals (DND, UPD) to correct the output clock frequency in the opposite direction, in a fine correction manner.