Jitter detector, phase difference detector and jitter detecting method

Abstract

A jitter detector obtains a phase difference between input signals as a digital value to make jitter between the signals easily detectable. The jitter detector includes comparison pulse generator, periodic signal generator, counter and arithmetic unit. The comparison pulse generator outputs one phase difference comparison pulse after another. Each phase difference comparison pulse has a width representing the phase difference between first and second input signals. The periodic signal generator outputs a periodic signal every time a value obtained by accumulating the widths of the phase difference comparison pulses exceeds a predetermined value. Receiving the periodic signal and a clock signal with a period shorter than that of the periodic signal, the counter counts the number of pulses of the clock signal during one period of the periodic signal and outputs a resultant count. And the arithmetic unit detects and outputs a variation in the count as jitter between the first and second input signals.