Signal splitting system and method for enhanced time measurement device operation

Abstract

A system and corresponding method for measuring relative timing of signal events in at least one measurement signal includes input circuitry for receiving such a measurement signal. The input circuitry may include a comparator configured to convert the measurement input signal into a binary timing signal that is indicative of selected transitions, or signal events, in the measurement signal. The original measurement signal, or subsequently generated timing signal, is then provided to signal splitting circuitry that is configured to split such signal a predetermined number of times and to generate a plurality of data streams whose frequency level is lower than the frequency level of the original measurement signal. The signal splitting circuitry may correspond to respective pluralities of edge-triggered devices, for example flip-flops, that are provided in a cascaded series of groups, and may in some embodiments further include a plurality of logic gates coupled between selected grouped pluralities of edge-triggered devices as well as delay elements coupled between selected inputs and outputs of the respective logic gates. Once the signal splitting circuitry generates a plurality of parallel data streams representative of the transition information in the original measurement input signal, such parallel data streams can then be relayed to one or more measurement channels such that time-stamped measurements of selected signal events can be obtained by interpolator-based measurement circuitry.