TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to timing recovery in a receiver using split loop architecture where different components of the clock mismatch error are handled by different processing components.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In many clock recovery schemes used in transceivers, the timing recovery system uses a main analog element to control the recovered clock. For example, there is a voltage controlled oscillator ("VCO") based clock generation where the VCO control signal is generated to track both the clock jitter as well as a constant clock offset between the initial VCO frequency and clock used by the remote transmitter.

[0003] Another method to recover the remote transmitter clock is to use a delta-sigma modulation ("DSM") system to change the frequency of a provided clock source to track a remote clock system. For efficient design however, the tracking bandwidth of the DSM is limited. Another method is to use a phase interpolator based timing recovery system where the remote transmitter clock is recovered by passing a receiver clock source through different phase shifts such the PI clock output would be very close to the remote transmitted clock.

[0004] There are disadvantages to each approach however, as in very high speed communication systems where the timing error has to be very small (e.g. < 0.5 picoseconds) the phase interpolator presents significant issues because of the integral nonlinearity (INL) and differential nonlinearity (DNL) of the phase-delay selection. The INL/DNL of the phase interpolator make it very challenging to compensate for a frequency offset between the local source and the remote transmitted clock. The DSM approach is limited by DSM loop BW. In high speed applications the TR loop bandwidth needs to be in the range of 1 - 50 MHz, which presents a very significant challenge for DSM type approaches

SUMMARY

[0005] In an embodiment, a split loop timing recovery apparatus includes a first path configured for performing frequency offset tracking on a signal by adjusting a receiver clock frequency to match a remote transmitter frequency associated with the signal. The split loop timing recovery apparatus also includes a second path configured for tracking random jitter on the signal.

[0006] In another embodiment, a method for performing split loop timing recovery is provided. The method involves performing frequency offset tracking on a signal by adjusting a receiver clock frequency to match a remote transmitter frequency associated with the signal. The method also includes tracking random jitter on the signal using a phase interpolator.

[0007] In another embodiment a system for split loop timing recovery is provided that includes a delta sigma modulation loop that is configured for performing frequency offset tracking on a signal by adjusting a receiver clock frequency to match a remote transmitter frequency associated with the signal. The system also includes a phase interpolator loop that is configured for tracking random jitter on the signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a split loop architecture for clock recovery.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a split loop system that partitions bandwidth between paths.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system that predistorts a control signal.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method clock recovery using a split loop architecture.

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a computer environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Various embodiments provide for a system and method for performing clock recovery on a received signal using a split loop architecture. The frequency offset of the received signal can be tracked using a relatively low bandwidth path that changes the receiver clock's frequency to match the remote transmitter clock. An additional relatively high bandwidth path tracks high bandwidth random jitter. The first, low bandwidth path can utilize delta sigma modulation ("DSM"), and the second, high bandwidth path can be a phase interpolator. In this way, the slowly changing clock frequency offset is tracked through the delta sigma modulation loop so that the non-idealities of the phase interpolator do not cause large harmonics and resulting timing mismatch in the recovered receiver clock.

[0014] Similarly, the zero-mean jitter that is tracked through the phase interpolator is not as sensitive to the non-idealities as the fixed frequency offset and so is better suited to track the zero-mean clock jitter. The delta sigma modulation loop has relatively small bandwidth so it could even track changes in the oscillators that could happen as a result of slow drift, temperature changes, etc.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a split loop architecture for clock recovery. System 100 includes a split loop clock recovery system 0 that processes a signal received from remote transmitter 102 and outputs a recovered clock signal 108.

[0016] Split loop clock recovery system 110 includes a delta sigma modulation loop 104 and a phase interpolator 106. The split loop clock recovery system 110 receives the signal from the remote transmitter 102 and separate components of the received signal are split between the delta sigma modulation loop 104 and the phase interpolator 106. The delta sigma modulation loop 104 is a low bandwidth loop that tracks the frequency offset of the received signal from remote transmitter 102 and changes the frequency of the receiver's clock to match the remote transmitter clock of the remote transmitter 102.

[0017] The phase interpolator 106 processes the other component of the received signal and tracks high bandwidth random jitter in the received signal. The path associated with the phase interpolator 106 can be a high bandwidth path in some embodiments. The phase interpolator 106 tracks the zero-mean jitter and since the phase interpolator 106 is not as sensitive to the non- idealities. Since the phase interpolator 106 is more sensitive to the fixed frequency offset however, the fixed frequency offset is tracked and corrected through the delta sigma modulation loop 104.

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a split loop system 200 that partitions bandwidth between paths. System 200 includes a split loop clock recovery system 210 that processes a signal received from remote transmitter 202 and outputs a recovered clock signal 210.

[0019] Split loop clock recovery system 210 includes a delta sigma modulation loop 206 and a phase interpolator 208. The split loop clock recovery system 210 receives the signal from the remote transmitter 202 and separate components of the received signal are split between the delta sigma modulation loop 204 and the phase interpolator 206.

[0020] In an embodiment, the delta sigma modulation loop 206 is a low bandwidth path that is configured for tracking frequency offset in the received signal and the phase interpolator 208 is a high bandwidth path configured for tracking zero-mean random jitter.

[0021] Depending on characteristics of the received signal, different bandwidths are more appropriate for tracking frequency offset and tracking zero-mean random jitter. For example, if the delta sigma modulation loop 206 has more or less bandwidth, it may have an easier or harder time tracking the frequency offset based on the base frequency, amount of offset, etc. Similarly, lower or higher bandwidth assigned to the phase interpolator 208 can make the tracking of the random jitter easier or harder based on the type of jitter or other characteristics of the received signal.

[0022] In an embodiment, partitioning module 204 can be configured to split bandwidth between the delta sigma modulation loop 206 and the phase interpolator 208 based on an analysis of the signal. The split loop clock recovery system 210 can have a limited amount of bandwidth, and the partitioning module 204 can be configured to partition the bandwidth between a few timing recovery elements (e.g., the delta sigma modulation loop 206 and the phase interpolator 208) using digital processing to assign the bandwidth.

[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a system 300 that predistorts a control signal. System 300 includes a split loop clock recovery system 310 that processes a signal received from remote transmitter 302 and outputs a recovered clock signal.

[0024] Split loop clock recovery system 310 includes a delta sigma modulation loop 306 and a phase interpolator 308. The split loop clock recovery system 310 receives the signal from the remote transmitter 302 and separate components of the received signal are split between the delta sigma modulation loop 304 and the phase interpolator 306.

[0025] In an embodiment, the delta sigma modulation loop 306 is a low bandwidth path that is configured for tracking frequency offset in the received signal and the phase interpolator 308 is a high bandwidth path configured for tracking zero-mean random jitter.

[0026] In an embodiment, a predistortion module 304 can be provided to predistort a control signal going into the path associated with the phase interpolator 308. The control signal can be predistorted before going into the phase interpolator 308 that reduces the distortion of the recovered phase interpolator 308 clock. The predistortion module 304 can predistort the control signal based on a lookup table.

[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates processes in connection with the aforementioned systems. The process in FIG. 4 can be implemented for example by systems 100, 200, and 300 illustrated in FIG. 1-3 respectively. While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the method is shown and described as a series of blocks, the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods described hereinafter.

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method clock recovery using a split loop architecture. Method 400 can start at 402, where frequency offset tracking on a signal is performed by adjusting a receiver clock frequency to match a remote transmitter frequency associate with the signal. In an embodiment, the frequency offset tracking can be performed by a delta sigma modulation loop that is low bandwidth. At 404, the random jitter can be tracked using a phase interpolator. The phase interpolator can be assigned a high bandwidth to track the zero-mean random jitter.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a suitable environment 500 for implementing various aspects of this disclosure includes a computer 512. The computer 512 includes a processing unit(s) 514, a system memory 516, and a system bus 518. The system bus 518 couples system components including the system memory 516 to the processing unit 514. The processing unit(s) 514 can be any of various available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the processing unit(s) 514.

[0030] The system bus 518 can be any of several types of bus structure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited to, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), MicroChannel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association bus (PCMCIA), Firewire (IEEE 794), and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI).

[0031] The system memory 516 includes volatile memory 520 and nonvolatile memory 522. The basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines to transfer information between elements within the computer 512, such as during start-up, is stored in nonvolatile memory 522. By way of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory 522 can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or nonvolatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). Volatile memory 520 includes random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory.

[0032] Computer 512 also includes removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. FIG. 5 illustrates, for example, a disk storage 524. Disk storage 524 includes, but is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory card, or memory stick. The disk storage 524 also can include storage media separately or in combination with other storage media including, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a compact disk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CD rewritable drive (CD- RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of the disk storage devices 524 to the system bus 518, a removable or non-removable interface is typically used, such as interface 526.

[0033] FIG. 5 depicts software that acts as an intermediary between users and the basic computer resources described in the suitable operating environment 500. Such software includes, for example, an operating system 528. Operating system 528, which can be stored on disk storage 524, acts to control and allocate resources of the computer system 512. System

applications 530 take advantage of the management of resources by operating system 528 through program modules 532 and program data 534, e.g., stored either in system memory 516 or on disk storage 524.

[0034] A user enters commands or information into the computer 512 through input device(s) 536. Input devices 536 include, but are not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and the like. These and other input devices connect to the processing unit 514 through the system bus 518 via interface port(s) 538. Interface port(s) 538 include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s) 540 use some of the same type of ports as input device(s) 536. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to computer 512, and to output information from computer 512 to an output device 540. Output adapter 542 is provided to illustrate that there are some output devices 540 like monitors, speakers, and printers, among other output devices 540, which require special adapters. The output adapters 542 include video and sound cards that provide a means of connection between the output device 540 and the system bus 518. It should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devices provide both input and output capabilities such as remote computer(s) 544.

[0035] Computer 512 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s) 544. The remote computer(s) 544 can be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance, a peer device or other common network node and the like, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to computer 512. For brevity, only a memory storage device 546 is illustrated with remote computer(s) 544. Remote computer(s) 544 is logically connected to computer 512 through a network interface 548 and then physically connected via communication connection 550. Network interface 548 encompasses wire and/or wireless communication networks such as local-area networks (LAN), wide-area networks (WAN), cellular networks, etc. LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet, Token Ring and the like. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links, circuit switching networks like Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL).

[0036] Communication connection(s) 550 refers to the hardware/software employed to connect the network interface 548 to the bus 518. While communication connection 550 is shown for illustrative clarity inside computer 512, it can also be external to computer 512. The hardware/software necessary for connection to the network interface 548 includes internal and external technologies such as, modems including regular telephone grade modems, cable modems and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards.

[0037] In accordance with various aspects, the computer 512 can be used to identify and avoid downloading redundant media data while streaming media. In some implementations, the computer 512 can include one or more processors (e.g., processing units 514) that can be used to process data, including processing data to perform various tasks (e.g., analyzing media manifests to identify redundant data, detecting whether media data is audio or video data, downloading a first instance of the media data while skipping downloading redundant data). The computer 512 can include a program component 505 that can be associated with (e.g., communicatively connected to) the one or more processors. The program component 505 can contain, for example, an analysis component, a download, a detection component or other components, which can respectively function as more fully disclosed herein, to facilitate efficiently downloading redundant media data across streams.

[0038] Both a process executed from memory and the processor can be a component. As another example, an architecture can include an arrangement of electronic hardware (e.g., parallel or serial transistors), processing

instructions and a processor, which implement the processing instructions in a manner suitable to the arrangement of electronic hardware. In addition to the foregoing, the disclosed subject matter can be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using typical manufacturing, programming or engineering techniques to produce hardware, firmware, software, or any suitable combination thereof to control an electronic device to implement the disclosed subject matter. The terms "apparatus" and "article of manufacture" where used herein are intended to encompass an electronic device, a semiconductor device, a computer, or a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. In one example, non-transitory media can include computer readable hardware media.