US 12,267,081 B2
Apparatus for digital representation of angular difference
Mohammed Abdulaziz, Lund (SE); Henrik Sjöland, Lund (SE); and Tony Påhlsson, Lund (SE)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Appl. No. 18/256,059
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
PCT Filed Dec. 14, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/085909
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 6, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/128049, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 23, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0039543 A1, Feb. 1, 2024
Int. Cl. H03L 7/095 (2006.01); H03L 7/087 (2006.01)
CPC H03L 7/095 (2013.01) [H03L 7/087 (2013.01); H03L 2207/50 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A communication device comprising an apparatus for provision of an indication of an angular difference between first and second input signals, the apparatus comprising:
a phase frequency detector (PFD) configured to receive the first and second input signals and to provide first and second outputs based on the first and second input signals, wherein a difference in pulse length between signals provided at the first and second outputs is indicative of the phase difference between the first and second input signals;
first and second time-to-digital converters (TDCs), each configured to receive one of the signals provided by the PFD and to provide a corresponding—first and second, respectively—digital pulse length representation, wherein each of the TDCs is a pulse length modifying TDC; and
a comparator configured to provide the indication of the angular difference based on the digital pulse length representations respectively provided by the first and second TDCs;
wherein the PFD is a first PFD and the apparatus further comprises a second PFD, the first PFD having a smaller minimum pulse length than the second PFD, and wherein the first and second TDCs are configured to receive respective ones of the signals provided by the first PFD and to provide corresponding digital pulse length representations.