US4982387A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Digital time base with differential period delay
Assignee: Tektronix Inc
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Filing: 1989-08-28
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Granted: 1991-01-01
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Expires: 2009-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A digital time base with differential period delay uses the difference in period between a master oscillator and a voltage controlled oscillator phase-locked to the master oscillator to achieve small time delay increments. The oscillators are used to drive respective delay generator trigger channels that have programmable counters and state machines. A first programmable counter is a clock counter to generate a lock signal to initiate a delay sequence, the lock signals from the respective channels being input to a phase detector to generate an error signal to keep the VCO phase-locked with the master oscillator. A second programmable counter is a delay counter that is controlled by a delay state machine to generate a delay signal. The delay signal is input to respective trigger state machines to generate the desired trigger signals, the duration of the trigger signals being a function of a third programmable counter. By programming the proper values for each counter, the amount of delay for each trigger signal may be controlled with respect to the other.
Inventors
- 👤 William A. Trent
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 08:38
CPC Classifications
H; H03; H03K; H03K5/00; H03K5/13; H03K5/135; G; G04; G04F; G04F5/00; H03L; H03L7/00; H03L7/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A digital time base comprising: a reference oscillator operating at a reference frequency; an excitation oscillator phase-locked to the reference oscillator operating at a nominal frequency; means for generating a first trigger delayed a first programmable period of time from a first marker derived from the reference oscillator; and means for generating a second trigger delayed a second programmable period of time from a second marker derived from the excitation oscillator, the difference in time between the first and second triggers being a function of a time delay increment that is the difference in period between the reference and nominal frequencies.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
A digital time base comprising: a reference oscillator operating at a reference frequency; an excitation oscillator phase-locked to the reference oscillator operating at a nominal frequency; means for generating a first trigger delayed a first programmable period of time from a first marker derived from the reference oscillator; and means for generating a second trigger delayed a second programmable period of time from a second marker derived from the excitation oscillator, the difference in time between the first and second triggers being a function of a time delay increment that is the difference in period between the reference and nominal frequencies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 1 wherein the excitation oscillator comprises: a phase detector having the first and second markers as inputs to generate an error signal representative of a time difference between the first and second markers; and a programmable oscillator having an excitation frequency that is a function of the error signal and the nominal frequency.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 2 wherein the first trigger generating means comprises programmable means for counting cycles of the reference frequency to generate the first marker every n cycles, n being an integer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 3 wherein the first trigger generating means further comprises: means for generating a delay signal as a function of a programmable delay interval after the first marker; and means for initiating the first trigger as a function of the delay signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
75 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 4 wherein the delay signal generating means further comprises: means for counting the programmable delay interval to output the delay signal; and means for controlling the counting means, the controlling means providing a delay clock signal to the counting means to count the programmable delay interval and a delay load signal to reload the delay counter with the programmable delay interval after the delay signal is output.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
94 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 5 wherein the initiating means comprises: sample point means for counting a programmable sample point number representing the number of data samples to be obtained per first trigger duration; and means for controlling the sample point means, the sample point controlling means outputting the first trigger in response to the delay signal and a points clock signal for input to the sample point means to count the programmable sample point number, the duration of the first trigger being a function of the programmable sample point number.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 4 wherein the first trigger generating means further comprises means for determining when a predetermined number of second triggers have been generated, indicating the end of a trigger generation cycle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 3 wherein the second trigger generating means comprises programmable means for counting cycles of the excitation frequency to generate the second marker every n+1 cycles.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 3 wherein the second trigger generating means further comprises: means for generating a delay signal as a function of a programmable delay interval after the second marker; and means for initiating the second trigger as a function of the delay signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
75 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 9 wherein the delay signal generating means further comprises: means for counting the programmable delay interval to output the delay signal; and means for controlling the counting means, the controlling means providing a delay clock signal to the counting, means to count the programmable delay interval and a delay load signal to reload the delay counter with the programmable delay interval after the delay signal is output.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
91 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 10 wherein the initiating means comprises: pulse width means for counting a programmable pulse width number representing the pulse width of the second trigger duration; and means for controlling the pulse width means, the pulse width controlling means outputting the second trigger in response to the delay signal and a pulse width clock signal for input to the pulse width means to count the programmable pulse width number, the duration of the second trigger being a function of the programmable pulse width number.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
A digital time base as recited in claim 9 wherein the second trigger generating means further comprises means for determining when a predetermined number of second triggers have been generated, indicating the end of a trigger generation cycle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-12-31 | 1994-07-02 | 1995-01-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-12-31 | 1998-07-02 | 1999-01-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-12-31 | 2002-07-02 | 2003-01-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |