High-Accuracy Frequency Detection and Analysis via Adaptive Frequency Standard Tracking

Precise frequency detection is one of the key problems to be solved in a high-accuracy transfer of time and frequency. The solution to this problem is helpful in improving the precision of the phase noise measurement, atomic frequency standard, and time synchronization, which plays a strong role in the whole precision measurement physics fields. A high-accuracy frequency detection and analysis based on adaptive frequency standard tracking are proposed for time–frequency signal processing without frequency normalization. First, an adaptive frequency standard signal is generated by using an FPGA to control the DDS based on the measured signal. This signal can achieve phase comparison with the measured signal under any frequency relationships including complex and large-frequency difference relationships, widening a frequency measurement range. Second, the frequency standard signal is put off by the delay chains. The rough time delaying can generate many phase coincidences, which can shorten the gate switch time to achieve fast time response. The finer delaying can provide a very high measurement resolution without transforming the frequency relationships between the measured and reference signals. And then, a differential synchronization is performed between the measured and reference signals after shaping and conditioning the two signals. The obtained optimal phase coincidences, that is, fuzzy zone edge pulses, are used as the gate signals. A precise frequency measurement for the measured signals can then be realized by counting the measured and reference signals without gap in the gate time. The testing results show that the frequency measurement accuracy of the system can reach 1.7 × 10⁻¹³/s.