DEVICE FOR GENERATING FREQUENCY-STABLE SIGNALS WITH SWITCHABLE INJECTION-LOCKED OSCILLATOR

• US 20160112054A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et AUX Energies Alternatives
• Inventors: GONZALEZ JIMENEZ, Jose-Luis, SILIGARIS, Alexandre
• Granted Patent: US 9,484,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 21/02 by plural beating, i.e. for frequency synthesis ; Beating in combination with multiplication or division of frequency digital frequency synthesis using a ROM G06F1/02; digital frequency synthesis in general H03K; indirect frequency synthesis using a PLL H03L7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2200/0074 Locking of an oscillator by injecting an input signal directly into the oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1212 the amplifier comprising a pair of transistors, wherein an output terminal of each being connected to an input terminal of the other, e.g. a cross coupled pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1215 the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1228 the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1265 switched capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/083 the reference signal being additionally directly applied to the generator
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/18 using a frequency divider or counter in the loop H03L7/20, H03L7/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/033 using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop

Abstract

A device for generating at least one frequency-stable periodical signal, including: a generator configured to generate at least one first periodical signal with frequency spectrum that includes at least two lines at different frequencies f_a and f_b; a first switchable injection-locked oscillator configured to receive at an input the first periodical signal and to be locked, in a first state, to the frequency f_a, and in a second state, to the frequency f_b, as a function of a value of at least one control signal applied at the input of the first switchable injection-locked oscillator.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. :

A device for generating at least one frequency-stable periodical signal, comprising;

a generator configured to generate at least one first periodical signal, a frequency spectrum of which includes at least two lines at different frequencies f_a and f_b;

a first switchable injection-locked oscillator configured to receive at an input the first periodical signal and to be locked, in a first state, to the frequency f_a, and in a second state, to the frequency f_b, as a function of a value of at least one control signal applied at the input of the first switchable injection-locked oscillator.

15. :

The device according to claim 14, comprising at least one of features;

lines at the frequencies f_a and f_b have substantially similar amplitudes;

lines at the frequencies f_a and f_b are in phase with each other;

lines at the frequencies f_a and f_b correspond to two main lines of the frequency spectrum of the first periodical signal.

16. :

The device according to claim 14, wherein the first switchable injection-locked oscillator comprises;

a resonating structure configured to generate a second periodical signal oscillating, in the first state, at a first free oscillation frequency, and in the second state, at a second oscillation frequency with a value different from that of the first free oscillation frequency;

an electrical element electrically coupled to the resonating structure with an impedance equivalent to that of a negative electrical resistance;

an injection circuit electrically coupled to the electrical element, receiving at an input the first periodical signal and configured to provide the electrical element with a current having a frequency equal to that of the first periodical signal.

17. :

The device according to claim 16, wherein the resonating structure of the first switchable injection-locked oscillator includes at least one LC resonating circuit comprising the following components;

an inductor coupled in parallel, in the first state, to a first capacitor or, in the second state, to a second capacitor having an electric capacitance with a value different from that of the first capacitor, or

a capacitor coupled in parallel, in the first state, to a first inductor or, in the second state, to a second inductor with a value different from that of the first inductor, or

in the first state, a first inductor coupled in parallel with a first capacitor or, in the second state, a second inductor coupled in parallel to a second capacitor, the first inductor having a value different from that of the second inductor and the first capacitor having an electric capacitance with a value different from that of the second capacitor,

and further comprises switching elements configured to modify couplings of the components of the LC resonating circuit as a function of the control signal.

18. :

The device according to claim 16, wherein the electrical element of the first switchable injection-locked oscillator comprises an MOS type differential twisted pair.

19. :

The device according to claim 16, wherein the injection circuit of the first switchable injection-locked oscillator comprises;

a capacitor including a first terminal to which the first periodical signal is configured to be applied;

a resistor including a first terminal to which a DC bias voltage is configured to be applied and a second terminal electrically connected to a second terminal of the capacitor;

an MOS transistor a gate of which is electrically connected to the second terminal of the capacitor and a drain of which is electrically connected to the electrical element of the switchable injection-locked oscillator.

20. :

The device according to claim 14, wherein the generator comprises;

a phase-locked loop outputting a third periodical signal with a frequency f1 and a fourth periodical signal with a frequency f₂=f₁/N₁, with N₁ higher than 1;

a frequency mixer receiving at an input the third periodical signal and the fourth periodical signal and outputting the first periodical signal such that f_a=f₁−

f₂ and f_b=f₁+f₂.

21. :

The device according to claim 14, wherein the generator comprises;

a phase-locked loop outputting a third periodical signal with a frequency f₁;

means to receive at an input the periodical signal with a frequency f₁ and to generate at least two signals S_G1 and S_G2 in phase with each other and each corresponding to a train of oscillations with a frequency substantially equal to f_a and f_b respectively, with a duration lower than T₁=1/f₁ and periodically repeated at the frequency f₁,

an adder configured to output the first periodical signal corresponding to the sum of the signals S_G1 and S_G2.

22. :

The device according to claim 21, wherein the means to receive of the generator includes at least two voltage controlled oscillators with free oscillation ranges that include the frequencies f_a and f_b respectively, and at least two switches connected at power supply inputs of the voltage controlled oscillators and configured to be controlled by the periodical signal with the frequency f₁ such that they generate supply non-zero voltages of the voltage controlled oscillators only for part of each period T₁ or at least two switches connected to outputs of the voltage controlled oscillators and configured to be controlled by the periodical signal with the frequency f₁ such that they break electrical connections between outputs of the voltage controlled oscillators and inputs of the adder for part of each period T₁.

24. :

The device according to claim 14, wherein the frequency spectrum of the first periodical signal includes at least n lines with n different frequencies, and further including n switchable injection-locked oscillators each configured to receive at an input the first periodical signal and to be locked to each of the n frequencies as a function of a value of the control signal applied the input of the n switchable injection-locked oscillators, n being an integer number higher than 1.

25. :

The device according to claim 14, further comprising at least one third switchable injection-locked oscillator configured to receive at the input an output signal of the first or second switchable injection-locked oscillator or one of the n switchable injection-locked oscillators, and to be locked to a frequency similar to that to which the switchable injection-locked oscillator is locked to which the third switchable injection-locked oscillator is connected.

26. :

A device for transmitting and/or receiving signals, comprising at least one device for generating a frequency-stable periodical signal according to claim 14, coupled to a modulator and/or a demodulator of the transmitting and/or receiving device.