Input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator and PLL-controlled oscillator

• US 6,791,421 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2002
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Company Limited
• Inventors: Oita, Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): MIS, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US10/279,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 331/8, 331/14, 331/17, 331/18, 331/25, 331/36.C, 331/116.R, 331/116.FE, 331/117.R, 331/117.FE, 331/117.D, 331/158, 331/177.R, 331/177.V, 331/179
• US Class Current: 331/14
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/368 the means being voltage variable capacitance diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/099 concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/14 for assuring constant frequency when supply or correction voltages fail or are interrupted

Abstract

A PLL-controlled oscillator that can be suitably used for such purposes as a jitter filter in an optical transmission system includes an input voltage-switching control oscillator as a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The input voltage-switching control oscillator includes: an oscillation closed loop that is provided with a variable-voltage capacitance element; and a switch for interchangeably selecting one of a plurality of voltages in accordance with a selection signal and applying the selected voltage as a control voltage to the variable-voltage capacitance element.

Claims

1. An input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator, comprising:

a phase-locked loop (PLL) provided with a variable-voltage capacitance element and a voltage-controlled oscillator;

a source of voltage independent of the variable-voltage capacitance element; and

a switch for selecting one of a plurality of voltages including the variable-voltage capacitance and the independent voltage source in accordance with a selection signal and applying said selected voltage as a control voltage to the voltage-controlled oscillator, wherein when the selection signal is supplied, the switch selects said variable voltage capacitance element as a normal operation mode to operate the voltage-controlled oscillator as a PLL-controlled oscillator.

2. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 1, wherein a crystal unit is included in said oscillation closed loop and said voltage-controlled oscillator is constituted as a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator.

3. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 2, wherein a first voltage of said plurality of voltages is a voltage that is obtained by applying a signal corresponding to a phase difference between a reference signal and an output signal of said voltage-controlled oscillator to a low-pass filter.

4. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 3, wherein a second voltage of said plurality of voltages is a voltage that is separate from said first voltage and that is supplied from a dc voltage source.

5. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 3, further comprising a detector for detecting presence or absence of said reference signal and outputting said selection signal, wherein said first voltage is selected when said reference signal is received as input.

6. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 4, further comprising a detector for detecting presence or lack of said reference signal and outputting said selection signal, wherein said first voltage is selected when said reference signal is received as input, and said second voltage is selected when said reference signal is lacked.

7. The input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 1, wherein the separate voltage source is selected from the group consisting of a constant voltage source, a capacitor, and a temperature-compensated voltage source.

8. The input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 7, wherein when the constant voltage source or the condenser is selected, the voltage-controlled oscillator operates as a crystal oscillator, and when the temperature-compensated voltage source is selected, the voltage-controlled oscillator operates as a temperature-compensated oscillator (TCXO), wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator operates independently of the PLL.

9. An input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator comprising:

a variable-voltage capacitance element to which a control signal is applied;

a capacitor; and

a switch for mutually exclusively selecting one of said variable-voltage capacitance element or said capacitor according to a selection signal and inserting the selected one into an oscillation closed loop.

10. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 9, wherein said oscillation closed loop includes a crystal unit and said voltage-controlled oscillator is constituted as a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator.

11. An input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator comprising:

a variable-voltage capacitance element to which a control signal is applied;

a capacitor; and

a switch for selecting one of said variable-voltage capacitance element and said capacitor according to a selection signal and inserting the selected one into an oscillation closed loop,

wherein said oscillation closed loop includes a crystal unit, said voltage-controlled oscillator is constituted as a voltage-controlled crystal oscillator, and said control voltage is a voltage that is obtained by applying a signal corresponding to a phase difference between a reference signal and an output signal of said voltage-controlled oscillator to a low-pass filter.

12. The voltage-controlled oscillator according to claim 11, further comprising a detector for detecting presence or lack of said reference signal and outputting said selection signal, wherein said variable-voltage capacitance element is selected when said reference signal is received as input and said capacitor is selected when said reference signal is lacked.

13. A PLL-controlled oscillator comprising:

a phase comparator for detecting phase difference between a reference signal and an output signal;

a low-pass filter connected to an output of said phase comparator for outputting a control voltage;

an oscillation means for generating said output signal;

a capacitor; and

a selection means for, in accordance with a selection signal, making a transition between a first state in which the oscillation means is caused to oscillate at an output frequency that changes in accordance with said control voltage and a second state in which said oscillation means is caused to oscillate at an output frequency that is regulated by the capacitor and is unaffected by said PLL-control signal, wherein the switch selects mutually exclusively one of the control voltage or the capacitor.

14. The PLL-controlled oscillator according to claim 13, wherein said oscillation means includes at least a variable-voltage capacitance element to which said control voltage is applied in said first state and a crystal unit.

15. The PLL-controlled oscillator according to claim 13, further comprising a detection means for detecting presence or lack of said reference signal and outputting said selection signal.

16. An input-switching voltage-controlled oscillator, comprising:

a phase-locked loop (PLL) provided with a variable-voltage capacitance element and a voltage-controlled oscillator;

another oscillation closed-loop independent of the PLL, using the voltage-controlled oscillator; and

a switch for selecting one of the PLL or the other loop in accordance with a selection signal and applying the selected voltage as a control voltage to the voltage-controlled oscillator, wherein when the selection signal is supplied, the switch selects the PLL as a normal operation mode to operate the voltage-controlled oscillator as a PLL-controlled oscillator.