Quadrature voltage controlled oscillators with phase shift detector

• US 7,075,377 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2004
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Theta IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: Theta Microelectronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Metaxakis, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DINH THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/864,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20050275469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 331/46, 331/172, 331/177.R, 331/117.R, 331/36.C, 331/48, 331/50
• US Class Current: 331/46
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2201/025 the means being an electronic switch for switching in or out oscillator elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 27/00 Generation of oscillations providing a plurality of outputs of the same frequency but differing in phase, other than merely two anti-phase outputs
• 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 5/1231 the amplifier comprising one or more bipolar transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/124 the means comprising a voltage dependent capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/10 Tuning of a resonator by means of digitally controlled capacitor bank
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/00 Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation

Abstract

In wireless application there is made use of a quadrature oscillators that generate signals that are capable of oscillating at quadrature of each other. The quadrature oscillator is comprised of two differential modified Colpitts oscillators. A capacitor bank allows for the selection of a desired frequency from a plurality of discrete possible frequencies. The quadrature oscillator is further coupled with a phase-error detector connected at the point-of-use of the generated ‘I’ and ‘Q’ channels and through the control of current sources provides corrections means to ensure that the phase shift at the point-of-use remains at the desired ninety degrees.

Claims

1. A quadrature oscillator circuit for generating in phase and quadrature signals comprising:

a first differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output;

a second differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output, the first and second differential oscillators being alike;

the differential output of said first differential oscillator being connected to the differential input of said second differential oscillator;

the differential output of said second differential oscillator being connected in a cross-coupled manner to said differential input of said first differential oscillator;

whereby the differential output of said first differential oscillator will be ninety degrees from the differential output of said second differential oscillator, and each of said first and second differential oscillators comprises;

a differential Colpitts oscillator connected in a common base mode and adapted to be coupled to another differential Colpitts oscillator, the differential Colpitts oscillator and coupled to a capacitor bank enabling discrete selection of a resonant frequency by connecting or disconnecting a plurality of capacitors from the capacitor bank to the differential Colpitts oscillator;

a first differential transconducting amplifier coupled to said differential Colpitts oscillator for accelerating oscillation of said differential Colpitts oscillator;

a second differential transconducting amplifier coupled to said differential Colpitts oscillator for connecting the differential input of said differential oscillator to the differential output of said other differential oscillator; and

,

a current source coupled to said first differential transconducting amplifier to supply a bias current for said differential Colpitts oscillator.

2. The quadrature oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein each of said differential Colpitts oscillators further comprises a common mode feedback circuit enabled to bias the common base of the differential Colpitts oscillator.

3. The quadrature oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein fine tuning of the oscillation frequency of said differential Colpitts oscillator is performed by tuning capacitors connected to each of said differential Colpitts oscillators.

4. The quadrature oscillator circuit of claim 3 wherein at least one of said tuning capacitors is a voltage controlled capacitor.

5. The quadrature oscillator of claim 1 wherein said current source is variable to accommodate variations in loop gain with resonant frequency.

6. The quadrature oscillator of claim 2 wherein each common mode feedback circuit biases a differential transconducting amplifier of a respective differential Colpitts oscillator to prevent the differential transconducting amplifier from going into saturation.

7. A quadrature oscillator circuit for generating in phase and quadrature signals comprising:

a first differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output;

a second differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output, the first and second differential oscillators being alike;

the differential output of said first differential oscillator being connected to the differential input of said second differential oscillator;

the differential output of said second differential oscillator being connected in a cross-coupled manner to said differential input of said first differential oscillator;

whereby the differential output of said first differential oscillator will be ninety degrees from the differential output of said second differential oscillator; and

a phase error detector (PHD) coupled to the outputs of said first and said second differential osciliators, the PED configured to provide feedback currents to said first and said second differential oscillators for adjusting phases generated by said first differential oscillator and said second differential oscillator.

8. The quadrature oscillator circuit of claim 7 wherein said PED comprises:

a first analog OR gate having an input for receiving a positive in-phase (T) signal and a positive quadrature-phase (‘

Q’

) signal;

a second analog OR gate having an input for receiving a negative T signal and a negative ‘

Q’

signal;

first circuitry for summing the output from said first analog OR gate and said second analog OR gate to generate a first circuitry output;

a third analog OR gate having an input for receiving a positive T signal and a negative ‘

Q’

signal;

a fourth analog OR gate having a first input for receiving a negative T signal and a positive ‘

Q’

signal; and

,

second circuitry for summing the output from said third analog OR gate and said fourth analog OR gate and there from generating a second circuitry output;

whereby the difference between said first circuitry output and said second circuitry output is a signal proportional to a phase error between the T signal and the ‘

Q’

signal of the quadrature signal.

9. The quadrature oscillator circuit of claim 8 wherein said PED further comprises a differential integrator coupled to said first circuitry output and said second circuitry output.

10. A quadrature voltage controlled oscillator circuit for generating in phase and quadrature signals comprising:

a first differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output;

a second differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output, the first and second differential oscillators being alike;

the differential output of said first differential oscillator being connected to the differential input of said second differential oscillator;

the differential output of said second differential oscillator being connected in a cross-coupled manner to said differential input of said first differential oscillator;

whereby the differential output of said first differential oscillator will be ninety degrees from the differential output of said second differential oscillator;

each differential oscillator having a capacitor bank enabling a discrete selection of a resonant frequency from a plurality of frequencies;

the first differential oscillator and the second differential oscillator circuit each having a voltage controlled tuning capacitor for fine tuning of the resonant frequency;

each of said first and second differential oscillators comprises;

a differential Colpitts oscillator connected in a common base mode and coupled to the capacitor bank;

a first differential transconducting amplifier coupled to said differential Colpitts oscillator for accelerating oscillation of said differential Colpitts oscillator;

a second differential transconducting amplifier coupled to said differential Colpitts oscillator for connecting the differential input of said differential oscillator to the differential output of said other differential oscillator; and

,

a current source coupled to said first differential transconducting amplifier to supply a bias current for said differential Colpitts oscillator.

11. The quadrature voltage controlled oscillator circuit of claim 10 wherein each of said differential Colpitts oscillators further comprises a common mode feedback circuit enabled to bias the common base of the differential Colpitts oscillator.

12. The quadrature voltage controlled oscillator of claim 10 wherein said current source is variable to accommodate variations in loop gain with resonant frequency.

13. The quadrature voltage controlled oscillator of claim 11 wherein each common mode feedback circuit biases a differential transconducting amplifier of a respective differential Colpitts oscillator to prevent the differential transconducting amplifier from going into saturation.

14. A quadrature voltage controlled oscillator circuit for generating in phase and quadrature signals comprising:

a first differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output;

a second differential oscillator having a differential input and a differential output, the first and second differential oscillators being alike;

the differential output of said first differential oscillator being connected to the differential input of said second differential oscillator;

the differential output of said second differential oscillator being connected in a cross-coupled manner to said differential input of said first differential oscillator;

whereby the differential output of said first differential oscillator will be ninety degrees from the differential output of said second differential oscillator;

each differential oscillator having a capacitor bank enabling a discrete selection of a resonant frequency from a plurality of frequencies;

the first differential oscillator and the second differential oscillator circuit each having a voltage controlled tuning capacitor for fine tuning of the resonant frequency; and

a phase error detector (PED) coupled to the outputs of said first and said second differential oscillators, the PED configured to provide currents to said first and said second differential oscillators for adjusting phases generated by said first differential oscillator and said second differential oscillator.

15. The quadrature voltage controlled oscillator circuit of claim 14 wherein said PED comprises:

a first analog OR gate having an input for receiving a positive in-phase (T) signal and a positive quadrature-phase (‘

Q’

) signal;

a second analog OR gate having an input for receiving a negative T signal and a negative ‘

Q’

signal;

first circuitry for summing the output from said first analog OR gate and said second analog OR gate to generate a first circuitry output;

a third analog OR gate having an input for receiving a positive T signal and a negative ‘

Q’

signal;

a fourth analog OR gate having a first input for receiving a negative T signal and a positive ‘

Q’

signal; and

,

second circuitry for summing the output from said third analog OR gate and said fourth analog OR gate and there from generating a second circuitry output;

whereby the difference between said first circuitry output and said second circuitry output is a signal proportional to a phase error between the T signal and the ‘

Q’

signal of the quadrature signal.

16. The quadrature voltage controlled oscillator circuit of claim 15 wherein said PED further comprises a differential integrator coupled to said first circuitry output and said second circuitry output.