Electrical circuit having a controllable oscillator

• US 8,598,926 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Trotta, Saverio
• Primary Examiner(s): HOUSTON, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/370,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 327/148, 327/157
• US Class Current: 327/157
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 2207/12 Indirect frequency synthesis using a mixer in the phase-locked loop
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/06 using a reference signal applied to a frequency- or phase-locked loop

Abstract

An electrical circuit including a controllable oscillator, a transmission line and a control loop. The controllable oscillator is configured to generate an oscillating signal. The transmission line is connected to an output of the oscillator, wherein the transmission line has a length which is a fraction of a wavelength of the oscillating signal. The control loop is configured to detect a difference between a first value of a signal parameter of the oscillating signal and a second value of the signal parameter of the oscillating signal having passed the transmission line. Furthermore, the control loop is configured to control the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference.

Claims

1. An electrical circuit comprising:

a controllable oscillator configured to generate an oscillating signal;

a transmission line connected to an output of the oscillator, the transmission line having a length which is a fraction of a wavelength of the oscillating signal; and

a control loop configured to detect a difference between a first value of a signal parameter of the oscillating signal and a second value of the signal parameter of the oscillating signal having passed the transmission line, and to control the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference.

2. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first value of the signal parameter is detected at an input port of the transmission line and wherein the second value of the signal parameter is detected at an output port of the transmission line.

3. The electrical circuit according to claim 2, wherein the control loop comprises a mixer, which is connected to the input port and the output port, and configured to combine the oscillating signal tapped from the input port with the oscillating signal tapped from the output port.

4. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the signal parameter is a phase of the oscillating signal.

5. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the control loop comprises a control circuit which is configured to output a control signal depending on the difference.

6. The electrical circuit according to claim 5, wherein the control signal is a DC voltage via which the oscillator is controllable.

7. The electrical circuit according to claim 5, wherein the control circuit comprises a low-pass filter and/or a charge pump.

8. The electrical device according to claim 1, which comprises a calibration circuit for calibrating a control signal output to the controllable oscillator.

9. The electrical circuit according to claim 3, which comprises a calibration circuit which is configured to output a calibration signal to the mixer or to a summation circuit of the control loop.

10. The electrical circuit according to claim 9, wherein the calibration circuit comprises:

a look-up table, in which calibration data are stored; and

a digital-to-analog converter, which is configured to output the calibration signal to the mixer or a further mixer in accordance with the stored calibration data.

11. An electrical circuit according to claim 1, which comprises a calibration loop for detecting calibration data.

12. The electrical circuit according to claim 11, wherein the calibration loop comprises a frequency divider, a mixer and/or an x-tal reference.

13. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission line is terminated.

14. The electrical circuit according to claim 3, which comprises:

a plurality of transmission lines of different lengths connected to an output of the oscillator; and

a switch which is configured to selectively couple one of the output ports of the transmission lines to the mixer.

15. The electrical circuit according to claim 4, wherein the length of the transmission line is selected such that the phase is shifted by a known value while passing the transmission line with the selected wavelength.

16. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the fraction amounts to ¼

, ½

, 1 or 2.

17. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, which comprises a linearization channel having a linearization data determiner and a linearization circuit,

wherein the linearization data determiner is configured to analyze the difference in order to detect linearization data and to store the linearization data to a further look-up table,

and wherein the linearization circuit is configured to control the oscillator based on the linearization data.

18. The electrical circuit according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator comprising an output having a divider via which the transmission line is connected.

19. An electrical circuit comprising:

a controllable oscillator configured to generate an oscillating signal;

a transmission line connected to an output of the oscillator, the transmission line having a length which is a fraction of a wavelength of the oscillating signal; and

a control loop comprising a mixer, which is connected to an input port and an output port of the transmission line, and a control circuit;

wherein the mixer is configured to combine the oscillating signal tapped from the input port with the oscillating signal tapped from the output port such that a difference between a first value of a signal parameter of the oscillating signal and a second value of the signal parameter of the oscillating signal having passed the transmission line is detectable;

wherein the control circuit is configured to control the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference via a control signal.

20. An electrical circuit comprising:

a controllable oscillator configured to generate an oscillating signal;

a transmission line connected to an output of the oscillator, the transmission line having a length which is a fraction of a wavelength of the oscillating signal;

a control loop comprising a mixer, which is connected to an input port and an output port of the transmission line, and a control circuit; and

a calibration circuit comprising a look-up table and a digital-to-analog converter;

wherein the digital-to-analog converter is configured to output a calibration signal to the mixer in accordance with calibration data stored in the look-up table;

wherein the mixer is configured to combine the calibration signal, the oscillating signal tapped from the input port and the oscillating signal tapped from the output port such that a difference between a first value of a phase of the oscillating signal and a second value of the phase of the oscillating signal having passed the transmission line is detectable;

wherein the control circuit is configured to control the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference via a control.

21. An electrical circuit comprising:

a controllable oscillator configured to generate an oscillating signal;

means for transmitting the oscillating signal through a transmission line such that a signal parameter of the oscillating signal is changed; and

a control loop configured to detect a difference between a first value of the signal parameter and a second value of the signal parameter, and to control the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference.

22. The electrical circuit according to claim 21, wherein a parameter of the means for transmitting the oscillating signal is dependent on a wavelength of the oscillation signal.

23. The electrical circuit according to claim 21, wherein the signal parameter is a phase, and wherein the means for transmitting are configured to perform transmission such that a phase shift is caused.

24. A method for controlling a controllable oscillator which is configured to generate an oscillating signal, comprising the steps:

transmitting the oscillating signal through a transmission line which is connected to an output of the oscillator, wherein a length of the transmission line is a fraction of a wavelength of the oscillating signal;

detecting a difference between a first value of a signal parameter of the oscillating signal and a second value of the signal parameter of the oscillating signal having passed the transmission line; and

controlling the controllable oscillator in accordance with the difference.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the step of controlling the controllable oscillator is performed by using a control signal, and

wherein the method comprises the step of calibrating the control signal.

26. The method according to claim 24, which comprises the step of changing the wavelength of the oscillating signal by transmitting the oscillating signal through a further transmission line of a different length.