Low-power oscillator

• US 9,035,705 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
• Original Assignee: Nordic Semiconductor ASA
• Inventors: Bruset, Ola, Vedal, Tor Oyvind
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/980,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20140049327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 331/44, 331/47
• US Class Current: 331/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/08 Clock generators with changeable or programmable clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 2201/025 the means being an electronic switch for switching in or out oscillator elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/20 with frequency-determining element comprising resistance and either capacitance or inductance, e.g. phase-shift oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/32 being a piezoelectric resonator selection of piezoelectric material H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/135 by the use of time reference signals, e.g. clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator

Abstract

An integrated oscillator circuit comprises an oscillator configured to be switched between a first frequency and a second frequency. A switching circuit receives an input representing a target frequency and switches the oscillator between the first and second frequencies at intervals determined by the input, so as to cause the average output frequency of the oscillator to approximate the target frequency.

Claims

1. An integrated oscillator circuit comprising:

an oscillator configured to be switched between a first frequency and a second frequency;

switching circuitry configured to receive an input representative of a target frequency and to switch the oscillator between the first and second frequencies at intervals determined by the input so as to cause the average output frequency of the oscillator to approximate the target frequency; and

circuitry for calibrating the oscillator against a reference clock,

wherein the integrated oscillator circuit is configured to output a clock signal derived from a crystal oscillator while said oscillator is being calibrated, and to output a clock signal derived from said oscillator when the integrated oscillator circuit is not being calibrated.

2. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein a higher one of the first and second frequencies is less than double a lower one of the two frequencies.

3. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 2 wherein the higher of the first and second frequencies is less than 10 percent higher than the lower of the two frequencies.

4. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second frequencies is incrementally adjustable, and wherein the difference between the first and second frequencies is wider than a smallest increment by which said frequency can be adjusted.

5. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the switching circuitry is configured to receive an input comprising or encoding a value indicating a switching ratio between the first and second frequencies.

6. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 comprising a calibration controller configured to provide the input representative of the target frequency to the switching circuitry and further configured to calibrate the oscillator at intervals in order to provide an updated input to the switching circuitry.

7. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 6 wherein the calibration controller is configured to count oscillator output cycles over a reference time period for each of the first and second frequencies, and to derive an input to the switching circuitry from these counts.

8. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 comprising charge-storing circuitry whose capacitance can be varied between a first value and a second value;

and a current source connected to the charge-storing circuitry, to form an oscillator configured to oscillate at the first frequency when said capacitance is equal to the first value, and at the second frequency when the capacitance is equal to the second value, wherein the switching circuitry is configured to switch the charge-storing circuitry between the first and second capacitance values at intervals determined by the input.

9. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 8 wherein the charge-storing circuitry comprises a first capacitor that is permanently connected into the oscillator circuit, and a second capacitor that is selectively connectable into the circuit.

10. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 8 wherein the charge-storing circuitry comprises first and second capacitors having respective first and second capacitances, and a switch arranged to connect one or other of the first capacitor and the second capacitor into the oscillator circuit at a time.

11. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the switching circuitry is configured to distribute first-frequency cycles among second-frequency cycles according to a predetermined pattern or dispersion characteristic.

12. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the switching circuitry comprises a sigma-delta modulator, arranged to distribute frequency cycles at the first frequency as uniformly as possible among frequency cycles at the second frequency, over a finite time period.

13. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 comprising a programmable current source, wherein the oscillator is arranged so that the value of one or both of the first and second frequencies depends on the level of a variable current within the oscillator circuit.

14. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 further comprising a microprocessor.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14, configured to calibrate the oscillator in response to the microprocessor waking up.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 14, comprising circuitry forming all or part of a radio transmitter or receiver configured to transmit or receive radio packets according to a schedule implemented using the integrated oscillator as a clock source.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 14, configured to use said crystal oscillator as a system clock for the microprocessor.

18. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein the reference clock is the crystal oscillator.

19. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1 wherein said output derived from a crystal oscillator is substantially the same frequency as the output derived from said oscillator.

20. The integrated oscillator circuit of claim 1, configured to change from one of said outputs to the other of said outputs within one clock cycle.

21. A method of operating an integrated oscillator circuit, wherein the circuit comprises an oscillator configured to be switched between a first frequency and a second frequency, the method comprising:

receiving an input representative of a target frequency;

switching the oscillator between the first and second frequencies at intervals determined by the target frequency so as to cause the average output frequency of the oscillator to approximate the target frequency;

calibrating the oscillator against a reference clock;

outputting a clock signal derived from a crystal oscillator during said calibration; and

outputting a clock signal derived from said oscillator while the circuit is not being calibrated.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a higher one of the first and second frequencies is less than double a lower one of the two frequencies.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the higher of the first and second frequencies is less than 10 percent higher than the lower of the two frequencies.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the input comprises or encodes a value indicating a switching ratio between the first and second frequencies.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising calibrating the oscillator at intervals to generate an updated input representative of the target frequency.

26. The method of claim 21, comprising counting oscillator output cycles over a reference time period for each of the first and second frequencies, and deriving an input representative of the target frequency from these counts.

27. The method of claim 21, comprising switching the oscillator so as to distribute first-frequency cycles among second-frequency cycles according to a predetermined pattern or dispersion characteristic.

28. The method of claim 21, comprising coarsely calibrating the oscillator by adjusting the values of at least one the first and second frequencies so that they span the target frequency.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said adjusting of the values comprises adjusting a current source.

30. The method of claim 28, comprising performing said coarse calibration when the integrated-circuit oscillator is powered up.

31. The method of claim 21, comprising calibrating the oscillator against the crystal oscillator.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein the output derived from the crystal oscillator is substantially the same frequency as the output derived from the oscillator.

33. The method of claim 21, comprising changing from one of said outputs to the other within one clock cycle.