Electro-mechanical voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for generating tunable balanced oscillations
First Claim
1. An oscillator for generating balanced oscillations, the oscillator comprising:
- a resonator input configured to receive, from an electro-mechanical resonator, a signal for creating oscillations in the oscillator;
an oscillator core connected to the electro-mechanical resonator for starting and sustaining balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the oscillator core comprising first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters forming a loop, each inverter comprising an output;
first and second capacitors connected in series in the loop to the outputs of the first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters, respectively, and configured to inhibit the cross-coupled complementary inverters from latching to a static direct current state when starting oscillations;
a resistor network configured to connect the output of the first inverter to the output of the second inverter for creating a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations, wherein the resistor network comprises a switchable connection which connects the outputs of the first and second inverters when enabled; and
a controller connected to the resistor network and configured to enable the switchable connection when starting the oscillations to create a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cross-coupled complementary balanced voltage-controlled oscillator and a method for operating same. The oscillator comprises an electro-mechanical resonator, and an oscillator core. The oscillator core comprises capacitvely cross-coupled complementary inverters and a resistor network. The oscillator may comprise a frequency tuning network having inductors for increasing the tuning range. The capacitance inhibit the inverters from latching to a static direct current state. The resistor network forms a high pass filter with the capacitance to inhibit relaxation oscillations. The method comprises enabling the resistor network to form a high pass filter and starting balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the capacitance of the high pass filter for inhibiting latching, and the high pass filter for inhibiting relaxation oscillations. The method may comprise tuning the frequency by varying the capacitance of the oscillator.
9 Citations
32 Claims
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1. An oscillator for generating balanced oscillations, the oscillator comprising:
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a resonator input configured to receive, from an electro-mechanical resonator, a signal for creating oscillations in the oscillator; an oscillator core connected to the electro-mechanical resonator for starting and sustaining balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the oscillator core comprising first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters forming a loop, each inverter comprising an output; first and second capacitors connected in series in the loop to the outputs of the first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters, respectively, and configured to inhibit the cross-coupled complementary inverters from latching to a static direct current state when starting oscillations; a resistor network configured to connect the output of the first inverter to the output of the second inverter for creating a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations, wherein the resistor network comprises a switchable connection which connects the outputs of the first and second inverters when enabled; and a controller connected to the resistor network and configured to enable the switchable connection when starting the oscillations to create a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for generating balanced oscillations in an oscillator, comprising:
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starting operation of the oscillator to generate oscillations using an electromechanical resonator and an oscillator core, the oscillator starting operation in balanced mode; during starting operation of the oscillator in balanced mode, inhibiting the oscillator from latching to a static direct current state using a capacitance in the oscillator core; during starting operation of the oscillator in balanced mode, inhibiting relaxation oscillations in the oscillator using a high pass filter;
wherein inhibiting relaxation oscillations comprises enabling a resistor network to create the high pass filter with the capacitance to inhibit relaxation oscillations in the oscillator, andin response to balanced oscillations in the oscillator at steady state, disabling the resistor network to disable the high pass filter in the oscillator core to reduce phase noise and increase the amplitude of the balanced oscillations. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An oscillator for generating balanced oscillations, the oscillator comprising:
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a resonator input configured to receive, from an electro-mechanical resonator, a signal for creating oscillations in the oscillator; an oscillator core connected to the electro-mechanical resonator for starting and sustaining balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the oscillator core comprising first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters forming a loop, each inverter comprising an output; first and second capacitors connected in series in the loop to the outputs of the first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters, respectively, and configured to inhibit the cross-coupled complementary inverters from latching to a static direct current state when starting oscillations; a resistor network configured to connect the output of the first inverter to the output of the second inverter for creating a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations; and a frequency tuning network connected to the resonator input, wherein; the balanced oscillations have a frequency, the frequency tuning network is configured for tuning the frequency of the balanced oscillations, and the frequency tuning network comprises an inductor in series with each terminal of the resonator input for increasing the inductance in the oscillator to reduce the amount of capacitance needed to achieve a lower limit frequency of balanced oscillations, while maintaining the amount of capacitance needed to achieve an upper limit frequency of balanced oscillations. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An oscillator for generating balanced oscillations, the oscillator comprising:
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a resonator input configured to receive, from an electro-mechanical resonator, a signal for creating oscillations in the oscillator; an oscillator core connected to the electro-mechanical resonator for starting and sustaining balanced oscillations in the oscillator, the oscillator core comprising first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters forming a loop, each inverter comprising an output; first and second capacitors connected in series in the loop to the outputs of the first and second cross-coupled complementary inverters, respectively, and configured to inhibit the cross-coupled complementary inverters from latching to a static direct current state when starting oscillations; a resistor network configured to connect the output of the first inverter to the output of the second inverter for creating a high pass filter with the capacitors to inhibit relaxation-mode oscillations; and a frequency tuning network connected to the resonator input, wherein; the balanced oscillations have a frequency, the frequency tuning network is configured for tuning the frequency of the balanced oscillations, and the frequency tuning network comprises a resistor connected to the resonator input for delaying the phase of balanced oscillations at a desired frequency to inhibit the balanced oscillations from occurring at an undesired frequency. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification