Set point adjuster for oscillator driver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10069501-B2
Application number	US-201615070810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A circuit includes an oscillator having a driver and a resonator. The driver receives a supply voltage at a supply input and provides a drive output to drive the resonator to generate an oscillator output signal. A power converter receives an input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver. The power converter varies the supply voltage based on an adjust command supplied to a command input of the power converter. A detector monitors a voltage level of the oscillator output signal. A controller sets the adjust command to the power converter to control the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above a predetermined threshold voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit, comprising:
an oscillator having a driver and a resonator, the driver receiving a supply voltage at a supply input and providing a drive output to drive the resonator to generate an oscillator output signal;
a power converter that receives an input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver, the power converter varies the supply voltage based on an adjust command supplied to a command input of the power converter, wherein the power converter is a linear regulator, a switched capacitor power supply, or an inductor-based switching power supply that receives the input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver;
a detector to monitor a voltage level of the oscillator output signal; and
a controller to set the adjust command to the power converter to control the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above a predetermined threshold voltage.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the linear regulator includes a pass transistor device to provide the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver, a leakage current generating device to supply current to operate a gate of the pass transistor device, and a diode coupled to the leakage current generating device to set the voltage on the gate of the pass transistor device.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the switching device configures a number of series pass transistor devices, a number of series leakage current generating devices, or a number of diodes in series with the leakage current generating device to adjust the voltage range of the linear regulator.

4. A circuit, comprising:
an oscillator having a driver and a resonator, the driver receiving a supply voltage at a supply input and providing a drive output to drive the resonator to generate an oscillator output signal;
a power converter that receives an input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver, the power converter varies the supply voltage based on an adjust command supplied to a command input of the power converter;
a detector to monitor a voltage level of the oscillator output signal, wherein the detector further comprises an alternating current (AC) voltage peak detector that includes a diode to rectify the AC voltage and a capacitor to store a sampled charge from the rectified AC voltage; and
a controller to set the adjust command to the power converter to control the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above a predetermined threshold voltage.

5. The circuit of claim 4 , wherein the controller further comprises a comparator that compares the stored sampled charge from the rectified AC voltage to the predetermined threshold voltage that is received at a reference input of the comparator to determine if the rectified AC voltage is above the predetermined threshold voltage.

6. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is set via a programmable set of series diodes that establish the threshold voltage based on the number of series diodes selected.

7. The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the output of the comparator drives a pulse generator in the controller, the pulse generator drives a counter that increments the adjust command applied to the power converter.

8. A circuit, comprising:
an oscillator having a driver and a resonator, the driver receiving a supply voltage at a supply input and providing a drive output to drive the resonator to generate an oscillator output signal;
a power converter that receives an input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver, the power converter varies the supply voltage based on an adjust command supplied to a command input of the power converter;
a detector to monitor a voltage level of the oscillator output signal;
a controller to set the adjust command to the power converter to control the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above a predetermined threshold voltage; and
a disable circuit to disable the controller and the detector after the oscillator output signal is set above the predetermined threshold voltage.

9. A method, comprising:
monitoring a voltage level of an oscillator output signal, the oscillator output signal is generated by an oscillator having a resonator and a driver;
comparing the voltage level of the oscillator output signal to a predetermined minimum threshold voltage;
controlling a supply input voltage to the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above the predetermined minimum threshold voltage to sustain the oscillator output signal and to mitigate power in the driver; and
configuring a number of series pass transistor devices, a number of series leakage current generating devices, or a number of diodes in series with the leakage current generating device of a power converter to adjust the voltage range of the supply input voltage to the driver.

10. A method, comprising:
monitoring a voltage level of an oscillator output signal, the oscillator output signal is generated by an oscillator having a resonator and a driver;
comparing the voltage level of the oscillator output signal to a predetermined minimum threshold voltage;
controlling a supply input voltage to the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above the predetermined minimum threshold voltage to sustain the oscillator output signal and to mitigate power in the driver; and
generating a number of pulses based on the comparing of the voltage level of the oscillator output signal and counting the number of pulses to adjust the voltage range of the supply input voltage to the driver.

11. An apparatus, comprising:
a remote sensor device that includes a radio circuit to communicate with the device via a wireless network connection, the remote sensor device includes a timing circuit to operate the device, the timing circuit comprising:
an oscillator having a driver and a resonator, the driver receiving a supply voltage at a supply input and providing a drive output to drive the resonator to generate an oscillator output signal;
a power converter that receives an input voltage and generates the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver, the power converter varies the supply voltage based on an adjust command supplied to a command input of the power converter;
a detector to monitor a voltage level of the oscillator output signal;
a controller to set the adjust command to the power converter to control the supply voltage to the supply input of the driver such that the voltage level of the oscillator output signal is set at or above a predetermined threshold voltage; and
a disable circuit to disable the controller after the oscillator output signal is set above the predetermined threshold voltage.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the detector further comprises an alternating current (AC) voltage peak detector that includes a diode to rectify the AC voltage and a capacitor to store a sampled charge from the rectified AC voltage.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the controller further comprises a comparator that compares the stored sampled charge from the rectified AC voltage to the predetermined threshold voltage that is received at a reference input of the comparator to determine if the rectified AC voltage is above the predetermined threshold voltage.

14. The appa

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Cho Kunhee
• Griffith Danielle
• Murdock James
• Roine Per Torstein

Classifications

• H03B5/00

  Generation of oscillations using amplifier with regenerative feedback from output to input (H03B9/00, H03B15/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03L1/022

  by indirect stabilisation, i.e. by generating an electrical correction signal which is a function of the temperature (H03L1/021 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03B5/32

  being a piezoelectric resonator (selection of piezoelectric material H10N30/00) · CPC title

• H03B1/00

  Details · CPC title

• H03B5/36

  active element in amplifier being semiconductor device ({H03B5/323, H03B5/326} , H03B5/38 take precedence) · CPC title