Devices and methods for generating a broadband frequency signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11025257-B2
Application number	US-202016744232-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2020
Priority date	Jan 18, 2019
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An example of a device for generating a broadband frequency signal comprises a first controlled oscillator, a second controlled oscillator, a phase-locked loop for feeding back an output signal of a controlled oscillator to the corresponding controlled oscillator, and a mixer. The mixer is configured to generate the broadband frequency signal by mixing an output signal of the first controlled oscillator and an output signal of the second controlled oscillator. The device may, for example, be realized by means of a single phase-locked loop. A further example relates to a device for generating a frequency signal with a controlled oscillator and a phase-locked loop with a further controlled oscillator and a mixer in the feedback path of the phase-locked loop. Examples further relate to a high-frequency device for emitting a high-frequency signal and a method for generating a broadband frequency signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for generating a broadband frequency signal, the device comprising:
a first controlled oscillator;
a second controlled oscillator;
a phase-locked loop for feeding back a signal of the device based on an output signal of one of the controlled oscillators to both the first controlled oscillator and the second controlled oscillator; and
a mixer, which is configured to generate the broadband frequency signal by mixing an output signal of the first controlled oscillator and an output signal of the second controlled oscillator,
wherein the first and second controlled oscillators are configured to cause a frequency change in the opposite direction upon a change of an input voltage; or
wherein the first and second controlled oscillators are configured to cause a frequency change in the same direction upon a change of an input voltage, and

a signal processing unit, which inverts a control signal of the oscillator, is arranged at the input of one of the two controlled oscillators.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising
a reference signal source associated with both the first and second controlled oscillators.

3. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the output of the mixer is coupled to the phase-locked loop for feeding back the broadband frequency signal both the first controlled oscillator and to the second controlled oscillator.

4. The device of claim 1 , the phase-locked loop further comprising
a separate loop filter per controlled oscillator.

5. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the phase-locked loop is configured to generate a differential tune voltage pair for the oscillators.

6. The device of claim 1 , the phase-locked loop further comprising:
a differential charge pump, wherein a positive output of the differential charge pump is coupled to the first controlled oscillator and a negative output of the differential charge pump to the second controlled oscillator.

7. The device of claim 1 , the phase-locked loop further comprising
an additional controlled oscillator and an additional mixer in the feedback path of the phase-locked loop, in order to increase a frequency of a feedback signal of the phase-locked loop by means of the additional controlled oscillator and the additional mixer.

8. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein an upper cut-off frequency of the first controlled oscillator is greater than or equal to a lower cut-off frequency of the second controlled oscillator.

9. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein an upper cut-off frequency of the first controlled oscillator is smaller than a lower cut-off frequency of the second controlled oscillator, wherein the frequency difference between the upper cut-off frequency of the first controlled oscillator and the lower cut-off frequency of the second controlled oscillator corresponds to a lower cut-off frequency of the broadband frequency signal.

10. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein a bandwidth of the generated frequency signal corresponds to the sum of respective bandwidths of the signals of the first controlled oscillator and the second controlled oscillator.

11. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the frequency signal, which can be generated, comprises a bandwidth of at least 10 GHz.

12. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the frequency signal, which can be generated, comprises a relative bandwidth of more than 20%.

13. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein a lower cut-off frequency of the output signals of the controlled oscillators is bigger than 1 GHz.

14. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the frequency signal, which can be generated, is a ramp signal, a monofrequency signal and/or a signal with frequency shift keying or frequency hopping.

15. A high-frequency device for emitting a high-frequency signal, comprising a device according to claim 1 .

16. A device for generating a frequency signal, the device comprising:
at least one first controlled oscillator; and
a phase-locked loop having a further controlled oscillator and an mixer in the feedback path of the phase-locked loop, in order to increase a frequency of a feedback signal of the phase-locked loop by means of the further controlled oscillator and the mixer.

17. The device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a second controlled oscillator; and
a mixer, which is configured to generate the frequency signal by mixing an output signal of the first controlled oscillator and an output signal of the second controlled oscillator.

18. A method for generating a broadband frequency signal, the method comprising:
operating a first controlled oscillator and a second controlled oscillator using at least one phase-locked loop with an adjustable divider for both the first controlled oscillator and the second controlled oscillator,
wherein a ratio of a maximum divider value of the adjustable divider to a minimum divider value of the adjustable divider is less than 5; and

mixing the output signals of the two controlled oscillators to produce the broadband frequency signal.

19. The method of claim 18 ,
wherein a frequency ramp, a monofrequency signal and/or a signal with frequency shift keying or frequency hopping having a relative bandwidth of at least 20% is generated.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Welp Benedikt
• Pohl Nils

Classifications

• H03L7/093

  using special filtering or amplification characteristics in the loop (H03L7/087 - H03L7/091 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03C3/0925

  applying frequency modulation at the divider in the feedback loop · CPC title

• H03C3/0941

  applying frequency modulation at more than one point in the loop · CPC title

• H03L7/18

  using a frequency divider or counter in the loop (H03L7/20, H03L7/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03L7/099 Primary

  concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop · CPC title