Multi-band voltage controlled oscillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12431841-B2
Application number	US-202318537821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2023
Priority date	Oct 16, 2023
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A voltage controlled oscillator includes a cross coupled pair circuit, a first capacitive circuit, a first inductor, a second inductor, a second capacitive circuit and a first switch circuit. The first capacitive circuit is arranged in parallel with the cross coupled pair circuit. The first inductor is arranged in parallel with the cross coupled pair circuit and has a center tapped node for receiving a power supply voltage. The second inductor is magnetically coupled with the first inductor and has a center tapped node for receiving a first control voltage. The second capacitive circuit is arranged in parallel with the second inductor. The first switch circuit is arranged in parallel with the second inductor and configured to be turned on or turned off by a second control voltage. The first control voltage and the second control voltage change synchronously.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage controlled oscillator, comprising:
a cross coupled pair circuit;
a first capacitive circuit arranged in parallel with the cross coupled pair circuit;
a first inductor arranged in parallel with the cross coupled pair circuit, the first inductor having a center tapped node for receiving a power supply voltage;
a second inductor magnetically coupled with the first inductor, the second inductor having a center tapped node for receiving a first control voltage;
a second capacitive circuit arranged in parallel with the second inductor; and
a first switch circuit arranged in parallel with the second inductor and configured to be turned on or turned off by a second control voltage;
wherein the first control voltage and the second control voltage change synchronously.

2. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein:
when the first control voltage is a first voltage and the first switch circuit is controlled to be turned on by the second control voltage, an oscillation signal of the voltage controlled oscillator has a first frequency;
when the first control voltage is a second voltage and the first switch circuit is controlled to be turned off by the second control voltage, the oscillation signal of the voltage controlled oscillator has a second frequency; and
the first frequency is higher than the second frequency.

3. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the second capacitive circuit includes two capacitors, and a second switch circuit coupled between the two capacitors, and the second switch circuit is configured to be turned on or turned off by a third control voltage.

4. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 3 , wherein:
when the first control voltage is a first voltage, the first switch circuit is turned on by the second control voltage, and the second switch circuit is turned on by the third control voltage, an oscillation signal of the voltage controlled oscillator has a first frequency;
when the first control voltage is a second voltage, the first switch circuit is turned off by the second control voltage, and the second switch circuit is turned on by the third control voltage, the oscillation signal of the voltage controlled oscillator has a second frequency;
when the first control voltage is the second voltage, the first switch circuit is turned off by the second control voltage, and the second switch circuit is turned off by the third control voltage, the oscillation signal of the voltage controlled oscillator has a third frequency; and
the first frequency is higher than the third frequency, and the third frequency is higher than the second frequency.

5. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 3 , wherein the second switch circuit includes a transistor coupled between the two capacitors.

6. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 5 , wherein the second switch circuit further includes two nodes for receiving a bias voltage, and the two nodes are disposed respectively between the transistor and the two capacitors.

7. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the first inductor and the second inductor have similar wiring shapes and are arranged on the same plane, and the first inductor is arranged inside or outside the second inductor.

8. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the first inductor and the second inductor have similar wiring shapes and are arranged on different planes, and the first inductor and the second inductor have similar sizes.

9. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the cross coupled pair circuit includes:
a first transistor including:
a first end;
a second end coupled to a reference voltage end; and
a control end; and

a second transistor including:
a first end coupled to the control end of the first transistor;
a second end coupled to the reference voltage end; and
a control end coupled to the first end of the first transistor.

10. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the first capacitive circuit is controlled by a fourth control voltage to generate different capacitance values.

11. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 10 , wherein the first capacitive circuit includes:
a first variable capacitor including:
a first end; and
a second end for receiving the fourth control voltage;

a second variable capacitor including:
a first end coupled to the second end of the first variable capacitor for receiving the fourth control voltage; and
a second end; and

a first capacitor including:
a first end coupled to the first end of the first variable capacitor; and
a second end coupled to the second end of the second variable capacitor.

12. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the second capacitive circuit includes a second capacitor.

13. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the first switch circuit includes a transistor arranged in parallel with the second inductor and controlled to be turned on or turned off by the second control voltage.

14. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 13 , wherein the first switch circuit further includes an inverter coupled to a control end of the transistor.

15. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 14 , wherein the inverter is configured to receive the second control voltage, and the second control voltage is the same as the first control voltage.

16. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein both ends of the first inductor are used to output an oscillation signal.

17. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein both ends of the second inductor are used to output an oscillation signal.

18. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the second capacitive circuit is controlled by a third control voltage to generate different capacitance values.

19. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third inductor magnetically coupled with the first inductor, and the third inductor has a center tapped node for receiving a fifth control voltage;
a third capacitive circuit coupled in parallel with the third inductor; and
a third switch circuit coupled in parallel with the third inductor and configured to be turned on or turned off by a sixth control voltage;
where the fifth control voltage and the sixth control voltage change synchronously.

20. The voltage controlled oscillator of claim 19 , wherein the first inductor, the second inductor and the third inductor have similar wiring shapes and are arranged on different planes, and the first inductor is magnetically coupled between the second inductor and the third inductor.

Assignees

• Richwave Technology Corp

Inventors

• Chang Po-Chun

Classifications

• H03B5/1212

  the amplifier comprising a pair of transistors, wherein an output terminal of each being connected to an input terminal of the other, e.g. a cross coupled pair · CPC title

• H03B5/129

  the parameter being a bias voltage or a power supply · CPC title

• H03B2201/0208

  the means being an element with a variable capacitance, e.g. capacitance diode · CPC title

• H03B5/1243

  the means comprising voltage variable capacitance diodes · CPC title

• H03B5/1265

  switched capacitors · CPC title