Oscillator circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9083362-B2
Application number	US-201113179246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2011
Priority date	Jul 8, 2011
Publication date	Jul 14, 2015
Grant date	Jul 14, 2015

Abstract

Devices are provided comprising oscillator circuits coupled to a supply voltage via an adjustable resistance. Corresponding methods to control adjustable resistances are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
an oscillator circuit portion,
a first supply voltage coupled with said oscillator circuit portion,
an adjustable resistance, and
a control circuit portion coupled to an output of said oscillator circuit portion and configured to adjust said adjustable resistance depending on a signal output by the oscillator circuit portion,
a second supply voltage coupled with said oscillator circuit portion via said adjustable resistance.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said first supply voltage is a positive supply voltage, and said second supply voltage is ground.

3. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein an oscillation frequency of said oscillator circuit portion is adjustable.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said oscillator circuit portion comprises an inductance and a capacitance, wherein at least one of said inductance and said capacitance is adjustable.

5. The oscillator device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a negative resistance circuit, the negative resistance circuit comprising at least one transistor, a gate of the at least one transistor being coupled to a voltage different from said first supply voltage and said second supply voltage.

6. A device, comprising:
a first supply voltage,
an LC circuit portion comprising an inductance and a capacitance, the LC circuit portion being coupled to the first supply voltage,
a negative resistance portion coupled with said LC circuit portion,
an adjustable resistance coupled with said negative resistance circuit portion, and
a second supply voltage coupled with said adjustable resistance.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein said negative resistance portion comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, a first terminal of said first transistor and a first terminal of said second transistor being coupled with said adjustable resistance, a gate terminal of said first transistor and a gate terminal of said second transistor being coupled with a gate bias voltage,
wherein a second terminal of said first transistor is coupled with said gate terminal of said second transistor and with a first output node of said LC circuit portion, and
wherein a second terminal of said second transistor is coupled with said gate terminal of said first transistor and a second output node of said LC circuit portion.

8. The device of claim 7 , further comprising an adjustable bias voltage generator configured to generate said gate bias voltage.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein said gate terminal of said first transistor is coupled with said bias voltage via a first resistance and coupled with said second terminal of said second transistor via a first capacitance, and wherein said gate terminal of said second transistor is coupled with said bias voltage via a second resistance and coupled with said second terminal of said first transistor via a second capacitance.

10. The device of claim 6 , further comprising a capacitance coupled between said negative resistance circuit portion and said second supply voltage.

11. The device of claim 6 , further comprising a control circuit portion coupled to at least one output node of said LC circuit portion and configured to adjust said adjustable resistance.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein said control circuit comprises an automatic amplitude control circuit portion.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein said control circuit comprises a peak detector coupled with said at least one output node and configured to output a peak voltage to said automatic amplitude control portion.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein said control circuit is configured to output a thermometer-coded control signal to said adjustable resistance.

15. The device of claim 6 , wherein said adjustable resistance comprises a plurality of switchable resistances.

16. The device of claim 15 , where each of said plurality of switchable resistances is coupled in series with an associated switch, the plurality of switchable resistances being coupled in parallel to each other.

17. A method, comprising:
determining a peak output value of an oscillator circuit portion, and
adjusting a resistance of an adjustable resistor coupled between said oscillator circuit portion and a supply voltage depending on the peak output value.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising repeating said determining and said adjusting at least until a desired value of the peak output value has been reached.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising adjusting an oscillator frequency of said oscillator circuit.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said adjusting of the oscillator frequency is performed repeatedly, and said determining a peak output value and said adjusting the resistance is performed for each adjusting of the oscillator frequency.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein said adjusting of the resistance comprises supplying a thermometer-coded signal to a plurality of switches coupled with a plurality of resistances.

Assignees

• Ponton Davide
• Thaller Edwin
• Da Dalt Nicola
• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ponton Davide
• Thaller Edwin
• Da Dalt Nicola

Classifications

• H03B5/1215

  the current source or degeneration circuit being in common to both transistors of the pair, e.g. a cross-coupled long-tailed pair · CPC title

• H03B5/124

  the means comprising a voltage dependent capacitance · CPC title

• H03B5/1234

  and comprising means for varying the output amplitude of the generator (H03B5/1278 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03L7/099 Primary

  concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop · CPC title

• H03B5/1228

  the amplifier comprising one or more field effect transistors · CPC title