Frequency divider apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9716485-B2
Application number	US-201514732211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Jun 8, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A frequency divider apparatus includes a micro-electro-mechanical system (“MEMS”) divider that is configured to be driven by an input signal. The MEMS divider includes a passive mechanical device that generates multiple output signals. Each of the output signals has a frequency less than a frequency of the input signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A frequency divider apparatus for dividing a frequency of an input signal, the frequency divider apparatus comprising:
a mechanical divider configured to receive the input signal and including a plurality of microbeams cascadingly arranged, wherein two adjacent microbeams from among the plurality of microbeams extend along different axes, each of the plurality of microbeams is parametrically driven and each of the plurality of microbeams generates an output signal that has a frequency less than a frequency of the input signal.

2. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of anchors fixedly connected to the plurality of microbeams; and
at least one coupling member, the coupling member connecting two adjacent microbeams from the plurality of microbeams, the coupling member coupling a first section of a given microbeam to a neighboring microbeam that is adjacent to the given microbeam, and the anchor being connected to a second section opposite of the first section of the given microbeam.

3. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the coupling member has a semi-circular shape.

4. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the coupling member has an elliptical shape.

5. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of microbeams are arranged in a cascading chain based on a length of the plurality of microbeams, such that the lengths of the microbeams increase along the cascading chain.

6. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the length of each of the plurality of beams increase by a factor approximately equal to square root of two.

7. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a frequency for driving a given microbeam from the plurality of microbeams is approximately twice a natural frequency of the given microbeam.

8. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the input signal is approximately equal to twice a natural frequency of a primary microbeam, and the primary microbeam is one of the plurality of microbeams and is configured to be parametrically driven by the input signal.

9. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frequency of the input signal is approximately equal to a natural frequency of a primary microbeam, the primary microbeam is one of the plurality of microbeams and is configured to be directly driven by the input signal.

10. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 1 is formed as a micro-electro-mechanical system MEMS.

11. A frequency divider apparatus comprising a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) divider configured to be driven by an input signal, the MEMS divider including a passive mechanical device, the passive mechanical device including a plurality of microbeams connected to each other, two adjacent microbeams from the plurality of microbeams being non-parallel to each other, the passive mechanical device generating multiple output signals in response to being driven by the input signal, and each of the output signals having a frequency less than a frequency of the input signal.

12. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the passive mechanical device is one continuous structure.

13. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the MEMS divider further includes a plurality of anchors; and
the plurality of microbeams are connected to the anchors.

14. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of microbeams is driven to generate one of the output signals.

15. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a signal apparatus coupled to the MEMS divider, the signal apparatus generating the input signal for driving the MEM divider.

16. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 11 disposed in a portable communication device of a communication system.

17. A frequency divider apparatus comprising a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) divider configured to be driven by a drive signal, the MEMS divider including a plurality of subsystem resonators, wherein the plurality of subsystem resonators are connected to each other to form a chain, two adjacent subsystem resonators from the plurality of subsystem resonators are non-parallel to each other, each of the plurality of subsystem resonators are parametrically driven, such that a given subsystem resonator generates an output signal.

18. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of subsystem resonators are connected in series, such that a first subsystem resonator from the plurality of subsystem resonators is driven by the drive signal, and a given subsystem resonator that is subsequent to the first subsystem resonator is driven by a former subsystem resonator that is connected and positioned prior to the given subsystem resonator.

19. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a frequency of the output signal generated by the given subsystem resonator from the plurality of subsystem resonators is approximately equal to a natural frequency of the given subsystem resonator.

20. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a frequency of the drive signal is approximately equal to twice a natural frequency of a primary subsystem resonator, and the primary subsystem resonator is one of the plurality of subsystem resonator and is configured to be driven by the drive signal.

21. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a frequency of the drive signal is approximately equal to a natural frequency of a primary subsystem resonator, and the primary subsystem resonator is one of the plurality of subsystem resonator and is configured to be directly driven by the drive signal.

22. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the MEMS divider is a single crystal silicon structure.

23. A frequency divider apparatus comprising a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) divider configured to be driven by an input signal, the MEMS divider including:
a plurality of anchors; and
a passive mechanical device generating one or more output signals in response to the input signal and including a plurality of microbeams extending from the plurality of anchors, wherein two adjacent microbeams from the plurality of microbeams extend in different non-parallel directions from respective anchors, the plurality of microbeams are connected to each other, such that the plurality of microbeams form a chain in which the input signal is cascadingly transferred and divided by each of the microbeams.

24. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the passive mechanical device further includes a plurality of coupling members that connect two adjacent microbeams from the plurality of microbeams.

25. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of microbeams are orthogonally arranged to each other.

26. The frequency divider apparatus of claim 23 , wherein
the plurality of microbeams includes a first microbeam, a second microbeam, and a third microbeam, the first microbeam is connected to the second microbeam, and the second microbeam is connected to the third microbeam,
the first microbeam is driven by the input signal and generates a first output signal, and the first output signal has a frequency that is half a frequency of the input signal,
the second microbeam is driven by the first microbeam and generates a second output signal, an

Assignees

• Univ Michigan State
• Univ California

Inventors

• Shaw Steven
• Strachan Brian S
• Turner Kimberly L
• Qalandar Kamala

Classifications

• H03B19/12

  using division only · CPC title

• H03K27/00

  Pulse counters in which pulses are continuously circulated in a closed loop; Analogous frequency dividers (feedback shift register counters H03K23/54) · CPC title

• H03H2009/02291

  Beams · CPC title

• H03H9/505

  for microelectro-mechanical filters · CPC title

• H03H9/02244 Primary

  of microelectro-mechanical resonators · CPC title