Oscillators – Solid state active element oscillator – Transistors
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-22
2001-03-13
Grimm, Siegfried H. (Department: 2817)
Oscillators
Solid state active element oscillator
Transistors
C331S11300A, C331S17700V
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201450
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the fields of analog and digital communication, data communication, clock recovery, phase locked loops, voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs), multivibrators, relaxation oscillators, and monolithic oscillators. Specifically the present invention is a relaxation oscillator with an extended linear voltage/current to frequency characteristic which is suitable for use in high speed clock recovery systems and which has a wide frequency acquisition range.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A relaxation oscillator, such as a relaxation voltage/current controlled oscillator, is an oscillator circuit which has its frequency of oscillation determined by the time to charge and/or discharge a capacitor (or other reactive element) to a threshold level.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,381, Main discloses a relaxation oscillator in which a capacitor is placed in a differential configuration between a first and a second current supply means. The direction in which the capacitor is charged or discharged is controlled by a differential pair of transistor switches which are turned on and off by a bistable circuit element such as a latch. A control signal which gates the bistable element is inverted when the voltage across the capacitor is at opposite polarities of a particular threshold. The bistable element eliminates sudden voltage jumps at switching times and thereby avoids saturation of the collector-emitter conduction paths of the transistor switches when they are suddenly turned on. A circuit responsive to the dynamic terminal voltages of the capacitor controls either the first current supply means or the second current supply means to maintain the DC (direct current) voltage of the capacitor terminals at a constant, predetermined value. As a result, the slew rate of the voltages at the terminals of the charging capacitor remains substantially constant for a given frequency of operation.
While the relaxation oscillator disclosed by Main desensitizes the oscillator to the effects of the inherent stray capacitance and improves the accuracy of the output frequency, it is susceptible to certain drawbacks. Generally, in relaxation oscillator circuitry the charging current through the capacitor must be reversed once the capacitor voltage reaches a threshold value. However, there is a delay associated with this toggling. During this delay, the capacitor continues to charge, and its voltage exceeds the threshold level during the period until the direction of current is effectively switched. As a result, the frequency of oscillation is also reduced.
As the frequency of oscillation increases, this delay becomes more and more problematic and causes the frequency to cease to depend linearly on the charging current. A further consequence of this non-linearity is that the maximum frequency, and therefore the frequency range, for practical operation of the relaxation oscillator is reduced. Also, since the delay is dependent on temperature and process, the oscillator becomes overly sensitive to variations in these factors.
Yet another drawback of prior art relaxation oscillator circuits is that they require high quality complementary transistors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention in one aspect to provide an improved relaxation oscillator with an extended linear frequency range.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention in one aspect provides an oscillator circuit, for generating an oscillating signal of a certain frequency, comprising: a capacitance coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal and adapted to have a voltage swing thereacross; a current supply circuit coupled to said capacitance for providing a current through said capacitance, the magnitude of said current being proportional to said frequency and the polarity of said current being reversible; a switching circuit coupled to said current supply circuit and responsive to one or more control signals, for controlling the polarity of said current through said capacitance; a DC shift providing circuit coupled to said capacitance for providing a DC shift value in response to the voltage at said first terminal, the voltage at said second terminal, and a predetermined value; and a control circuit coupled to said capacitance and said DC shift providing circuit for generating said one or more control signals in response to said voltage at said first terminal, said voltage at said second terminal, and said DC shift value so as to maintain the voltage swing across said capacitance substantially constant.
In another aspect the present invention provides a method for generating an oscillating signal of a certain frequency, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a current through a capacitance, said capacitance being coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal and said capacitor being adapted to have a voltage swing thereacross, the magnitude of said current being proportional to said frequency and the polarity of said current being reversible; (b) establishing the polarity of said current through said capacitance in response to one or more control signals; (c) generating a DC shift value in response to the voltage at said first terminal, the voltage at said second terminal, and a predetermined value; and (d) generating said one or more control signals in response to said voltage at said first terminal, said voltage at said second terminal, and said DC shift value so as to maintain the voltage swing across said capacitance substantially constant.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3296556 (1967-01-01), Schaefer
patent: 4977381 (1990-12-01), Main
patent: 5489878 (1996-02-01), Gilbert
patent: 0 180 084 A2 (1986-05-01), None
patent: 0 753 934 A1 (1997-01-01), None
Shakiba Mohammad Hossein
Sowlati Hashjani Tirdad
Bereskin & Parr
Gennum Corporation
Grimm Siegfried H.
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