With Particular Source Of Power Or Bias Voltage Patents (Class 331/185)
  • Patent number: 8692627
    Abstract: An oscillating signal generating device includes: an oscillating circuit arranged to generate an oscillating signal according to a current controlled signal; and a control signal generating circuit coupled to the oscillating circuit, the control signal generating circuit for receiving a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage, the control signal generating circuit operated between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage, and the control signal generating circuit arranged to generate the current controlled signal according to a voltage input signal; wherein the control signal generating circuit is capable of monotonically generating the current controlled signal according to the voltage input signal when a voltage level of the voltage input signal falls between the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Silicon Motion Inc.
    Inventor: Chih-Hua Chuang
  • Patent number: 8692622
    Abstract: High-speed CMOS ring voltage controlled oscillators with low supply sensitivity have been disclosed. According to one embodiment, a CML ring oscillator comprises a CML negative impedance compensation circuit comprising two cross coupled transistors and a resistor connected to the two transistors for resistive biasing and a CML interpolating delay cell connected in parallel with the CML negative impedance compensation. An impedance change of the CML negative impedance compensation due to supply variation counteracts an impedance change of the CML interpolating delay cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Michael M. Green, Xiaoyan Gui
  • Patent number: 8686798
    Abstract: An oscillator circuit generates a voltage signal. The magnitude of the voltage signal is measured and compared with predetermined upper and lower voltage signals by an internal test circuit. If the magnitude of the voltage signal is between the predetermined upper and lower voltage signals, then a pass test status signal is generated. If the magnitude of the voltage signal is not between the predetermined upper and lower voltage signals then a fail test status signal is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Zhang, Xiuqiang Xu
  • Patent number: 8686802
    Abstract: A method of configuring a device comprising a MEMS resonator includes initiating operation of the device, estimating a first parameter of the MEMS resonator based on the initiated operation, the first parameter not varying with the bias voltage, monitoring the operation of the device at a plurality of levels of the bias voltage, calculating a second parameter of the MEMS resonator based on the monitored operation, the second parameter varying with the bias voltage, determining an operational level of the bias voltage based on the estimated first parameter and the calculated second parameter, and configuring the device in accordance with the determined operational level of the bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Micrel, Incorporated
    Inventors: Andrew Robert Brown, John Ryan Clark, Wan-Thai Hsu, Graham Yorke Mostyn, William Cochrane Ingle
  • Patent number: 8686799
    Abstract: An integrated circuit, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and a phase-locked loop (PLL). In one embodiment, the VCO includes: (1) a voltage tune line configured to receive a tuning voltage for the VCO and (2) an odd number of ring-coupled delay elements. Each of the delay elements includes: (2A) an inverter having a power supply line being coupled to the voltage tune line and (2B) a feedback path having a gain-attenuating transistor with a gate thereof being coupled to the voltage tune line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Stanley J. Goldman
  • Patent number: 8665030
    Abstract: A voltage-controlled oscillator circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a first resonator circuit, a second resonator circuit, a first current path and a second current path. A drain of the first transistor is coupled to a gate of the second transistor and to a first end of the first resonator circuit. A source of the first transistor is coupled to the first current path and to a first end of the second resonator circuit. A drain of the second transistor is coupled to a gate of the first transistor and to a second end of the first resonator circuit. A source of the second transistor is coupled to the second current path and a second end of the second resonator circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ying-Ta Lu, Hsien-Yuan Liao, Hsiao-Tsung Yen, Ho-Hsiang Chen, Chewn-Pu Jou
  • Patent number: 8665031
    Abstract: An oscillating circuit for determining a resonant frequency of an electro-mechanical oscillating device and for driving the electro-mechanical oscillating device at the determined resonant frequency includes a driving circuit and a start-up, impetus injection circuit. The driving circuit is configured to receive one or more reference signals and further configured to provide a driving signal related to the reference signals to the electro-mechanical oscillating device. The start-up, impetus injection circuit is operably coupled to the electro-mechanical oscillating device and configured to selectively provide a start-up excitation signal to the electro-mechanical oscillation device. The start-up, impetus injection circuit is activated upon start-up of the oscillating circuit to drive the electro-mechanical oscillation device and the driving circuit determines a resonant frequency by measuring a parameter related to the resonant frequency of the electro-mechanical oscillating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventor: James A. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8653898
    Abstract: An embodiment of a crystal oscillator circuit includes leakage-current compensation, transconductance enhancement, or both leakage-current compensation and transconductance enhancement. Such an oscillator circuit may draw a reduced operating current relative to a conventional oscillator circuit, and thus may be suitable for battery or other low-power applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Abhirup Lahiri, Anurag Tiwari
  • Patent number: 8643439
    Abstract: An oscillation circuit of a semiconductor apparatus includes a first level regulation unit configured to regulate an output voltage at an output node according to a difference between a reference voltage and the output voltage, and a second level regulation unit coupled between a power supply voltage terminal and a source voltage terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
    Inventor: Kwan Dong Kim
  • Patent number: 8618890
    Abstract: A driver circuit includes a comparator (drive signal generation section) that generates a drive signal based on a signal obtained by converting an oscillation current of a vibrator that has been input via a first signal line into a voltage using an I/V conversion circuit (current/voltage conversion section), and supplies the drive signal to the vibrator via a second signal line, an oscillation detection circuit (oscillation detection section) that detects whether or not the oscillation current has reached a predetermined value after the vibrator has started to oscillate, a startup oscillation circuit (startup oscillation section) that assists an oscillation operation of the vibrator until the oscillation current reaches the predetermined value, and a switch that separates a capacitor from the second signal line until the oscillation current reaches the predetermined value, and connects the capacitor to the second signal line when the oscillation current has reached the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation, Seiko NPC Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinao Yanagisawa, Masahiro Oshio, Takayuki Kikuchi, Toshihiro Nishida, Masayuki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8610513
    Abstract: A crystal oscillator is provided, which varies a frequency drift compensation according to a power consumption and compensates a frequency drift characteristic caused by heat. An adder is used to add a temperature compensation control voltage from a temperature compensation circuit, an oscillating frequency control voltage from an AFC circuit, and a frequency drift compensation voltage corresponding to the power consumption from a frequency drift compensation circuit. A voltage added by the adder is outputted to voltage-variable capacitor elements and, which respectively are connected to an input side and an output side of an inverter IC that is connected in parallel to a crystal oscillating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8604885
    Abstract: A voltage control oscillator includes: a voltage-current converter circuit that converts an inputted voltage to a current according to the value of the voltage; a current mirror circuit; a ring oscillator including differential inverters connected in multiple stages; an inverting amplifier; and a buffer. The ring oscillator outputs, from each of the differential inverters, a signal amplitude-limited by a current converted by the voltage-current converter circuit and the current mirror circuit and a voltage applied from the inverting amplifier and the ring oscillator outputs an oscillatory frequency in response to the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Inventor: Kunihiko Kouyama
  • Patent number: 8593231
    Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, an oscillator may include a crystal resonator and a squaring circuit coupled to the crystal resonator and configured to convert a sinusoidal signal produced by the crystal resonator to a square-wave signal, the squaring circuit comprising a bias circuit configured to transmit a selected bias voltage for the squaring circuit, the selected bias voltage selected from a plurality of potential bias voltages. In accordance with this and other embodiments of the present disclosure, an oscillator may include a crystal resonator, an inverter coupled in parallel with the crystal resonator, and a programmable voltage regulator coupled to the inverter. The programmable voltage regulator may be configured to supply a first supply voltage to the inverter during a startup duration of the oscillator, and supply a second supply voltage to the inverter after the startup duration, wherein the second supply voltage is lesser than the first supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Intel IP Corporation
    Inventors: John Simmons, Kristopher Kaufman
  • Patent number: 8587383
    Abstract: A method establishes an initial voltage in a ring oscillator and a logic circuit of an integrated circuit device. Following this, the method enables the operating state of the ring oscillator. After enabling the operating state of the ring oscillator, the method steps up to a stressing voltage in the ring oscillator. The initial voltage is approximately one-half the stressing voltage. The stressing voltage creates operating-level stress within the ring oscillator. The method measures the operating-level frequency within the ring oscillator using an oscilloscope (after stepping up to the stressing voltage).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David G. Brochu, Jr., Dimitris P. Ioannou, Travis S. Merrill, Steven W. Mittl
  • Patent number: 8587384
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a DCO and a storing unit that stores a temperature coefficient of an oscillation frequency and an absolute value of the oscillation frequency, which should be set in the DCO, corresponding to potential obtained from a voltage source that changes with a monotonic characteristic with respect to temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yuji Satoh, Mototsugu Hamada, Daisuke Miyashita
  • Publication number: 20130271231
    Abstract: A reference circuit for an oscillator module is provided. The reference circuit includes a reference voltage generation unit and a reference current generation unit. The reference voltage generation unit includes an electric element having a voltage proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT voltage) and provides a reference voltage based on the PTAT voltage. The reference current generation unit is coupled to the reference voltage generation unit and provides a reference current to the oscillator circuit to serve as an input current based on the PTAT voltage. The oscillator circuit generates a clock signal based on the reference voltage and the input current. The reference voltage and the input current are proportional to absolute temperature and have the same change trend relative to absolute temperature, such that the clock signal is a temperature insensitive signal. An oscillator module including an oscillator circuit and the foregoing reference circuit is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: HIMAX TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
    Inventor: Wei-Kai Tseng
  • Patent number: 8559904
    Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, an oscillator may include a crystal resonator and a squaring circuit coupled to the crystal resonator and configured to convert a sinusoidal signal produced by the crystal resonator to a square-wave signal, the squaring circuit comprising a bias circuit configured to transmit a selected bias voltage for the squaring circuit, the selected bias voltage selected from a plurality of potential bias voltages. In accordance with this and other embodiments of the present disclosure, an oscillator may include a crystal resonator, an inverter coupled in parallel with the crystal resonator, and a programmable voltage regulator coupled to the inverter. The programmable voltage regulator may be configured to supply a first supply voltage to the inverter during a startup duration of the oscillator, and supply a second supply voltage to the inverter after the startup duration, wherein the second supply voltage is lesser than the first supply voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Intel IP Corporation
    Inventors: John Simmons, Kristopher Kaufman
  • Patent number: 8552808
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an oscillator having circuitry that measures the power dissipated in a resonator and circuitry that controls the power delivered to the resonator in response to the measured power. In some embodiments, the circuitry that measures the power dissipated in the resonator comprises circuitry that measures the voltage across the resonator, circuitry that measures the current through the resonator, and circuitry that calculates the power dissipated in the resonator based on the measured voltage and current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald J. Delzer, Laszlo J. Dobos
  • Publication number: 20130241662
    Abstract: A variable injection-strength injection-locked oscillator (ILO) is described. The variable injection-strength ILO can output an output clock signal based on an input clock signal. The variable injection-strength ILO can pause, restart, slow down, or speed up the output clock signal synchronously with respect to the input clock signal in response to receiving power mode information. Specifically, the variable injection-strength ILO can be operated under relatively strong injection when the input clock signal is paused, restarted, slowed down, or sped up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2011
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Marko Aleksic, Brian S. Leibowitz
  • Patent number: 8519799
    Abstract: A voltage controlled oscillator including a control signal adjuster and ring-connected delay cells is disclosed. The control signal adjuster receives a first control signal to generate a second control signal boosted from the first control signal when the first control signal is lower than a transistor threshold voltage. The ring-connected delay cells are controlled by the first and second control signals both to generate an oscillation signal. Each of the delay cells has a first set of current generation transistors and a second set of current generation transistors. Each transistor of the first set of current generation transistors has a control terminal receiving the first control signal while each transistor of the second set of current generation transistors has a control terminal receiving the second control signal. The first and second sets of current generation transistors collectively output an oscillation signal with unchanged frequency of associated input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yeong-Sheng Lee, George Shing
  • Patent number: 8502612
    Abstract: Described herein is the method and apparatus for determining frequency of an oscillator coupled with one or more analog devices, and for determining within-die or across-die variations in an analog property associated with the one or more analog devices, the determining based on the oscillator frequency. The analog property includes output signal swing, bandwidth, offset, gain, and delay line linearity and range. The one or more analog devices include input-output (I/O) buffer, analog amplifier, and delay line. The method further comprises updating a simulation model file based on the determining of the within-die and/or across-die variations of the analog property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Praveen Mosalikanti, Nasser A. Kurd, Timothy M. Wilson
  • Patent number: 8493156
    Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a high amplitude oscillation generator includes an LC tank circuit, a gain stage, a dynamic bias circuit, a bias current source, and a dynamic bias circuit receiving a current source feedback voltage and outputting a gain stage bias voltage. The dynamic bias circuit adjusts the gain stage bias voltage in response to a change in the current source feedback voltage after a start up of the LC tank circuit. The dynamic bias circuit thereby increases an amplitude of oscillations produced by the oscillation generator. The dynamic bias circuit can include an error amplifier, the error amplifier generating the gain stage bias voltage responsive to the current source feedback voltage. The current source feedback voltage can change with a voltage drop across the bias current source. The current source feedback voltage can also be received from an output of the oscillation generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Zhiheng Cao
  • Patent number: 8471640
    Abstract: Oscillators and methods of operating the oscillators are provided, the oscillators include an oscillating unit including at least one magnetic layer having a magnetization direction that varies according to at least one selected from the group consisting of an applied current, an applied voltage and an applied magnetic field. The oscillating unit is configured to generate an oscillation signal having a set frequency. The oscillators further include an output stage that provides an output signal by differentially amplifying the oscillation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun-sik Choi, Ho-jung Kim, Jai-kwang Shin
  • Patent number: 8451071
    Abstract: An oscillator having: (A) a transistor for producing an oscillating output signal at an output electrode of the transistor. The oscillator includes; (B) a bias circuit for producing a bias signal for the transistor, said bias circuit including an amplifier coupled to the output electrode of the transistor; and (C) a circuit coupled between an output of the amplifier and a control electrode of the transistor, for isolating the bias signal provided by the amplifier from the oscillating signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Roger L. Clark, Mark J. Gugliuzza, Benjamin J. Annino, Janis R. Cooper
  • Publication number: 20130113574
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an oscillating device, which comprises a driving module and an oscillating module. The driving module is used for producing a first driving voltage and a second driving voltage. The oscillating module comprises a first symmetric load circuit, a second symmetric load circuit, and a bias circuit. The first symmetric load circuit and the second symmetric load circuit produce a bias according to the first driving voltage. The bias circuit produces a bias current according to the second driving voltage. The oscillating module produces an oscillating signal according to the first driving voltage and the bias current, where the bias current is proportional to the bias. Thereby, by making the driving signal produced by driving module proportional to the bias of the oscillating module, simple compensation for temperature and process can be performed. Thereby, the frequency can be tuned using a few calibration bits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: SITRONIX TECHNOLOGY CORP.
    Inventor: SITRONIX TECHNOLOGY CORP.
  • Patent number: 8436687
    Abstract: An oscillating apparatus includes: a transfer gate including a P-channel transistor and a N-channel transistor; a first inverter for inverting an output signal of the transfer gate and outputting the inverted output signal of the transfer gate; a second inverter for inverting the output signal of the first inverter and outputting the inverted output signal of the first inverter; a third inverter for inverting the output signal of the first inverter and outputting the inverted output signal of the first inverter; a fourth inverter for inverting the output signal of the third inverter and outputting the inverted output signal of the third inverter to an input-terminal of the transfer gate; a first capacitor connected between an output-terminal of the transfer gate and an output-terminal of the second inverter; and a second capacitor connected between the output-terminal of the transfer gate and a reference potential node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
    Inventors: Kenta Aruga, Suguru Tachibana, Koji Okada
  • Publication number: 20130069732
    Abstract: An oscillation circuit section is provided which can attain the reduction of a consumed power amount and the reduction of a manufacturing cost. In a semiconductor device, voltages are generated to drive the oscillation circuit section by using a plurality of MOS transistors which are connected in serial and each of which is in a diode connection. At this time, each voltage is generated based on a power supply voltage and a ratio of the threshold voltages of the plurality of MOS transistors. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the threshold voltage of each MOS transistor, to save an area of each MOS transistor, and to reduce the consumed power amount of the oscillation circuit section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventor: Sanae SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20130069733
    Abstract: The switched power supply (10) comprises: an input (16) for an AC input current (IPRI) under an input voltage (VPRI); an output (36) for a DC output current (Isec), and successively, from the input to the output, a system of controlled breaker switches (20); a transformer (21) whereof the primary (24) is linked at the output of the system of controlled breaker switches (20); a rectifying circuit (28) connected across the terminals of a secondary circuit (26) of the transformer; and a storage capacitor (32) linked in parallel across the output terminals of the rectifier circuit (28) with interposition of a coil (34), the output (36) being formed across the terminals of the storage capacitor (32).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Inventors: Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, Mathias Moronvalle
  • Patent number: 8400227
    Abstract: A clock generator is provided, capable of automatically adjusting an output clock when process, voltage, or temperature variation occurs. The clock generator includes a current generator, for generating a first current and a second current according to a bias signal, an oscillator, coupled to the current generator, for generating a clock signal according to the first current, a frequency detector, coupled to the oscillator, for generating a control signal according to the clock signal and a reference signal, and a bias voltage adjuster, coupled to the current generator and the frequency detector, for adjusting the bias signal according to the control signal. When the signal frequency of the clock signal changes, the bias signal corresponds to the bias voltage adjuster, to adjust the first current and the second current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Inventors: Chiao-Ling Chang, Ying-Hsi Lin
  • Patent number: 8400226
    Abstract: An oscillation circuit and associated method, wherein the oscillation circuit provides a pair of oscillation signals at two oscillation nodes, and includes a first capacitor, a switch circuit and a second capacitor serially coupled between the two oscillation nodes; the switch circuit conducts between the first capacitor and the second capacitor on an enable voltage higher than a power voltage of the oscillation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignees: Global Unichip Corporation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yen-Chung Chen, Tsai-Ming Yang, Jen-Tai Hsu
  • Patent number: 8373513
    Abstract: The resonator comprises an oscillating element and first and second excitation electrodes of the oscillating element. An AC signal generator is connected to the first and second excitation electrodes and delivers first and second signals of the same amplitudes and in antiphase on the first and second electrodes. A first DC voltage source is connected to a third electrode. A second DC voltage source is connected to a fourth electrode. An additional electrode is electrically connected to the oscillating element. A signal representative of oscillation of the oscillating element is provided by the additional electrode formed by an anchoring point of the oscillating element and biased by a third DC voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventors: Julien Arcamone, Eric Colinet
  • Publication number: 20130027148
    Abstract: A complex resonant circuit includes: a first current path performing a first gain control to an AC power signal being supplied; at least one second current path performing a second gain control different from the first gain control to the AC power signal; at least two resonant circuits provided on the respective first and second current paths, having mutually different resonance or antiresonance points for the AC power signals passing through the respective first and second current paths and capturing the respective AC power signals; at least one compensation current path performing a compensation phase shift to the AC power signal; a compensation circuit, provided on the compensation current path, for removing an unnecessary component of the resonant circuit; and an analog operational circuit performing analog addition or subtraction on the AC power signal having passed through the first and second current paths, and the compensation current path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: MARCDEVICES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Hirama
  • Patent number: 8362844
    Abstract: A delay circuit includes a delay unit having a first and a second power supply terminals, a pair of differential signal input terminals and a pair of differential signal output terminals. The signals entered to the pair of differential signal input terminals are delayed and output at the pair of differential signal output terminals. The delay circuit also includes a current controller that exercises control to cause a current of a current source, controlled by a current control terminal, to flow through the first and second power supply terminals of the delay unit. The delay circuit also includes a voltage controller that exercises control to provide for a constant potential difference between the first and the second power supply terminals (FIG. 1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Nakano
  • Patent number: 8324977
    Abstract: The invention relates to an oscillator circuit comprising: a VCO core having an output terminal for providing an oscillatory output signal thereat and having a supply terminal for receiving a supply voltage from a voltage supply, a subsequent circuit coupled to the VCO core's output terminal and having a supply terminal for receiving a supply voltage from the voltage supply. According to the invention, a decoupling member is arranged between the VCO core's supply terminal and the subsequent circuit's supply terminal for preventing high-frequency signals generated by the subsequent circuit at its supply terminal from entering the VCO core. The decoupling member may comprise a transmission line the length of which is one quarter wavelength associated with a second-harmonic oscillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Li, Saverio Trotta
  • Patent number: 8319568
    Abstract: A method for compensating an oscillation frequency, a device, and a phase locked loop (PLL) is applied in the LC oscillating loop, including: sending voltage control signals to one end of a variable capacitor of an LC oscillating loop to generate oscillating signals in the LC oscillating loop through the voltage control signals; obtaining variable bias voltage that reflects changes of external parameters; and sending the variable bias voltage to the other end of the variable capacitor to compensate changes to the oscillation frequency of oscillation signals generated in the LC oscillating loop. This disclosure compensates the changes to the oscillation frequency of the circuit that contains the LC oscillating loop and improves the stability of the circuit oscillation frequency by sending bias voltage to one end of the variable capacitor of the LC oscillating loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hongquan Sun
  • Patent number: 8305155
    Abstract: A PLL circuit comprises a phase detector, a charge pump, a loop filter, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and two variable voltage sources. The phase detector and the charge pump each comprises low-voltage transistors, and operates with a fixed supply voltage VCC1 (e.g., 5 V) which is a potential difference applied from the variable voltage source of a power-supply voltage VL and the variable voltage source of a power-supply voltage VDC (=VL+VCC1). A tuning control signal VC generated by integrating an output current signal of the charge pump using the loop filter is input to the VCO having an input voltage range of the tuning control signal from 0 V to VCC2 (e.g., 16 V).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Icom Incorporated
    Inventor: Kouichiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8305152
    Abstract: An oscillator includes: a plurality of MEMS vibrators formed on a substrate; and an oscillator configuration circuit connected to the plurality of MEMS vibrators, wherein the plurality of MEMS vibrators each have a beam structure, and the respective beam structures are different, whereby their resonant frequencies are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Watanabe, Shogo Inaba, Ryuji Kihara
  • Patent number: 8289092
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a MEMS resonant structure, provided with a substrate of semiconductor material; a mobile mass suspended above the substrate and anchored to the substrate by constraint elements to be free to oscillate at a resonance frequency; and a fixed-electrode structure capacitively coupled to the mobile mass to form a capacitor with a capacitance that varies as a function of the oscillation of the mobile mass; the fixed-electrode structure arranged on a top surface of the substrate, and the constraint elements being configured in such a way that the mobile mass oscillates, in use, in a vertical direction, transverse to the top surface of the substrate, keeping substantially parallel to the top surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Anna Pomarico, Pasquale Flora, Annarita Morea, Giuditta Roselli
  • Patent number: 8290029
    Abstract: A super-regenerative transceiver that has an antenna interface for an antenna is self-tuned with a self-tuning unit configured. The self-tuning unit makes the transceiver to repeatedly perform a self-tuning cycle until the amplitude meets a predetermined detection condition or a predetermined criterion is met. The self-tuning cycle involves the following: transmitting to the antenna a probe signal with one or more pulses; receiving from the antenna a ringing detection signal; determining if the ringing detection signal reflects tails of the probe signal with amplitude meeting a predetermined detection condition; and adjusting of the tuning of the super-regenerative transceiver if the amplitude does not meet the predetermined detection condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Joni Jorma Marius Jantunen, Jaakko Valtteri Varteva, Jari-Jukka Harald Kaaja, Risto Heikki Sakari Kaunisto, Bertrand Gomez, Michael Pelissier
  • Patent number: 8264294
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contrived to prevent a reference voltage and a reference current which are supplied to a high speed OCO from varying with a change in ambient temperature and/or a change in an external power supply voltage and to reduce the circuit area of a power supply module. The high speed OCO outputs a high speed clock whose magnitude is determined by the reference current and the reference voltage. A logic unit adjusts the values of the reference current and reference voltage, according to the reference voltage and reference current trimming codes related to detected ambient temperature and operating voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Oishi, Katsuyoshi Mitsui, Naoki Otani
  • Patent number: 8258880
    Abstract: Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to techniques for providing a relatively constant oscillation frequency. In some instances, these techniques can make use of a ring oscillator that is powered by an adaptive voltage supply. The adaptive voltage supply provides a temperature-dependent supply voltage to respective delay elements in the ring oscillator, such that the oscillation frequency of the ring oscillator is approximately constant over a predetermined temperature range. For example, if temperature increases, the supply voltage can be increased proportionally, thereby tending to limit variation in the oscillation frequency delivered by the ring oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Chin Yeong Koh, Kar Ming Yong
  • Patent number: 8258886
    Abstract: An oscillating circuit for determining a resonant frequency of an electro-mechanical oscillating device and for driving the electro-mechanical oscillating device at the determined resonant frequency includes a driving circuit and a start-up, impetus injection circuit. The driving circuit is configured to receive one or more reference signals and further configured to provide a driving signal related to the reference signals to the electro-mechanical oscillating device. The start-up, impetus injection circuit is operably coupled to the electro-mechanical oscillating device and configured to selectively provide a start-up excitation signal to the electro-mechanical oscillation device. The start-up, impetus injection circuit is activated upon start-up of the oscillating circuit to drive the electro-mechanical oscillation device and the driving circuit determines a resonant frequency by measuring a parameter related to the resonant frequency of the electro-mechanical oscillating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: TYCO Healthcare Group LP
    Inventor: James A. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8248171
    Abstract: A thermally-compensated oscillator has a current reference with an output current which relates to an ambient temperature with a first relationship, a ring oscillator having an operating frequency which relates to the ambient temperature with a second relationship, and which receives the output current of the current reference and outputs an oscillator signal, and a level shifter which receives the oscillator signal from the ring oscillator and outputs a corresponding voltage-regulated clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Martin Bugbee, Andrew Burtt
  • Patent number: 8217728
    Abstract: An LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is provided. The LC VCO includes an LC resonant circuit including at least one inductor whose both terminals are connected to output nodes and at least one capacitor connected in parallel with the inductor, and an amplifier circuit including at least one pair of switching transistors. Here, drains of the pair of switching transistors are connected to the output nodes respectively, and gates of the switching transistors are connected with the drains through a variable capacitance block exhibiting different characteristics according to an input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Hui Dong Lee, Kwi Dong Kim, Jong Kee Kwon, Jong Dae Kim
  • Patent number: 8193868
    Abstract: A switched capacitor circuit for use at at least one operating frequency is provided. The switched capacitor may include an inductive element having a first terminal coupled to a switching voltage and a second terminal. The switched capacitor circuit may further include a hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT) having a base terminal coupled to the second terminal of the inductive element, a first conducting terminal, and a second conducting terminal coupled to a voltage supply terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Vishal P. Trivedi
  • Patent number: 8189403
    Abstract: A high speed linear differential amplifier (HSLDA) having automatic gain adjustment to maximize linearity regardless of manufacturing process, changes in temperature, or swing width change of the input signal. The HSLDA comprises a differential amplifier, and a control signal generator including a replica differential amplifier, a reference voltage generator, and a comparator. The comparator outputs a control signal that automatically adjusts the gain of the high speed linear differential amplifier and of the replica differential amplifier. The replica differential amplifier receives predetermined complementary voltages as input signals and outputs a replica output signal to the comparator. The reference voltage generator outputs a voltage to the comparator at which linearity of the output signal of the differential amplifier is maximized. The control signal equalizes the voltage level of the replica output signal and the reference voltage, and controls the gain of the differential amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Soo Sohn, Jeong-Don Lim, Kwang-Il Park
  • Patent number: 8188802
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating an oscillating signal including an oscillator configured to generate the oscillating signal, a controller configured to generate a control signal that controls a characteristic (e.g., amplitude or frequency) of the oscillating signal, and a power supply configured to supply power to the oscillator as a function of the control signal. The power supply may be configured to supply power to the oscillator as a function of the amplitude or frequency of the oscillating signal to improve power efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Jorge A. Garcia
  • Patent number: 8183939
    Abstract: A ring oscillator has at least one latch connected to the outputs of at least one oscillator stage, where the latch drives the outputs of the oscillator stage to opposite states during startup, and drive strength reduction circuitry to reduce drive strength of the latch after startup when the oscillator is oscillating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Ajay Kumar, Krishnaswamy Nagaraj
  • Patent number: 8174332
    Abstract: A phase lock loop pre-charging system and method are described. In one embodiment, a phase lock loop pre-charge system includes a bias component for generating a pre-charge voltage, and an activation component for activating the bias component. In one exemplary implementation the pre-charge voltage is utilized to facilitate pre-charging of a phase lock loop voltage controlled oscillator. In one embodiment, the bias component includes replica bias components that track the voltage controlled oscillation control voltage over varying process, voltage and temperature characteristics. The phase lock loop pre-charging systems and methods can be utilized to reduce lock time for a circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Carel J. Lombaard, Eugene O'Sullivan, Paul Walsh
  • Patent number: 8174329
    Abstract: A method and system for modulating logic clock oscillator frequency based on voltage supply. The system comprises a logic unit having a logic operation and a device to produce self-adjusting clocks to match the logic operation. The device is configured to use supply voltage as an independent variable to optimize device parameters for voltage variations. The invention is also directed to a design structure on which a circuit resides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Goodnow, Clarence R. Ogilvie, Christopher B. Reynolds, Sebastian T. Ventrone, Keith R. Williams