Patent · US Expired

Ring oscillator having outputs that are selectively combined to produce different frequencies

US5262735A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
3References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 20, 1992
Grant dateNov 16, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 20, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K3/0231
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A ring oscillator comprises a plurality of amplifiers connected in a multi-stage connection and each including a pair of output terminals from which first output signals are issued respectively; a pair of input terminals to which another pair of output terminals of a last stage amplifier are connected, respectively, and an amplifying circuit arranged between the output terminals and the input terminals. An oscillating signal can be generated by taking out the respectively corresponding second output signals from the amplifiers and combining these second output signals. The ring oscillator is constructed such that the second output signals are taken out from any middle output terminals in the amplifying circuit, other than the output terminals and the input terminals. Preferably, the amplifying circuit includes differential amplifying units each having a pair of differential transistors and a pair of emitter follower units having emitter follower transistors, respectively, and the second output signals are taken out from any portions among the output portions of the emitter follower units and all stage amplifying units other than the final stage differential amplifying unit.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.