Automatic gain control for a voltage controlled oscillator
US6680655B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 1, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jan 20, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 1, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03B2200/0066
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A novel circuit topology which provides for the digital automatic gain control of a VCO is disclosed. The topology of the VCO is based on the negative transconductance oscillator due to its intrinsically simple biasing scheme. A system parameter sensitive to the performance level of the VCO is firstly measured. A digital control signal is then generated in response to the measured system parameter. The biasing current provided by the tail circuit of the VCO is adjusted based on the value of the digital control signal. In this way, the biasing current of the VCO may be adjusted to an optimal value for all frequencies of operation. The automatic control aspects of the present invention is useful in monolithic implementations since it automatically compensates for variations in load resistance, process parameters and component tolerances without requiring expensive manual adjustments at the board level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.