Clock Signal Output Device Intermittent Atomic Oscillator Calibration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional temperature-compensated crystal oscillators suffer from inferior frequency precision due to aging characteristics and high power consumption, while atomic oscillators reduce battery life due to high power usage.
Innovation Solution
A clock signal output device with a high-precision oscillator that is intermittently driven and corrected using correction data, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining high precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a high-precision oscillator (e.g., atomic oscillator) is used as the reference oscillator, then the precision of the clock signal is improved, but the power consumption increases and battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The high-precision oscillator is operated intermittently rather than continuously. The operation control unit activates the high-precision oscillator at specific intervals to generate correction data, then switches to the low-power reference oscillator for normal operation. This periodic activation maintains clock precision while dramatically reducing overall power consumption and extending battery life.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator is used, then the power consumption is reduced, but the frequency precision is inferior due to aging characteristics and temperature variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback by comparing the output clock signal from the reference oscillator against the high-precision clock signal from the high-precision oscillator. The operation control unit generates correction data based on this comparison and applies it to compensate for frequency deviations in the reference oscillator, thereby maintaining high precision while keeping power consumption low.
Solution Approach 2:
The high-precision oscillator serves as an intermediary that periodically calibrates the reference oscillator. Instead of continuously operating the high-precision oscillator, the system uses it as a reference standard to generate correction data that compensates for drift in the low-power reference oscillator, achieving both precision and energy efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If the high-precision oscillator is continuously driven, then the clock signal precision is maintained, but the battery life is reduced due to high power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The high-precision oscillator is activated periodically at predetermined intervals to generate correction data, then deactivated to conserve power. This periodic operation maintains the necessary precision through intermittent calibration while extending battery life by minimizing the time the high-power oscillator is active.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by using the high-precision oscillator only for the minimum necessary duration to generate correction data, rather than continuous operation. This partial activation provides sufficient precision maintenance while significantly reducing power consumption and extending battery life.
Data Source
AI summary
The clock signal output device has a crystal oscillator for generating a reference clock signal and generating and outputting an output clock signal having a prescribed frequency on the basis of the reference clock signal. The device also has an atomic oscillator for generating a clock signal having higher precision than a crystal oscillator, an intermittent time management unit for intermittently driving the atomic oscillator, and a correction unit for receiving correction data for correcting the offset amount of the output clock signal on the basis of a clock signal each time the atomic oscillator is driven, and correcting the output clock signal on the basis of the correction data.