Crystal Oscillator Acceleration Sensitivity Cancellation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crystal oscillators are sensitive to acceleration forces, leading to frequency shifts that can degrade system performance in noise-sensitive applications, and existing methods for minimizing this sensitivity are complex, expensive, or ineffective due to inconsistent acceleration sensitivity vectors in quartz crystals.
Innovation Solution
Manufacturing crystals with consistent acceleration sensitivity vectors allows for anti-parallel alignment, eliminating the need for complex measurement and adjustment, and enabling effective cancellation of acceleration effects by coupling crystals in an oscillator circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passive compensation methods are used to reduce acceleration sensitivity, then frequency stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters of the crystal resonators to ensure consistent acceleration sensitivity vector orientations. By controlling the cutting and fabrication parameters to within tight tolerances (±5 degrees), the crystals naturally exhibit consistent vector orientations without requiring complex post-fabrication alignment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The acceleration sensitivity vector consistency is established during the crystal fabrication process itself, before the oscillator assembly takes place. The crystals are pre-manufactured with controlled vector orientations, eliminating the need for complex measurement and alignment operations during assembly
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional anti-parallel alignment methods are used, then acceleration sensitivity is reduced, but the process becomes time-consuming and expensive due to complex measurement and alignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The crystals are pre-manufactured with controlled acceleration sensitivity vector orientations during the fabrication process. This preliminary action ensures that when crystals are assembled in anti-parallel configuration, the vectors are already properly oriented, eliminating the need for time-consuming measurement and alignment operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies precise manufacturing parameter ranges (cut angles within ±5 degrees) that ensure consistent vector orientations. By controlling these parameters during fabrication, the alignment process is simplified from a complex measurement task to a straightforward assembly operation
3Ease of manufacture
If crystal resonators with inconsistent acceleration vectors are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but the effectiveness of acceleration compensation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes specific parameter ranges for crystal fabrication (cut angles, orientations within ±5 degrees) that ensure consistent acceleration sensitivity vector orientations. This maintains manufacturing simplicity while guaranteeing compensation effectiveness through controlled parameter specifications
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces acceleration sensitivity, achieving improved frequency stability and phase noise reduction, with benefits including reduced g-sensitivity and enhanced performance under vibration conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Quartz crystals are commonly used to control the frequency of electronic oscillators
Implementation Method 2
the natural frequency of a quartz resonator can also be affected by applied acceleration forces
Data Source
AI summary
A crystal oscillator having a plurality of quartz crystals that are manufactured so that the directional orientation of the acceleration sensitivity vector is essentially the same for each crystal. This enables convenient mounting of the crystals to a circuit assembly with consistent alignment of the acceleration vectors. The crystals are aligned with the acceleration vectors in an essentially anti-parallel relationship and can be coupled to the oscillator circuit in either a series or parallel arrangement. Mounting the crystals in this manner substantially cancels the acceleration sensitivity of the composite resonator and oscillator, rendering it less sensitive to vibrational forces and shock events.