Injection-Locked Frequency Divider With Harmonic Resonant Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital frequency dividers dissipate increasing power at high frequencies and struggle to quickly lock their output signal to input signals, limiting their efficiency in applications like radio transceivers.
Innovation Solution
An injection locked frequency divider (ILFD) using a nonlinear harmonic oscillator with a primary and secondary resonant tank, where the input signal is injected to synchronize the output signal, reducing power dissipation and enabling quick locking at high frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If digital components (counters and/or shift registers) are used to form a frequency divider, then the divider can achieve frequency division function, but the power dissipation increases with frequency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces digital logic components (counters and shift registers) with an analog injection-locked frequency divider circuit consisting of resonant tanks and nonlinear elements. This substitution of mechanical/digital systems with an analog resonant system enables frequency division at high frequencies with significantly reduced power dissipation, as the resonant tanks naturally oscillate at the desired frequency without requiring active digital switching at each frequency point
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters by using injection locking mechanism where an input signal at a higher frequency is injected into the resonant tank to lock the oscillation frequency. This parameter change allows the circuit to operate efficiently at high frequencies while maintaining low power dissipation, as the resonant tank's natural oscillation is synchronized to the input signal frequency through the injection locking effect
2Reliability
If conventional frequency dividers are used, then frequency division can be achieved, but the output signal locking to input signal is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional digital frequency division with an analog injection-locked resonant system. The resonant tank's natural oscillation properties enable rapid frequency acquisition and locking, as the system naturally settles to the resonant frequency when injected with an input signal, eliminating the slow digital state transitions and frequency acquisition sequences inherent in conventional dividers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the resonant vibration properties of the tank circuit to achieve rapid signal locking. The nonlinear element in the resonant tank creates a stable oscillation that quickly locks to the input signal frequency through the injection locking mechanism, leveraging the physical vibration characteristics of the resonant system to achieve fast and reliable frequency synchronization
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
The ILFD efficiently generates a frequency-divided output with low power dissipation at high frequencies and rapid signal locking, improving performance in applications such as radio transceivers by using injection locking to synchronize the output signal with the input signal.
Implementation Method 1
a first resonant tank that is associated with a resonance frequency
Implementation Method 2
injection locking frequency divider... injecting an input signal into a node of the secondary resonant tank to synchronize the output signal to the input signal
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes an injection locking frequency divider, which includes a first resonant tank that has a first resonance frequency and a common mode path that includes a second resonant tank, and has a second resonance frequency that is a harmonic of the first resonance frequency. The second resonant tank is adapted to receive a first signal having an oscillation frequency near the harmonic of the first resonance frequency to cause the first resonant tank to provide a second signal that is locked to the first signal.