Sub-mmWave Oscillator Array Injection Locking With Fewer Power Splitters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional injection-locked oscillator arrays in the sub-millimeter wave band face challenges due to reduced signal strength from multiple power splitters, leading to poor injection locking and increased design complexity.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an injection locked oscillator array circuit device and method that reduces the number of power splitters and minimizes transmission line length by injecting the injection locking signal into only some oscillators in a symmetric structure within the oscillator array.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the injection-locking signal is divided into multiple parts and applied to each oscillator individually through multiple power splitters, then each oscillator receives the injection signal, but the signal strength is reduced to 1/16th of the original and injection locking performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies injection locking signal to only a subset of oscillators (e.g., 4 out of 16) rather than all oscillators. This partial action approach maintains sufficient signal strength for effective injection locking while avoiding the cumulative losses that would occur if the signal were divided among all oscillators through multiple power splitters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of multiple power splitters into a single power splitter by strategically selecting which oscillators receive the injection signal. This consolidation reduces the number of signal division stages from multiple splitters to a single splitter, thereby minimizing signal loss and simplifying the circuit architecture.
2Reliability
If multiple power splitters are used to distribute the injection-locking signal to each oscillator, then all oscillators can be injected, but the design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of injection locking from the conventional approach of applying signals to all oscillators. By selecting only critical oscillators (e.g., corner oscillators in a 4x4 array) for injection, the patent removes unnecessary power splitters and transmission lines, thereby reducing circuit complexity while maintaining effective injection locking across the array.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of fully distributing the injection signal to all oscillators through multiple power splitters, the patent applies the signal partially to a strategically selected subset of oscillators. This partial coverage approach achieves the necessary injection locking performance with significantly reduced circuit complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If the injection-locking signal is divided multiple times through power dividers, then each oscillator receives a portion of the signal, but the transmission line length increases and layout implementation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple transmission line paths into a single transmission line by consolidating the power distribution architecture. Instead of having separate transmission lines from multiple power splitters to each oscillator, the invention uses one transmission line from a single power splitter to the selected oscillators, dramatically reducing total transmission line length and simplifying layout implementation.
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 reduces signal loss and complexity, allowing for effective injection locking at lower signal intensities, and maintains the advantage of reduced losses and simpler layout design.
Implementation Method 1
each oscillator forming the oscillator array is phase-coupled to each other via a coupling network
Implementation Method 2
In injection-locked oscillators, in order for each oscillator to generate signals with identical phases, the injection-locking signal must be perfectly in phase with each other
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an injection locked oscillator array circuit device and method for designing injection locking circuit in sub-millimeter wave band. An injection locked oscillator array circuit device comprises: an oscillator array comprising a plurality of oscillators arranged in a square matrix; an injection locking circuit configured to inject an injection locking signal into some of the oscillators in the oscillator array.