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US 10,601,408 B2Granted
Low frequency oscillator with ultra-low short circuit current
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsRajat Chauhan, Vipul Kumar Singhal, Vinod Joseph Menezes, Mahesh Madhukar Mehendale
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Abstract
In described examples, a sawtooth waveform generator generates a sawtooth waveform having a first rise time. A comb waveform circuit has a power terminal coupled to receive the sawtooth waveform from an output of the sawtooth waveform generator. The comb waveform circuit generates a comb waveform in response to the sawtooth waveform. The comb waveform has a second rise time that is faster than the first rise time.
Claims16
An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:
- a sawtooth waveform generator having a generator output, the sawtooth waveform generator configured to generate a sawtooth waveform at the generator output, the sawtooth waveform having a first rise time;
- and
- a comb waveform circuit having a power input and a circuit output, the power input coupled to the generator output, and the comb waveform circuit configured to generate a comb waveform at the circuit output responsive to the sawtooth waveform, the comb waveform having a second rise time faster than the first rise time;
- in which the comb waveform circuit includes:
- a p-type field effect transistor (PFET) having a first drain, a first source and a first gate, the first source coupled to the power input, and the first drain coupled to the circuit output;
- and
- an n-type field effect transistor (NFET) having a second drain, a second source and a second gate, the second source adapted to be coupled to a supply voltage, and the second drain coupled to the first drain.
4 more elements
An oscillator circuit comprising:
- a sawtooth waveform generator having a first generator output, the sawtooth waveform generator configured to generate a sawtooth voltage signal at the first generator output;
- a comb waveform generator having a power input and a second generator output, the power input coupled to the first generator output;
- a buffer having a buffer input and a buffer output, the buffer input coupled to the second generator output;
- a flip-flop having a clock input and a flip-flop output, the clock input coupled to the buffer output, and the flip-flop configured to toggle the flip-flop output responsive to the clock input;
- and
- feedback logic coupled between the flip-flop output and the sawtooth waveform generator.
3 more elements
A method of operating a circuit, the method comprising:
- generating a sawtooth waveform having a first rise time responsive to a periodic signal;
- and
- converting the sawtooth waveform to a comb waveform having a second rise time faster than the first rise time, by using the sawtooth waveform to power a buffer circuit using current from the sawtooth waveform;
- in which converting the sawtooth waveform to the comb waveform includes receiving the sawtooth waveform at a source of a transistor of the buffer circuit, receiving a reference voltage at a gate of the transistor, and generating the comb waveform at a drain of the transistor.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.