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US 11,243,278 B2Granted
Auto-tuning circuit apparatus and methods
AssigneeSeescan, Inc.
InventorsStephanie M. Bench, Mark S. Olsson, Jan Soukup
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Signal generation devices including an auto-tuning electronic circuit module for generating tuned output signals are disclosed. The auto-tuning electronic circuit module may include a tunable resonant electronic circuit element for providing a tuned output signal, including a voltage divider element and a tuning array element and control element.
Claims16
A signal generation device, comprising:
- an auto-tuning electronic circuit module for generating tuned output signals, comprising:
- a tunable resonant electronic circuit element for providing a tuned output signal, including a voltage divider element and a tuning array element;
- and
- a control element including a sensing element for measuring output signal strength and a processing element for comparing previous output signal strength values stored in a non-transitory memory element to a current signal strength value and providing a corresponding control signal to tune the tunable resonant electronic circuit;
- wherein the tunable resonant electronic circuit element comprises an inductor and a first capacitor in series driven by an input signal at a resonant frequency, with one lead of the inductor coupled to a ground and one lead of the first capacitor coupled to receive the input signal from the input signal generator circuit output from a first lead, and wherein a second lead of the input signal generator circuit output is coupled to the ground, and wherein the voltage divider element comprises:
- a capacitive voltage divider circuit coupled between the inductor and first capacitor, comprising a second capacitor dividing against a third capacitor;
- and
- a tuning array element including a plurality of switched capacitors and associated switches on a circuit branch tapped from between the first and second capacitors of the capacitive voltage divider, where the plurality of capacitors as switched on or off by the switches have capacitance values to increase or decrease the aggregate capacitance during tuning based on the control signal from the control element.
5 more elements
An auto-tuning electronic circuit module for generating tuned output signals, comprising:
- a tunable resonant electronic circuit element for providing a tuned output signal, including a voltage divider element and a tuning array element;
- and
- a control element including a sensing element for measuring output signal strength, and a processing element for comparing previous output signal strength values stored in a non-transitory memory element to a current signal strength value and providing a corresponding control signal to tune the tunable resonant electronic circuit and an input signal to drive the tunable resonant electronic circuit element;
- wherein the tunable resonant circuit element comprises;
- an inductor and a first capacitor in series driven by an input signal at a resonant frequency, with one lead of the inductor coupled to a ground and one lead of the first capacitor coupled to receive the input signal from the input signal generator circuit output from a first lead, and wherein a second lead of the input signal generator circuit output is coupled to the ground;
- and wherein the voltage divider element comprises:
- a capacitive voltage divider circuit coupled between the inductor and first capacitor, comprising a second capacitor dividing against a third capacitor;
- and
- a tuning array element including a plurality of switched capacitors and associated switches on a circuit branch tapped from between the first and second capacitors of the capacitive voltage divider, where the plurality of capacitors as switched on or off by the switches have capacitance values to increase or decrease the aggregate capacitance during tuning based on the control signal from the control element;
- and
- wherein the plurality of switched capacitors are arranged in the tuning array element so as to be switched on by the switches based on increasing capacitance value during tuning, and wherein the voltage rating of ones of the switched capacitors progressively decrease in value as the capacitance increases in value to reduce the aggregate switching capacitors' physical size.
8 more elements
A method for automatically tuning frequency in a utility locating device current signal generator, comprising:
- providing, from a control element, an input signal to a tunable resonant circuit;
- measuring a first signal strength of an output signal from the tunable resonant circuit;
- storing the measured first signal strength in a non-transitory memory element;
- switching on one switched capacitor of a plurality of switched capacitors in the tunable resonant circuit;
- measuring a second, subsequent signal strength of the output signal;
- comparing the stored first measured output signal strength measurement with the second output signal strength measurement;
- and switching another of the switched capacitors responsive to the comparison.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.