# US 12,224,754 B2 · Frequency multiplier circuitry, corresponding system and vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,754 B2 - Document ID: US12224754B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/838,159 - Filed: 2022-06-10 - Published: 2023-01-19 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-25 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l. - Applicants: STMicroelectronics S.r.l. - Inventors: Giuseppe Papotto; Andrea Cavarra; Giuseppe Palmisano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224754B2 ## CPC - H03B 19/14: by means of a semiconductor device - H03K 5/00006: {Changing the frequency (modulating pulses H03K7/00; frequency dividers H03K21/00 - H03K29/00; additive or subtractive mixing of two pulse rates into one G06F7/605; pulse rate dividers G06F7/68)} - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - H03F 3/20: Power amplifiers, e.g. Class B amplifiers, Class C amplifiers (H03F3/26 - H03F3/30 take precedence) - H03B: GENERATION OF OSCILLATIONS, DIRECTLY OR BY FREQUENCY-CHANGING, BY CIRCUITS EMPLOYING ACTIVE ELEMENTS WHICH OPERATE IN A NON-SWITCHING MANNER; GENERATION OF NOISE BY SUCH CIRCUITS (generators adapted for electrophonic musical instruments G10H; masers or lasers H01S; generation of oscillations in plasma H05H) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H03F: AMPLIFIERS ## Abstract A circuit includes frequency multiplier circuitry having input nodes configured to receive an input signal and an anti-phase version thereof, the input signal having a first frequency value, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry is configured to produce a current signal at a second frequency value that is an even multiple of the first frequency value and a transformer including a primary side and a secondary side, wherein the primary side comprises a primary inductance coupled to the frequency multiplier circuitry to receive the current signal therefrom, wherein the secondary side is configured to provide a frequency multiplied voltage signal, and wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry and the transformer are cascaded between at least one first node and a second node, the at least one first node and the second node couplable to a supply node and ground. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A circuit comprising: frequency multiplier circuitry having input nodes configured to receive an input signal and an anti-phase version thereof, the input signal having a first frequency value, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry is configured to produce a current signal at a second frequency value that is an even multiple of the first frequency value; a transformer comprising a primary side and a secondary side, wherein the primary side comprises a primary inductance coupled to the frequency multiplier circuitry to receive the current signal therefrom, wherein the secondary side is configured to provide a frequency multiplied voltage signal, and wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry and the transformer are cascaded between at least one first node and a second node, the at least one first node and the second node couplable to a supply node and ground; a first shunt resonator coupled between the supply node and the at least one first node; a second shunt resonator coupled between the second node and the ground; and a bypass current path coupled between the at least one first node and the second node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the transformer is arranged between the at least one first node and the frequency multiplier circuitry. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the transformer is arranged between the frequency multiplier circuitry and the second node. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry comprises a first transistor having a first control terminal configured to receive the input signal and a second transistor having a second control terminal configured to receive the anti-phase version of the input signal, the first transistor and the second transistor having respective current paths therethrough arranged in parallel in a current line from the at least one first node to the second node and a common source node. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The circuit of claim 4, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry further comprises at least one third transistor having a control terminal configured to receive a biasing voltage and the bypass current path therethrough along the current line from the at least one first node to the second node. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The circuit of claim 4, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry further comprises a third transistor having a third control terminal configured to receive a biasing voltage and a fourth transistor having a fourth control terminal configured to receive the biasing voltage, the third transistor and the fourth transistor having respective bypass current paths therethrough arranged in parallel in the current line from the at least one first node to the second node and a common node, wherein the first transistor and the third transistor have respective current paths coupled therebetween, and wherein the second transistor and the fourth transistor have respective current paths coupled therebetween. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry comprises a first transistor having a first control terminal configured to receive the input signal and a second transistor having a second control terminal configured to receive the anti-phase version of the input signal, wherein the first transistor has a first current path therethrough between a first node of the at least one first node, wherein the second transistor has a second current path therethrough between a second node of the at least one first node, wherein the first and second transistors have a common source node and respective current paths therethrough arranged in parallel, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry further comprising a third transistor having a third control terminal configured to receive a biasing voltage and a fourth transistor having a fourth control terminal configured to receive the biasing voltage, wherein the third transistor has a third current path therethrough between the first node of the at least one first node and the primary inductance of the primary side, wherein the fourth transistor has a fourth current path therethrough between the second node of the at least one first node and the primary inductance of the primary side of the transformer, and wherein the first transistor and the third transistor have respective current paths coupled therebetween and wherein said second transistor and the fourth transistor have respective current paths coupled therebetween. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the bypass current path comprises a resonating series arrangement of an inductance and a capacitance configured to resonate at a frequency equal to the second frequency value of the frequency multiplied current signal, and/or wherein at least one of the first shunt resonator and the second shunt resonator comprises a resonant circuit network configured to provide a first impedance value at the frequency equal to the second frequency value of the frequency multiplied current signal and a second impedance value at a frequency different from the second frequency value of the frequency multiplied current signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the frequency multiplier circuitry is configured to produce the current signal having the second frequency value that is twice the first frequency value of the input signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A frequency multiplier arrangement comprising: a cascaded arrangement of a plurality of circuits, wherein each circuit of the plurality of circuits is the circuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuits in the cascaded arrangement has its input node coupled to an output node of another one of the circuits in the cascaded arrangement. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A system comprising: the frequency multiplier arrangement according to claim 10; and a power amplifier coupled to the circuit and configured to receive the frequency multiplied voltage signal therefrom, the power amplifier configured to: amplify the frequency multiplied voltage signal, and provide an amplified frequency multiplied signal as a result; and a transmitter antenna coupled to the power amplifier and configured to transmit the amplified frequency multiplied signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising a vehicular radar system comprising: a receiver antenna configured to receive an echo signal based on the transmitted amplified frequency multiplied signal; and a mixer stage coupled to the frequency multiplier arrangement, the mixer stage configured to apply frequency mixing to the frequency multiplied voltage signal and to the echo signal thereby producing a mixed signal as a result. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A system comprising: the circuit according to claim 1; a power amplifier coupled to the circuit and configured to receive the frequency multiplied voltage signal therefrom, the power amplifier configured to: amplify the frequency multiplied voltage signal, and provide an amplified frequency multiplied signal as a result; and a transmitter antenna coupled to the power amplifier and configured to transmit the amplified frequency multiplied signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising a frequency synthesizer coupled to the circuit and configured to provide thereto the input signal at the first frequency value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the frequency synthesizer is configured to provide the input signal at the first frequency value such that the second frequency value of the frequency multiplied voltage signal lies in a millimeter wavelength range. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, further comprising a vehicular radar system comprising: a receiver antenna configured to receive an echo signal based on the transmitted amplified frequency multiplied signal; and a mixer stage coupled to the circuit, the mixer stage configured to apply frequency mixing to the frequency multiplied voltage signal and to the echo signal, thereby producing a mixed signal as a result. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) A vehicle comprising: the system according to claim 13.