The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 14, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 13, 1997
Jean-Marie Boudry, Beynes, FR;
Bull S.A., Louveinnes, FR;
Abstract
A variable frequency ring oscillator is controlled by a control signal and has an odd number of cascaded inverting gates. The inverting gates each have input terminals receiving an input signal. Except for the first of the cascaded inverting gates, each input signal on a gate is the output from the preceding inverting gate. The input terminal of the first of the inverting gates receives the output of the last of the inverting gates. At least one inverting gate is a cell having a gain variable as a function of a control signal. An output signal ext of the circuit is an inversion of an input signal inp and has a hysteresis that is a function of a control signal cont. The term 'hysteresis' as used herein signifies, for example, a variable frequency signal remaining substantially in its current state for a certain length of time after which the variable frequency signal changes state with a magnitude that is a function of a control signal, upon change of state of an input signal.