Sawtooth wave oscillator circuit

A sawtooth oscillator comprises a differential amplifier and first and second switching transistors driven into opposite conductivity states by the output of the differential amplifier. A charging capacitor is connected between the switching transistors and has one end connected in positive feedback fashion to one input of the differential amplifier.

The present invention relates generally to a circuit for generating 
sawtooth waves, and more particularly to a sawtooth wave oscillator suited 
for fabrication as a semiconductor integrated circuit. 
Sawtooth wave oscillators are typically formed of a blocking oscillator 
combined with a transformer. Such oscillators, however, cannot be 
fabricated as a semiconductor integrated circuit, because there is no 
practical technique to form a transformer in a semiconductor device. A 
proposed solution to this problem which involves the use of an external 
transformer necessitates extra terminals on a seimconductor IC chip, which 
would result in an increase in the chip size and a reduced yield and 
reliability of the IC device. Moreover, the oscillation frequency would 
fluctuate due a temperature rise caused by the operation of the chip. 
Another known type of sawtooth wave oscillator, which employs a 
multivibrator, requires a number of capacitors which generally occupy a 
very large area on a semiconductor IC chip. This makes the chip size 
impractically large. Therefore, these capacitors must be externally 
connected to the IC chip, which necessitates extra terminals on the IC 
chip. This results in an increase in the chip size and a fluctuation in 
the oscillation frequency due to temperature rise caused by the operation 
of the chip. 
Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a 
sawtooth wave oscillator circuit that is suited for fabrication as a 
semiconductor integrated circuit. 
With this and other objects in view, the invention provides an oscillator 
comprising a differential amplifier having two input terminals one of 
which is supplied with a reference potential. First and second switching 
means are driven into an on or off state simultaneously by an output of 
the differential amplifer. A charge storing means installed between the 
first and second switching means, has one end connected, in a positive 
feedback fashion, to the other input terminal of the differential 
amplifier. The first switching means, the charge storing means and the 
second switching means are connected in series between two terminals of a 
power supply. 
The oscillator of this invention requires only a minimum number of external 
circuit elements and maintains stable oscillation against temperature 
changes. The number of terminals on an IC chip can be minimized, because a 
synchronizing trigger signal can be applied directly to an oscillation 
capacitor terminal. The operation of this circuit is stable irrespective 
of the output impedance of the trigger signal source. These features 
enable the oscillator of the inventon to be efficiently fabricated as a 
semiconductor integrated circuit.

The prior art sawtooth wave oscillator, as illustrated in FIG. 1, comprises 
a transistor having a collector connected to a power source (V.sub.cc) 
terminal 6 and an emitter connected to ground through a parallel circuit 
of a resistor 2 and a capacitor 3, and thence to an output terminal 14. 
The transistor 1 has a base connected through a resistor 7 to a trigger 
signal input terminal 8. The transistor base is biased through a 
transformer primary winding 4 to a divided voltage of the power supply 
V.sub.cc by resistors 11, 12 and 13. A capacitor 10 is connected to ground 
in parallel to the resistor 11. One end of the transformer secondary 
winding 5 is connected to the resistor 13, and the other end of winding 5 
is connected to the power supply terminal 6. Although this type of 
oscillator is virtually free of misoperation ascribed to noise entry to 
the trigger input terminal 8, the oscillator must rely upon the 
transformer, which has hindered the fabrication of the oscillator as an 
integrated circuit. 
Another prior art oscillator, shown in FIG. 2, comprises transistors 21 and 
22 which have their emitters grounded and their collectors connected 
through resistors 26 and 27 to a power source (V.sub.cc) terminal 30. The 
bases of transistors 21 and 22 are connected through capacitors 28 and 29 
to the collectors of the opposite transistors and supplied with bias 
voltages, respectively, through resistors 24 and 25 connected in parallel 
to a bias voltage supply terminals 31. The collector of the transistor 22 
is further connected to the base of the transistor 23, and the collector 
of the transistor 23 is connected to the power supply terminal 30 and its 
emitter is connected to ground through a parallel circuit of a resistor 32 
and a capacitor 33. The oscillator output is derived from a terminal 34 
led from the emitter of the transistor 23. Although this type of 
miltivibrator can be constructed of a relatively small number of 
constituent circuit elements and does not require a transformer, the 
multivibrator requires a number of capacitors, which is generally 
undesirable in semiconductor integrated circuits. 
The sawtooth wave oscillator of the invention as illustrated in a first 
embodiment in FIG. 3, comprises NPN transistors 51 and 52, the emitters of 
which are connected in common to construct a differential amplifier. The 
transistor 51 has its collector connected to a load resistor 50, causing a 
PNP type switching transistor 47 to be biased. The collector of the 
transistor 47 is connected to a series circuit of resistors 48 and 49 used 
for biasing an NPN transistor 46. The collector of transistor 46 is 
connected to a resistor 45. A variable resistor 41 is connected between a 
power source V.sub.cc and a junction point b of the base of the transistor 
51 and the resistor 45. The base of a switching PNP transistor 44 is 
connected to and biased by the resistor 50 and the emitter of transistor 
44 is connected to power terminal 56. A resistor 42 is connected between 
ground and the collector of the transistor 44 at a junction point a. A 
capacitor 43 is connected between the junction points a and b. The 
variable resistor 41 and the resistor 42 form a discharging path of the 
charge stored in the capacitor 43, and the switching transistors 44 and 46 
and the resistor 45 form a charging path for the capacitor 43. 
The oscillation frequency can be varied by changing the discharing-time 
constant of the capacitor 43 by means of the variable resistor 41. The 
reference potential for charge-discharge switching across the capacitor 43 
is derived from the base potential of the transistor 52, i.e., the power 
source voltage V.sub.cc at the terminal 56 by division through resistors 
54 and 55. 
The principles of oscillation of the oscillator of FIG. 3 are described by 
referring to the waveforms shown in FIG. 4. First, assume the capacitor 43 
is discharged under the condition that the differential transistors 51 and 
52 are in the off and on states, respectively. In this condition, the 
transistors 47, 44, and 46 are all in the off state, and the discharging 
path of power source V.sub.cc -- variable resistor 41 -- capacitor 43 -- 
resistor 42 -- ground is formed. When the base potential at the transistor 
51 rises to the reference potential E.sub.O as the result of the capacitor 
43 releasing its charge, the differential transistors 51 and 52 change 
their conduction states to on and off, respectively. Consequently, the 
transistors 47 and 44 are biased through the resistor 50 and turned to the 
on state simultaneously. The transistor 46 is also biased through 
resistors 48 and 49 and turned to the on state. As a result, a charging 
path for the capacitor 43 is formed by way of power source V.sub.cc -- 
transistor 44 -- capacitor 43 -- resistor 45 -- transistor 46 -- ground, 
thus causing the capacitor 43 to be ready to be charged. Now, assume that 
before this charging path is formed, the charge in the capacitor 43 is 
zero as the result of discharge. At that moment, the base potential at the 
transistor 51 becomes equal to the power source voltage V.sub.cc when the 
transistor 44 turns to the on state. In other words, the charging of the 
capacitor 43 begins with the base voltage E.sub.1 of the transistor 51 
being equal to V.sub.cc. 
The time constant .tau..sub.1 for charging the capacitor 43 is given as 
.tau..sub.1 = C.sub.43 .sup.. R.sub.45. The charging time T.sub.1 is 
expressed as 
EQU T.sub.1 = C.sub.43 .sup.. R.sub.45.sup.. ln(E.sub.1 /E.sub.0) 
where E.sub.0 = R.sub.49 /(R.sub.48 +R.sub.49) V.sub.cc and E.sub.1 = 
V.sub.cc. Therefore, 
EQU T.sub.1 = C.sub.43 .sup.. R.sub.45.sup.. ln (1 + R.sub.48 /R.sub.49) (1) 
next consider the period during which the capacitor 43 is discharged. At 
the moment the base potential at the transistor 51 reaches the reference 
potential E.sub.0 after the charging time T.sub.1, the differential 
transistors 51 and 52 reverse their states into the off and on states 
respectively. Accordingly, the transistors 44, 46 and 47 are cut off 
concurrently, and the charging path for the capacitor 43 disappears, 
thereby forming a discharging path by way of capacitor 43 (point b) -- 
variable resistor 41 -- power sorce -- ground -- resistor 42 -- capacitor 
43 (point a). Discharging from the capacitor 43 starts immediately after 
the transistor 51 has turned off. At this moment, the point a is forced to 
be grounded through the resistor 42, with the result that the potential at 
the point a is equal to the ground potential despite the fact that the 
capacitor 43 is charged so as to store positive charge on the side of 
point a causing the base potential at the transistor 51 (i.e., the 
potential at point b) to fall to E.sub.2 instantly. In this case, the 
potential shift from ground to -E.sub.2 is equal to the charging potential 
across the capacitor 43, that is, -E.sub.2 =V.sub.cc -E.sub.0. The time 
constant .tau.2 for discharging is given as 
EQU .tau.2 = C.sub.43 (R.sub.41 + R.sub.42) 
the discharging time T.sub.2 is expressed as 
EQU T.sub.2 = C.sub.43 (R.sub.41 + R.sub.42) ln (2V.sub.cc -E.sub.0)/(V.sub.cc 
-E.sub.0), 
where E.sub.0 = R.sub.49 /R.sub.48 + R.sub.49) V.sub.cc. Therefore, 
EQU T.sub.2 = C.sub.43 (R.sub.41 + R.sub.42)ln(2 + (R.sub.49 /R.sub.48)) (2) 
when the base potential at the transistor 51 reaches the reference 
potential E.sub.0 after the discharging time T.sub.2 as a result of 
discharging from the capacitor 43, the transistor 51 turns on, causing the 
capacitor 43 to start storing a charge. 
In the above manner, oscillation is maintained at an oscillation period T 
which is the sum of the charging time T.sub.1 and the discharging time 
T.sub.2. Thus, the oscillation frequency f = 1/(T.sub.1 + T.sub.2). As is 
apparent from Eqs. (1) and (2), the oscillation period T is irrelevant to 
the power source voltage V.sub.cc but depends upon the resistance ratio 
R.sub.48 /R.sub.49 and not upon the resistance value itself. Hence the 
oscillator is highly suited for fabrication into a semiconductor 
integrated circuit, because the large deviation of the resistance value 
cannot be avoided but the resistance ratio among two resistors can be 
precisely controlled in a semiconductor integrated circuit. 
The oscillator circuit of the invention can be integrated in a 
semiconductor chip with a minimum number of external circuit elements, 
i.e., a charging capacitor 43 and a frequency-adjusting variable resistor 
41, of which the variable resistor may be replaced with a fixed resistor 
depending on the application of the circuit permitting the resistor 41 to 
be incorporated into an IC chip. When the oscillator is used in a 
television receiver, a vertical synchronizing signal generated through the 
integrator circuit may be applied directly to the point a or b of the 
oscillator shown in FIG. 3 without any change of the oscillation frequency 
due to inter-affection of the capacitors in the integrator circuit and in 
the oscillator. This serves to obviate the need for an extra terminal for 
trigger signal input by using the terminals for connecting the capacitor 
43 also as the trigger input terminal. Hence, in the oscillator of the 
invention, the number of terminal pads on the IC chip can be minimized and 
the area of the semiconductor IC chip on which an oscillator is formed can 
be reduced. 
Furthermore, in the oscillator according to the invention, the capacitor 
43, upon storing a charge, starts discharging through the resistor 42. 
While discharging, the point a is fixed at a ground potential, and the 
point b assumes a negative potential. Accordingly, the potential at the 
point b becomes zero from E.sub.2 as the capacitor 43 releases its charge, 
and the states of the transistors 51 and 52 remain unchanged until the 
capacitor 43 is charged to E.sub.0. Thus, in other words, a sawtooth wave 
with a longer period can be obtained with a smaller capacity, or a 
capacitor 43 of small capacity wil suffice for the oscillator of the 
invention. This also causes an extremely linear sawtooth wave having a 
short period for charging the capacitor, i.e., the period not essential 
for a sawtooth wave. 
In the circuit of FIG. 3, the transistors 44 and 47 can be replaced by a 
common transistor and the resistors 42 and 48 may be replaced by a common 
resistor. For example, the transistor 44 and the resistor 42 can be 
omitted by connecting the point a to the collector of the transistor 47, 
whereby a charging path is formed through the transistor 47 and a 
discharging path is formed through resistors 48 and 49. The oscillator 
output can be derived from any of the collectors of transistors 51 and 52, 
as well as from an output circuit driven by the collector output. In this 
circuit, if the feedback circuit comprising the capacitor 43 operates 
negatively, a phase inverter circuit must be inserted to maintain a 
positive feedback. 
FIG. 5, illustrates a sawtooth oscillator according to a second embodiment 
of the invention which comprises differential transistors 113 and 114. The 
base of transistor 114 is connected to a junction between resistors 116 
and 117 which are serially connected between a power supply terminal 119 
and a ground potential. The base of transistor 113 is connected to one end 
of a capacitor 103 at a point b'. The emitters of the two transistors are 
grounded through a resistor 115, and the collector of transistor 113 is 
connected to a resistor 112 and to the base of a PNP transistor 107. The 
collector of transistor 107 is connected to a series circuit of resistors 
108, 109, 110 and resistor 111. The base of an NPN transistor 104 is 
connected to a junction between resistors 108 and 109, and its emitter is 
connected to the other end of the capacitor 103 at a point a', The 
transistor 104, a transistor 106 and a resistor 105 inserted between the 
point b' and the collector of the transistor 106 constitute a charging 
path for the capacitor 103. A variable resistor 101 for adjusting an 
oscillation frequency is connected to the point b', and a resistor 102 
biased by a biasing power source 118 is connected to the point a'. Varible 
resistor 101 and resistor 102 constitute a releasing path of the charge 
stored in the capacitor 103. 
In the circuit of FIG. 3, the transistor 44 which serves as part of the 
charging circuit, is of the PNP type and hence, when the circuit is 
constructed in semiconductor integrated circuit form, its saturation 
resistance may affect the capacitor charging time. In addition, because 
the discharge starting voltage E.sub.2 shifts below a ground potential, 
the substrate and the collector and base of the transistor 46 serve 
respectively as the emitter, base, and collector of a PNP type parasitic 
transistor. As a result, the potential E.sub.2 is clamped to a value lower 
than the ground potential by the base-emitter potential V.sub.BE, 
resulting in small amplitude and short period of output wave. If the 
amplitude of the output waveform is large, the transistors 51 and 52 may 
be destroyed due to a large reverse voltage applied between the base and 
the emitter. Such problems could be overcome in the circuit shown in FIG. 
5. The base bias potential for the transistor 104 is led from the junction 
between the load resistors 108 and 109 of the transistor 107. In the 
waveform shown in FIG. 6, the charge starting voltage E.sub.1 is lowered 
below the power source voltage V.sub.cc by the voltage drop of the 
resistor 108 and the emitter-base potential V.sub.BE of the transistor 
104, and the discharge starting voltage E.sub.2 is raised above the ground 
potential by the biasing power source 118. This makes it possible to 
reduce the output wave amplitude compared with that obtained in the 
circuit shown in FIG. 3 and to hold the potential at the point b' above 
the ground potential. Thus the substrate and the collector and base of the 
transistor 106 do not work as parasitic transistors 113 and 114 between 
the base and the emitter thereof. From the reliability point of view, this 
feature is desirable particularly when the oscillator is fabricated into a 
semiconductor integrated circuit. 
An example of an application of the oscillator circuit of FIG. 5 to a 
television receiver set is described in FIG. 7, which shows a circuit used 
for a vertical deflection circuit. That circuit comprises a 
vertical-synchronizing separator circuit 250, a sawtooth wave oscillator 
circuit 260 and a sawtooth wave output circuit 270. The oscillator circuit 
260 is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 5 but is slightly modified 
such as the deletion of the biasing power source 118. The output circuit 
270 has an integrator circuit comprising a capacitor 225 and a resistor 
226. A sawtooth wave is generated across the capacitor 225 by switching 
through a transistor 224 in response to the output of the oscillator 
circuit 260. when the anode of a diode 110 is connected to the base of a 
transistor 218, the transistor 218 operates as a constant current source 
for the charging period for the capacitor 103. A transistor 221, which is 
biased by a load resistor 220 of the transistor 218, drives 
Darlington-paired transistors 223 and 224. The oscillation should be 
controlled by a vertical synchronizing signal of the television signal in 
order to make the sawtooth wave frequency perfectly coincident with the 
vertical synchronizing frequency. A synchronizing trigger pulse is applied 
to a point a'. The reliable frequency pulling takes place when the 
oscillation frequency is slightly lower than the trigger pulse repetition 
frequency, i.e., the vertical synchronizing frequency. Thus, the 
oscillator circuit performs synchronous oscillation. 
Usually the trigger pulse is applied from the snychronizing signal 
separator circuit by way of the integrator circuit 250 and a capacitor 
202. According to the invention, the oscillation capacitor 103 floats with 
respect to the power source or gound, which will necessitate two terminals 
when the circuit is integrated. On the other hand, the trigger pulse can 
be applied to any end of the oscillation capacitor without fear of 
frequency deviation, which reduces the number of terminals on an IC chip. 
According to the invention, synchronous oscillation is available when a 
trigger pulse is applied to the base of the transistor 113 or 114. 
The low limit of synchronous pulling oscillation frequency with a trigger 
pulse applied depends on the amplitude of the trigger pulse relative to 
the amplitude of the oscillation waveform which is determined by the 
difference between E.sub.0 and E.sub.2 as in FIG. 4. In the oscillator of 
the invention, the snychronous pulling low-limit frequency can be adjusted 
by changing the value of the resistor 102 and thus changing the input 
impedances at trigger pulse applying point a'. The coupling capacitor 202 
may be omitted when the snychronizing signal is superposed on the 
reference potential. 
Operated in the foregoing manner, the circuit as in FIG. 7 provides a 
sawtooth wave signal that is synchronous with the vertical synchronizing 
signal. After amplitude and linearity adjustments, this output is 
amplified by a vertical output stage and then supplied to the deflection 
yoke. 
The effect of the thermal deviation of the PN junction forward voltage at 
the transistors 104, 106 and diode 110 upon the oscillation frequency can 
be canceled by determining the resistance values of resistors 108 and 109 
to the same value and/or applying a diode in series with resistors 116 and 
117. 
In the circuit of FIG. 5, the oscillation frequency is low when the power 
source voltage is below a given value, or at the beginning of the power 
supply, and thereafter rises to its steady value. This makes it possible 
for the vertical deflection circuit to start scanning on the TV screen in 
a stable synchronous pulling state. 
A third embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in FIG. 8 
wherein a resistor 321 is inserted in the collector circuit of a 
transistor 305 and thus this transistor is used in a saturated state. A 
transistor 310 having an emitter connected to the power source V.sub.cc by 
way of a resistor 308 and a diode 309 is biased by a resistor 314 and a 
diode 315 and driven by a constant current. The base potential at the 
transistor 305 is thereby stabilized, permitting the dependence of 
oscillation frequency upon temperature to be markedly improved. The 
remaining circuit arrangement is the same as in the circuit of FIG. 5. 
As has been described above, the oscillator circuit of the invention is 
simple in construction and operable with small dependence of oscillation 
frequency upon temperature. The oscillator circuit of the invention, 
therefore, is highly suited for fabrication into a semiconductor 
integrated circuit. It is apparent that the invention is not limited to 
what has been disclosed hereinbefore but is also applicable to other 
circuits that may be derived from the disclosed embodiments.