Patent GB-1476138-A (GB)
Title: Tuner circuit arrangement
IPC: H03D9/06
Filed: 1974-07-04
Abstract: 1476138 Radio receiving circuits; transistor oscillator circuits; frequency-changing PHILIPS ELECTRONIC & ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES Ltd 4 July 1974 [7 July 1973] 29677/74 Headings H3Q and H3T Tuning of an input circuit suitable for a television receiver for the VHF and/or UHF range, is simplified by using a double superheterodyne circuit in which the first intermediate frequency is above any signal frequency and is selected by means of a gyromagnetic filler, e.g. of YIG type. Aerial 1, Fig. 2, feeds untuned preamplifier 2 whose passband includes both VHF and UHF ranges, and which has a balanced output feeding balanced mixer 4. Mixer 4 has a balanced output fed to hybrid ring 10 which also receives an unbalanced input from the varactor tuned first local oscillator 5. The first intermediate frequency above the input frequency range is selected by YIG filter 6 and forms one input of a second hybrid ring 11. The second input is derived from fixedtuned second local oscillator 8, and the output feeds a second mixer 7; the output from this, comprising an intermediate frequency signal in the range normal in TV receivers, e.g. 35 MHS, is balanced and is applied to the second IF amplifier 9. The input circuit 3 may be formed as an integrated circuit of small dimensions. Mixer circuit.-The first mixer comprises a ring modulator each arm of which comprises a pair of series-connected diodes, e.g. 24, 28, Fig. 5, and a resistor, e.g. 42 in order to process larger signals than a simple diode ring. Signals from the preamplifier are fed into terminals 32, 33 via low-pass filters L1, C1, C2 which prevent feed forward of local oscillator and I.F. frequencies. Terminals 20, 21 are connected to the corresponding terminals 20, 21, Fig. 3, of the hybrid ring, the first local oscillator being coupled to terminal 23 and the first I.F. output taken from terminal 22. The wavelength ). corresponds to the mean first oscillator frequency (e.g. 2À5 GHz); the hybrid ring may consist of separate line sections with a uniform wave impedance, or each line section may be formed, as a # or T element of concentrated inductors and capacitors; the Specification illustrates an embodiment in micro-strip technique (Fig. 4, not shown). The second hybrid ring is similar to the first, while the second mixer is as shown in Fig. 5, the filters L1, C1, C2 being omitted, terminals 20, 21 coupled to the second hybrid ring, and the second I.F. being taken off from terminals 38, 39: series-resonant trap circuits C3, L3 and C4, L4 eliminate second I.F. and second local oscillator frequencies respectively. Oscillator circuits.-The first local oscillator may comprise a pair of transistors 46, 47, Fig. 6 with capacitors 48, 49 respectively coupling collectors to emitters: the bases are connected to series resonant circuits 51, 53 and 52, 54 respectively, a second harmonic output being obtained across load resistor 50. The Specification describes an embodiment using strip lines and varactor diodes (Fig. 7, not shown). In a modification, the bases of the transistors 73, 74, Fig. 8, are coupled to either end of a strip line 102 forming a transformer, the secondary of which is tuned by means of varactor diodes 80, 81 and 82, 83 which are provided with a variable bias from terminal 86, the output being taken across resistor 79. Line elements 87, 88, 89 comprise chokes. A fixed frequency oscillator forming the second local oscillator comprises a transistor 94, Fig. 9, acting as a negative resistance element connected to a tuned transformer comprising strip line structure 93: #/4 element 95 earths the end of the transformer primary, while the output is taken off across load resistor 97. The oscillator may be formed on an Al 2 O 3  substrate whose temperature dependency is used to improve the drift properties of the oscillator.