Patent ID: 8614606

Claim:
A delay-line self oscillator comprising: an electrical, electromagnetic or magnetic delay-line arrangement; an oscillator control circuitry; and a frequency selection impedance having at least one of a frequency dependent magnitude or a frequency dependent phase shift, the frequency selection impedance connecting the delay-line arrangement and the oscillator control circuitry and presenting a frequency dependent impedance to the delay-line arrangement; wherein the oscillator control circuitry includes an amplifier, a non-linear amplitude control element (N-LACE) and a driver, wherein the non-linear amplitude control element (N-LACE) has an input and an output, and wherein the N-LACE is configured to: provide a first dynamic gain, g dSS , where an input signal received at the N-LACE input has a magnitude less than a threshold; and provide a second dynamic gain, g dLS , where the input signal has a magnitude greater than the threshold, wherein the first dynamic gain, g dSS is greater than the second dynamic gain g dLS , wherein the delay-line self-oscillator is configured to initiate oscillations from noise within the system.