Patent ID: 7474164

Claim:
A radar oscillator comprising: an oscillation unit comprising: (i) an amplifier, (ii) an LC resonator which is connected to the amplifier, has at least an inductance component and a capacitance component, and resonates at a predetermined resonant frequency, and (iii) a feedback circuit which performs positive feedback from an output side of the amplifier to an input side of the amplifier, the oscillation unit outputting an oscillation signal having a frequency determined by the resonant frequency of the LC resonator; a first switch circuit which is connected to a power supply unit and to the amplifier of the oscillation unit, and which turns off an electric power supply by the power supply unit to the amplifier in a period in which a pulse signal representing a transmitting period for transmitting the oscillation signal as a transmitting radar signal is not input to set the oscillation unit in a non-oscillation state, and turns on the electric power supply by the power supply unit to the amplifier in a period in which the pulse signal is input to set the oscillation unit in an oscillation state; and a second switch circuit which is connected to the power supply unit and to the LC resonator of the oscillation unit, and which turns on the electric power supply by the power supply unit to the LC resonator in a predetermined period immediately before the pulse signal is input in a period in which the pulse signal is not input to supply a predetermined current to the LC resonator, and turns off the electric power supply by the power supply unit to the LC resonator at a timing at which the pulse signal is input to stop the supply of the predetermined current to the LC resonator, so that activation of an oscillation operation of the oscillation unit is accelerated; wherein the LC resonator is formed by a parallel resonant circuit constituted by a coil and a capacitor; and wherein the coil has an intermediate tap and the feedback circuit includes a buffer connected to the intermediate tap of the coil.