US 12,407,297 B2
Method for operating a fast start-up oscillator system, and fast start-up oscillator system
Arnaud Casagrande, Bole (CH); and Jean-Luc Arend, Corcelles (CH)
Assigned to The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed by The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed on Jan. 9, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/407,528.
Claims priority of application No. 23155972 (EP), filed on Feb. 10, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0275333 A1, Aug. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. H03B 5/06 (2006.01); H03B 5/32 (2006.01); H03K 3/014 (2006.01); H03K 3/03 (2006.01); H03L 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC H03B 5/06 (2013.01) [H03B 5/32 (2013.01); H03K 3/014 (2013.01); H03K 3/0307 (2013.01); H03L 3/00 (2013.01); H03B 2200/0094 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a fast start-up oscillator system, which comprises a reference oscillator and a quartz oscillator, which comprises a quartz resonator connected to an electronic oscillator circuit, and first and second terminals connected to the first and second terminals of the quartz resonator and the electronic oscillator circuit respectively, an output terminal of which is provided to supply a master clock signal (mck) to a start-up controller, which is configured and switched on to perform a fast start-up procedure of the quartz oscillator via the reference oscillator, the start-up controller comprising a calculation unit as well as a memory unit for storing data in connection with the reference oscillator and for starting the quartz oscillator, wherein the method comprises the following steps, during a start-up time of the quartz oscillator:
providing start-up parameters to the calculation unit for starting the quartz oscillator, wherein the start-up parameters relate to an excitation of the quartz oscillator to cause it to oscillate within a start-up time of the quartz oscillator, and to a control of a phase deviation with respect to the reference oscillator,
generating, in a plurality of different successive periods in the start-up time of the quartz oscillator, excitation bursts to be supplied to the quartz oscillator, to cause it to oscillate, and including a phase realignment time between each of the different successive periods,
determining the phase deviation in each of the different successive periods between the oscillation of the reference oscillator and the oscillation of the quartz oscillator,
calculating a frequency error in the calculation unit on the basis of the phase deviation, and
correcting the frequency of the reference oscillator to the frequency of the quartz oscillator, within a limited margin of error.