An apparatus for communicating across an isolation barrier includes a differential pair of input terminals. The apparatus includes a bandpass filter circuit configured to receive a received signal on the differential pair of input terminals and to provide a received differential signal on a differential pair of nodes. The apparatus includes a demodulator directly coupled to the bandpass filter circuit and configured to directly demodulate the received differential signal on the differential pair of nodes to provide a demodulated received signal.

Phase-locked loop circuitry generates an output signal based on transformer based voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuitry. The VCO circuitry includes upper band circuitry including first oscillation circuitry, a first harmonic filter circuitry coupled to the first oscillation circuitry, and a first selection transistor coupled to the first harmonic filter circuitry and a current source. The first harmonic filter circuitry filters the output signal. The lower band circuitry includes second oscillation circuitry, a second harmonic filter circuitry coupled to the second oscillation circuitry, and a second selection transistor coupled to the second harmonic filter circuitry and the current source. The second harmonic filter circuitry filters the output signal.

Disclosed herein is a tunable resonant circuit including an inductance directly electrically connected in series between first and second nodes, a variable capacitance directly electrically connected between the first and second nodes, and a set of switched capacitances coupled between the first and second nodes. The set of switched capacitances includes a plurality of capacitance units, each capacitance unit comprising a first capacitance for that capacitance unit directly electrically connected between the first node and a switch and a second capacitance for the capacitance unit directly electrically connected between the switch and the second node. Control circuitry is configured to receive an input control signal and connected to control the switches of the set of switched capacitances. A biasing circuit is directly electrically connected to the tunable resonance circuit at the first and second nodes.

A frequency generator for generating a working frequency for a transmission signal of a rail contact of an axle counter includes a series resonant circuit having a transmitter coil unit of the rail contact and a capacitor. The frequency generator has an inverter, the output of which is connected to the capacitor. The inverter is configured to generate an oscillating voltage and to feed the generated oscillating voltage to the transmitter coil unit of the rail contact via the capacitor. A current transformer synchronizes the output voltage of the inverter to the current in the series resonant circuit. A start-up circuit electrically connected to the inverter is configured to trigger the inverter and to be electrically connected to an input power supply. The frequency generator is a robust and effective circuit for generation of magnetic fields where manufacturing effort and expensive components can be reduced.

A push-pull generator provided for supply of a medical instrument includes at least one capacitive branch connected to ground, preferably in a switchable configuration, in parallel to at least one of its two transistors. Such a capacitive switchable branch can consist of a series connection of one capacitor and one switch. Thereby one of the two half waves of the output voltage of generator can be specifically influenced and the other one of the two half waves can be left largely uninfluenced. If switchable branches comprising capacitors are connected in parallel to both transistors, both half waves of the output voltage of the generator can be influenced independently from one another. This arrangement allows the specific influence of half oscillations of a push-pull generator that is apart therefrom symmetric, whereby the application spectrum for supply of medical instruments with treatment current is enlarged.

A voltage-controlled oscillator includes a first transistor, a second transistor, a first center-tapped inductor, two first varactors, a second center-tapped inductor and two second varactors. The first and second transistors cooperatively forma cross-connected pair. The first center-tapped inductor and the first varactors cooperatively form a first LC tank. The second center-tapped inductor and the second varactors cooperatively forma second LC tank. The cross-connected pair is connected between the first and second LC tanks. The first and second center-tapped inductors are mutual-inductively coupled to each other. An oscillation signal pair is provided between the first LC tank and the cross-connected pair.

A voltage-controlled oscillator device includes first and second voltage-controlled oscillators, a first switch group including two first switches, and a second switch group including two second switches. The first voltage-controlled oscillator includes a first inductor group, a first negative resistance circuit and a first voltage output terminal group. The second voltage-controlled oscillator includes a second inductor group, a second negative resistance circuit and a second voltage output terminal group. For the first switch group, first control terminals are electrically connected to the first voltage output terminal group, first input terminals are electrically connected to the second voltage output terminal group, first output terminals are electrically connected. For the second switch group, second control terminals are electrically connected to the second voltage output terminal group, second input terminals are electrically connected to the first voltage output terminal group, second output terminals are electrically connected.

A semiconductor device and a communication circuit capable of reducing the effect of a noise generated in an inductor are provided. A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a substrate, a first circuit disposed in a first area of the substrate, a second circuit disposed in a second area of the substrate, the second circuit being configured to operate selectively with the first circuit, a first inductor disposed in the second area and connected to the first circuit, and a second inductor disposed in the first area and connected to the second circuit.

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is disclosed. The VCO includes an active device. The VCO comprises an active device, wherein the active device further includes an n-type transistor having a drain, gate and bulk; a p-type transistor having a drain, gate and bulk. The n-type transistor and the p-type transistor share a common source. The active device further includes a first capacitor coupled between the gate of n-type transistor and the gate of p-type transistor; a second capacitor coupled between the drain of the n-type transistor and the drain of p-type transistor; and a third capacitor coupled between the bulk of n-type transistor and the bulk of p-type transistor. The VCO includes a tuning block coupled to the common source to form a common gate amplifier and at least one tuning element coupled to the active device for changing the overall capacitance of the VCO.

A resonant tank includes a first capacitor formed on a semiconductor substrate, a first inductor formed on the semiconductor substrate, a second capacitor formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a second inductor formed on the semiconductor substrate. The first capacitor, the first inductor, the second capacitor, and the second inductor are connected in a ring configuration, with each capacitor connected between a pair of the inductors and with each inductor connected between a pair of the capacitors. An amplifier circuit is coupled to the resonant tank and configured to amplify a signal in the resonant tank.