In this paper, we propose a speedup method of frequency switching time in the phase locked loop (PLL) frequency synthesizer using the target frequency detector (TFD). The TFD detects the time Ta for any channels where the output of the PLL frequency synthesizer reaches the target frequency for the first time. At Ta, the programmable divider, the reference divider and the phase comparator are reset, and the phase of the PLL frequency synthesizer is initialized and the phase synchronization is achieved. In the proposed method, since the ringing in the transient state does not occur, the output of the PLL frequency synthesizer converges to the target frequency at Ta and the frequency switching time is speeded up. The effectiveness of the proposed method will be confirmed by experimental results.

This paper presents a new sort of multilayer piezoelectric ceramic transformer for switching regulated power supplies. This piezoelectric transformer operates in the second thickness extensional vibration mode. Its resonant frequency is higher than 1 MHz. First, numerical simulation was implemented using a distributed constant electromechanical equivalent circuit method. It was calculated that this piezoelectric transformer, which has higher than 200 mechanical quality factor Qm, could work with higher than 90% efficiency and in more than 20-W/cm3 high power density. Second, a trially fabricated transformer, which is 15 mm long, 15 mm wide and 2.2 mm thick, was examined. Modified PbTiO3 family ceramics were used for the piezoelectric transformer material, because of the large anisotropy between electromechanical coupling factors kt and kp. Obtained results indicate that the piezoelectric transformer has good resonant characteristics, with little spurious vibration, and exhibits 16-W/cm3 power density with high efficiency at 2 MHz. Moreover, a switching regulated power supply, applying the piezoelectric ceramic transformer, was built and examined.

A power converter with a new piezoelectric transformer is presented. The piezoelectric transformer, made of lead titanate solid solution ceramic, is operated with a thickness extensional vibration mode. This transformer can operate at high frequency, over several megahertz, with about 90% high efficiency. The resonant frequency for the transformer is 2 MHz. The power converter with the transformer applies the theory for a class-E switching converter using an electromagnetic transformer. Maximum output power was obtained when the switching frequency was slightly higher than the resonant frequency. 4.4 W output power was successfully obtained with 52% efficiency at 2.1 MHz switching frequency.

Fiber-optic microcellular system has been studied actively as an excellent system for solving the equipment cost problems in microcellular systems. However, the occurrence of intermodulation distortion (IMD) arising from the nonlinearity of the laser diode used for E/O conversion which degrades the transmission quality is a serious problem in this system. In this paper, we propose a new frequency switching/IM3 reduction method, which dynamically reassigns the carrier frequencies to minimize the carrier to IMD power ratio under the hostile environment with time-varying received carrier strength, and analyze the performance improvements by the proposed method. The improvements obtained both for the worst value of the overall CNR and for the overall CNR in a specific user are numerically made clear. It is also shown that if the interval between frequency reassignings is set less than one second, a sufficient improvement in the overall CNR is achievable.