Oscillators with Frequency and Amplitude Outputs for the Measurement of Two Parameters

A class of harmonic oscillators is described which has the frequency of oscillation determined by one parameter of an RC or RL circuit and the amplitude of oscillation by the other parameter. These oscillators are useful in the impedance measurement of physical or biological objects when two attributes of the object are related to two electrical parameters of the equivalent circuit. A pole or zero is derived from the measured object by isolating it from the oscillator. The remainder of the oscillator contains linear elements and a single memoryless nonlinearity. Second-order oscillators containing a hard nonlinearity and third-order oscillators containing a soft nonlinearity are presented. The frequency and amplitude relationships are derived using linear theory and the describing function method. The theoretical results are verified by analog computer simulations. The oscillators are described in general terms by means of flow graphs.