Google patents oscillator that adjusts signal speed via delay paths

1. An apparatus, comprising: a first signal input node; a first signal output node; and a plurality of delay stages arranged in a first lattice, each delay stage operable to receive a signal as input and generate a delayed instance of the signal as output, wherein: the plurality of delay stages are connected to each other in the first lattice to define a plurality of sequential ordinal paths, and each sequential ordinal path comprises a unique proper subset of the plurality of delay stages; each sequential ordinal path subsequent to a prior sequential ordinal path includes in its unique proper subset of delay stages at least a delay stage from each prior ordinal path; each sequential ordinal path comprises a plurality of delay stages; and each sequential ordinal path begins at a first delay stage with an input connected to the first signal input node and ends at a second delay stage with an output connected to the first signal output node; and wherein: the plurality of delay stages is operable to receive first control data defining a selected path and the control data causes each delay stage to selectively activate or deactivate to select one of the sequential ordinal paths as the selected path for propagating an input signal received at the input of the first delay stage of the selected path to the output of the second delay stage of the selected path; and each delay stage is coupled to a corresponding voltage sensitivity adjustor device and a voltage sensitivity of the delay stage is adjustable by the voltage sensitivity device.