Regulating switching regulators by load monitoring
AssigneeCalifornia Micro Devices Corporation
InventorHassan Shami
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for controlling a voltage regulator are disclosed. Output voltage of the regulator can be controlled by monitoring headroom voltage measured as the difference of a fixed reference voltage and the output voltage. The fixed reference voltage can be provided as using a current source to drive a resistor and the difference voltage may be measured across the current source. In this manner, the output voltage level may be accurately controlled with few components, resulting in reduced power consumption, increased efficiency and improved die utilization in ICs.
Claims20
A method for regulating a voltage comprising the steps of:
- receiving a regulated voltage at a current source, wherein the current source provides a current to a reference load;
- measuring a headroom voltage across the current source, and
- adjusting the regulated voltage based on the measured headroom voltage.
An apparatus for regulating a voltage comprising:
- a regulator for providing an output voltage;
- a current source for receiving the output voltage and providing a current to a reference load;
- a headroom detect circuit for providing a control signal indicative of a headroom voltage measured across the current source;
- and
- control logic responsive to the control signal and configured to maintain the output voltage within a desired operating tolerance.
A method for regulating voltage comprising the steps of:
- receiving an output voltage provided by a regulator;
- measuring a difference between the output voltage and a reference voltage;
- and
- adjusting the output voltage to maintain the difference voltage at least equal to a desired minimum voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.