US 2010/0060083 A1Published application

Voltage regulation apparatus and method of regulating a voltage

AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.

InventorERIC ROLLAND

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Abstract

A voltage regulation apparatus comprises a plurality of individually switchable current sources coupled to an output for coupling the voltage regulation apparatus to an external load. The output is monitored using a bridge divider and a comparator. The bridge divider generates a feedback voltage, that is compared with a reference voltage, representative of a target voltage to be maintained at the output, when loaded. A digital sequencer unit is coupled to the comparator and responds to the comparator to increase or decrease a number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources activated, thereby causing a collective current generated by the activated number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources to converge on a load current, demanded by the external load.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A voltage regulator apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a switchable current source unit having a plurality of individually switchable current sources coupled to an output;
a digital controller arranged to activate, when in use, a number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources, thereby providing an output voltage at the output when loaded;
wherein
the digital controller is coupled to the output in order to monitor, when in use, the output voltage and generates a feedback voltage representative of the output voltage, the digital controller being arranged to vary the number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources activated in response to a change to the output voltage;
characterised in that
the digital controller increases the number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources activated in response to the feedback voltage being lower than a reference voltage and decreases the number of the plurality of individually switchable current sources activated in response to the feedback voltage exceeding the reference voltage.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.