Switching regulator current mode feedback circuits and methods
AssigneeGazelle Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorDavid Christian Gerard Tournatory
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Abstract
The present disclosure includes circuits and methods for controlling the operation of a switching regulator. In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a circuit comprising a switching regulator with a current control loop comprising a capacitor configured to store a first voltage during a first phase and configured to boost a voltage produced by an output current through a low side switching device by the first voltage in a second phase. Circuitry compares the boosted voltage to a control voltage produced by a control current through a replica device corresponding to the low side switching device.
Claims20
A switching regulator circuit comprising:
- a low side switching transistor;
- and
- a control circuit comprising:
- a capacitor;
- and
- a replica transistor corresponding to the low side switching transistor,
- wherein, during a first phase, the low side switching transistor is off and the control circuit is configured to store a first voltage on the capacitor, and
- wherein, during a second phase, the low side switching transistor is on and the control circuit is configured to boost a voltage produced by an output current through the low side switching transistor by the first voltage and compare a boosted voltage to a control voltage produced by a control current through the replica transistor.
A method comprising:
- sensing a voltage on a switching transistor of a switching regulator produced by an output current through the switching transistor when the switching transistor is on, the voltage being outside an operating voltage range of the switching regulator;
- level shifting the sensed voltage by a first voltage stored on a capacitor to produce a level shifted voltage within the voltage range at a first input of a comparator;
- and
- generating a control voltage at a second input of the comparator, the control voltage generated by coupling a control current into a first terminal of a replica transistor corresponding to the switching transistor.
A switching regulator circuit comprising:
- a low side switching transistor;
- an inductor;
- means for boosting a sensed voltage corresponding to a current through the low side switching transistor by a first voltage to produce a boosted voltage;
- means for generating a control voltage based on a control current through a replica transistor, the control current corresponding to a difference between a feedback voltage and a reference voltage;
- and
- means for comparing the control voltage and the boosted voltage, to change a current in the inductor to reduce the difference between the feedback voltage and the reference voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.