Voltage regulator, application-specific integrated circuit and method for providing a load with a regulated voltage
AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsJEROME ENJALBERT, JOACHIM KRUECKEN, JALAL OUADDAH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A voltage regulator for digital loads combines a closed loop regulation circuit with an open loop topology. A transistor and a bank of transistors share the same voltage source VDD and gate control current. Each of the bank of transistors is sized to match different current load requirements and one or more may be switched in or out as appropriate when the digital load transitions from one operating mode to another. The regulator has good DC load regulation and unconditional stability regardless of output capacitance.
Claims16
A voltage regulator for providing a load with a regulated voltage, the voltage regulator comprising:
- a regulator output,
- a first pass device arranged to receive a supply voltage and to generate an internal regulated voltage according to a control signal,
- a control circuit arranged to generate the control signal according to a feedback voltage,
- a feedback circuit for generating the feedback voltage according to the internal regulated voltage, and
- a second pass device having an output node which is operably coupled to the regulator output and being sized to match a first predicted load current requirement and arranged to receive said supply voltage and said control signal and to generate an output regulated voltage at the regulator output according to said control signal for application to the load.
(canceled)
A method for providing a load with a regulated voltage, the method comprising:
- receiving at a first pass device a supply voltage and a control signal,
- generating, at the first pass device, a first regulated voltage according to the control signal wherein the control signal is derived from an output of the first pass device, and
- receiving at a second pass device which is sized to match a first predicted load current requirement, said supply voltage and said control signal, and at the second pass device,
- generating a regulated output voltage according to said control signal and applying the regulated output voltage to an output of the regulator.
An integrated circuit device comprising:
- a voltage regulator comprising:
- a regulator output,
- a first pass device arranged to receive a supply voltage and to generate an internal regulated voltage according to a control signal,
- a control circuit arranged to generate the control signal according to a feedback voltage,
- a feedback circuit for generating the feedback voltage according to the internal regulated voltage, and
- a second pass device having an output node which is operably coupled to the regulator output and being sized to match a first predicted load current requirement and arranged to receive said supply voltage and said control signal and to generate an output regulated voltage at the regulator output according to said control signal for application to the load;
- an Application Specific Integrated Circuit arranged to generate a notification signal for application to the voltage regulator, said signal being indicative of a current requirement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.