Charge pump voltage regulator

A voltage regulator comprising:

• regulator means for receiving a sensed voltage signal and for providing, in response to the effective comparison of said sensed voltage signal with a reference signal, a regulator output signal, comprising pulses, having a predetermined frequency and a predetermined signal characteristic determined in accordance with said comparison;
• drive circuit means coupled to said regulator means and comprising a power switching device having a control terminal effectively coupled to said regulator output signal and having at least two output terminals, said output terminals coupled in series with a control element of a voltage control means which determines said sensed voltage signal, across a maximum power source voltage potential, said drive circuit means controlling said sensed voltage, via said control means, in accordance with said characteristic of said regulator output signal to maintain said sensed voltage signal at a predetermined voltage level determined by said reference signal, said drive circuit means including a peak voltage increasing means for receiving said regulator output signal and effectively providing in response thereto a corresponding increased magnitude voltage signal generally varying as said regulator output signal but varying up to a peak voltage potential in excess of said maximum power source voltage potential,
• wherein the improvement comprises said peak voltage increasing means comprising a capacitor selectively series coupled and decoupled across a predetermined power source voltage potential in accordance with pulses of a high frequency signal having a pulse frequency substantially in excess of the frequency of said regulator output signal, said peak voltage increasing means, therefore, comprising a high frequency charge pump which provides said increased voltage signal, said increased voltage signal having the same general waveform as said regulator output signal but increased in voltage magnitude to achieve a peak voltage potential in excess of said maximum power source voltage potential, the charge pump providing said increased voltage signal as an output which is coupled to said control terminal of said power switching device.