US 6,320,454 B1 · Low power voltage regulator circuit for use in an integrated circuit device

Abstract

A voltage regulator circuit that receives an input signal and provides an output signal that is clamped at a specified voltage desired for an internal circuit. The disclosed voltage regulator circuit includes a plurality of subcircuits including a voltage tracking subcircuit in which the output voltage tracks the input voltage with no voltage drop when the input voltage starts to rise from zero volts. If the input voltage increases to a desired voltage level for the internal circuit, the voltage tracking subcircuit clamps the output voltage to remain at that voltage. If the input voltage further increases to a higher voltage, the voltage tracking subcircuit is disabled and one of a plurality of voltage maintaining subcircuit takes control so that the output voltage remains at the desired voltage for the internal circuit.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A voltage regulator circuit comprising:

an input node receiving an input voltage and an output node producing an output voltage,
a voltage tracking subcircuit having an input connected to the input node, a second input and an output connected to the output node,
a plurality of voltage maintaining subcircuits, each voltage maintaining circuit having a first input connected to the input node, a second input and an output connected to the output node, and
a voltage monitoring subcircuit having an input connected to the input node and a plurality of outputs, a first output of said plurality of outputs being connected to the second input of the voltage tracking subcircuit, each of a remaining number of the plurality of outputs being connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of voltage maintaining subcircuits.

1 more element

A voltage regulator circuit comprising:

an input node receiving an input voltage and an output node producing an output voltage,
a voltage tracking subcircuit having a first input connected to the input node, a second input, and an output connected to the output node,
a voltage maintaining subcircuit having a first input connected to the input node, a second input, and an output connected to the output node,
a first voltage monitoring subcircuit having an input connected to the input node and an output connected to the second input of the voltage tracking subcircuit and
a second voltage monitoring subcircuit having an input connected to the input node and an output connected to the second input of the voltage maintaining subcircuit,
wherein the first voltage monitoring subcircuit enables the voltage tracking subcircuit when the input voltage is increased from zero volts to a desired voltage, the voltage tracking subcircuit maintaining the output voltage at a same level as the input voltage until the input voltage reaches the desired voltage, and
wherein the first voltage monitoring subcircuit disables the voltage tracking subcircuit and the second voltage monitoring subcircuit enables the voltage maintaining subcircuit when the input voltage is increased above the desired voltage, the voltage maintaining circuit maintaining the output voltage at the desired voltage.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Low power voltage regulator circuit for use in an integrated circuit device

Life of this patent

Low power voltage regulator circuit for use in an integrated circuit device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28