Variable load, variable output charge-based voltage multipliers
AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsThomas D. Cook, Tahmina Akhter, Jeffrey C. Cunningham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A charge-based voltage multiplier device comprising a charge-pump circuit and a charge-pump controller is provided. The charge-pump circuit is configured to multiply an input voltage signal (Vin) into an output voltage signal (Vout), the charge-pump circuit includes a plurality of charge-pump stages, wherein at least one of the charge-pump stages includes a weighted capacitor array of pump cells. The charge-pump controller is configured to provide a pump cell select to selectively control the weighted capacitor array of pump cells of the at least one of the charge-pump stages of the charge-pump circuit.
Claims18
A device comprising:
- a charge-pump circuit configured to multiply an input voltage signal into an output voltage signal, the charge-pump circuit including a plurality of charge-pump stages, wherein at least one of the plurality of charge-pump stages includes a weighted capacitor array of pump cells;
- and
- a charge-pump controller configured to provide a pump cell select to selectively control the weighted capacitor array of pump cells of the at least one of the plurality of charge-pump stages of the charge-pump circuit,
- wherein the charge-pump controller tallies a number of clock periods of a clock for which the voltage output is above or below the reference voltage and outputs a pump cell select as a function of the tallied number of clock periods for which the voltage output is above or below the reference voltage and thereby adjusts the capacitance of corresponding charge-pump stages to affect a corresponding change in output impedance of the charge-pump circuit.
A charge-based voltage multiplier device, comprising:
- a charge-pump circuit configured to multiply an input voltage signal into an output voltage signal, the charge-pump circuit including a plurality of charge-pump stages, wherein at least one of the charge-pump stages includes a weighted capacitor array of pump cells, wherein the weighted capacitor array of pump cells comprises a binary weighted capacitor array of pump cells;
- and
- a charge-pump controller configured to provide a pump cell select to selectively control the weighted capacitor array of pump cells of the at least one of the charge-pump stages of the charge-pump circuit, wherein the charge-pump controller comprises,
- means for sensing transition changes in a comparison of the charge-pump circuit voltage output and a reference voltage,
- means for counting a number of clock periods occurring after each sensed transition, and
- means for incrementing or decrementing the source impedance of the charge-pump circuit, as a function of the counted number of clock periods occurring after each sensed transition, by selectively clocking the weighted capacitor array of pump cells of the charge-pump stages to decrease or increase, respectively, a corresponding capacitance of the respective charge-pump stages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.