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US 8,274,179 B2Granted
Passive differential voltage doubler
AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated
InventorsRussell John Fagg, Chengzhi Pan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques for generating a differential output voltage between first and second output voltages that is double a differential input voltage between first and second input voltages. In one aspect, first and second capacitors of a constituent voltage doubler are charged to a differential input voltage during a charging phase. During an output phase non-overlapping in time with the charging phase, the first and second capacitors are stacked in series to generate the differential output voltage. The first and second capacitors are both coupled to a single common-mode voltage to provide a predefined common-mode output voltage. Further techniques for providing two or more constituent voltage doublers to extend the output phase are described.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a differential voltage doubler configured to receive a differential input voltage that includes a first input voltage and that further includes a second input voltage and further configured to generate a differential output voltage that includes a first output voltage and that further includes a second output voltage, the differential output voltage double the differential input voltage, the differential voltage doubler comprising a constituent voltage doubler, the constituent voltage doubler comprising:
- a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal configured to be coupled to the first input voltage during a charging phase of the constituent voltage doubler and the second terminal configured to be coupled to the second input voltage during the charging phase of the constituent voltage doubler, the first terminal further configured to be coupled to the first output voltage during an output phase of the constituent voltage doubler and the second terminal further configured to be coupled to a common-mode voltage during the output phase of the constituent voltage doubler, the output phase non-overlapping in time with the charging phase;
- and
- a second capacitor having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the third terminal configured to be coupled to the first input voltage during the charging phase and the fourth terminal configured to be coupled to the second input voltage during the charging phase, the third terminal further configured to be coupled to the common-mode voltage during the output phase and the fourth terminal further configured to be coupled to the second output voltage during the output phase.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- generating, by a differential voltage doubler and based on a differential input voltage that includes a first input voltage and that further includes a second input voltage, a differential output voltage that includes a first output voltage and that further includes a second output voltage, wherein the differential voltage doubler includes a constituent differential voltage doubler, and wherein generating the differential output voltage comprises:
- coupling a first terminal of a first capacitor to the first input voltage during a charging phase of the constituent voltage doubler and coupling a second terminal of the first capacitor to the second input voltage during the charging phase;
- coupling a third terminal of a second capacitor to the first input voltage during the charging phase and coupling a fourth terminal of the second capacitor to the second input voltage during the charging phase;
- coupling the first terminal to the first output voltage during an output phase of the constituent voltage doubler and coupling the second terminal to a common-mode voltage during the output phase;
- and
- coupling the third terminal to the common-mode voltage during the output phase and coupling the fourth terminal to the second output voltage during the output phase.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a differential voltage doubler configured to receive a differential input voltage that includes a first input voltage and that further includes a second input voltage and further configured to generate a differential output voltage that includes a first output voltage and that further includes a second output voltage, the differential voltage doubler comprising a constituent voltage doubler, the constituent voltage doubler comprising:
- a first capacitor;
- a second capacitor;
- means for coupling the first capacitor and the second capacitor in parallel to charge the first capacitor and the second capacitor according to the differential input voltage during a charging phase of the constituent voltage doubler;
- and
- means for coupling the first capacitor and the second capacitor in series to generate the differential output voltage during an output phase of the constituent voltage doubler, a commonly coupled terminal of the first capacitor and of the second capacitor being coupled to a common-mode voltage.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a differential voltage doubler configured to receive a differential input voltage that includes a first input voltage and that further includes a second input voltage and further configured to generate a differential output voltage that includes a first output voltage and that further includes a second output voltage, wherein the differential output voltage is double the differential input voltage, the differential voltage doubler comprising a constituent voltage doubler, the constituent voltage doubler comprising:
- a first capacitor;
- a second capacitor;
- means for charging the first capacitor and the second capacitor according to the differential input voltage during a charging phase of the constituent voltage doubler;
- and
- means for coupling the first capacitor and the second capacitor in series to generate the differential output voltage during an output phase of the constituent voltage doubler, the differential output voltage having a common-mode voltage,
- wherein the differential voltage doubler further comprises a second constituent voltage doubler, the output phase of the constituent voltage doubler and a second output phase of the second constituent voltage doubler being non-overlapping in time.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.