# US 9,438,109 B2 · Bi-directional voltage positioning circuit, voltage converter and power supply device including the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,109 B2 - Document ID: US9438109B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/187,442 - Filed: 2014-02-24 - Published: 2014-09-11 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-05 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Sung-Woo Moon; Myeong-Lyong Ko; Yu-Seok Ko; Dong-Jin Keum; Hyun-Wook Yoo; Hwa-Yeal Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438109B2 ## CPC - H02M 3/156: with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators - G05F 1/468: {characterised by reference voltage circuitry, e.g. soft start, remote shutdown} - H02M 1/44: Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters - H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load - H02M 3/1588: {comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element (H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence)} - H02M 1/0009: {Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter} - H02M 1/0025: {Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter} - Y02B 70/10: Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) - G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A bi-directional voltage positioning circuit includes a voltage to current converter, a current mirror circuit and a switch. The voltage to current converter converts a sensing voltage to a first current, and the sensing voltage is sensed based on a current flowing through an output coil connected between a switching node and an output node. The current mirror circuit mirrors the first current to generate a second current and a third current, the second current is N times greater than the first current, the third current is M times greater than the first current, and N and M are real numbers greater than zero. The switch provides a feedback node with one of the second current and third current in response to a switching control signal, and an output voltage of the output node is divided at the feedback node. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bi-directional voltage positioning circuit (BVPC), comprising: a voltage to current converter configured to convert a sensing voltage to a first current, the sensing voltage being sensed based on a current at an output coil connected between a switching node and an output node; a current mirror circuit configured to mirror the first current to generate a second current and a third current, the second current being N times greater than the first current, the third current being M times greater than the first current, N and M being real numbers greater than zero; and a switch configured to provide a feedback node with one of the second current and third current in response to a switching control signal, an output voltage of the output node being divided at the feedback node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The BVPC of claim 1, wherein the output coil comprises an inductance of the output coil and a direct-current (DC) resistor connected to the inductance in series. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The BVPC of claim 2, wherein the output sensing voltage corresponds to a voltage between two ends of the DC resistor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The BVPC of claim 1, wherein the voltage to current converter comprises: an operational amplifier connected to the output coil in parallel, the operational amplifier having a first input terminal connected to a first input node between a sensing resistor and a sensing capacitor connected in series with respect to each other between the switching node and the output node; an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor that has a drain connected to the current mirror circuit, a source connected to a second input terminal of the operational amplifier and a gate connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier; and a droop resistor connected between the source of the NMOS transistor and the output node. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The BVPC of claim 4, wherein the first current corresponds to a value that the sensing voltage is divided by a resistance of the droop resistor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The BVPC of claim 1, wherein the current mirror circuit comprises: a first p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor connected between a power supply voltage and the voltage to current converter; a second PMOS transistor connected between the power supply voltage and the switch, the second PMOS transistor constituting a first current mirror with the first PMOS transistor; a third PMOS transistor connected to the power supply voltage, the third PMOS transistor constituting a second current mirror with the first PMOS transistor; a first n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor connected between the third PMOS transistor and a ground voltage; and a second NMOS transistor connected between the switch and the ground voltage, the second NMOS transistor constituting a third current mirror with the first NMOS transistor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The BVPC of claim 6, wherein a size of the second PMOS transistor is N times greater than a size the first PMOS transistor, a size of the third PMOS transistor is M times greater than the size the first PMOS transistor, and the first and second NMOS transistor have same sizes with respect to each other. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The BVPC of claim 7, wherein the second current is provided to the switch at a drain of the second PMOS transistor and the third current is provided to the switch at a drain of the second NMOS transistor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The BVPC of claim 6, wherein the current mirror circuit further comprises a filter unit configured to filter a switching noise, the filter unit being connected between the first and second PMOS transistors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The BVPC of claim 1, wherein one of the second current and the third current is selectively provided to the feedback node according to a characteristic of a load connected to the output node. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The BVPC of claim 10, wherein the output voltage is divided by first and second resistors connected in series between the output node and a ground voltage, the first and second resistors are connected to each other at the feedback node, and one of the second current and the third current is selectively provided to the feedback node. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The BVPC of claim 11, wherein the second current is provided to the feedback node when a level of the output voltage is to be decreased as a load current flowing into the load increases. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The BVPC of claim 11, wherein the third current is provided to the feedback node when a level of the output voltage is to be increased as a load current flowing into the load increases. ### Claim 14 A voltage converter comprising: a current sensor configured to sense a current flowing through an output coil connected between a switching node and an output node to provide a sensing voltage based on the sensed current; a bi-directional voltage positioning circuit (BVPC) configured to generate a second current and a third current to provide a feedback node with one of the second current and third current according to a characteristic of a load connected to the output node, an output voltage of the output node being divided at the feedback node, the second and third currents being real number multiple of a first current, the first current being converted based on the sensing voltage; a switching control circuit configured to generate first and second driving control signals based on a feedback voltage and a reference voltage, the feedback voltage being obtained by dividing the output voltage; and a switching device unit configured to charge an input power supply voltage in the output coil or to discharge the output coil in response to the first and second driving control signals, wherein the BVPC comprises: a voltage to current converter configured to convert the sensing voltage to the first current; a current mirror circuit configured to mirror the first current to generate the second current and the third current, the second current being N times greater than the first current, the third current being M times greater than the first current, N and M being real numbers greater than zero; and a switch configured to provide the feedback node with one of the second current and third current in response to a switching control signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The voltage converter of claim 14, wherein the switching control circuit comprises: a comparator configured to compare the reference voltage and the feedback voltage to output an error voltage; an oscillator configured to generate a clock pulse; a flip-flop configured to provide an output signal based on the error voltage and the clock pulse; and a driving control unit configured to determine on and off timings of at least one of the first and second driving control signals according to the output signal of the flip-flop. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The voltage converter of claim 15, wherein the flip-flop includes an RS flip-flop that has a set terminal configured to receive the clock pulse and a reset terminal configured to receive the error voltage. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The voltage converter of claim 14, wherein the switching control circuit comprises: a comparator configured to compare the reference voltage and the feedback voltage to output an error voltage; an oscillator configured to generate a triangular wave signal; a pulse width modulation comparator configured to compare the error voltage and the triangular wave signal to output a pulse signal; and a driving control unit configured to determine on and off timings of at least one of the first and second driving control signals according to the pulse signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The voltage converter of claim 14, wherein the switching device unit comprises: a first switching device configured to charge the input power supply voltage in the output coil in response to the first driving control signal; and a second switching device configured to discharge the output coil in response to the second driving control signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The voltage converter of claim 18, wherein the first and second switching devices are turned on or off complementarily to each other. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The voltage converter of claim 18, wherein the first switching device includes a p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor that has a source configured to receive the input power supply voltage, a gate configured to receive the first driving control signal and a drain connected to the switching node, and the second switching device includes an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor that has a drain connected to the switching node, a gate configured to receive the second driving control signal and a source connected to a ground voltage. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The voltage converter of claim 14, further comprising: a feedback unit that includes first and second resistors connected in series between the output node and a ground voltage, the feedback unit configured to divide the output voltage into the feedback voltage. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The voltage converter of claim 21, wherein the BVPC selectively provides one of the second current and the third current to the feedback node according to a characteristic of a load connected to the output node, and the first and second resistors are connected to each other at the feedback node.