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US 9,866,215 B2Granted
High speed low current voltage comparator
AssigneeSilicon Laboratories Inc.
InventorsNicholas Montgomery Atkinson, Praveen Kallam, Mohamed Mostafa Elsayed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a voltage comparator circuit includes a first comparator circuit to compare a first voltage and a second voltage and a second comparator circuit to compare the first voltage and the second voltage. The voltage comparator circuit may include charge storage circuitry and positive feedback circuitry. Such circuitry may boost current within the first and second comparator circuits to enable the voltage comparator circuit to output a comparison decision within a delay threshold in response to input transitions within a slew rate threshold.
Claims18
An apparatus comprising:
- a first comparator having a first common gate input stage with a first input terminal to receive a first voltage and a second input terminal to receive a second voltage, a first capacitor coupled between the first input terminal and a common gate connection of the first common gate input stage, the first common gate input stage to output a first comparison signal, and a first feedback circuit to provide a first boost current to the first common gate input stage responsive to a first value of the first comparison signal and to pull down a level of the first comparison signal responsive to a first value of a second comparison output signal, the first comparator to output a first comparison output signal based on the first comparison signal;
- and
- a second comparator having a second common gate input stage with a first input terminal to receive the second voltage and a second input terminal to receive the first voltage, and a second capacitor coupled between the first input terminal of the second common gate input stage and a common gate connection of the second common gate input stage, the second common gate input stage to output a second comparison signal, the second comparator to output the second comparison output signal based on the second comparison signal.
An apparatus comprising:
- a voltage comparator circuit including a first comparator circuit to compare a first voltage and a second voltage and a second comparator circuit to compare the first voltage and the second voltage, the voltage comparator circuit including charge storage circuitry and positive feedback circuitry to boost current within the first and second comparator circuits to enable the voltage comparator circuit to output a comparison decision within a delay threshold in response to input transitions within a slew rate threshold, wherein the first comparator circuit comprises:
- a first common gate input stage to receive the first voltage and the second voltage and to generate a first comparison value based on the comparison of the first voltage and the second voltage, wherein the first common gate input stage comprises:
- a first metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) having a first terminal to couple to the first voltage, a second terminal to couple to a first current source, and a gate terminal coupled to a gate terminal of a second MOSFET, the second terminal of the first MOSFET to further couple to the gate terminal of the first MOSFET;
- and
- the second MOSFET having a first terminal to couple to the second voltage and a second terminal to output the first comparison value;
- and
- a first feedback circuit to control a level of the first comparison value, wherein the first comparator circuit is to output a first comparison output signal based on the first comparison value;
- and
- wherein the second comparator circuit comprises:
- a second common gate input stage to receive the first voltage and the second voltage and to generate a second comparison value based on the comparison of the first voltage and the second voltage;
- and
- a second feedback circuit to control a level of the second comparison value, wherein the second comparator circuit is to output a second comparison output signal based on the second comparison value, wherein the first comparison output signal and the second comparison output signal comprise the comparison decision.
9 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a voltage regulator to receive a first voltage from a first voltage source, a second voltage from a second voltage source, a comparator to compare the first voltage and the second voltage, the comparator comprising:
- a first comparator having a first common gate input stage with a first input terminal to receive a first voltage and a second input terminal to receive a second voltage, a first capacitor coupled between the first input terminal and a common gate connection of the first common gate input stage, the first common gate input stage to output a first comparison signal, and a first feedback circuit to provide a first boost current to the first common gate input stage responsive to a first value of the first comparison signal and to pull down a level of the first comparison signal responsive to a first value of a second comparison output signal, the first comparator to output a first comparison output signal based on the first comparison signal;
- and
- a second comparator having a second common gate input stage with a first input terminal to receive the second voltage and a second input terminal to receive the first voltage, and a second capacitor coupled between the first input terminal of the second common gate input stage and a common gate connection of the second common gate input stage, the second common gate input stage to output a second comparison signal, the second comparator to output the second comparison output signal based on the second comparison signal, wherein the voltage regulator is to output a regulated voltage based at least in part on the comparison of the first voltage and the second voltage.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.