N-channel input pair voltage regulator with soft start and current limitation circuitry

Abstract

A voltage regulator includes two input pairs of opposite type transistors, p-type and n-type, to provide a soft-start functionality for gradually increasing the voltage regulator's output voltage from zero, or a voltage below the thresholds of the n-type transistors, to an operational voltage. The voltage regulator operates in a soft-start mode during which a variable input voltage signal is ramped up to allow the output voltage to reach the operational voltage, and a normal-operation mode during which the operational voltage is maintained.

Claims

1. A method for operating a voltage regulator to generate an output voltage signal, comprising: sourcing an output current to generate the output voltage signal; operating in a soft-start mode comprising: varying a variable ramp voltage signal to gradually increase from a starting voltage to an operational voltage during the soft-start mode; determining a first difference between a first feedback signal that is based on the output voltage signal and the variable ramp voltage signal; generating a soft start current in response to said first difference; and mirroring the soft start current to produce said output current; and operating in a normal-operation mode comprising: maintaining the operational voltage during the normal-operation mode; determining a second difference between a second feedback signal that is based on the output voltage signal and a reference signal; and controlling mirroring of the soft-start current in response to the second difference to produce said output current.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the first feedback signal by voltage dividing the output voltage signal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the second feedback signal by voltage dividing the output voltage signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling said variable ramp voltage signal to: increase in voltage during the soft-start mode; and remain at a fixed voltage during a normal-operation mode following said soft-start mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fixed voltage is a supply voltage for the voltage regulator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulator with a soft-start circuit in accordance with one embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagram of a graph illustrating the a ramp voltage being applied to a voltage regulator with a soft-start circuit in accordance with one embodiment; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a track voltage regulator with a soft-start circuit in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. But the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. In fact, the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways or include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document in conjunction with other present or future technologies.

(6) The terms “coupled,” “connected,” and “substantially,” which are utilized herein, are defined as follows. The term “connected” is used to describe a direct connection between two circuit elements, for example, by way of a metal line formed in accordance with normal integrated circuit fabrication techniques. In contrast, the term “coupled” is used to describe either a direct connection or an indirect connection between two circuit elements. For example, two coupled elements may be directly connected by way of a metal line, or indirectly connected by way of an intervening circuit element (e.g., a capacitor, resistor, inductor, or transistor). The term “substantially” is defined herein as a range of values within ten percent of a quantified value.

(7) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulator 100 with a pair of n-type input transistors 124 and 126 and circuitry for performing soft-start voltage ramp-up, according to one embodiment. Voltage regulator 100 includes an error amplifier 104, compensation circuit 106, soft-start circuit 108, soft-start feedback circuit 110, and normal-operation feedback circuit 112. These circuits are electrically coupled to voltage supply rails Vsupply1 114 and Vsupply2 116, which represent different voltage supplies, and are grounded to ground (GND) rail 118. A variable ramp supply voltage (Vramp) 170, which is described in more detail below, is created from Vsupply1 114 by control logic 168 to provide the voltage regulator 100 with soft-start functionality.

(8) Error amplifier 104 includes two p-type transistors 120 and 122 and two input n-type transistors 124 and 126, and it receives Vsupply1 114, a reference voltage (Vref) 128, and current from current source (Itail) 190. Soft-start circuitry 108 includes two p-type transistors 172 and 174. Driver circuit 148 includes two n-type transistors 150 and 152. Soft-start feedback circuit 110 and normal-operation feedback circuit 112 include resistors R.sub.0 154, R.sub.1 156, R.sub.3 158, and R.sub.4 160, as shown in FIG. 1. Compensation circuit 106 includes a compensation resistor 130 and capacitor 132 to stabilize the output of the error amplifier 104.

(9) The output of the error amplifier 104 is connected to the compensation circuit 106 and to the gate of transistor 134. Transistors 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146, 150, and 152 act as current mirrors to sink or source current to and from the error amplifier 104, the soft-start circuit 108, and a driver circuit 148. Driver circuit 148 receives a second external voltage supply (Vsupply2) 116 and is connected to the two feedback circuits: soft-start feedback circuit 110 and normal-operation feedback circuit 112.

(10) Input n-type transistors 124 and 126 represent an n-channel input pair of transistors of error amplifier 104 that respectively receive a feedback signal (Vfb) 176 and Vref 128 at their corresponding gates. In one embodiment, Vref 128 is a voltage that is based on—either mirrored or a division of—Vsupply1 114. As previously discussed, use of an n-channel input transistor pair makes it difficult to implement soft-start functionality because the n-channel transistors 124 and 126 will not forward-bias when the voltage at their gates are very low, which is the condition, generally, at start-up.

(11) Transistor 172 receives a feedback voltage signal (Vfb_ss) 178 at its gate, and the gate of transistor 174 receives Vramp 170 from control logic 168. Ilimit 188 is electrically coupled to the sources of transistors 172 and 174. Transistor 174 is directly tied to GND 118, and transistor 172 has an intervening current mirror transistor 146.

(12) Vref 128 is supplied to transistor 126 of the error amplifier 104. The n-type transistors 124 and 126 are only turned on when Vref 128 and Vfb 176 exceed the threshold gate-to-source (Vgs) voltage of transistors 126 and 124, respectively. The p-type transistors 120 and 122 are arranged in a current-mirror configuration, mirroring the current from transistor 120 to transistor 122. In operation, the current of Itail 190 flows to transistors 124 and 126, and the current of transistor 124 is mirrored to transistor 122 through transistor 120. The gate voltage of transistor 134 is controlled by the current difference of transistors 126 and 122.

(13) Normal-operation feedback circuit 112 generates Vfb 176 for the error amplifier 104, and soft-start feedback circuit 110 generates feedback signal Vfb_ss 178 for the soft-start circuit 108. These circuits divide the voltage of Vout 164 from transistor 152 using resistors R.sub.0 154/R.sub.1 156 for soft-start feedback circuit 110 and R.sub.3 158/R.sub.4 160 for normal-operation circuit 112. Additional resistors may be used to create a specific voltage division. In an alternative embodiment, the ratios of R.sub.0 154 divided by R.sub.1 156 (ratio 1) and R.sub.3 158 divided by R.sub.4 160 (ratio 2) are the same, and feedback signals 178 and 176 are combined into one feedback signal. In such an alternative embodiment, R.sub.0 154 and R.sub.3 158 may combine into one resistor, and R.sub.1 156 and R.sub.4 160 may combine into one resistor.

(14) In operation, voltage regulator 100 functions in one of two modes: (1) soft-start mode, and (2) normal-operation mode. In soft-start mode, the supply voltages Vsupply1 114 and Vsupply2 116 are initially off, and the voltage regulator 100 is not generating an output voltage Vout 164. When Vsupply1 114 and Vsupply2 116 are initially turned on, the voltage regulator 100 enters the soft-start mode of operation during which control logic 168 begins gradually increasing Vramp 170, which is supplied to transistor 174, from 0 to Vsupply1 114. Initially, all of the current from current source Ilimit 188 flows to transistor 174, but as Vramp 170 is ramped up, transistor 172 begins to draw more and more current. In effect, the increase of Vramp 170 gradually increases the voltage and current in the driver circuit 148, or, more specifically, the voltage and current provided out of transistor 152 as Vout 164.

(15) During soft-start mode, Vout 164 is controlled by a feedback loop comprising transistors 172, 174, 144, 146, 138, 136, 134, 140, 142, 150, and 152 and resistors R.sub.0 154 and R.sub.1 156. Vramp 170 is supplied to p-type transistor 174 of the soft-start circuit 108. Control logic 168 gradually increases Vramp 170 from 0V—or a voltage less than the threshold voltage of transistor 174—to Vsupply1. In the soft-start mode, the voltage of Vout 164 is 0V, or some other lower non-operating voltage of the voltage regulator 100 normal operating voltage, and because Vout 164 is low, the voltage of Vfb 176 is consequently lower than Vref 128, which causes the majority of the current from Itail 190 to flow to transistor 126 with little current flowing to transistor 124. The current of transistor 124 passes to transistor 120, and is then mirrored to transistor 122. Again, the current of transistor 126 is much larger than the current of transistor 124, and this larger current is mirrored through transistor 120 to transistor 122. Consequently, the gate voltage of p-type transistor 134 is driven lower by the current of transistor 126 during the soft-start mode, resulting in the transistor 134 being turned on.

(16) For the sake of clarity, Vramp 170 is discussed herein as being increased “gradually,” which refers to the fact that the voltage of Vramp 170 may be increased linearly in some embodiments, stepped-up (i.e., increased to an interim voltage, held at that voltage for a period of time, increased to a second interim voltage, and so forth), or increased in a non-linear or parabolic fashion.

(17) As Vramp 170 reaches Vsupply1 114 during soft-start mode, all of Ilimit 188 will flow through transistor 172 and pass through the current mirrors of transistors 146, 144, 138, and 136. In this case, all of the current of Ilimit 188 will reach transistor 134, and the current passing through transistor 134 will be limited by the current Ilimit 188. Therefore, the maximum output current of the regulator 100 is capped by Ilimit 188 and the mirroring ratios of the current mirrors consisting of transistors 146, 144, 138, 136, 140, 142, 150, and 152. This ensures that the voltage regulator never exceeds a certain current threshold, and thus protecting against current surges and spikes. Moreover, Vout 164 is controlled by a low gain loop made up of transistors 174, 172, 146, 144, 138, 136, 140, 142, 150, 152, R.sub.0 154, and R.sub.1 156. The low gain loop is compensated by Cload 166, and no additional compensation circuit is needed.

(18) Transistor 134 is a p-type transistor that turns on when it receives a low voltage at its gate from the error amplifier 104. During soft-start mode, transistor 134 is completely turned on due to the low or zero voltage coming out of the error amplifier 104. Transistors 146, 144, 168, 136, 140, 142, 150, and 152 mirror the current of transistor 172 to Vout 164. As the voltage from the error amplifier 104 increases, transistor 134 begins reducing the amount of current and voltage originating from the soft-start circuit 108 that is provided to Vout 164. In one embodiment, soft-start feedback voltage Vfb_ss 178 follows the voltage of Vramp 170 by a ratio of (R.sub.0+R.sub.1)/R.sub.1 until Vout 174 reaches Vref*(R.sub.3+R.sub.4)/R.sub.4. In one embodiment, when Vramp 170 is greater than the voltage of Vref*(R.sub.3+R.sub.4)R.sub.4/((R.sub.0+R.sub.1)/R.sub.1), the voltage regulator 100 transitions from the soft-start mode to the normal-operation mode, Vramp 170 is no longer increased, and Vout 164 correspondingly reaches Vref*(R.sub.3+R.sub.4)/R.sub.4, where it is maintained during the normal-operation mode. In another embodiment, voltage regulator 100 transitions to the normal-operation mode, keeping Vout 164 locked, when Vramp 170 reaches Vsupply1 114.

(19) During normal-operation mode, Vout 164 is controlled by a feedback loop comprising transistors 120, 122, 124, 126, 134, 140, 142, 150, and 152; compensation circuit 106; and resistors R3 158 and R4 160. In normal-operation mode, Vfb 176 and Vref are greater than the threshold voltages for transistors 124 and 126, respectively, so both transistors are turned on, and the output signal from transistor 142 is transferred through transistors 150 and 152 to Vout 164. Normal-operation feedback circuit 112 contains a voltage divider that provides Vfb 176 a division or fraction of Vout 164, back to input transistor 124 of the error amplifier 104.

(20) Control logic 168 may include various additional circuitry for ramping Vramp 170 to Vsupply1 114, and in some embodiments, may be driven by executable instructions embodied on storage media, or memory, that are executable by a processor or controller to cause variable voltage Vramp 170 to gradually increase to Vsupply1 114. In one embodiment, control logic 168 is programmed to gradually increase Vramp 170 being supplied to the gate of transistor 174 from 0V to Vsupply1 114 within a specific timeframe during which the voltage regulator 100 operates in the soft-start mode. For example, the control logic 168 may increase Vramp 170 from 0 to 6V in six milliseconds. After the timeframe, the voltage regulator transitions out of the soft-start mode and into the normal-operation mode during which Vramp 170 is kept at Vsupply1 114.

(21) FIG. 2 illustrates a graph showing Vramp 170 linearly increasing from 0V at a first time (t1) to Vsupply1 114 at a second time (t2). The linear rise of Vramp 170 is ideal for several soft-start operations, but, again, not all embodiments will increase Vramp 170 in a linear fashion. Some may apply a parabolic or staggered increase in Vramp 170 from 0 V to Vsupply1 114. Also, the chart shows Vramp 170 being equal to 0V at t1. In some embodiments, voltage ramping may begin at t1 when Vramp 170 is between 0V and the threshold voltage for transistor 174.

(22) In an alternative embodiment, Vramp 170 may be gradually increased at a particular “voltage ramp rate,” meaning a particular voltage step-up rate, until Vramp 170 reaches Vsupply1 114. Thus, in such an embodiment, no ramp timeframe is required. Embodiments may use a voltage sensor to detect when Vramp 170 reaches the Vsupply1 114, and thereafter, the control logic 168 may then maintain the Vramp 170 at Vsupply1 114 as the voltage regulator 100 transitions from the soft-start mode to the normal-operation mode.

(23) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of track regulator 300, according to one embodiment. Track regulator 300 is a voltage regulator that mirrors a reference voltage, shown as Vsupply1 314, and includes circuitry for providing a soft start function to gradually increase the output voltage Vout 364 of track regulator 300 from 0V, or a low value, to Vsupply1 314. Vsupply1 314 may be the voltage of another voltage regulator, e.g., voltage regulator 100 discussed above in FIG. 1.

(24) Control logic 368 may include various additional circuitry for ramping Vramp 370 to Vsupply1 314, and in some embodiments, may be driven by executable instructions embodied on storage media, or memory, that are executable by a processor or controller to cause variable voltage Vramp 370 to gradually increase to Vsupply1 314 or some other operational voltage level.

(25) In the illustrated embodiment, track regulator 300 includes two operational amplifiers (op-amps) 302 and 304 with opposite input transistor pair types. Op-amp 302 has n-type transistors on its inputs that receive Vsupply1 314 at the non-inverting input and Vout 364 at the inverting input. Vsupply1 314 is supplied directly to the non-inverting input of op-amp 302, and Vramp 370, which is based on Vsupply1 314, is provided to the non-inverting input of op-amp 304. Vramp 370 is a variable voltage that is gradually increased from 0V to Vsupply1 314 by control logic 368. Op-amp 304 also receives soft start feedback signal Vfb_ss 378 at the inverting input.

(26) The different types of input transistors (n- and p-type), though not explicitly shown (see, similar circuitry in FIG. 1), provide different functional input ranges to op-amps 302 and 304. The n-type transistors of op-amp 302 are only operational when Vsupply1 314 and Vout 364 both exceed the threshold gate-to-source voltage (Vgs) of the n-type transistors of op-amp 302. Conversely, op-amp 304 uses p-type transistors that are at low voltages from Vramp 370 and a feedback signal Vfb_ss 378 supplied from voltage divider 310.

(27) Compensation network 306 compensates the output of op-amp 302 using resistor Rc 330 and capacitor Cc 332, and similarly, compensation network 307 compensates the output of op-amp 304 using resistor Rc 331 and capacitor Cc 333. Compensation networks 306 and 307 provide, in various embodiments, dominant-pole or lag compensation, or otherwise stabilize the outputs of the op-amps 302 and 304.

(28) In operation, track regulator 300 functions in one of two modes: (1) soft-start mode, and (2) normal-operation mode. In the soft-start mode, op-amp 304 controls an output voltage Vout 364 of the track regulator 300, and control logic 368 gradually increases Vramp 317 from 0V, or a relatively low voltage, to Vsupply1 314. At such low voltages (i.e., voltages lower than the gate-to-source voltages of the n-type transistors of op-amp 302), the p-type transistors of op-amp 304 are functional, transistor 335 is turned on, and transistor 334 is kept off. Vramp 370 is provided through the current mirrors of transistors 335, 340, 342, 350, and 352 to Vout 364, and Vout 364 is fed back to the inverting input of op-amp 302.

(29) Taking a closer look, when the track regulator is first enabled during soft-start mode, Vout 364 equals 0V and is supplied to the inverting input of op-amp 302. But the non-inverting input of op-amp 302 is tied to Vsupply1 314, and the difference between the two inputs makes op-amp 302 unbalanced, thereby turning on transistor 334. During the soft-start mode, Vout 364 is controlled by the negative feedback loop of the p-type transistor op-amp 304, and the control logic 368 gradually increases Vramp 368 supplied to the non-inverting input of op-amp 304 from 0V to Vsupply1 314. The compensated output of op-amp 304 is provided to transistor 335, which is turned on once its threshold gate-to-source voltage is met. Transistors 340 and 342 mirror the current from the drain of transistor 335 to a driver circuit 316, which receives a second voltage supply Vsupply2 and generates Vout 364 equal to the output provided by transistor 335.

(30) Once Vramp 370 reaches Vsupply1 314, control logic 368 stops increasing Vramp 370 and maintains Vramp 370 at Vsupply1 314. The track regulator 300 transitions from the soft-start mode to the normal-operation mode of operation. In the normal-operation mode, op-amps 302 and 304 are both functional, so transistors 334 and 335 are both turned on. Thus, Vout 364 of track regulator 300 is ramped from 0V to Vsupply1 314 in soft-start mode, and then maintained at Vsupply1 314 during normal-operation mode. This provides an effective way to implement soft start functionality while eliminating inrush current and overshoot voltage during startup.

(31) Vout 364 is fed back to the inverting input of op-amp 302 and used by voltage divider 310 to generate Vfb_ss 378. Voltage divider 310 produces Vfb_ss 378 as a function of Vramp 370 by a ratio of (R0+R1)/R1 until Vout 364 reaches the voltage of Vsupply1 314. After that, the track regulator 300 switches from the soft-start mode to the normal-operation mode, resulting in the inputs of the op-amp 304 being unbalanced, transistor 335 turning on, and Vout 364 tracking Vsupply1 314. The capacitance experienced at Vout 364 is illustrated as Cload 366.

(32) The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.

(33) From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.