Voltage-supply circuit and method for providing a circuit with a supply voltage

US7605575B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

• Thomas Leutgeb · Lieboch, AT
• Gerhard Nebel · Immenstadt im Allgäu, DE
• Dirk Rabe · Munich, DE
• Dietmar Scheiblhofer · Kaindorf, AT
• Bernd Zimek · Graz, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: May 3, 2007
• Grant date: Oct 20, 2009
• Expiry date: Jan 14, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05F1/573
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A current-supply circuit includes a regulation transistor. The regulation transistor is formed to regulate, based on a first supply voltage present on a first supply-voltage feed line, a second supply voltage present on a second supply-voltage feed line. The regulation transistor provides a supply current to the second supply-voltage feed line. The voltage-supply circuit further includes an operating-point determiner, which is formed to determine, based on information that is a measure for the supply current, whether the regulation transistor is at a low operating point at which the supply current is below a determined current. The voltage-supply circuit further includes a preventer that is formed to prevent, starting from the low operating point, a rise of the supply current by at least a predetermined current amount from occurring within a predetermined period.