Patent · US Active

Low power regulator

US8558530B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
22References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 18, 2011
Grant dateOct 15, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 9, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05F1/56
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A voltage regulator may derive current from a bias circuitry having a constant-transconductance. The bias circuitry may generate the bias current using three NMOS devices. The temperature coefficient of the bias current may be within a specified, desired range. The bias current may be mirrored to low-power regulator circuitry to bias a diode-connected transistor in the low-power regulator circuitry to operate in the strong inversion region. A ratioed current based on the output load current may be injected into a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) device to cause the gate-source voltage (VGS) of the diode-connected device to track the VGS of the output transistor of the voltage regulator, to ensure tighter load regulation. By operating the diode-connected transistor in strong inversion, by maintaining its (VGS) constant over temperature, and by cancelling the VGS of the output transistor of the voltage regulator with the base-emitter voltage (VBE) of the BJT device, the regulated voltage output may become free of the effects of temperature and supply voltage.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.