Hybrid charge pump regulation
First Claim
1. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:
- a voltage producing circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, and the voltage producing circuit having a control terminal;
a comparison circuit operatively connected to the voltage producing circuit, the comparison circuit operating to compare a feedback signal received at an input terminal with a reference signal to produce a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the voltage producing circuit;
a first feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage producing circuit and to the comparison circuit, the first feedback circuit providing a first feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit; and
a second feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage producing circuit and to the comparison circuit, the second feedback circuit providing a second feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques for reliably and efficiently generating an output voltage for use within an electronic device, such as a memory system, are disclosed. A voltage generation circuit generates the output voltage. The voltage generation circuit includes regulation circuitry that controls regulation of the output voltage to maintain the output voltage at a substantially constant level. According to one aspect, regulation is provided through use of different feedback circuits. By selectively disabling one of the feedback circuits, power consumption can be reduced and the other of the feedback circuits can support the continued regulation of the output voltage. The voltage generation circuit is therefore able to operate in an accurate, stable and power efficient manner.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:
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a voltage producing circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, and the voltage producing circuit having a control terminal; a comparison circuit operatively connected to the voltage producing circuit, the comparison circuit operating to compare a feedback signal received at an input terminal with a reference signal to produce a feedback signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the voltage producing circuit; a first feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage producing circuit and to the comparison circuit, the first feedback circuit providing a first feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit; and a second feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage producing circuit and to the comparison circuit, the second feedback circuit providing a second feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A voltage generation circuit, comprising:
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a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being derived from the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal; a resistive divider operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit to provide a first divided voltage at a first node; a capacitor divider operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit to provide a second divided voltage at a second node; a comparator operatively connected to the second node and to a reference voltage, the comparator comparing the first divided voltage or the second divided voltage to the reference voltage to produce a first control signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit; a first switch operatively connected between the first node and the second node; and a second switch operatively connected between the resistive divider and an established voltage. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A memory product, comprising:
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data storage elements; a controller for performing data storage and retrieval with respect to the data storage elements; and at least one voltage generation circuit, the voltage generation circuit comprising; a charge pump circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being derived from the input voltage, and the charge pump circuit having a control terminal; a resistive divider operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit to provide a first divided voltage at a first node; a capacitor divider operatively connected to the output terminal of the charge pump circuit to provide a second divided voltage at a second node; a comparator operatively connected to the second node and to a reference voltage, the comparator comparing the first divided voltage or the second divided voltage to the reference voltage to produce a first control signal that is supplied to the control terminal of the charge pump circuit; a first switch operatively connected between the first node and the second node; and a second switch operatively connected between the resistive divider and an established voltage. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An electronic system, comprising:
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a data acquisition device; and a data storage device removably coupled to the data acquisition device, the data storage device storing data acquired by the data acquisition device, and the data storage device including at least; data storage elements; a controller for performing data storage and retrieval with respect to the data storage elements; and at least one voltage generation circuit that receives an input voltage and outputs an output voltage at an output terminal, the output voltage being derived from the input voltage, the voltage generation circuit including at least; a comparison circuit, the comparison circuit operating to compare a feedback signal received at an input terminal with a reference signal to produce a feedback signal that is supplied to the voltage generation circuit; a first feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage generation circuit and to the comparison circuit, the first feedback circuit providing a first feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit; and a second feedback circuit operatively connected to the output terminal of the voltage generation circuit and to the comparison circuit, the second feedback circuit providing a second feedback signal to the input terminal of the comparison circuit. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. A method for regulating a voltage level produced by a voltage generation circuit of a voltage control circuit, said method comprising:
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(a) activating the voltage control circuit that produces a regulated output voltage, the voltage control circuit including at least a first feedback circuit and a comparison circuit; (b) enabling a second feedback circuit; (c) determining whether the output voltage has reached its regulated level; and (d) disabling the second feedback circuit when said determining (c) determines that the output voltage has reached the regulated level, whereby regulation of the output voltage is through the second feedback circuit. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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Specification