ADAPTIVE LDO REGULATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. An adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit having low power dissipation, including:
- (a) a pass transistor having a control gate, a voltage input, and a voltage output; and
(b) an adaptive control circuit, electrically coupled to the control gate of the pass transistor, the voltage input, and the voltage output, for determining a difference Δ
V between the voltage input to the pass transistor and the voltage output of the pass transistor, and causing an error signal to be applied to the control gate of the pass transistor to keep Δ
V essentially constant as the voltage input varies.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An adaptive low dropout voltage regulator (LDO) circuit having low power dissipation, and a method of regulating voltage while maintaining low power dissipation. Power dissipation in an LDO circuit is controlled and held to a low value using an LDO circuit that maintains a constant voltage difference between Vin and Vout; that is, ΔV=Vin−Vout is approximately constant rather than linearly variable as a function of Vin. The output voltage Vout essentially tracks the input voltage Vin with an offset equal to ΔV; Vout increases as Vin, but is kept between minimum and maximum voltage output specification limits.
8 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. An adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit having low power dissipation, including:
-
(a) a pass transistor having a control gate, a voltage input, and a voltage output; and (b) an adaptive control circuit, electrically coupled to the control gate of the pass transistor, the voltage input, and the voltage output, for determining a difference Δ
V between the voltage input to the pass transistor and the voltage output of the pass transistor, and causing an error signal to be applied to the control gate of the pass transistor to keep Δ
V essentially constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
-
-
4. An adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit having low power dissipation, including:
-
(a) means for determining a difference Δ
V between a voltage input to a pass transistor and a voltage output of the pass transistor; and(b) means for controlling the power dissipation of the pass transistor as a function of Δ
V so as to maintain such power dissipation approximately constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
-
-
7. A method of regulating voltage with an adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit having a pass transistor while maintaining low power dissipation in the pass transistor, including:
-
(a) determining a difference Δ
V between a voltage input to the pass transistor and a voltage output of the pass transistor; and(b) controlling the power dissipation of the pass transistor as a function of Δ
V so as to maintain such power dissipation approximately constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method of regulating voltage in an adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit while maintaining low power dissipation, including:
-
(a) providing a pass transistor having a control gate, a voltage input, and a voltage output; (b) providing adaptive control circuitry, electrically coupled to the control gate of the pass transistor, the voltage input, and the voltage output, for determining a difference Δ
V between the voltage input to the pass transistor and the voltage output of the pass transistor; and(c) applying an error signal derived from the adaptive control circuitry to the control gate of the pass transistor to keep Δ
V essentially constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
Specification