Low power real-time clock circuit having system and battery power arbitration

• US 5,838,171 A
• Filed: 11/22/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Timothy Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Callahan, Tim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, An T.
• Application Number:
  US08/755,279
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 327/19, 327/512, 327/513, 327/533, 327/540, 327/541, 327/543, 327/63, 327/68, 327/70, 327/74, 327/77, 327/99, 327/65, 327/545, 307/43, 307/44, 307/126
• US Class Current: 327/19
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16538 in AC or DC supplies G01R19/16519 and G01R19/16528 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/245 producing a voltage or current as a predetermined function of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision

Abstract

A circuit for power arbitration, low battery voltage detection, and the operation of battery backed circuitry for systems in which the system power supply voltage range overlaps that of a battery source. A voltage regulator is used to regulate the battery voltage so that the voltage range of the battery source is below the voltage range of the system supply. The regulator is based on a silicon-bandgap referenced methodology and consumes an insignificant amount of current so that the battery life is not appreciably affected. The regulator also has a smaller variation in its output voltage than the battery. A temperature and supply voltage compensated voltage is produced by the combination of a subthreshold current source, parasitic bipolar devices, and voltage buffering, and used to provide a voltage source for the battery backed circuitry of the system. The regulated voltage is set to a value lower than the system supply and serves as the battery supply input for the power arbitration circuitry. The regulated voltage permits the internal power arbitration scheme of the present invention to be equivalent to existing arbitration circuits even though the battery and system supply voltage ranges overlap.

Claims

1. A power arbitration circuit for determining which one of a first and a second voltage source is provided as an output voltage source, wherein the first and second voltage sources produce first and second voltage signals, respectively, having overlapping voltage ranges, the power arbitration circuit comprising:

a current source which produces a current having a magnitude which is proportional to temperature, the current source further comprising

a current generation stage containing a transistor operating in a sub-threshold region of the transistor;

a regulator configured to receive the first voltage signal as an input and to produce a reference voltage signal as an output, wherein the reference voltage signal does not overlap the second voltage signal voltage range, the regulator further comprising

a first voltage drop element having as an input the current produced by the current source and producing a voltage having a positive temperature coefficient as an output; and

a second voltage drop element having as an input the current produced by the current source and producing a voltage having a negative temperature coefficient as an output;

a comparator having as inputs the reference voltage signal output by the regulator and the second voltage signal, and producing as an output a control signal indicative of which of the two comparator inputs is greater; and

a switch having the control signal as an input, the switch responding to the control signal by providing the indicated one of the comparator inputs as the output voltage source.

2. The power arbitration circuit of claim 1, wherein the first voltage signal is provided by a battery.

3. The power arbitration circuit of claim 1, wherein the regulator further comprises:

a startup circuit which provides the first voltage signal as the output of the regulator in the situation in which the current source has no output.

4. The power arbitration circuit of claim 1, wherein the first voltage drop element has a first value and the second voltage drop element has a second value, and further, wherein the first and second values are chosen so that a sum of the outputs of the first and second voltage drop elements is approximately independent of temperature.

5. The power arbitration circuit of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage signal is below the range of the second voltage signal.

6. A low power clock circuit, comprising:

a power arbitration circuit for determining which one of a first voltage source and a second voltage source is provided as an output voltage source, wherein the first and second voltage sources produce first and second voltage signals, respectively, having overlapping voltage ranges, the power arbitration circuit producing an output which is the greater of the second voltage signal and a reference voltage signal derived from the first voltage signal, and further, wherein the reference voltage signal is not within the range of the second voltage signal;

an oscillator configured to have the output of the power arbitration circuit as an input and producing a clock signal as an output; and

a power supply detection circuit having as inputs the reference voltage signal and the first voltage signal, and producing a low supply detection signal as an output when the first voltage signal is less than the reference voltage signal.

7. A low power clock circuit, comprising:

a power arbitration circuit for determining which one of a first voltage source and a second voltage source is provided as an output voltage source, wherein the first and second voltage sources produce first and second voltage signals, respectively, having overlapping voltage ranges, the power arbitration circuit producing an output which is the greater of the second voltage signal and a reference voltage signal derived from the first voltage signal, and further, wherein the reference voltage signal is not within the range of the second voltage signal;

an oscillator configured to have the output of the power arbitration circuit as an input and producing a clock signal as an output; and

a power supply detection circuit having as inputs the reference voltage signal and the second voltage signal, and producing a low supply detection signal as an output when the second voltage signal is less than the reference voltage signal.

8. A low power clock circuit, comprising:

a power arbitration circuit for determining which one of a first voltage source and a second voltage source is provided as an output voltage source, wherein the first and second voltage sources produce first and second voltage signals, respectively, having overlapping voltage ranges, the power arbitration circuit producing an output which is the greater of the second voltage signal and a reference voltage signal derived from the first voltage signal, and further, wherein the reference voltage signal is not with the range of the second voltage signal;

an oscillator configured to have the output of the power arbitration circuit as an input and producing a clock signal as an output;

a regulator configured to receive the first voltage signal as an input and to produce the reference voltage signal as an output;

a comparator having as inputs the reference voltage signal output by the regulator and the second voltage signal, and producing as an output a control signal indicative of which of the two comparator inputs is greater;

a switch having the control signal as an input, the switch responding to the control signal by providing the indicated one of the comparator inputs as the output voltage source;

and wherein the power arbitration circuit further includes

a current source which produces a current having a magnitude which is proportional to temperature, the current source further including a current generation stage containing a transistor operating in a sub-threshold region of the transistor.

9. The low power clock circuit of claim 8, wherein the regulator further comprises:

a first voltage drop element having as an input the current produced by the current source and producing a voltage having a positive temperature coefficient as an output; and

a second voltage drop element having as an input the current produced by the current source and producing a voltage having a negative temperature coefficient as an output.

10. The low power clock circuit of claim 8, wherein the regulator further comprises:

a startup circuit which provides the first voltage signal as the output of the regulator in the situation in which the current source has no output.

11. The power arbitration circuit of claim 8, wherein the first voltage drop element has a first value and the second voltage drop element has a second value, and further, wherein the first and second values are chosen so that a sum of the outputs of the first and second voltage drop elements is approximately independent of temperature.