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Regulator

  • US 5,998,979 A
  • Filed: 10/27/1998
  • Issued: 12/07/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A voltage regulator comprising a reference terminal, an input terminal for connection of a voltage source between the input terminal and the reference terminal, an output terminal for connection of a load between the output terminal and the reference terminal, a regulating unit comprising an input node, an output node, and a regulator node, the regulating unit is coupled in series between the input terminal and the output terminal in such a way that the input node is coupled to the input terminal and the output node is coupled to the output terminal, and the voltage regulator also comprises a control unit comprising a reference node coupled to a predetermined reference voltage, a measuring node coupled to the output terminal, and a control node that is coupled to the regulator node of the regulating unit, which control unit creates an analog signal on the control node in dependence on the voltage difference between the reference node and the measuring node for control of the regulating unit to attain a predetermined voltage difference between the reference node and the measuring node, wherein the regulating unit comprises a voltage drop unit coupled between the input node and the output node of the regulating unit which voltage drop unit creates a voltage drop being smaller than the intended voltage of the voltage source, and being substantially independent of the current through the voltage drop unit, and the regulating unit also comprises a substantially linearly controllable shunt unit having the function of a substantially linearly variable resistance and being coupled between the input node and the output node of the regulating unit and having a control input coupled to the regulator node, which variable resistance varies its resistance in accordance with an analog signal applied to the control input to thereby bypass the voltage drop unit in such a way that the output terminal becomes voltage regulated.

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