Non-resistive load driver

• US 8,164,365 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Hancioglu, Erhan, Muriby, Jason, Wright, David
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LONG T
• Application Number:
  US11/843,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20080258797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 327108-112, 327/170, 326/26, 326/27, 326/82, 326/83, 326/87
• US Class Current: 327/108
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/687 the devices being field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0016 by using a control or a clock signal, e.g. in order to apply power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/00369 Modifications for compensating variations of temperature, supply voltage or other physical parameters

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus to drive non-resistive loads. The non-resistive load driver may include two or more drivers, such as a high-drive circuit and a low-drive circuit, to drive rail-to-rail output voltages and to stabilize the output voltages at a substantially constant level. The high-drive circuit may drive the output voltage of the non-resistive load driver to a threshold level, whereas the low-drive circuit may modify the output voltage of the non-resistive load driver to approximate an input voltage of the non-resistive load driver, and compensate any leakage associated with the non-resistive loads to provide a substantially constant output voltage. The low-drive circuit consumes less current than the high-drive circuit. The non-resistive load driver consumes less power and use less chip space. Alternatively, the non-resistive load driver may be implemented using a single driver with multiple modes, such as a low-drive mode and a high-drive mode, by changing a bias current of the non-resistive load driver between a high current mode and a low current mode.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a voltage generator configured to generate an input voltage;

a first circuit configured to drive a non-resistive load to a threshold voltage level, the first circuit comprising;

a first comparator configured to compare a non-resistive load voltage to a first voltage;

a first switch configured to charge the non-resistive load when the first voltage is greater than the non-resistive load voltage;

a second comparator configured to compare the non-resistive load voltage to a second voltage, and

a second switch configured to discharge the non-resistive load when the non-resistive load voltage is greater than the second voltage; and

a second circuit configured to adjust the non-resistive load voltage to approximate the input voltage.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a control logic having a control signal generator configured to generate one or more signals to select the first circuit or the second circuit.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-resistive load comprises at least one of a capacitive load, a partially resistive load, or an inductive load.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is capable of operating in a high-drive mode to drive the non-resistive load to the threshold voltage level, and a low-drive mode capable of adjusting the non-resistive load voltage to approximate the input voltage, and to keep the non-resistive load voltage at a substantially constant level.

5. The device of claim 4, where the first circuit is associated with the high-drive mode and the second circuit is associated with the low-drive mode.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second circuit is configured to adjust the non-resistive load voltage by canceling an offset voltage associated with the non-resistive load.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the device is capable of driving the non-resistive load to rail-to-rail voltages.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the threshold voltage level is offset from the input voltage by a small amount.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the threshold voltage level is between the first voltage and the second voltage, the first voltage is substantially a difference between the input voltage and an offset voltage, and the second voltage is substantially a sum of the input voltage and the offset voltage.

10. A method, comprising:

generating an input voltage;

driving a non-resistive load to a voltage within a voltage window, the voltage window being defined by the input voltage and an offset voltage during a high-drive mode;

adjusting a non-resistive load voltage to approximate the input voltage during a low-drive mode; and

compensating the non-resistive load voltage for leakage during the low-drive mode.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating at least one control signal to select at least one of the high-drive mode or the low-drive mode.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the driving a non-resistive load comprises driving at least one of a capacitive load, an inductive load, or a partially-resistive load.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising driving the non-resistive load to rail-to-rail voltages.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing a bias current between the high-drive mode and the low-drive mode, the low-drive mode consuming less current than the high-drive mode.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising not driving the non-resistive load during a no-drive mode.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating a first circuit to drive the non-resistive load to the voltage within the voltage window.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating a second circuit to adjust the non-resistive load voltage to approximate the input voltage, and to compensate the non-resistive load voltage for leakage.

18. A non-resistive load driver, comprising:

a voltage generator configured to generate an input voltage;

a high drive circuit configured to drive a non-resistive load to a voltage within a voltage range, the voltage range being defined by the input voltage and an offset voltage;

a low drive circuit configured to adjust a non-resistive load voltage to approximate the input voltage by canceling any offset voltages associated with the non-resistive load voltage; and

a control signal generator configured to generate one or more control signals to select at least one of the high-drive circuit or the low-drive circuit.

19. The non-resistive load driver of claim 18, further comprising at least one offset voltage generator configured to change at least one bias voltage when selecting the high-drive circuit or the low-drive circuit.

20. The non-resistive load driver of claim 18, wherein the voltage range is between a first voltage and a second voltage, the first voltage being a difference between the input voltage and the offset voltage, and the second voltage being a sum of the input voltage and the offset voltage.