Circuit devices and methods of providing a regulated power supply

• US 8,564,256 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: May, Michael Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US12/620,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 323223-226, 323/282, 323/284
• US Class Current: 323/224
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/618 using semiconductor devices in series and in parallel with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence

Abstract

In an embodiment, a circuit includes a regulated power supply terminal, a processing circuit coupled to the regulated power supply terminal, and a low frequency responsive circuit having a first transistor adapted to be coupled to a power source and having first circuitry configured to control current flow from the power source through the first transistor to supply a low frequency current to the regulated power supply terminal. The circuit device further includes a high frequency responsive circuit having a second transistor coupled to the regulated power supply terminal and having second circuitry configured to control the second transistor to selectively modulate high frequency current components at the regulated power supply terminal to reduce voltage variations on the regulated power supply.

Claims

1. A circuit comprising:

a regulated power supply terminal;

a processing circuit coupled to the regulated power supply terminal;

a low frequency responsive circuit including a first transistor adapted to be coupled to a power source and including first circuitry configured to control current flow from the power source through the first transistor to supply a low frequency current to the regulated power supply terminal; and

a high frequency responsive circuit including a second transistor coupled to the regulated power supply terminal and including second circuitry configured to control the second transistor to selectively modulate high frequency current components at the regulated power supply terminal to reduce voltage variations on the regulated power supply terminal.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit comprises a digital circuit.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second circuitry includes an amplifier circuit having a first input configured to receive a reference voltage and having a second input coupled to the regulated power supply terminal through a capacitor.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the amplifier circuit is adjustable to adjust a sensitivity of the high frequency responsive circuit to the high frequency current components.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry includes an amplifier circuit comprising:

a reference input to receive a reference voltage signal;

a feedback input coupled to the regulated power supply terminal; and

an output coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor to control the current flow through the first transistor.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the high frequency responsive circuit comprises:

a bias generator circuit configured to generate a bias voltage based on a bias current;

a shunt control circuit coupled to the bias generator circuit and configured to generate a shunt control signal; and

the second transistor having a control terminal responsive to the shunt control signal.

7. A method of providing a regulated power supply, the method comprising:

controlling the regulated power supply provided to a regulated power supply terminal using a low frequency responsive circuit to produce a supply voltage;

comparing variations of the supply voltage to a threshold to produce a control signal;

modulating the supply voltage at the regulated power supply terminal by selectively sinking high frequency current components to ground in response to the control signal using a high frequency responsive circuit to reduce variations in the supply voltage; and

powering a processing circuit from the regulated power supply terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein modulating the supply voltage at regulated power supply terminal comprises:

controlling a transistor within the high frequency responsive circuit to selectively shunt the high frequency current components to ground based on the control signal.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

feeding back the supply voltage from the regulated power supply terminal to the low frequency responsive circuit;

comparing the supply voltage to a reference voltage to determine a difference; and

selectively adjusting the supply current to the regulated power supply terminal based on the difference.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein comparing the variations of the supply voltage comprises:

coupling the high frequency components of the supply voltage to an input of an amplifier;

receiving a threshold signal at a second input of the amplifier; and

producing the control signal at an output of the amplifier to control a transistor of the high frequency responsive circuit to selectively sink the high frequency current components to ground.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein modulating the supply voltage at the power supply regulated power supply terminal comprises:

receiving the supply voltage from the regulated power supply terminal at the high frequency responsive circuit;

generating a bias current at a bias generating circuit;

amplifying changes in the supply voltage at a shunt control circuit coupled to the bias generating circuit to produce the control signal; and

selectively adjusting a transistor coupled between the regulated power supply terminal and ground based on the control signal.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein controlling the supply current to the regulated power supply terminal comprises generating a bias current using a current mirror coupled to a transistor of the low frequency responsive circuit.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein modulating the supply voltage at the regulated power supply terminal comprises coupling the regulated power supply terminal to a control terminal of a shunt transistor through a capacitor to control current flow through the shunt transistor based on high frequency current variations in the supply voltage at the regulated power supply terminal.

14. A circuit comprising:

a series regulator circuit adapted to be coupled to a power supply and configurable to provide a regulated power supply voltage to a regulated power supply terminal based on the power supply;

the series regulator circuit comprising;

an amplifier circuit including a first input coupled to a reference voltage, a second input coupled to one of a feedback signal and a regulated power supply, and an output;

a transistor coupled between the power supply and the regulated power supply terminal and including a gate coupled to the output of the amplifier; and

a shunt regulator circuit coupled to the regulated power supply terminal and to ground, the shunt regulator circuit configurable to shunt high frequency components of the regulated power supply voltage to ground.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the transistor is responsive to the control output of the amplifier circuit to control the regulated power supply voltage.

16. The circuit of claim 15, wherein the shunt regulator circuit comprises:

a second amplifier circuit including a second reference input configured to receive a second reference voltage signal, a second input, and an output;

a capacitor coupled between the regulated power supply terminal and the second input; and

a second transistor coupled between the regulated power supply terminal and ground, the second transistor including a gate coupled to the output of the second amplifier circuit.

17. The circuit of claim 15, wherein the shunt regulator circuit comprises:

a bias generator circuit coupled between the regulated power supply terminal and ground;

a shunt control circuit coupled to the bias generator circuit and configured to produce a control signal; and

a shunt transistor coupled between the regulated power supply terminal and ground, the shunt transistor including a gate terminal to receive the control signal.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the shunt control circuit amplifies high frequency variations of the regulated power supply voltage to produce the control signal.

19. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the series regulator circuit is programmable based on the reference voltage.

20. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the series regulator circuit comprises:

a current mirror coupled to the output of the amplifier and configured to control the supply current based on an output signal at the output of the amplifier, the current mirror including the transistor.