POWER SUPPLY UNIT, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20140057575A1
• Filed: 08/04/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ayukawa, Kazuhito
• Granted Patent: US 9,164,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/73
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0045 Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

The present invention realizes stabler output voltage variable control in a power supply unit. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage has: a first regulator for dropping down voltage, by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to a first node; and a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by a voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node. In the case where a target voltage instructed by first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator. In the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the power supply unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops output of voltage from the first regulator.

Claims

1. A power supply unit capable of changing dynamic output voltage comprising:

a first node for outputting the output voltage;

a first regulator for dropping, down input voltage by a switching method and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node;

a second regulator for dropping down the input voltage by voltage drop and outputting the resultant voltage to the first node; and

an output voltage control unit for controlling the first and second regulators in accordance with first information instructing target voltage of the output voltage,

wherein in the case where the target voltage instructed by the, first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit controls the first regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the second regulator and, in the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit controls the second regulator so that the voltage of the first node becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the first regulator.

2. The power supply unit according to claim 1,

wherein the second regulator comprises:

an output transistor supplying current to the first node; and

an error amplifier receiving a feedback voltage and a reference voltage based on the voltage of the first node and controlling current supply by the output transistor so that an error between the two input voltages decreases, and

the output voltage control unit generates the reference voltage according to a voltage lower than the target voltage in the case where the instructed target voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold voltage, and generates the reference voltage according to the target voltage in the case where the instructed target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage.

3. The power supply unit according to claim 2,

wherein the first regulator drops down a first input voltage and outputs the resultant voltage, and

the second regulator drops down a second input voltage lower than the first input voltage and outputs the resultant voltage.

4. The power supply unit according to claim 3,

wherein the second regulator outputs a voltage to the first node via a diode which is biased in a forward direction.

5. The power supply unit according to claim 2,

wherein in the case where the instructed target voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit generates the reference voltage according to the predetermined threshold voltage.

6. The power supply unit according to claim 1,

wherein the first regulator comprises:

a voltage converter circuit controlling current to be supplied to an inductor by a switching element to thereby generate a voltage lower than an input voltage and output the resultant voltage; and

a switching control unit controlling an on/off state of the switching element, and

wherein the output voltage control unit controls the switching control unit so as to turn off the switching element to thereby stop output of voltage from the first regulator.

7. A wireless communication device capable of performing communication by switching transmission/reception of data and power transmission, comprising:

an antenna;

a drive circuit generating a drive signal for driving the antenna;

a matching circuit for impedance matching between the antenna and an antenna on a reception device side;

a power supply unit according to claim 1; and

a data process control unit for controlling the communication,

wherein in the case of transmitting data via the antenna, the data process control unit supplies the first information instructing a target voltage smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage to the power supply unit, in the case of transmitting power via the antenna, the, data, process control unit gives the first information instructing a target voltage larger than the predetermined threshold voltage to the power supply unit, and

the drive circuit generates the drive signal according to the voltage output from the power supply unit.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 7,

wherein the data process control unit includes a microcontroller.

9. A semiconductor device comprising:

a switching control unit generating a control signal for controlling an on/off state of a switching circuit in a step-down-type switching regulator;

a series regulator; and

an output voltage control unit controlling the switching control unit and the series regulator in accordance with first information instructing a target voltage to be output,

wherein in the case where the target voltage instructed by the first information is larger than a predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit, generates the control signal so that output voltage of the switching regulator becomes the target voltage and stops supply of voltage from the series regulator, and in the case where the target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit generates the control signal to control the series regulator so that output voltage of the series regulator becomes the target voltage and to stop generation of voltage by the switching regulator.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the series regulator comprises:

an output transistor driving a load; and

an error amplifier receiving a feedback voltage according to the output voltage and a reference voltage and controlling the output transistor so that an error between the two input voltages decreases, and

the output voltage control unit generates the reference voltage according to a voltage lower than the target voltage in the case where the instructed target voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold voltage, and generates the reference voltage according to the target voltage in the case where the instructed target voltage is smaller than the predetermined threshold voltage.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,

wherein in the case where the instructed target voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold voltage, the output voltage control unit generates the reference voltage according to the predetermined threshold voltage.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 9,

wherein the series regulator drops a voltage lower than an input voltage of the switching regulator and outputs the resultant voltage.