Method And System For An Adaptive Low-Dropout Regulator
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for a low-dropout regulator may comprise a voltage regulator comprising: (a) a pass transistor having a first terminal at a control gate, a voltage input at a second terminal, and a voltage output at a third terminal, and (b) an adaptive control circuit (ACC), electrically coupled to a reference voltage and each of the terminals of the pass transistor. The ACC may determine a AV between the second and third terminals and cause an error signal to be applied to the first terminal to keep AV essentially constant as the voltage input varies. The ACC may include a voltage summing circuit electrically coupled to the reference voltage and the input voltage to generate a comparison value. An error amplifier electrically coupled to the control gate and to the voltage summing circuit may generate the error signal from the comparison value and the output voltage.
7 Citations
32 Claims
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1-12. -12. (canceled)
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13. A system for voltage regulation, the system comprising:
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a voltage regulator comprising; (a) a pass transistor having a first terminal at a control gate, a voltage input at a second terminal, and a voltage output at a third terminal; and (b) an adaptive control circuit, electrically coupled to a reference voltage and the first, second, and third terminals of the pass transistor, the adaptive control circuit determining a difference Δ
V between the second and third terminals of the pass transistor, and causing an error signal to be applied to the first terminal of the pass transistor to keep Δ
V essentially constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of voltage regulation, the method comprising:
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in a voltage regulator comprising a pass transistor having a first terminal at a control gate, a voltage input at a second terminal, and a voltage output at a third terminal; (a) determining a difference Δ
V between the second and third terminals of the pass transistor utilizing an adaptive control circuit coupled to a reference voltage and to the first terminal of the pass transistor; and(b) controlling the power dissipation of the pass transistor as a function of Δ
V utilizing the adaptive control circuit by applying an error signal to the first terminal of the pass transistor so as to maintain such power dissipation approximately constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of regulating voltage in an adaptive low dropout voltage regulator circuit while maintaining low power dissipation, including:
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(a) providing a pass transistor having a first terminal at a control gate, a voltage input at a second terminal, and a voltage output at a third terminal; (b) providing adaptive control circuitry, electrically coupled to a reference voltage and the first, second, and third terminals of the pass transistor, the adaptive control circuitry for determining a difference Δ
V between the second and third terminals of the pass transistor; and(c) applying an error signal derived from the adaptive control circuitry to the control gate of the pass transistor to keep Δ
V essentially constant as the voltage input varies. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification