Patent Application
20210109554
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to low dropout (LDO) voltage regulators, and more particularly to a simultaneous low quiescent current and high performance LDO voltage regulator having a single input stage and multiple output stages.
Although battery operated devices are convenient and have a wide range of applications, these devices must accommodate a wide voltage range supplied from battery (e.g., 2.4V-4.8V). Therefore, systems on chip (SoC's) designed for battery operated devices typically include voltage regulators to regulate the supply voltage received from the battery to provide a voltage within a narrower range (e.g., 2.9V-3.3V). A common type of regulator used is low dropout (LDO) voltage regulators.
To conserve power, many battery operated devices support multiple power modes. For example, common power modes include an active mode for high performance (a.k.a. high performance mode), to playback high quality audio, and a low power mode, such as deep sleep/dormant mode, for power saving to extend battery life. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide voltage regulators having good performance in high performance mode while consuming very low current in low power mode. Furthermore, it is desired to provide voltage regulators that are quiet during power mode transitions. In other words, voltage regulators having large undershoot or overshoot are not desired.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of such implementations. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated implementations, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more implementations in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
In some implementations, a low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator includes a first and a second pass transistors, and an error amplifying module. A source of the first pass transistor is coupled to a source of the second pass transistor and the sources of the first and second pass transistors are configured to receive an input voltage (Vin). The error amplifying module includes a first output, a second output, a first input, and a second input, the first output coupled to a gate of the first pass transistor, and the second output coupled to a gate of the second pass transistor. The error amplifying module further includes a first output stage coupled to the first output, the first output stage configured to drive the gate of the first pass transistor during a high performance (HP) mode, and a second output stage coupled to the second output, the second output stage configured to drive the gate of the second pass transistor during the HP mode and during a low power (LP) mode.
In some implementations, the LDO voltage regulator further includes an output node to provide an output voltage, a first resistor coupled between the output node and a feedback node, and a second resistor coupled between a ground and the feedback node.
In some implementations, the error amplifying module further includes an input stage having a first input, a second input, and an output, wherein the first input is configured to receive a reference voltage, the second input is coupled to the feedback node to receive a feedback voltage (Vfb), the first output is coupled to the first output stage of the error amplifying module, and the output is coupled to the first and the second output stages of the error amplifying module.
In some implementations, the second output stage of the error amplifying module further includes a p-type field effect transistor (pFET) having a source, a drain, and a gate, wherein the source is configured to receive the Vin, the gate and the drain are coupled to the gate of the second pass transistor; and an n-type field effect transistor (nFET) having a source, a drain, and a gate, wherein the source is coupled to the ground, the drain is coupled to the drain of the pFET, and the gate is coupled to the output of the input stage.
In some implementations, the first output stage of the error amplifying module further includes a first pFET having a source, a gate, and a drain, wherein the source is configured to receive the Vin; a second pFET having a source, a gate, and a drain, wherein the source is configured to receive the Vin, the gate and the drain are coupled to the gate of the first pFET; a first nFET having a source, a gate, and a drain, wherein the source is coupled to the ground, the drain is coupled to the drain of the first pFET, and the gate is coupled to the output of the input stage; and a second nFET having a source, a gate, and a drain, wherein the source is coupled to the ground, the drain is coupled to the drain of the second pFET, and the gate is coupled to the drain of the first nFET.
In some implementations, the first output stage of the error amplifying module further includes a first switch coupled between the source of the first nFET and the ground, a second switch coupled between the gate of the second nFET and the Vin, and a third switch coupled between the gate of the second pFET and the Vin.
In some implementations, the LDO voltage regulator further includes a fourth switch coupled between the gate of the first pass transistor and the Vin. During operation, the first switch is configured to be off and the second, third, and fourth switches are configured to be turned on in the LP mode. Further, the first switch is configured to be on and the second, third, and fourth switches are configured to be turned off in the HP mode.
In some implementations, the first pass transistor is larger than the second pass transistor.
In some implementations, the LDO voltage regulator can be incorporated into a system on a chip (SoC). The SoC can further include a core circuit, wherein the core circuit is coupled to the output node of the LDO voltage regulator, and the core circuit is configured to be powered by the output voltage from the LDO voltage regulator. Moreover, the Vin can be provided by a battery.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more implementations include the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the one or more implementations. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various implementations may be employed and the description embodiments are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.
The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
A conventional approach to support both high performance mode and low power mode in battery operated devices is to use two separate low dropout (LDO) voltage regulators connected in parallel. One example of this dual LDO approach is illustrated in
In general, the HP mode and the LP mode are two different power modes in which the SoC incorporating the LDO voltage regulators 110 and 120 can operate in. As used herein, a high performance (HP) mode refers to an active mode for high performance in a SoC. The SoC may enter the HP mode to playback high quality audio, to activate signal transceivers (e.g., short range wireless transceiver), and to perform complex and/or power consuming tasks, such as noise cancelling, machine learning programs, etc. On the other hand, a low power (LP) mode refers to a deep sleep or dormant power mode for power saving to extend battery life. The SoC may enter the LP mode after an extended period of inactivity, or in response to a user request, etc. One of skilled in the art would appreciate that various SoC's may support more than one LP mode and/or more than one HP mode.
Due to the difference in offset and gain of the two LDOs 110 and 120, one of the LDOs 110 and 120 always takes precedence even though both LDOs 110 and 120 are on. This causes both LDOs 110 and 120 to be turned off briefly during mode transitions (e.g., from HP mode to LP mode, or vice versa), resulting in a drop in the output voltage when the load 140 is connected to the output node 109. In some conventional design, the output droop can be avoided by using linear LDO voltage regulator for HP mode and hysteretic LDO voltage regulator for LP mode. But this comes at the expense of large ripple at the output in LP mode. Moreover, the use of two separate LDO voltage regulators requires more silicon area.
To address the above issues of the conventional configuration 100 shown in
The pass transistors 221 and 222 can be implemented with p-type field effect transistors (pFETs). Further, the first pass transistor 221 can be bigger than the second pass transistor 222. For example, the width of the gate (or channel) of the first pass transistor 221 can be longer than the width of the gate (or channel) of the second pass transistor 222. As the first pass transistor 221 is bigger than the second pass transistor 222 physically, the first pass transistor 221 is capable of accommodating a larger current flowing through than the second pass transistor 222.
In some implementations, the error amplifying module 210 includes a single input stage to receive a reference voltage Vref 201 and a feedback voltage Vfb 205, which is from the feedback node between the first and the second resistors 231 and 232. The input stage can include a differential pair of transistors to receive Vref 201 and Vfb 205. The error amplifying module 210 further includes a first and a second output stages to drive the two pass transistors 221 and 222, respectively. Specifically, the first output stage can be turned on or activated to drive the first pass transistor 221 during the HP mode. In the LP mode, the first output stage can be turned off or deactivated. On the other hand, the second output stage can be turned on or activated to drive the second pass transistor 222 during the HP mode and during the LP mode. In both HP and LP modes, the input stage stays on (or remains activated). In some implementations, the second output stage is smaller than the first output stage. Further, the second output stage can be kept on whenever the LDO voltage regulator 200 is on, thus, the second output stage may also be referred to be “always-on.” On the other hand, the first output stage is larger than the second output stage and the first output stage is a high current stage that responds very fast (or at least faster than the second output stage). As mentioned above, the first output stage is turned on in HP mode, but not in LP mode. Like the second output stage, the input stage remains on (or activated) in both LP and HP modes.
One advantage provided by the combination of the single input stage operating with the first and the second output stages is to facilitate a smooth transition between the HP mode and the LP mode. Further, there is no ripple in Vout because the LDO voltage regulator 200 is linear. Moreover, by using two output stages (namely, the first and the second output stages) in the error amplifying module 210, the SoC incorporating the LDO voltage regulator 200 can avoid having two (2) LDO voltage regulators (such as the configuration 100 shown in
The pass transistors 321 and 322 can be implemented with p-type field effect transistors (pFETs). Further, the first pass transistor 321 can be bigger than the second pass transistor 322. For example, the width of the gate (or channel) of the first pass transistor 321 can be longer than the width of the gate (or channel) of the second pass transistor 322. As the first pass transistor 321 is bigger than the second pass transistor 322 physically, the first pass transistor 321 is capable of accommodating a larger current flowing through than the second pass transistor 322. In some implementations, the maximum current allowed through the first pass transistor 321 (Mp_big) is about 50 mA, while the maximum current allowed through the second pass transistor 322 (Mp_small) is about 1 mA.
In some implementations, the error amplifying module 310 includes a single input stage 313 to receive a reference voltage Vref 301 and a feedback voltage Vfb 305, which is from the feedback node between the first and the second feedback resistors 331 and 332. The input stage 313 includes four (4) pFET's 3131, 3132, 3133, and 3134, and four (4) n-type field effect transistors (nFET's) 3135, 3136, 3137, and 3138. The gates of pFET's 3131 and 3133 are coupled together and configured to receive a reference voltage Vref 301. Likewise, the gates of pFET's 3132 and 3134 are coupled together and configured to receive a feedback voltage Vfb 305. The feedback voltage Vfb 305 is taken from the node between the first feedback resistor 331 and the second feedback resistor 332. The sources of pFET's 3131, 3132, 3133, and 3134 are all coupled to a local current source 3130. In some implementations, the local current source 3130 provides a current of about 0.24 μA. On one side of the input stage 313, the drains of pFET's 3131 and 3133 are coupled to the drains of nFET's 3135 and 3137, respectively. The drains of nFET's 3135 and 3137 are also coupled to the gates of the respective nFET. On the other side, the drains of pFET's 3133 and 3134 are both coupled to the drains of nFET's 3136 and 3138 at node N1. The gate of nFET 3136 is coupled to the node between resistor Rc 3138 and capacitor Cc 314. The gate of nFET 3138 is coupled to the gate of nFET 3137. The sources of nFET's 3135, 3136, 3137, and 3138 are all coupled to ground. Resistor Rc 3138 is coupled between the gate of nFET 3136 and the drain of nFET 3135. Capacitor 314 is coupled between resistor Rc 3138 and the output node 309. In operation, the input stage stays on (or remains activated) in both HP and LP modes.
The error amplifying module 310 further includes a first output stage 311 and a second output stage 312 to drive the two pass transistors 321 and 322, respectively. The second output stage 312 includes a pFET 3121, an nFET 3122, and a current source 3120. In some implementations, the current source 3120 can provide a current of about 0.06 μA. The pFET 3121 is coupled in parallel to the current source 3120. The source of pFET 3121 is configured to receive an input voltage Vin 303. In some implementations, Vin 303 can range from 3.6V to 6.5V, and Vin 303 may be supplied by a removable power source, such as a battery. The drain and the gate of pFET 3121 are coupled together at node N4, and further coupled to the gate of the second pass transistor (Mp_small) 322. The drain of pFET 3121 is coupled to the drain of nFET 3122. The source of nFET 3122 is coupled to the ground. The gate of nFET 3122 is coupled to node N1 of the input stage 313. During operation, the second output stage 312, driven by the voltage at node N1 of the input stage 313, drives the second pass transistor (Mp_small) 322. The second output stage 312 can be turned on or activated to drive the second pass transistor (Mp_small) 322 during the HP mode and during the LP mode.
The first output stage 311 includes four (4) pFET's 3111, 3112, 3113, and 3114, an nFET 3115, a switch S13116, a switch S23117, a switch S33118, a first current source 3110, and a second current source 3119. In some implementations, the first current source 3110 can provide a current of about 4 μA, and the second current source 3119 can provide a current of about 8 μA. The sources of pFET's 3111, 3112, and 3113 are coupled together and configured to receive Vin 303. The gate of pFET 3111 is coupled to its drain and the drain of pFET 3112 at node N2. The gates of pFET's 3112 and 3113 are coupled together to the drain of pFET 3113 at node N3. The source of pFET 3114 is also coupled to node N3, while the gate of pFET 3114 is coupled to node N2. In addition, the gate of pFET 3114 is coupled via switch S23117 to Vin 303. The drain of pFET 3114 is coupled to ground. The drain of nFET 3115 is coupled to node N2, while its gate is coupled to node N1. The source of nFET 3115 is coupled via switch S13116 to ground.
To support HP mode, both the first output stage 311 and the second output stage 312 are activated (or turned on) to drive both pass transistors 321 and 322. To support LP mode, the second output stage 312 is activated (or turned on) to drive pass transistor 322, while the first output stage 311 is deactivated (or turned off). In some implementations, the switches S13116, S23117, S33118, and S4323 can be operated as discussed below to turn on/off the first and second output stages 311 and 312 as the LDO voltage regulator 300 transitions in/out of HP and LP modes. When the LDO voltage regulator 300 transitions into LP mode, S13116 is turned off and S23117, S33118, and S4323 are turned on. By turning S13116 off and turning S23117 and S33118 on, the first output stage 311 is turned off. By turning S4323 on, a high voltage, Vin 303, is applied to the gate of pass transistor 321 (Mp_big), which is a pFET in the implementation shown in
When the LDO voltage regulator 300 transitions from LP mode to HP mode, S13116 is turned on and S23117, S33118, and S4323 are turned off. By turning on S13116 and turning off both S23117 and S33118, the first output stage 311 is turned on. By turning off S4323, the first pass transistor 321 (Mp_big) is turned on. A big loop 361 (a.k.a. the HP loop) is now formed with the first pass transistor 321 (Mp_big), the second feedback resistor R2332, the input transistors 3132 and 3134 of the input stage 313 receiving Vfb 305, node N1, nFET 3115 and pFET 3114 in the first output stage 311, and node N3. This big loop 361 can provide additional current to the output node 309. Note that the small loop 362 remains active in HP mode. When the load current is small (e.g., 0-10 uA), the small loop 362 regulates the output voltage Vout at the output node 309 because N4 node voltage is smaller than N3 node voltage and the voltage across the source and the gate of the first pass transistor Mp_big 321 is not big enough to turn on the first pass transistor Mp_big 321 at this load. This provides at least two benefits as compared to conventional scheme. First, in a conventional scheme, a load tracking zero which degrades transients (overshoot/undershoot) and consumes extra layout area is added at node N1 to improve no load stability (phase margin). In the LDO voltage regulator 300, no load tracking zero is required because the small loop 362 handles the small current. Second, in conventional LDO voltage regulators, smaller feedback resistors (R1 and R2) are used to keep the minimum current above a predetermined threshold (e.g., current threshold >10 uA) and to ensure good phase margin at no load. In the LDO voltage regulator 300, larger feedback resistors R1331 (e.g., about 3 Mohm) and R2332 (e.g., about 5.25 Mohm) can be used and as a result, and thus the quiescent current of LDO voltage regulator 300 (i.e., the current consumed by the LDO voltage regulator 300 at no load) can be reduced compared to conventional LDO voltage regulators.
Another advantage of the LDO voltage regulator 300 is the elimination of ripple in Vout at the output node 309 as the LDO voltage regulator 300 is linear. Furthermore, the differential pair (i.e., pFET's 3131, 3132, 3133, and 3134) in the input stage 313 is kept on in both LP and HP modes. This facilitates the smooth transition between HP and LP modes as the first output stage 313 is a high current stage and responds very fast. Using only an additional small output stage (i.e., the second output stage 312), the LDO voltage regulator 300 can replace two separate LDOs in some conventional configuration (e.g., the configuration 100 shown in
In some implementations, the method 500 begins at block 510, where the LDO voltage regulator receives an input voltage. The input voltage can be provided by a portable and/or removable power source, such as a battery or a power bank. The method 500 then transitions to block 515, where a reference voltage (Vref) and a feedback voltage (Vfb) associated with a regulated output voltage to the input stage of the error amplifying module. The method 500 then transitions from block 515 to block 520 to determine if the SoC is operating in a HP mode or a LP mode. If the SoC is operating in the HP mode, then the method 500 transitions to block 540. Otherwise, if the SoC is operating in the LP mode, then the method 500 transitions to block 530.
In block 530, where the SoC is operating in LP mode, the first output stage of the error amplifying module is turned off, and the second output stage of the error amplifying module is turned on. Then the method 500 transitions to block 532, where the second output stage drives the second pass transistor. Then the method 500 transitions to block 534, where current is passed through the second pass transistor but not the first pass transistor, to provide a regulated output voltage usable by core circuits of the SoC.
As discussed above, if the SoC is operating in the HP mode, then the method 500 transitions from block 520 to block 540, where the first and the second output stages of the error amplifying module are both turned on. Then the method 500 transitions to block 542, where the second output stage drives the second pass transistor and the first output stage drives the first pass transistor. Then the method 500 transitions to block 544, where current is passed through both the first and the second pass transistors to provide a regulated output voltage usable by core circuits of the SoC.
The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
