A kind of low-voltage linear adjuster
Technical field
The present invention relates to low-voltage drop linear voltage regulator (LDO-Low dropout voltageregulator), relate in particular to a kind of LDO that is suitable for integrated circuit.
Background technology
LDO is widely used in portable electric appts (as mobile phone, MP3 etc.) power supply is supplied with, its circuit structure as shown in Figure 1, core circuit is made up of reference voltage source (Voltage Reference), error amplifier (Error Amplifier), feedback network (Feedback Network) and power tube (Series-pass Element).Vb is the reference voltage that bandgap reference provides among the figure.Its principle of work is: cause output voltage V out on the low side if load increases (reduction of load resistance), be lower than needed voltage, then feedback voltage V ref is also proportional with it on the low side, and the error amplifier input voltage reduces, output voltage error amplifier Vampout reduces, so by power tube M
0Electric current increase (power tube can be that the PMOS pipe also can be the PNP passage elements), thereby Vout is increased, Vref increases, circuit restores balance, regulated output voltage.The evaluation index of LDO generally comprise following some:
(1) (Dropout Voltage) V falls
Dropout
The LDO input voltage is during greater than the output voltage certain numerical value, and system has the ability that guarantees output voltage stabilization, and when input voltage was reduced to a certain critical value, system lost the adjustment capability to output voltage, V
DropoutBe defined as the difference between critical point place input voltage and the output voltage.
(2) quiescent current I
qAnd efficiency eta
Quiescent current is defined as the input and output difference between currents, and it has reflected the power that the LDO internal circuit consumes.Quiescent current is made up of bias current (offering reference source, sampling resistor and error amplifier) and the drive current of adjusting pipe.Efficiency eta is defined as
I wherein
oIt is output current; V
oIt is output voltage; I
qBe quiescent current; V
IBe input voltage.Efficiency eta is relevant with input voltage, should reduce I in design
qAnd V
Dropout, in application, should reduce the difference between the input and output voltage.In order to obtain maximum current efficiency, reduce the power consumption of internal circuit simultaneously, the quiescent current of design is the smaller the better.
(3) load adjustment capability and linear adjustment capability
The load adjustment capability is meant that when load changes output voltage keeps constant ability, is defined as Δ V
Out/ Δ I
Load, linear adjustment capability is meant that when input voltage changes output voltage keeps constant ability, is defined as Δ V
Out/ Δ V
Input
(4) load transient response
Load transient response causes when being suddenlyd change by load current that the maximum of output voltage changes promptly maximum transient voltage changes delta V
Tr, maxCharacterize.It is output capacitance C
oAnd dead resistance ESR and shunt capacitance C
bFunction.Maximum transient voltage changes delta V
Tr, maxBe defined as
Δ V
ESRBe the pressure drop on the resistance ESR; I
O, maxBe maximum load current; Δ t
1Relevant Δ t with the closed-loop bandwidth of LDO
1≈ 1/BW
Cl+ t
Sr=1/BW
Cl+ C
ParΔ V/I
Sr, t
SrBe the pressure pendulum stabilization time of error amplifier, C
ParBe the equivalent parasitic capacitances of power tube at the error amplifier output terminal, I
SrIt is the pressure pendulum current limit of error amplifier.
Along with the continuous increase of SOC chip integrated functionality and scale and the fast development of portable use, people expect that LDO has as far as possible little V
DropoutAnd quiescent current, fast as far as possible transient response and the voltage-regulation ability good to changeable day by day system load.Yet the reduction of quiescent current must make the driving force of error amplifier reduce, and then transient response and voltage-regulation ability are worsened; Increased power consumption undoubtedly and increase buffer.Therefore existing scheme all is to reach designing requirement by trading off between error amplifier driving and system requirements performance, but because the load of LDO system is dynamic change in the chip, just to the compromise difficulty that can't overcome of bringing between driving force and the system requirements performance, the dirigibility of system is very poor for this.Perhaps using multimode mode as shown in Figure 2, by with the bigger LDO output of the less incompatible realization of LDO array group of dynamic management, is that cost is obtained dirigibility to increase chip area and complexity.But chip area increases greatly, has increased the complexity of chip simultaneously to a certain extent, and cost rises.
Summary of the invention
The objective of the invention is, the low-voltage linear adjuster that a kind of transient response is good and voltage-regulation is very competent is provided.
Technical scheme of the present invention is:
A kind of low-voltage linear adjuster comprises: an error amplifier, and this error amplifier inverting input connects a reference voltage source; One P type power tube, the grid of this power tube connects the output terminal of described error amplifier, and it drains as the output terminal of voltage regulator, and connects a feedback network, and the in-phase input end of described error amplifier is connected with the end that goes out of feedback network; Also comprise a dynamic control unit, the input end of described dynamic control unit connects the in-phase input end of error amplifier, the output terminal of dynamic control unit connects the grid or the source electrode of power tube, described dynamic control unit is according to the variation of power tube drain voltage, dynamically the voltage between the power controlling pipe grid source makes the power tube drain voltage change towards reverse direction;
Described dynamic control unit comprises:
One gating pulse produces circuit, and this gating pulse produces circuit and comprises first control output end and second control output end, and as the control input end of dynamic control unit input end;
One on-off circuit, described on-off circuit comprise a P type switching tube and a N type switching tube, and the grid of described P type switching tube is connected with second control output end, and its source electrode connects a default noble potential; The grid of described N type switching tube is connected with first control output end, and its source electrode connects a default electronegative potential, and the drain electrode of described P type switching tube and N type switching tube links to each other as the output terminal of described dynamic control unit.
Described voltage regulator, wherein: when the output terminal of described dynamic control unit is connected with the grid of described power tube, the output terminal and the equidirectional variation of input terminal voltage of this dynamic control unit are set.
Described voltage regulator, wherein: described gating pulse produces circuit and comprises:
First, second P type pipe is formed differential input stage, and described two pipe source electrodes link to each other, and connect a current source, is connected in series a N type pipe respectively between described two pipe drain electrodes and the ground; The control input end that the one P type tube grid produces circuit as gating pulse, the 2nd P type tube grid is provided with first bias voltage;
Form current mirror by the 5th, the 6th P type pipe, as being connected in series the 3rd N type pipe with reference between the 5th P type pipe drain electrode of end and the ground, the 3rd N type tube grid connects P type pipe drain electrode, be connected in series the 8th N type pipe as between the drain electrode of the 6th P type pipe of mirror image end and the ground, the 8th N type tube grid is provided with second bias voltage, and the drain electrode of the 6th P type Guan Yudi eight N type pipes links to each other, as first control output end;
The drain electrode of the 7th P type Guan Yudi four N type pipes links to each other, and is serially connected between power supply and the ground, and the 7th P type tube grid is provided with the 3rd bias voltage, and the 4th N type tube grid connects the drain electrode of the 2nd P type pipe, and the 4th N type pipe drains as second control output end.
Described voltage regulator, wherein: described gating pulse produces circuit and can also comprise:
Three, the 4th N type pipe is formed differential input stage, and described two pipe source electrodes link to each other, and connect a current source, is connected in series a P type pipe respectively between described two pipe drain electrodes and the power supply; The control input end that the 4th N type tube grid produces circuit as gating pulse, the 3rd N type tube grid is provided with first bias voltage;
Form current mirror by the 7th, the 6th N type pipe, as being connected in series the tenth P type pipe with reference between the 7th N type pipe drain electrode of end and the power supply, the tenth P type tube grid connects the drain electrode of the 4th N type pipe, be connected in series the 2nd P type pipe as between the drain electrode of the 6th N type pipe of mirror image end and the power supply, the 2nd P type tube grid is provided with second bias voltage, and the drain electrode of the 2nd P type pipe links to each other with the drain electrode of the 6th N type pipe, as second control output end;
The one P type Guan Yudi five N type pipes are serially connected between power supply and the ground, and the 5th N type tube grid is provided with the 3rd bias voltage, and a P type tube grid connects the drain electrode of the 3rd N type pipe, and the drain electrode of a P type Guan Yudi five N type pipes links to each other, as first control output end.
Described voltage regulator, wherein: when the output terminal of described dynamic control unit is connected with the source electrode of described power tube, the output terminal and the input terminal voltage changing inversely of this dynamic control unit are set.
A kind of low-voltage linear adjuster comprises: an error amplifier, and this error amplifier in-phase input end connects a reference voltage source; One N type power tube, the grid of this power tube connects the output terminal of described error amplifier, and its source electrode is as the output terminal of voltage regulator, and connects a feedback network, and the inverting input of described error amplifier is connected with the end that goes out of feedback network; Also comprise a dynamic control unit, the input end of described dynamic control unit connects the inverting input of error amplifier, the output terminal of dynamic control unit connects the grid of power tube, described dynamic control unit is according to the variation of power tube source voltage, dynamically the voltage between the power controlling pipe grid source makes the power tube source voltage change towards reverse direction; Also be connected in series a resistance capacitance between described power tube grid and the ground;
Described dynamic control unit comprises:
One gating pulse produces circuit, and this gating pulse produces circuit and comprises first control output end and second control output end, and as the control input end of dynamic control unit input end;
One on-off circuit, described on-off circuit comprise a P type switching tube and a N type switching tube, and the grid of described P type switching tube is connected with second control output end, and its source electrode connects a default noble potential; The grid of described N type switching tube is connected with first control output end, and its source electrode connects a default electronegative potential, and the drain electrode of described P type switching tube and N type switching tube links to each other as the output terminal of described dynamic control unit.
A kind of low-voltage linear adjuster comprises: an error amplifier, and this error amplifier inverting input connects a reference voltage source; One P type power tube, the grid of this power tube connects the output terminal of described error amplifier, and it drains as the output terminal of voltage regulator, and connects a feedback network, and the in-phase input end of described error amplifier is connected with the end that goes out of feedback network; Also comprise a dynamic control unit, described dynamic control unit comprises two input ends and an output terminal, two input ends of described dynamic control unit connect two output terminals of error amplifier differential input stage respectively, the output terminal of dynamic control unit connects the grid of power tube, described dynamic control unit is according to the variation of power tube drain voltage, dynamically the voltage between the power controlling pipe grid source makes the power tube drain voltage change towards reverse direction;
Described dynamic control unit comprises:
One gating pulse produces circuit, this gating pulse generation circuit comprises first control input end and second control input end as the dynamic control unit input end, described first control input end connects the drain electrode of error amplifier differential input stage in-phase input end, and described second control input end connects the drain electrode of error amplifier differential input stage inverting input; Also comprise first control output end and second control output end;
One on-off circuit, described on-off circuit comprise a P type switching tube and a N type switching tube, and the grid of described P type switching tube is connected with second control output end, and its source electrode connects a default noble potential; The grid of described N type switching tube is connected with first control output end, and its source electrode connects a default electronegative potential, and the drain electrode of described P type switching tube and N type switching tube links to each other as the output terminal of described dynamic control unit;
When the first control input end voltage reduced, a positive pulse was exported in first control output end, controls described N type switching tube and opens, and makes dynamic control unit export an electronegative potential; When the first control input end voltage raise, a negative pulse was exported in second control output end, controls described P type switching tube and opens, and makes dynamic control unit export a noble potential.
Described voltage regulator, wherein: when error amplifier was the P differential input stage, described gating pulse produced circuit and comprises:
Form current mirror by the 5th, the 6th P type pipe, as being connected in series the 3rd N type pipe with reference between the 5th P type pipe drain electrode of end and the ground, the 3rd N type tube grid is first control input end; Be connected in series the 8th N type pipe as between the drain electrode of the 6th P type pipe of mirror image end and the ground, the 8th N type tube grid is provided with second bias voltage, and the drain electrode of the 6th P type Guan Yudi eight N type pipes is continuous, as first control output end;
The drain electrode of the 7th P type Guan Yudi four N type pipes links to each other, and is serially connected between power supply and the ground, and the 7th P type tube grid is provided with the 3rd bias voltage, and the 4th N type tube grid is second control input end, and the drain electrode of the 4th N type pipe is second control output end.
Beneficial effect of the present invention is: adopted technical scheme of the present invention, when increasing chip area and power consumption hardly, improved transient response and the voltage-regulation ability of LDO widely.
Description of drawings
Fig. 1 is the core circuit block scheme of prior art LDO;
Fig. 2 is a multimode LDO system chart;
Fig. 3 is a LDO circuit block diagram of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is the dynamic control unit circuit diagram;
Fig. 5 is that first kind of gating pulse produces circuit (P differential input stage) synoptic diagram;
Fig. 6 is that second kind of gating pulse produces circuit (N differential input stage) synoptic diagram;
Fig. 7 is prior art and transient state output voltage curve of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is the simplification circuit that P differential input stage gating pulse produces circuit;
Fig. 9 is the simplification circuit that N differential input stage gating pulse produces circuit;
Circuit block diagram when Figure 10 adopts N type power tube for LDO of the present invention;
Figure 11 is the LDO circuit block diagram of a kind of replacement scheme of the present invention in multi-power system.
Embodiment
With embodiment the present invention is described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below:
The present invention has realized improving transient response and the voltage-regulation ability of LDO when increasing chip area and power consumption hardly.To seeing the analysis of LDO core circuit principle of work, LDO is by utilizing feedback control loop power controlling pipe grid source-drain voltage to realize the stable output of system voltage in essence from the technical background introduction.Therefore increase the transient response that bandwidth can improve LDO, but the increase of bandwidth can higher requirement be proposed to circuit design again.Under the prerequisite that bandwidth is determined, we have proposed to improve by dynamic adjustments power tube gate source voltage the scheme of LDO transient response and voltage-regulation ability.Core circuit of the present invention comprises reference voltage source (VoltageReference), error amplifier (Error Amplifier), feedback network (FeedbackNetwork), dynamic control unit and P type power tube M as shown in Figure 3
0(Series-pass Element).The input end of dynamic control unit connects the in-phase input end of error amplifier, and the output terminal of dynamic control unit connects the grid of power tube, and dynamic control unit is according to P type power tube M
0The variation of drain voltage, dynamically the voltage between the power controlling pipe grid source makes P type power tube drain voltage change towards reverse direction.If Vout is on the low side, be lower than needed voltage, then Vref is also proportional with it on the low side, and the error amplifier input voltage reduces, and Vampout reduces, simultaneously dynamic control output voltage V
Dynamic_outFor negative, power tube grid voltage Vg_M
0Reduce fast, so by power tube M
0Electric current increase fast, thereby Vout is increased fast, Vref increases fast, circuit restores balance, simultaneously dynamic control unit (dynamic control) is no longer worked the output voltage fast and stable.Otherwise higher as Vout, feedback voltage V ref raises, and Vampout raises, simultaneously the dynamic control unit output voltage V
Dynamic_outFor just, power tube grid voltage Vg_M
0Raise fast, by power tube M
0Thereby electric current reduce fast Vout is reduced fast, Vref reduces fast, circuit restores balance, simultaneously dynamic control unit (dynamic control) is no longer worked the output voltage fast and stable.
Dynamic control unit comprises that a gating pulse produces circuit as shown in Figure 4, and this gating pulse produces that circuit comprises two control output ends and as the control input end of dynamic control unit input end; Also comprise an on-off circuit, on-off circuit comprises a P type switching tube Mp and a N type switching tube Mn, and the grid of Mp is connected with second control output end, and its source electrode connects a default noble potential; The grid of Mn is connected with first control output end, and its source electrode connects a default electronegative potential, and the drain electrode of Mp and Mn links to each other as the output terminal of dynamic control unit; When control input end voltage Vref reduced, a positive pulse was exported in first control output end, and control Mn opens, and makes dynamic control unit export an electronegative potential; When control input end voltage Vref raise, a negative pulse was exported in second control output end, and control Mp opens, and makes dynamic control unit export a noble potential.The dynamic adjustments control circuit makes Mn or Mp conducting according to the different situations of change of feedback voltage, makes default high voltage or the low-voltage of dynamic adjustments output, thereby makes power tube grid voltage Vg_M
0Raise fast or reduction.Because dynamic control unit is only worked when needs are regulated power tube grid voltage, so its power consumption almost can be ignored; While is because power tube and feedback resistance area account for the overwhelming majority of LDO, so the cost of chip area (cost) is also very little.And,, thereby reduced the Design of Amplifier difficulty to the also reduction greatly of performance requirement of error amplifier owing to used dynamic control unit.Satisfying on the basis of performance requirement, the power consumption of error amplifier also can reduce greatly.
Gating pulse in the dynamic adjustments control module produces circuit and can realize with DLC (digital logic circuit) or mimic channel, also can by on the sheet or the sheet external system realize with software or way of hardware and software combination.And Vampout and dynamic control output voltage V
Dynamic_outPlus-minus can realize by the analog/digital totalizer, also can be simple line and realize.A kind of simulation gating pulse as shown in Figure 5 produces circuit (P differential input stage), and M1, M2 two P type pipes are formed differential input stage, and M1, M2 source electrode link to each other, and connect a current source, is connected in series a N type pipe M10 and a M9 respectively between M1, M2 drain electrode and the ground; The M1 grid is the control input end that gating pulse produces circuit, and the M2 grid is provided with the first bias voltage Vb; M5, M6 two P type pipes are formed current mirror, as being connected in series N type pipe M3 with reference between the M5 drain electrode of end and the ground, the M3 grid connects the M1 drain electrode, be connected in series N type pipe M8 as between the P type pipe M6 of mirror image end drain electrode and the ground, the M8 grid is provided with the second bias voltage VB2, and M6 links to each other with the M8 drain electrode, as first control output end; P type pipe M7 links to each other with N type pipe M4 drain electrode, is serially connected between power supply and the ground, and the M7 grid is provided with the 3rd bias voltage VB1, and the M4 grid connects the M2 drain electrode, and M4 drains as second control output end; And Vb, VB1, VB2 are respectively different bias voltages.The course of work that this gating pulse produces circuit is: when the output voltage V out of system reduces suddenly owing to load variations, feedback voltage V ref also can reduce, at this moment the electric current that flows through M1 reduces, the M3 gate source voltage increases peak current of generation, produce a spike by M5, M6 mirror image Voutl, switch Mn is opened, and the power tube gate source voltage increases rapidly, by power tube M
0Electric current increase fast, thereby Vout is increased fast, Vref increases fast, circuit restores balance; If instead the output voltage V out of system raises, gating pulse is opened switch Mp, and the power tube gate source voltage reduces rapidly until shutoff, by power tube M
0Electric current reduce fast, thereby Vout is reduced fast, Vref reduces fast, circuit restores balance.Because pulse control circuit has only transient pulse output in whole adjustment process, so dynamic power consumption is very little, by the circuit parameter adjustment, quiescent dissipation also can be well controlled, so the power consumption that total system increases is very little.
Figure 6 shows that another kind of simulation gating pulse produces circuit, i.e. N differential input stage simulation gating pulse produces circuit, and its principle of work and P differential input stage simulation gating pulse produce circuit, do not repeat them here.
We have designed a 3.7V changes 3.3V, the LDO of maximum output current 200mA, and adopt simulation gating pulse shown in Figure 5 to produce the dynamic control unit of circuit, to using the present invention and not using situation of the present invention to carry out emulation, the transient state output voltage that has contrasted load output different situations under 0 to 200mA condition as shown in Figure 7, curve 2 is to use transient state output voltage of the present invention among Fig. 7, curve 1 is not use transient state output voltage of the present invention, adopt as seen from Figure 7 that voltage-regulation ability and the transient response of LDO all improves greatly after the technology that the present invention proposes, and simulation result shows and adopts power consumption of the present invention to increase by 100 μ W.
In order to simplify circuit, further reduce cost, gating pulse can be produced the differential input stage of circuit and the differential input stage of error amplifier EA and merge.When EA was the P differential input stage, the P differential input stage that P differential input stage gating pulse generation circuit shown in Figure 5 can be simplified to was as shown in Figure 8 simplified circuit.This circuit has been cancelled the difference input of being made up of M1, M2, M10, M9, and the M3 grid is as first control input end, connect the in-phase input end drain electrode of EA differential input stage, M4 connects the inverting input drain electrode of EA differential input stage as second control input end; And other circuit structure, and the type of attachment of output terminal and on-off circuit is all constant.Equally, when EA was the N differential input stage, the N differential input stage that P differential input stage gating pulse generation circuit shown in Figure 6 can be simplified to was as shown in Figure 9 simplified circuit.This circuit has been cancelled the difference input of being made up of M8, M9, M4, M3, and the M10 grid connects the reversed-phase output of EA differential input stage as first control input end, and M1 connects the in-phase output end of EA differential input stage as second control input end; And other circuit structure, and the type of attachment of output terminal and on-off circuit is all constant.
The power tube of dynamic adjustments can be P type metal-oxide-semiconductor or N type metal-oxide-semiconductor among the present invention, also can be pnp or npn transistor.If power tube is the NMOS pipe, as shown in figure 10, reference voltage source output voltage V b need be connect the error amplifier positive input, and the input termination error amplifier reverse input end of feedback network output voltage V ref and dynamic control unit, and between power tube grid and ground, also be connected in series a resistance capacitance, can realize dynamic adjustments the NMOS power tube.If power tube is pnp or npn transistor, only need with the PMOS power tube in corresponding PMOS power tube scheme or the NMOS power tube scheme or the NMOS power tube be changed to the pnp transistor or the npn transistor can be realized transistorized dynamic adjustments.
Dynamic adjustment technique proposed by the invention in multi-power system also can realize by the input voltage of dynamic adjustments power tube, since compare with ideal source practical power especially the power supply of portable equipment can equivalence be ideal source certain impedance of connecting, therefore in multi-power system when dynamic control unit is powered separately by other modules, can adopt down method shown in Figure 11 by power tube input voltage dynamic adjustments being realized dynamic management to output, it is the source electrode of the output terminal connection power tube of dynamic control unit, at this moment, the output terminal of this dynamic control unit and input terminal voltage changing inversely can realize effect of the present invention equally.Vcc is the supply voltage of power tube, and the dynamic adjustments control module is by other power module power supply.
Should be understood that; low-voltage linear adjuster of the present invention; above-mentioned description at preferred embodiment is too concrete; can not therefore be interpreted as restriction to scope of patent protection of the present utility model; for those of ordinary skills; can be equal to replacement or change according to technical scheme of the present invention and inventive concept thereof, and all these changes or replacement all should belong to the protection domain of the appended claim of the present invention.