EP0536063B1 - Präzisionsstromgenerator - Google Patents
Präzisionsstromgenerator Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0536063B1 EP0536063B1 EP19920420333 EP92420333A EP0536063B1 EP 0536063 B1 EP0536063 B1 EP 0536063B1 EP 19920420333 EP19920420333 EP 19920420333 EP 92420333 A EP92420333 A EP 92420333A EP 0536063 B1 EP0536063 B1 EP 0536063B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- transistor
- current
- base
- emitter
- mirror
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05F—SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G05F3/00—Non-retroactive systems for regulating electric variables by using an uncontrolled element, or an uncontrolled combination of elements, such element or such combination having self-regulating properties
- G05F3/02—Regulating voltage or current
- G05F3/08—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc
- G05F3/10—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics
- G05F3/16—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics being semiconductor devices
- G05F3/20—Regulating voltage or current wherein the variable is dc using uncontrolled devices with non-linear characteristics being semiconductor devices using diode- transistor combinations
- G05F3/26—Current mirrors
- G05F3/265—Current mirrors using bipolar transistors only
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a current generator and in particular a generator supplying, from a reference voltage Vref defined with respect to ground, a current equal to Vref / R to within a small error, where R is a resistance.
- FIG. 1 represents a conventional circuit of such a generator as known from document DE-A1- 34 32 561 for example.
- This generator comprises an operational amplifier 10 driving the base of an NPN transistor T1 whose emitter is connected to the inverting input of amplifier 10 and to ground G through a resistor R.
- the non-inverting input of the amplifier 10 receives a reference voltage Vref with respect to ground.
- This reference voltage is supplied, for example, by a reference voltage generator of "Band-Gap" type stabilized in temperature.
- the collector of transistor T1 is connected to a current output terminal S which is connected to a circuit node.
- the voltage across the resistor R is established at Vref causing an emitter current of the transistor T1 with a value Vref / R.
- the collector current Ic of transistor T1 (the output current) is established at: Ic ⁇ (1-1 / ⁇ ) Vref / R, where ⁇ denotes the current gain of transistor T1.
- This generator provides a current proportional to Vref, which has a temperature accuracy of the order of 2% over a range of -55 ° to 125 ° C.
- the imprecision comes essentially from the term 1 / ⁇ .
- the term 1 / ⁇ is zero, which improves the precision.
- Vce sat designates the emitter-collector voltage of a bipolar transistor in saturation regime.
- This minimum value is generally greater when a MOS transistor is used in place of the transistor T1. This means that one cannot properly supply a current to a node of a circuit, the potential of which risks varying and becoming less than Vref + Vce sat .
- a current generator corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 comprising a current mirror is known from document US-A-4 330 744.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a precise current generator which, integrated, occupies a small surface area of silicon.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide such a generator capable of supplying a precise current to a node whose potential varies over a large range.
- a current generator comprising a first bipolar transistor, the base of which is connected to a reference potential and the emitter to a first supply potential through a first resistor; a first current mirror whose input is connected to the collector of the first transistor and whose output is connected to the control electrode of a second transistor; a third bipolar transistor whose collector is connected to the output of the first current mirror, the base of which is connected, on the one hand, to a main electrode of the second transistor and, on the other hand, to a terminal of a second resistor whose other terminal is connected to the emitter of the third transistor; and a second current mirror, the input of which is connected to the emitter of the third transistor and the output of which supplies said current.
- the second current mirror comprises a fourth transistor whose collector constitutes the input of the mirror, and whose emitter is connected to the first supply potential; at least a fifth transistor connected in parallel on the base and the emitter of the fourth transistor and the collector of which supplies said current; and a sixth transistor whose emitter is connected to the base of the fourth transistor and whose base is connected either to the base or to the emitter of the third transistor.
- the second transistor is chosen from: a MOS transistor, a bipolar transistor, or a Darlington transistor.
- the first current mirror is a Wilson type mirror.
- An advantage of the present invention is that it is particularly suitable for making a current generator with several outputs.
- a transistor Q1 receives on its base a reference voltage Vref.
- the emitter of transistor Q1 is connected to ground G through a resistor R1 of value R.
- a current mirror M1 assumed to be ideal, copies the current Ic1.
- the copied current is divided into a base current Ib2 of an NPN transistor Q2 and a collector current Ic1-Ib2 of an NPN transistor Q3.
- the mirror M1 is connected to a high supply voltage Vcc and its direction of copying is indicated by an arrow.
- the collector of transistor Q2 is connected to voltage Vcc and its emitter is connected, on the one hand, to the base of the transistor and, on the other hand, to a terminal of a resistor R2 with the same value as the resistor R1.
- the other terminal of the resistor R2 is connected to a node A to which the emitter of the transistor Q3 is connected.
- the current Is in node A is copied to an output terminal S by a current mirror M2, assumed to be ideal,
- the transistors have practically identical characteristics, in particular the same gain ⁇ , large in front of 1, and the same base-emitter voltage Vbe, which is easy to achieve in an integrated circuit.
- Ic1 (Vref-Vbe) / R - Ib, where Ib denotes the base current of transistor Q1.
- FIG. 3 illustrates another more detailed embodiment of the current generator according to the present invention.
- this embodiment includes two other terminals S2 and S3.
- the bipolar transistor Q2 has been replaced here by a Darlington transistor Q2 ′.
- the mirror M1 shown is a conventional Wilson type mirror which is a mirror with bipolar transistors close to the ideal.
- the mirror includes two PNP transistors Q4, Q5 in series between the collector of transistor Q1 and the supply voltage Vcc and two other PNP transistors Q6, Q7 in series between the collector of transistor Q3 and the supply voltage Vcc.
- the input of the mirror M1 corresponds to the short-circuited base and to the collector of the transistor Q4.
- the mirror output corresponds to the collector of transistor Q6, the base of which is connected to the base of transistor Q4.
- the collector and the base of transistor Q7 are short-circuited and connected to the base of transistor Q5.
- the mirror M2 comprises two NPN transistors Q8 and Q9 with emitters connected to ground and whose bases are connected together.
- the collector of transistor Q8 constitutes the input of the mirror and it is connected to node A.
- the collector of transistor Q9 constitutes the output of the mirror and is connected to terminal S.
- Additional transistors Q10 and Q11 are connected in the same way as the transistor Q9 respectively to an output terminal S2 and to an output terminal S3.
- the base current of the transistors Q8 to Q11 is supplied by the emitter of an NPN transistor Q12 whose collector is connected to the supply voltage Vcc and whose base is connected to the emitter of the transistor Q2 ′.
- the basic current consumed by the transistor Q12 is negligible in front of Is, which makes this mirror close to the ideal.
- the collector currents Is2 and Is3 will be equal to the current Is, that is to say Vref / R.
- the gain (the surface) of the transistors Q10 and Q11 we can obtain output currents Is2 and Is3 which will be predetermined fractions or multiples of the current Is.
- the minimum voltage on the terminals S, S2 and S3 is equal to the voltage Vce sat of the transistors Q9 to Q11, that is to say approximately 0.3 volts (instead of Vce sat + Vref in the generator of the prior art).
- FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment in BICMOS technology of a generator according to the present invention.
- the transistor Q2 has been replaced by an N-channel MOS transistor Q2 ⁇ , which results in a zero current Ib2 and a current Is exactly equal to Vref / R.
- the present invention is susceptible of numerous variants and modifications which will appear to those skilled in the art, in particular, if a current source in the opposite direction is desired, all the transistors will be replaced by their complementary ones, the mass and the voltage. Vcc then being inverted.
- the base of transistor Q12 can be connected to node A instead of being connected to the base of transistor Q3. All the transistors, in particular the transistors of the examples of bipolar current mirrors, can be replaced by corresponding MOS transistors, but the temperature stability will then be less good.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Nonlinear Science (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
- Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
- Control Of Electrical Variables (AREA)
- Amplifiers (AREA)
Claims (4)
- Stromerzeuger (Is) mit einem ersten bipolaren Transistor (Q1), dessen Basis mit einer Bezugsspannung (Vref) verbunden ist und dessen Emitter über einen ersten Widerstand (R1) mit einer ersten Versorgungsspannung (G) verbunden ist, gekennzeichnet durch
einen ersten Stromspiegel (M1), dessen Eingang mit dem Kollektor des ersten Transistors (Q1) verbunden ist und dessen Ausgang mit der Steuerelektrode eines zweiten Transistors (Q2) verbunden ist,
einen dritten bipolaren Transistor (Q3), dessen Kollektor mit dem Ausgang des ersten Stromspiegels verbunden ist und dessen Basis einerseits mit einer Hauptelektrode des zweiten Transistors (Q2) und andererseits mit einem Anschluß eines zweiten Widerstandes (R2) verbunden ist, wobei der andere Anschluß des Widerstandes mit dem Emitter des dritten Transistors (Q3) verbunden ist, und einem zweiten Stromspiegel (M2), dessen Eingang mit dem Emitter des dritten Transistors (Q3) verbunden ist und dessen Ausgang (S) den Strom (Is) vorsieht. - Stromerzeuger nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der zweite Stromspiegel (M2) einen vierten Transistor (Q8) aufweist, dessen Kollektor den Spiegeleingang bildet und dessen Emitter mit der ersten Versorgungsspannung (G) verbunden ist; mindestens einen fünften Transistor (Q9) aufweist, der parallel zu der Basis und dem Emitter des vierten Transistors (Q8) angeschlossen ist, wobei dessen Kollektor den Strom (Is) vorsieht; und einen sechsten Transistor (Q12) aufweist, dessen Emitter mit der Basis des vierten Transistors (Q8) verbunden ist und dessen Basis entweder mit der Basis oder mit dem Emitter des dritten Transistors (Q3) verbunden ist.
- Stromerzeuger nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der zweite Transistor (Q2) ein MOS-Transistor, ein bipolarer Transistor oder ein Darlington-Transistor ist.
- Stromerzeuger nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der erste Stromspiegel (M1) ein Wilson-Spiegel ist.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US08/112,807 US5481180A (en) | 1991-09-30 | 1993-08-27 | PTAT current source |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR9112278A FR2681961A1 (fr) | 1991-09-30 | 1991-09-30 | Generateur de courant precis. |
FR9112278 | 1991-09-30 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0536063A1 EP0536063A1 (de) | 1993-04-07 |
EP0536063B1 true EP0536063B1 (de) | 1995-07-19 |
Family
ID=9417628
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19920420333 Expired - Lifetime EP0536063B1 (de) | 1991-09-30 | 1992-09-28 | Präzisionsstromgenerator |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0536063B1 (de) |
DE (1) | DE69203559T2 (de) |
FR (1) | FR2681961A1 (de) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0731403A2 (de) * | 1995-03-08 | 1996-09-11 | STMicroelectronics, Inc. | Konstantstromquelle |
US5663674A (en) * | 1994-05-11 | 1997-09-02 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Circut configuration for generating a reference current |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
BE1008031A3 (nl) * | 1994-01-20 | 1995-12-12 | Philips Electronics Nv | Storingsongevoelige inrichting voor opwekken van instelstromen. |
US5701133A (en) * | 1994-10-13 | 1997-12-23 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Cascaded multiplying current mirror driver for LED's |
KR20100076971A (ko) * | 2007-09-12 | 2010-07-06 | 코닝 인코포레이티드 | 광역 동적 범위에 걸쳐 정밀 전류를 생성하기 위한 방법 및 장치 |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4330744A (en) * | 1980-12-16 | 1982-05-18 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Precision converter/isolation circuit |
US4437023A (en) * | 1981-12-28 | 1984-03-13 | Raytheon Company | Current mirror source circuitry |
JPS59107612A (ja) * | 1982-12-10 | 1984-06-21 | Hitachi Ltd | レシオメトリック定電流装置 |
JPS60236308A (ja) * | 1984-05-09 | 1985-11-25 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | カレントミラ−回路 |
DE3432561A1 (de) * | 1984-09-05 | 1986-03-13 | C.A. Weidmüller GmbH & Co, 4930 Detmold | Transistor-praezisionsstromquelle mit differenzeingang |
US4742292A (en) * | 1987-03-06 | 1988-05-03 | International Business Machines Corp. | CMOS Precision voltage reference generator |
-
1991
- 1991-09-30 FR FR9112278A patent/FR2681961A1/fr active Granted
-
1992
- 1992-09-28 EP EP19920420333 patent/EP0536063B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1992-09-28 DE DE1992603559 patent/DE69203559T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5663674A (en) * | 1994-05-11 | 1997-09-02 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Circut configuration for generating a reference current |
EP0731403A2 (de) * | 1995-03-08 | 1996-09-11 | STMicroelectronics, Inc. | Konstantstromquelle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE69203559T2 (de) | 1996-01-18 |
DE69203559D1 (de) | 1995-08-24 |
FR2681961B1 (de) | 1995-02-17 |
EP0536063A1 (de) | 1993-04-07 |
FR2681961A1 (fr) | 1993-04-02 |
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