GB2216687A - Hybrid high speed voltage regulator with reduction of Miller effect - Google Patents

Abstract

A linear regulator (13) employing a field effect transistor (Q1) pass element to supply a pulsed load (17) eg. radar, is programmed by a cooperating switching regulator (11) such that an increased voltage differential is maintained across the FET (Q1) to reduce response time during the leading edge of the load pulse and thereafter to reduce the voltage differential to achieve reduced power consumption and increased efficiency during the remainder of the load pulse. <IMAGE>

Description

HYBRID HIGH SPEED VOLTAGE REGULATOR WITH REDUCTION OF MILLER EFFECT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The subject invention relates to voltage regulators and more particularly to voltage regulators for use in pulsed systems such as pulsed radars.

2. Description of Related Art Pulsed systems such as pulsed radars present a highly dynamic load to power conversion and regulating systems. In order to meet the system stability requirements of proposed radars using solid state RF amplifiers, it is anticipated that the bias voltages to the transistors of such solid state amplifiers will have to be very stable, i.e., well regulated. Analysis has shown that it is very desirable to provide the required regulation at the point of use.

Present systems lack the ability to provide highly stable bias voltages in a cost and power efficient manner. In the prior art, large capacitor banks have been employed to meet the voltage stability requirements of dynamic loads in radar. The size and weight of systems employing such capacitor banks increase directly with increased performance requirements. The type and number of capacitors required in such systems lowers system reliability. Capacitor banks must also be distributed across the antenna when distributed RF power stages are employed on the antenna, which imposes undesirable volume and weight penalties on the antenna.

The prior art has also employed linear regulators in radar power supply systems. Such prior art linear regulators have been low in efficiency and have still required large capacitor banks. The size of the capacitor banks is a trade-off against efficiency.

Maintaining response time and stability of prior art systems employing linear regulators also requires complicated drive circuitry for the pass element of the linear regulator.

One measure of a regulation system's stability is the time required for the system to return to its steady state or at-rest condition after the system has been perturbed by external (or internal) causes, i.e., transient response. An example of such a perturbation is the pulsed or dynamic loading presented to a power converter by a pulsed radar. With respect to a linear regulator, stability may be measured by the time it takes for the output voltage of the linear regulator to return to its steady state value after a step change in load current, such as a step from a no load to a full load condition. Where linear regulators employ field effect transistors, the so-called Miller Effect increases the time it takes the linear regulator's output voltage to return to its steady state value after a load current change and hence impairs the stability of the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved voltage regulator; It is another object of the invention to improve voltage regulators for use with pulsed systems, including pulsed radars; It is another object of the invention to provide a voltage regulator which exhibits improved stability at a higher efficiency and lower cost than prior art approaches; It is another object of the invention to reduce the impairment of performance by the Miller Effect in a voltage regulator employing a linear regulator having a transistor pass element.

According to the invention, two voltage regulators are cascaded between a power source and a load. The first or input voltage regulator is programmed to reduce performance degrading parasitic effects of the second voltage regulator. Performance is improved by a reduction in response time and accompanyiny increase in stability. The importance of the improvements obtainable in this manner increases as the magnitude and speed of load current changes increase because the adverse effect of parasitics also increases with the magnitude and speed of load current changes.

In a preferred embodiment, the input voltage regulator is a programmed switching regulator and the second voltage regulator cascaded with it is a linear regulator. The fast response to dynamic load impedance changes of the linear regulator is enhanced by the programming of the switching regulator. The programming of the switching regulator reduces the degrading effects on the performance of the linear regulator caused by stray or parasitic series inductance and the internal and stray capacitances associated with a series regulating element such as a field effect transistor (FET).In a particular embodiment employing a FET as the pass element of the linear regulator, the parasitic Miller Effect is reduced by maintaining a high differential voltage between the drain and source of the FET during the leading edge of a load pulse and thereafter programming down the voltage at the input of the linear regulator in order to conserve power and increase efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The just summarized invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings of which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram showing parasitic elements useful in describing the operation of the preferred embodiment; FIG. 4 shows the variance of capacitance on a vertical axis with respect to gate to source or drain to source voltage on the horizontal axis for a typical MOSFET; FIGS. 5A-5H illustrate waveform diagrams useful in explaining the operation of the preferred embodiment; FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a switching regulator employable according to the preferred embodiment;; FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a linear regulator employable according to the preferred embodiment; and FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate alternate embodiments of switching regulators employable with the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment includes a switching regulator 11 supplied with a source or input voltage EIN from a power source across its first and second inputs 23, 25. The switching regulator 11 is connected serially with a linear regulator 13 whose output is connected across a dynamic pulsed load 17. The dynamic pulsed load 17 is shown as switch 19 and a variable resistance 21. An "on" pulse 47 activates the switch 19 over a conductor 15. The conductor 15 also supplies the "on" pulse to the switching regulator 11.

In application, the pulsed load 17 may be, for example, the bias voltage of an RF power amplifier, and the "on" pulse may be the RF drive to the power amplifier. In such an application, the regulator load current 1L changes with radar pulse pattern, temperature, time and other variables. Hence, the pulsed load 17 can be defined as a resistor whose value varies from a fixed value to infinity, as occurs through operation of the switch 19, which may or may not be present in a physical embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a generalized circuit implementation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1. In the switching regulator circuit 11 of FIG. 2, an input capacitor CA is connected across the input terminal lines 23, 25. One of the input terminal lines 23 also connects to the switching element S1 of the switching regulator 11. When the switch S1 is connected across first and second contact points 49, 51, the input voltage is supplied to a power converter circuit including a capacitor CB, a diode D1 and an inductor L1. The cathode of the diode D1 is connected electrically to the contact point 49 while the anode of the diode D1 is connected to the input line 25. The inductor L1 is connected from the cathode of the diode D1 to the first terminal of the second capacitor CB. The second terminal of the second capacitor CB is connected to the second input line 25.

The switching regulator 11 of FIG. 2 further includes a comparator/pulse width modulator 31 having first and second inputs 27, 29 respectively. The first input terminal 27 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 is connected to a terminal 53 which is electrically identical to the first terminal of the second capacitor CB. This connection provides feedback from the output of the switching regulator 11 to the comparator/pulse width modulator 31. The second input 29 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 is connected to a programmable reference source 33. The programmable reference source 33 receives an input from a delay element 35, which receives the "on" pulse 47 on a conductor 37 connected to the conductor 15.

The comparator/pulse width modulator 31 produces a pulse train output signal on its output line 32 having a pulse width which varies proportionally to the departure of the input 27 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 from the reference level input 29. The switch S1 is closed for the duration of the output pulse of the comparator pulse width modulator 31, electrically connecting the terminals 49, 51.

The linear regulator 13 is shown as including a field effect transistor (FET) Q1 having a source 54, a drain 55, and a gate 57. The gate 57 of the field effect transistor Q1 is connected to the output of a comparator/driver 43. A first input of the comparator/ driver 43 is connected to the source 54 of the first transistor Q1. The second input 41 of the comparator/ driver 43 is connected to a fixed (D.C.) reference source 45.

The output of the comparator driver 43 controls the voltage applied between the gate 57 and source 54 of transistor Q1. By controlling the gate to source voltage of Q1, the conductance of on-resistance of the FET Q1 is varied. By well-known feedback theory, the comparator/driver 43 controls the conductance or on-resistance so that the voltage at 54 (and through the load 17 when switch 19 is closed) remains constant with load current or input voltage variations. The FET Q1 is illustrated as an N-channel device, which is preferred because of its lower losses. P-channel FET's, bipolar transistors or any other linear-controlled resistive element may be used.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the programmed voltage output of the switching regulator 11 is controlled by the internal feedback path from terminal 53 to input 27 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 and by the external "on" pulse 47 to provide a programmed regulated voltage to the input of the linear regulator 13. The delay provided by delay element 35 determines the time with respect to load current 1L at which the switching regulator output voltage is programmed. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the switching device S1 employed in the switching regulator 11 may be any form of switch, but is typically a transistor, either bipolar or field effect.

FIG. 3 illustrates some of the stray or parasitic elements inherent to the linear regulator stage 13 and pertinent to the discussion of the preferred embodiment. The stray or parasitic elements related to the FET Q1 are considered to include other strays due to physical interconnection and mountings for the purpose of this discussion. The parasitic elements shown include the Miller or gate-drain capacitance Cgd/Cr55 '" , the gate inductance Lug,, a stray gate to source capacitance Cogs, a drain to source capacitance Cds, a source inductance L55 and a drain inductance Lds In FIG. 3, the FET Q1 is shown driven by a comparator/ driver 43 which is contained within a dashed line 46.

The comparator/driver 43 is shown including a comparator OP3; first, second, third and fourth resistors RA, RB, Rc, RD and first and second drive transistors Q5 Q6. The resistors RA, RB, RC, RD and drive transistors Q5, Q6 cooperate to perform an amplification and level shifting function on the output of the comparator OP3, as discussed in more detail below.

As can be seen from the curves of FIG. 4, the capacitances of a field effect transistor such as transistor Q1 change dramatically with element voltage in a very nonlinear manner. According to the well-known Miller effect, the feedback capacitance Crss is magnified by the voltage gain of the field effect transistor Q1. Such nonlinear capacitance changes complicate both the drive and feedback requirements of a high stability regulator with a dynamic load. Such parasitics also have a greater affect on the regulator performance as changes in load impedance increase in magnitude and frequency.

The Miller capacitance Cgd/Crss is probably the most harmful parasitic capacitance when high frequency performance is desired. As FIG. 4 indicates, the Miller capacitance is highest when voltage differentials are lowest or negative. Thus, as is recognized in the art, reducing the Miller Effect requires maintaining a high voltage differential (greater than five volts) across the FET Q1 in a linear regulator. On the other hand, for maximum efficiency, it is necessary to keep the voltage drop across the FET Q1 at a minimum when load current 1L is flowing.

According to the invention, the effects of the just-described parasitics are reduced, while maintaining efficiency, by programming the input voltage to the linear regulator 13 by means of the programmed switching regulator 11. In particular, the voltage to the linear regulator 11 is programmed so that at the beginning of and during the leading edge of the load pulse across the load 17, the input voltage ELR to the linear regulator 11 is higher than the voltage required to supply the sum of output voltage Eout plus the minimum conduction voltage drop of a linear regulator 13.This higher input voltage ELR to the linear regulator 13 provides a forcing function which increases the current flow 1L in the load 17 and in the stray series inductance (lids, Loss) from near zero to full load current (e.g., 30 amperes for a typical application). The resulting high drain to source voltage and high drain to gate voltage on the FET Q1 reduces the effective capacities between elements, particularly the capacity between the drain and gate, i.e., the Miller capacity. Reduction in these parasitic capacitances improves the response to impedance changes of the load 17. After occurrence of the leading edge of the load pulse, the input voltage ELR into the linear regulator 13 is programmed down, thereby resulting in more efficient operation. These beneficial effects will be additionally explained and illustrated through the following discussion of the waveform diagrams of FIGS. 5A-5H.

FIGS. 5A-5H show several idealized waveforms referenced in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIGS. 5A-5D employ a common time scale, while FIGS. 5E-5G employ an expanded time scale for illustrative purposes. Typical voltage and current levels are also indicated on the FIGS. 5A-5H.

The application of the "on" pulse 47, FIG. 5A, supplied by an external source, causes the impedance of the load 17 to drop. Current in the load 17, shown in FIG. 5C, increases at a rate determined by the parasitic impedance and the series regulating element Q1. The positive going transient 71 on the output voltage Eout of FIG. 5B and the decay 73 in output current IL at the end of the pulse 47 result from the energy stored in the stray circuit inductance Lug,, Lids, Lss when the load current 1L is terminated. It may be noted that the transient 71 in Eout and the decay 73 of IL do not adversely affect performance in typical circuit applications.

As indicated, FIGS. 5E, 5F and 5G show an expanded time scale in order to further illustrate the invention. During the time interval tl that the "on" pulse 47 is off, the value of Eout is at a first voltage level V1, which may be, for example, 35 volts.

During time interval t2, the output voltage Eout initially drops to, for example, 30 volts, due to circuit inductance and resistances, as current begins to flow in the series inductance Lds, Loss. The output voltage Eout then rises to point 101. Beyond point 101, the feedback comparator/driver 43 gains control of the on-resistance of Q1, lowering the on-resistance of Q1 and thereby increasing the rate of change in the output voltage. The output voltage Eout therefore increases more rapidly during the time interval t3 beyond point 101, until, at point 103, the voltage Eout reaches its stable value V2, for example 34.995 volts.

The difference (V1-V2) in Eout during the off-time interval t1 and after it reaches stability during the "on" pulse 47 is determined by the DC or low frequency gain of the comparator driver 43 and the FET Q1. A typical value for this difference V1-V2 is five milivolts, while illustrative values for t2 and t3 are .12 and .07 microseconds, respectively.

The programmed input voltage EOND is illustrated in FIG. 5F. As may be seen, it comprises a voltage pulse 111 of the same duration to as the "on" pulse 47 of FIG. 5A and delayed by an interval t4 > t2+t3 from the beginning of the "on" pulse 47.

The corresponding voltage ELR into the linear regulator 13 is shown in FIG. 5G. The shift in reference voltage on line 29 into the comparator pulse width modulator 32 provided by the rise in the delayed voltage pulse EOND linearly turns down or decreases the voltage ELR into the linear regulator 13 over a time interval t6, as shown in FIG. 5G. At the end of the "on" pulse 47, the programmed voltage, EOND, is shifted back down to its "off time" setting.

The input voltage ELR to the linear regulator 13 is programmed to decrease over an interval t6 at a rate which is slow compared to the transient response time of the linear regulator 13 that is required to accommodate the initial load current transient. By way of illustration, interval t6 may be on the order of 1-5 microseconds. The slow reduction in the input voltage to the linear regulator 13 does not demand the high drive current that would be required to maintain the fast response at high efficiency if the input voltage ELR (and drain to source voltage) changed rapidly.

The last waveform, FIG. 5H, illustrates the effect of the programmed input voltage. In general, the response time, or time to reach the stable operating voltage V2, decreases as the magnitude of the forcing function ELR-Eout increases. The initial rate of rise 114 of output voltage is faster due to a higher forcing voltage (ELR-EoUt). The rate of rise of the output voltage to the regulation level V2 is also faster due to the fact that the higher input voltage during this interval causes the gate to drain capacitance and and the gate to source capacitance C5 to be lower, requiring less drive current and less change in gate to source drive voltage for a given load current.

With respect to the Miller Effect, the curves of FIG. 4 show that typical values for Ciss + Crss changes from approximately 1400pf + 100pf=1500pf to 4200pf + 3200pf=7400pf as the drain to source voltage becomes less than 5 volts. Therefore, for a given driver 43 of FIG. 3, the response time is increased by a factor of 7400pf/1500pf=5 as a minimum. When the increase in Cross due to the gain of the transistor stage (typically greater than ten) is considered, the response time of the regulator 13 becomes proportionally slower. Thus, maintaining ELR-EOut greater than five volts considerably reduces response time.

As indicated, programming down of the voltage ELR into the linear regulator 13 as in FIG. 5G improves efficiency. For example, -programming ELR down 7 volts during the load pulse results in a net reduction of 7 volts times 30 amperes or 210 watts. This is a significant saving in power from the illustrative typical output power of 35 volts times 30 amperes or 1050 watts.

FIG. 6 shows a detailed circuit schematic diagram of a switching regulator 11 according to the preferred embodiment. In this circuit, a FET switch is controlled by a pulse width modulator IC1, in response to the output of a comparator OPIC. The FET switch S1 may be, for example, an IR 540 FET.

The output voltage of the switching regulator 11, which is the input voltage ELR into the linear regulator, is fed back on line 27 to a pulse width modulator comparator OPIC through a resistive divider network including resistors R1, R2, and R3. The voltage EOND (FIG. 5F) is applied on a line 36 through a resistor R7 and a variable resistor R8 to the base of a transistor Q2, which may be, for example, a 2N2222 transistor. The transistor Q2 shifts the current drawn through a reference voltage divider formed by resistors Rlo, R6, R4. The reference voltage supplied to the divider emanates from the REF terminal of the pulse width modulator integrated circuit IC1, which is connected to one terminal of a capacitor C3, whose other terminal is connected to common.The shift in current provided by the transistor Q2 in response to the delayed "on" pulse EOND causes a reduction (programming) of the voltage at the junction of the resistors R5, R6, which is the input to the comparator OPIC. The change in output of the comparator OPIC causes modulator IC1 to reduce the voltage ELR, as illustrated in FIG. 5G.

The comparator OPIC may be an HA2540 operational amplifier and is provided with a typical feedback network from its output to its input including resistors R11, R12 and capacitors Cf and Cfa The comparator OP1 is further shown connected to respective bias voltages V01 and V02, which may for example be +15 volts and -15 volts, respectively. The bias lines to the voltage sources V01 and V02 are respectively connected to filter capacitors C1 and C2, which are commonly connected to a line 103.

The output of the comparator OPIC is fed through a resistor R13 to the input of the pulse width modulator integrated circuit IC1, which may be, for example, an UC1825 integrated circuit. The output of the pulse width modulator IC1 supplies a pulse width modulated driving pulse to the switch (FET) S1 through a transformer T1. As is known in the art, the pulse width modulator IC1 controls the width of this driving pulse in accordance with the output of the comparator OPIC. The operating frequency of IC1 is set by selection of a resistor R19 and capacitor C6, as known in the art. Capacitor C7 is connected to provide a "soft start" function, also as known in the art.

Associated with the modulator IC1 is a biasing network including capacitors C8, Cg, C10, and resistors R22, R23, R24 The bias voltage V01 is connected to the Vcc bias input of the pulse width modulator IC1, and to each of the first terminals of the capacitors Cg, C10 and the resistors R22, R231 R24. The second terminals of the capacitors Cg and C10 are grounded, while the second terminal of the resistor R22 is connected to the Vc input of the pulse width modulator IC1. The resistor R22 is also connected through the bypass capacitor C8 to the power ground terminal of the pulse width modulator integrated circuit IC1. The resistors R23 and R24 are respectively connected to the A and B outputs of the pulse width modulator IC1.

Current feedback or current mode control circuitry is also connected to the integrated circuit pulse width modulator IC1 to enhance the stability of the feedback loop, and particularly to reduce the effect of the output filter L1 C141 C15 on feedback stability. Accordingly, current sensing circuitry 112 including a current transformer L2 is connected to the EIN line 23 to derive a current feedback signal in cooperation with diodes D3, D4, zener diode Z1 and a resistor R25.

The first output 121 of the current sensing circuitry 112 is connected through an adjustable resistive voltage divider comprising resistors R21, R201 R17 to the current limit (Ilim) input of the pulse width modulator IC1. The voltage at the Ilim input is compared internally to a reference voltage.

When the Ilim voltage exceeds the internal reference voltage, the output A and B of the integrated circuit of IC1 are removed, which turns off the switch S1. This operation provides over current protection for the regulator.

The second output of the current sensing circuitry 112 is connected through a variable resistor network comprising resistors R16, R15, to the ramp input of the integrated circuit IC1 through a resistor R14 and to the C1 input of IC1 through a capacitor C4 and the parallel combination of capacitor C5 and R18. As is well known in the art, the effect of the current feedback to the ramp and C1 inputs is to effectively reduce the two-pole network comprising inductance L1, and capacitors C14, C15 to a single pole network. This makes the necessary compensation of the regulator easier and enables improved performance.

The outputs A, B of the pulse width modulator integrated circuit IC1 are also supplied to circuitry which assists in turning off the FET switch S1. The circuitry includes an OR gate 123, a transistor Q3, and a transistor Q4. When both outputs A and B of the pulse width modulator integrated circuit IC1 are low, the low signal at the output of the OR gate is coupled through a differentiating capacitor C11 and a resistor R27 to the base of the transistor Q3 which may be, for example, a 2N5583. This low signal at the base of the transistor Q3 turns on transistor Q3, connecting transformer T2 to the bias voltage V01 through two resistors R30a, R29 and a capacitor C12. The positive voltage applied to the transformer T2 when the transistor Q3 is turned on is coupled to the base of the transistor Q4, a 2N3507, and to a resistor R31.

This coupled voltage causes the transistor Q4 to conduct, connecting the gate of the switch S1 to its source. This connection turns off the switch S1 by discharging its input capacity, thereby removing the gate voltage. The resistors R30 and R31 provide a discharge path for the energy stored in the primary inductance of the transformer T2 during the "on" pulse. The resistor R31 also provides a low impedance path between the base and emitter of the transistor Q4 to assure that the transistor Q4 remains off except when it is being driven by the transformer T2. The resistor R32 provides a low impedance path from the gate of the switch S1 to its source in order to assure that the switch S1 is not turned on by drain to gate leakage currents.

The field effect transistor switch S1 is connected to a power converter filter F1. This filter F1 includes an inductor L1, two capacitors C14, C15, a diode D1, a resistor R33 and a capacitor C14a. A cathode of the diode D1 and one terminal of the capacitor Cl4a are connected to the output of the FET switch S1. The capacitors C14 and C15 are connected to the output of the inductor L. The anode of the diode D1, one terminal of the resistor R33 and the opposite terminal of the capacitors C14 and C15 are connected in common. The output of the power converter filter F1 is the voltage ELR supplied to the linear regulator 13.

A schematic of a specific linear regulator circuit 13 according to the preferred embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 7. In general, according to this circuit, the output voltage Eout is controlled by the transistor (FET) Q1. A feedback signal VFDBK is connected to a low frequency operational amplifier OP2 and to an operational amplifier OP3 which has the wide bandwidth necessary to obtain the required fast transient response. The low frequency amplifier OP2 supplies a highly stable reference voltage to the second input of the wideband operational amplifier OP3.The output of the wideband operational amplifier OP3 controls the transistor Q1 through a driver and voltage translator network including fifth and sixth transistors Q5, Q6' The operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 may respectively be an LM 118 and an OptoElectronic 9914A operational amplifier. A more detailed discussion of this circuitry will now be presented The second, low frequency operational amplifier OP2 is supplied with a fixed voltage reference Vref through a network including three resistors R34, R35, R37 and a capacitor C16. The second input to the operational amplifier OP2 is the feedback reference voltage VFDBK, which is supplied through a resistor R36. The bias terminals of the amplifier OP2 are connected to a common line through bypass capacitors C17, C18.A feedback capacitor C19 connects the output of the operational amplifier OP2 to its first input. The feedback network around operational amplifier OP2 further includes a resistor R39, a resistor R38 and a capacitor C20, which supply the required high frequency feedback signal to the inverting input of the wideband operational amplifier OP3.

The output of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the noninverting input of the third operational amplifier OP3 through a network including two resistors R37a, R37b and a capacitor C22.

Feedback to the second input of the operational amplifier OP3 is also provided by a feedback network comprising a capacitor C27a, a resistor R44, a resistor R43 and resistors R41, R42, which comprise standard operational amplifier stabilizing circuitry.

Bias voltage to the operational amplifier OP3 is by-passed by first and second pairs of capacitors C23, C24 and C25, C26. One of the capacitors of each pair performs a high frequency filter function, while the other capacitor performs a low frequency filtering function. Such pairs of capacitors will be noted elsewhere in the circuitry. They are not required on the operational amplifier OP1 because that amplifier OP1 has gain only at DC and low frequencies. The gain of this amplifier falls to zero typically at frequencies of a few tens of hertz.

The output of the operational amplifier OP3 is connected through a resistor R45 to the gate of feedback transistor Q5. A capacitor C27 provides internal frequency compensation of the operational amplifier OP3, and a capacitor C28 provides a peaking or differentiated drive to Q5, which assists in obtaining a fast transient response from the regulator.

As before indicated, the field effect transistors QS, Q6 provide a driving and voltage translation function with respect to the transistor Q1 This function is provided in order to translate from near 5-15 volts to the operating voltage of Q1, which may be on the order of 35 volts, for example.

Accordingly, the source of the FET Q5 is connected through a resistor R60 to common. The drain of the FET Q5 is connected to the gate of the FET Q6 through a network including resistor R51 and a capacitor C40, which provides appropriate biasing for the FET Q5.

The FET Q6 is biased by a voltage of ELR plus V applied on a line 105 to a biasing network including resistors R47 and R48. Resistors R47 and R48 apply the bias voltage ELR to the source of the transistor Q6 while the resistor R48 is connected between the bias voltage source ELR + V and the gate of the FET Q6. The FET Q6 is protected against transients by a bi-directional zener diode Zl connected from its gate to the source of bias voltage Vi, + V.

Capacitors C29, C30 are connected from the common line to the bias voltage source line 105 and provide respective low and high frequency filtering functions.

The drain of the FET Q6 is connected through a resistor R52 to drive the gate of the FET switch Q1. Additional driving circuitry includes a resistor R53 in series with a capacitor C34 connected across the resistor R52, a resistor R55 connected from the drain of the FET Q6 to the source of the FET Q11 and a capacitor C35 in series with a resistor R54 connected from the gate of the field effect transistor Q1 to its source.

As before indicated, the input voltage ELR to the field effect transistor Q1 is applied to its drain on a line 107. This line 107 is connected to common through first and second capacitors C31, C33, which are again respective low and high frequency filtering capacitors. The capacitors C29, C30 filter an external DC offset voltage on the order of 20 volts in a typical application. The output of the linear regulator circuit 13 appears across a capacitor C39 which is connected from the output of the FET Q1 to the common line. The source of the FET Q1 is also connected to a voltage feedback divider circuit 109. This circuit includes four series connected resistors R56, R57, R58, R59. Each of three of the resistors R56, R57, R58 has a respective capacitor C36, C37, C38 connected in parallel therewith.As indicated, the feedback voltage VFDBK is taken from the connection point of the resistors R58 and R59. In this manner, the operational amplifier OP3 monitors the output voltage level and generates outputs required to control the transistor Q1 such that the desired output voltage E out is maintained. The voltage feedback dividing network reduces the voltage Eout across the output terminals to a level on the order of 10 volts.

A method has thus been shown of reducing or neutralizing the degrading effects of the drain to gate and gate to source capacitance when attempting to provide fast (e.g., 10-100 nanosecond) response from a voltage regulator operating into a dynamic or pulsed load at high efficiency. The performance improvement offered from this invention has been observed in breadboard operation.

FIGS. 8 and 9 disclose alternative embodiments of switching regulators which may be used with the linear regulator of FIG. 2. In FIG. 8 the output 32 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 is shown driving a full bridge transformer converter, which, as is wellknown in the art, includes a switching section 61, a transformer 63, and a filter 65. FIG. 9 illustrates the output 32 of the comparator/pulse width modulator 31 driving a push-pull forward converter, another well-known switching regulator circuit employing two-switching elements 81, connected to a transformer 83, which outputs to a filter 85. Many other varieties of switching regulators may be used according to the invention including various pulse width modulator based converters, as well as resonant converters. Many other varieties of series linear regulators are also known, and the invention is not limited to any one particular circuit.

It may be further noted that the "on" pulse 47 need not be coterminous with the load pulse. The "on" pulse may continue after termination of the load pulse.

It may also start after occurrence of the load pulse.

However, such delay will result in unnecessary power loss.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the just-described preferred embodiment is subject to numerous modifications and adaptations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Therefore it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A voltage regulator for regulating voltage applied to a load from an input voltage source supplying a source voltage, said load being activated during occurrence of a load pulse, characterized by: a first voltage regulator means supplied with an input voltage at an input and connected to a said load for regulating voltage applied to said load, said first voltage regulator means exhibiting a response time which decreases with increase in input voltage to said first voltage regulator means and power consumption which increases with increase in input voltage to said first voltage regulator means; and a programmed voltage regulator means connected to said input voltage source and to the input of said first voltage regulator means for controlling the input voltage to said first voltage regulator means, said programmed voltage regulator means supplying an increased input voltage to said first voltage regulator means at the beginning of said load pulse to provide faster response and thereafter reducing the input voltage to said first regulator means to reduce power consumption.

2. The voltage regulator of Claim 1 wherein said programmed voltage regulator means is responsive to a pulse which occurs after said load pulse' to reduce the input voltage to said first voltage regulator means.

3. The voltage regulator of Claim 2 wherein said first voltage regulator means includes a switching means connected to its input and to said load for controlling the voltage supplied to said load.

4. The voltage regulator of Claim 3 wherein said switching means comprises transistor means and wherein said increased input voltage at the beginning of said load pulse reduces parasitic effects associated with said transistor means.

5. The voltage regulator of Claim 1 wherein said first voltage regulator means comprises a linear voltage regulator.

6. The voltage regulator of Claim 5 wherein said linear regulator supplies a load current to said load and wherein said input voltage to said linear regulator is reduced to a value which is the minimum required to support the load current.

7. The voltage regulator of Claim 6 wherein said input voltage to said linear regulator is reduced to said minimum value at a rate which is slow in comparison to the transient response of said linear regulator.

8. The voltage regulator of Claim 1 wherein said programmed voltage regulator means comprises: means supplied with said source voltage and responsive to a control signal for controlling the level of the input voltage to said linear regulator; and means for selectively supplying said control signal to said switching means so as to supply an increased voltage to the input of said linear regulator during said load pulse and thereafter to reduce the input voltage to said linear regulator.

9. The voltage regulator of Claim 8 wherein said means for selectively supplying comprises: comparator pulse width modulator means having and output connected to said controlling means, and first and second inputs, said first input being connected to the input of said linear regulator; and a programmed voltage reference source connected to said second input of said comparator pulse width modulator.

10. The voltage regulator of Claim 9 wherein said programmed voltage reference source comprises: delay means for receiving a pulse and outputting a delayed pulse; and reference voltage source means for supplying a reference voltage to said second input of said comparator pulse width modulator means and for reducing said reference voltage for substantially the duration of said load pulse in response to said delayed pulse.