Fault tolerant voltage regulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10013009-B2
Application number	US-201615275033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 25, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A fault tolerant voltage regulator may include a plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers. The plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers may be configured according to a unity-gain configuration. The plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers may be configured to couple in parallel to a load. The plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers may be configured to load share a load current associated with the load approximately equally among the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fault tolerant voltage regulator comprising:
a plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers configured according to a unity-gain configuration and to couple in parallel to a load, wherein the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers are configured to load share a load current associated with the load approximately equally among the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers;
wherein an output of each of the plurality of the operational transconductance amplifiers is coupled to a common output node, and wherein a negative input of each of the operational transconductance amplifiers is coupled to the common output node;
wherein the load comprises a termination resistor coupled between the output node and a communication line coupled between a processing circuit and a memory circuit.

2. A fault tolerant voltage regulator comprising:
a plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers configured according to a unity-gain configuration and to couple in parallel to a load, wherein the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers are configured to load share a load current associated with the load approximately equally among the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers;
wherein each of the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers is further configured to generate an output characteristic of a class B transfer function.

3. A fault tolerant voltage regulator comprising:
a plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers configured according to a unity-gain configuration and to couple in parallel to a load, wherein the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers are configured to load share a load current associated with the load approximately equally among the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers;
wherein a first of the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers is coupled to a first current source configured to bias the first of the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers, and wherein the first current source is independent of a second current source coupled to a second of the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers and configured to bias the second of the plurality of operational transconductance amplifiers.

4. A fault tolerant voltage regulator comprising:
a first operational transconductance amplifier;
a second operational transconductance amplifier coupled in parallel with the first operational transconductance amplifier; and
a third operational transconductance amplifier coupled in parallel with the first operational transconductance amplifier and the second operational transconductance amplifier,
wherein each of the first operational transconductance amplifier, the second operational transconductance amplifier, and the third operational transconductance amplifier is configured to couple to a load and comprises an input stage that comprises a plurality of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), and
wherein the plurality of MOSFETs are configured to operate in accordance with a class B transfer function to approximately equally share a load current associated with the load.

5. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein the second operational transconductance amplifier and the third operational transconductance amplifier are configured to load share the load current of the load approximately equally when the first operational transconductance amplifier fails.

6. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein the load is a double data rate (DDR) termination resistor.

7. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein a transconductance value of each of the first operational transconductance amplifier, the second operational transconductance amplifier, and the third operational transconductance amplifier is approximately equally.

8. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein each of the first operational transconductance amplifier, the second operational transconductance amplifier, and the third operational transconductance amplifier is independently biased by a bias current.

9. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein each of the first operational transconductance amplifier, the second operational transconductance amplifier, and the third operational transconductance amplifier is configured according to a unity gain configuration.

10. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 4 , wherein an output voltage of the fault tolerant voltage regulator is within an approximately 80 millivolt (mV) range that is approximately centered on an optimal output of the fault tolerant voltage regulator.

11. The fault tolerant voltage regulator of claim 10 , wherein the output voltage of the fault tolerant voltage regulator is within an approximately 50 mV range that is approximately centered on the optimal output of the fault tolerant voltage regulator.

12. A method of sourcing or sinking a load current of a load, comprising:
receiving a voltage from a power supply, the voltage based on a voltage provided by the power supply to the load;
transmitting a voltage based on the voltage received from the power supply to a plurality of amplifiers, the plurality of amplifiers configured as low-gain amplifiers operating in accordance with class B transfer function characteristics;
generating, by the plurality of amplifiers, an output current based on the voltage received from the power supply, wherein each of the plurality of amplifiers contributes approximately equally to the output current; and
generating, by a plurality of unaffected amplifiers, the output current based on the voltage received from the power supply when one of the plurality of amplifiers experiences an upset event, wherein the plurality of unaffected amplifiers is a subset of less than all of the plurality of amplifiers, and wherein each of the plurality of unaffected amplifiers contributes approximately equally to the output current.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the upset event is an ionizing radiation particle strike that renders the one of the plurality of amplifiers that experiences the upset event incapable of contributing approximately equally to the output current.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein a contribution to the output current of each of the unaffected amplifiers is greater after the upset event that a contribution to the output current of each of the unaffected amplifiers prior to the upset event.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the voltage based on the voltage received from the power supply is an output of a voltage divider that scales the voltage received from the power supply.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the load is a double data rate (DDR) memory communication line termination resistor.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Hamlyn Mark Bryan

Classifications

• G05F1/575 Primary

  characterised by the feedback circuit · CPC title

• H03F2203/45288

  Differential amplifier with circuit arrangements to enhance the transconductance · CPC title

• H03F1/526

  protecting by using redundant amplifiers · CPC title

• H03K5/00

  Manipulating of pulses not covered by one of the other main groups of this subclass (circuits with regenerative action H03K3/00, H03K4/00; by the use of non-linear magnetic or dielectric devices H03K3/45) · CPC title

• H03F3/45179

  using MOSFET transistors as the active amplifying circuit (H03F3/45278 takes precedence) · CPC title