Charge pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10972003-B2
Application number	US-201916454272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2019
Priority date	Jun 27, 2018
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

The charge pump is provided, which comprises a power supply circuit and a frequency control circuit. The power supply circuit comprises at least one electric energy storage element, and charges the at least one electric energy storage element for producing a supply voltage. The frequency control circuit is coupled to the at least one electric energy storage element, and outputs an operating signal to the power supply circuit. The frequency control circuit adjusts, an operating frequency of the operating signal in according to the electricity stored in the at least one electric energy storage element for controlling charging of the at least one electric energy storage element to increase the electricity of the at least one electric energy storage element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A charge pump, comprising:
a power supply circuit, including at least one electric energy storage element, and charging said electric energy storage element for producing a supply voltage;
a frequency control circuit, coupled to said electric energy storage element, outputting an operating signal to said power supply circuit, and adjusting an operating frequency of said operating signal according to the electricity stored in said electric energy storage element for controlling the charging of said electric energy storage element for increasing the stored electricity; and
a voltage regulating circuit, including a first input terminal and a second input terminal, said first input terminal coupled to an output terminal of said charge pump, said second input terminal coupled to a reference voltage, said voltage regulating circuit generating a voltage regulating signal according to said supply voltage and said reference voltage, and said power supply circuit outputting said supply voltage according to said voltage regulating signal and the electricity of said electric energy storage element.

2. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein a charging frequency of said electric energy storage element is equal to said operating frequency.

3. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said power supply circuit comprises:
a switching circuit, coupled to said electric energy storage element, and turning on or turning off a charging path or a discharging path for said electric energy storage element.

4. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said power supply circuit comprises:
a detecting circuit, coupled to said frequency control circuit and a voltage regulating signal produced by a voltage regulating circuit, and detecting said voltage regulating signal for generating a detecting signal to said frequency control circuit; and wherein said frequency control circuit controls said operating frequency of said operating signal according to said detecting signal.

5. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said electric energy storage element includes a first electrode terminal and a second electrode terminal; said first electrode terminal is coupled to a charging voltage and an output terminal of said power supply circuit via a switching circuit; said second electrode terminal is coupled to said switching circuit and said frequency control circuit and to a ground terminal via said switching circuit; and said power supply circuit stops outputting said supply voltage when said charging voltage charges said electric energy storage element.

6. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said at least one electric energy storage element comprising:
a first electric energy storage element, coupled to a charging voltage, a ground terminal, and an output terminal of said power supply circuit via a switching circuit; and
a second electric energy storage element, coupled to said charging voltage, said ground terminal, and said output terminal of said power supply circuit via said switching circuit, said charging voltage charging said first electric energy storage element when said power supply circuit outputs said supply voltage by the electricity in said second electric energy storage element, and said charging voltage charging said second electric energy storage element when said power supply circuit outputs said supply voltage by the electricity in said first electric energy storage element.

7. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said at least one electric energy storage element comprising:
a first electric energy storage element, coupled to a charging voltage and a ground terminal via a switching circuit;
a second electric energy storage element, coupled to said ground terminal, and an output terminal of said power supply circuit via said switching circuit;
a third electric energy storage element, coupled to said ground terminal, and said output terminal of said power supply circuit via said switching circuit; and
a fourth electric energy storage element, coupled to said charging voltage and said ground terminal via said switching circuit, said charging voltage charging said first electric energy storage element, and said third electric energy storage element and said fourth electric energy storage element being charged when said power supply circuit outputs said supply voltage by the electricity in said second electric energy storage element, and said first electric energy storage element charging said second electric energy storage element, and said charging voltage charging said fourth electric energy storage element when said power supply circuit outputs said supply voltage by the electricity in said third electric energy storage element.

8. The charge pump of claim 1 , comprising:
a clock generator, coupled to a comparator of said frequency control circuit, receiving a comparison signal, generating a plurality of switching signals according to said comparison signal, and coupled to said power supply circuit to output said switching signals to said power supply circuit for controlling the switching timing of said power supply circuit.

9. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said frequency control circuit comprises:
a comparator, coupled to a regulating threshold voltage and a voltage regulating signal generated by a voltage regulating circuit, comparing said regulating threshold voltage with said voltage regulating signal for generating a comparison signal, in which said frequency control circuit generates said operating signal according to said comparison signal, and said operating frequency is related to the frequency of said comparison signal.

10. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said power supply circuit comprises:
a plurality of charging circuits, coupled to a plurality of control signals and an output terminal of said power supply circuit, and producing a plurality of output voltages according to said control signals to product said supply voltage according to said output voltages; said charging circuits generates a plurality of detecting signals to said frequency control circuit; and said frequency control circuit modulates said control signals according to said detecting signals.

11. The charge pump of claim 1 , wherein said frequency control circuit comprises:
a plurality of flip-flops, including a plurality of input terminals, a plurality of output terminals, a plurality of inverse output terminals, and a plurality of control terminals; in which said input terminal of a first-stage flip-flop of said flip-flops is coupled to said inverse output terminal of a last-stage flip-flop of said flip-flops; said output terminals and said input terminals of said flip-flops between said first-stage flip-flop and said last-stage flip-flop are connected serially and sequentially; said control terminals are coupled to said operating signal; said operating signal controls said flip-flops to output a pulse signal to the flip-flop of the next stage sequentially; and said flip-flops generate a plurality of control signals according to the pulse signals.

Assignees

• Sitronix Technology Corp

Inventors

• Lin Sheng-Ying

Classifications

• H02M3/077

  with parallel connected charge pump stages · CPC title

• H02M1/0045

  Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode · CPC title

• H02M1/0048

  Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses (using snubbers H02M1/34) · CPC title

• H02M1/0032

  Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode · CPC title

• H02M3/073 Primary

  Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type · CPC title