Method and system for boosting output current

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11526187-B2
Application number	US-202017136345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 3, 2020
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure include a device comprising an energy storage device configured to provide first power having a first voltage level, a voltage regulator coupled to the energy storage device and configured to receive the first power and regulate the first power to generate regulated power having a set output regulated voltage level, and bias circuitry coupled to the voltage regulator and including an output branch to output a bias current, and a feedback branch to control the bias current, the feedback branch including a bias-boosting component configured to be in an active mode responsive to the first voltage level being below the set output regulated voltage level and to be in an inactive mode responsive to the first voltage level being at or above the set output regulated voltage level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
an energy storage device configured to provide first power having a first voltage level;
a voltage regulator coupled to the energy storage device and configured to receive the first power and regulate the first power to generate regulated power having a set output regulated voltage level; and
bias circuitry coupled to the voltage regulator and including an output branch to output a bias current, and a feedback branch to control the bias current, the feedback branch including a bias-boosting component configured to be in an active mode responsive to the first voltage level being below the set output regulated voltage level and to be in an inactive mode responsive to the first voltage level being at or above the set output regulated voltage level.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the bias-boosting component includes a first voltage-controlled switch.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the first voltage-controlled switch is configured to be closed and conducting during the active mode, and is configured to be open and non-conducting in the inactive mode.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the first voltage-controlled switch is a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and wherein the MOSFET is in a triode region during the active mode and is in a subthreshold region in the inactive mode.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the bias circuitry includes a current mirror having the output branch and the feedback branch.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the bias circuitry includes a supply voltage input coupled to the output branch and the feedback branch, and wherein the bias circuitry is configured to receive a supply voltage from the voltage regulator via the supply voltage input.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the feedback branch includes an error amplifier having a first input to receive a reference voltage, a second input to receive a feedback voltage, and an output to provide an output control signal.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the feedback branch includes a resistor coupled to the second input of the error amplifier and coupled in parallel with the MOSFET.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the feedback branch includes a second voltage-controlled switch and the output branch includes a third voltage-controlled switch, and wherein the output of the error amplifier is configured to be coupled to, and provide the output control signal to, a control connection of the second voltage-controlled switch and a control connection of the third voltage-controlled switch.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising a power amplifier.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the power amplifier is configured to:
receive the regulated power from the voltage regulator;
receive the bias current from the bias circuitry; and
amplify one or more signals based on the regulated power and the bias current.

12. The device of claim 2 wherein the feedback branch includes an error amplifier having a first input to receive a reference voltage, a second input to receive a feedback voltage, and an output to provide an output control signal.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the feedback branch includes a resistor coupled to the second input of the error amplifier and coupled in parallel with the first voltage-controlled switch.

14. A method of operating a device including an energy storage device, a voltage regulator coupled to the energy storage device and being configured to provide regulated power having a set output regulated voltage level, and bias circuitry coupled to the voltage regulator and including a bias-boosting metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), the method comprising:
providing first power having a first voltage level from the energy storage device to the voltage regulator;
regulating, by the voltage regulator, the first power to generate first regulated power;
providing the first regulated power from the voltage regulator to the bias circuitry;
activating the bias-boosting MOSFET responsive to the first voltage level being less than the set output regulated voltage level, the activating including operating the bias-boosting MOSFET in a triode region; and
outputting, by the bias circuitry, a boosted bias current responsive to activating the bias-boosting MOSFET.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
providing second power having a second voltage level from the energy storage device to the voltage regulator;
regulating, by the voltage regulator, the second power to generate second regulated power;
providing the second regulated power from the voltage regulator to the bias circuitry;
deactivating the bias-boosting MOSFET responsive to the second voltage level being at or above the set output regulated voltage level; and
outputting, by the bias circuitry, a non-boosted bias current responsive to deactivating the bias-boosting MOSFET.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the bias-boosting MOSFET is a voltage-controlled switch, and wherein activating the bias-boosting MOSFET includes controlling the voltage-controlled switch to be in a closed and conducting state and deactivating the bias-boosting MOSFET includes controlling the voltage-controlled switch to be in an open and non-conducting state.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the bias circuitry includes an error amplifier having a first input to receive a reference voltage, a second input to receive a feedback voltage, and an output to provide an output signal, a resistor coupled to the second input coupled in parallel with the voltage-controlled switch, wherein activating the bias-boosting MOSFET includes shunting current away from the resistor.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the bias circuitry includes at least one second voltage-controlled switch, the method further comprising providing the output signal to a control connection of the at least one second voltage-controlled switch to control one of the boosted bias current and the non-boosted bias current.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the device includes a power amplifier and one or more powered components, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the power amplifier, the first regulated power from the voltage regulator;
receiving, by the power amplifier, the boosted bias current from the bias circuitry; and
amplifying, by the power amplifier, one or more signals based on the first regulated power and the boosted bias current.

20. A biasing system comprising:
an input to receive a supply voltage having a first voltage level;
an output branch having an output to provide a bias current to a load; and
a feedback branch including a bias-boosting metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) configured to be in an active mode responsive to the first voltage level being below a set voltage threshold level and to be in an inactive mode responsive to the first voltage level being above the set voltage threshold level, the bias-boosting MOSFET being in a triode region in the active mode and in a subthreshold region in the inactive mode.

21. A method of operating a device including an energy storage device, a voltage regulator coupled to the energy storage device and being configured to provide regulated power having a set output regulated voltage level, and bias circuitry coupled to the voltage regulator and including a first voltage-controlled switch, a second voltage-controlled switch, and an error amplifier having a first input to receive a reference voltage, a se

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Gheorghiu Gabriel Bogdan

Classifications

• G05F3/262

  using field-effect transistors only · CPC title

• G05F1/575 Primary

  characterised by the feedback circuit · CPC title

• G05F1/461

  using an operational amplifier as final control device · CPC title

• G05F1/445

  being transistors in series with the load · CPC title