Apparatus and methods for bypassing an inductor of a voltage converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673707-B2
Application number	US-201514919984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2015
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for bypassing an inductor of a voltage converter are provided. In one embodiment, a voltage converter includes an inductor and a bypass circuit that selectively bypasses the inductor based on a state of a bypass control signal. The inductor includes including a first end electrically connected to a first node and a second end electrically connected to a second node. The bypass circuit includes a first p-type field effect transistor and a second p-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node. The first p-type field effect transistor includes a body electrically connected to a first voltage, and the second p-type field effect transistor includes a body electrically connected to a second voltage greater than the first voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless device comprising:
a voltage converter configured to generate one or more converted voltages based on controlling a current through an inductor, the inductor including a first end electrically connected to a first node and a second end electrically connected to a second node; and
a bypass circuit that selectively bypasses the inductor based on a state of a bypass control signal, the bypass circuit including a first p-type field effect transistor and a second p-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node, the first p-type field effect transistor including a body electrically connected to a first voltage, and the second p-type field effect transistor including a body electrically connected to a second voltage greater than the first voltage.

2. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the bypass circuit further includes a first n-type field effect transistor and a second n-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node.

3. The wireless device of claim 2 wherein the bypass circuit further includes a first level shifter and a second level shifter, the first level shifter operable to control a gate of the first p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the first n-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal, and the second level shifter operable to control a gate of the second p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the second n-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal.

4. The wireless device of claim 3 wherein the first level shifter is powered by the first voltage and the second level shifter is powered by the second voltage.

5. The wireless device of claim 1 further comprising switches configured to generate a selected output voltage based on selecting amongst a plurality of output voltages that include the one or more converted voltages.

6. The wireless device of claim 5 further comprising a power amplifier and a voltage adjustment module that generates a power amplifier supply voltage for the power amplifier based on adjusting a voltage magnitude of the selected output voltage.

7. The wireless device of claim 1 further comprising a battery that generates a battery voltage, the one or more converted voltages including a boosted voltage greater than the battery voltage.

8. A voltage converter comprising:
an inductor including a first end electrically connected to a first node and a second end electrically connected to a second node; and
a bypass circuit that selectively bypasses the inductor based on a state of a bypass control signal, the bypass circuit including a first p-type field effect transistor and a second p-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node, the first p-type field effect transistor including a body electrically connected to a first voltage, and the second p-type field effect transistor including a body electrically connected to a second voltage greater than the first voltage.

9. The voltage converter of claim 8 wherein the bypass circuit further includes a first n-type field effect transistor and a second n-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node.

10. The voltage converter of claim 9 wherein the bypass circuit further includes a first level shifter and a second level shifter, the first level shifter operable to control a gate of the first p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the first n-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal, and the second level shifter operable to control a gate of the second p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the second n-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal.

11. The voltage converter of claim 10 wherein the first level shifter is powered by the first voltage and the second level shifter is powered by the second voltage.

12. The voltage converter of claim 10 wherein the first n-type field effect transistor includes a body electrically connected to a ground voltage and the second n-type field effect transistor includes a body electrically connected to a switchable voltage.

13. The voltage converter of claim 11 wherein the bypass circuit further includes a voltage generator that generates the switchable voltage, the voltage generator configured to switch the switchable voltage between the ground voltage and a low drop out voltage based on a state of a protection control signal.

14. The voltage converter of claim 8 wherein the bypass circuit is configured to control a gate of the first p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the second p-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal.

15. A method of voltage conversion comprising:
generating one or more converted voltages based on controlling a current through an inductor of a voltage converter, the inductor including a first end electrically connected to a first node and a second end electrically connected to a second node;
selectively bypassing the inductor using a bypass circuit based on a state of a bypass control signal, the bypass circuit including a first p-type field effect transistor and a second p-type field effect transistor electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node;
biasing a body of the first p-type field effect transistor with a first voltage; and
biasing a body of the second p-type field effect transistor with a second voltage greater than the first voltage.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising controlling a gate of the first p-type field effect transistor and a gate of the second p-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising controlling a gate of the a n-type field effect transistor and a gate of a second n-type field effect transistor based on the state of the bypass control signal, the first and second n-type field effect transistors electrically connected in series between the first node and the second node.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising biasing a body of the first n-type field effect transistor with a ground voltage and biasing a body of the second n-type field effect transistor with a switchable voltage.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating a selected output voltage based on selecting amongst a plurality of output voltages that include the one or more converted voltages.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising generating a power amplifier supply voltage based on adjusting a voltage magnitude of the selected output voltage, and providing the power amplifier supply voltage to a power amplifier.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc
• Snaptrack Inc

Inventors

• Popplewell Peter Harris Robert
• Pingot Jakub F
• Balteanu Florinel G
• Wilson Martin
• Tuckwell Mark

Classifications

• H03F2200/102

  A non-specified detector of a signal envelope being used in an amplifying circuit · CPC title

• H02M3/156 Primary

  with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators · CPC title

• G05F1/56

  using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices (G05F1/461 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F3/193

  with field-effect devices (H03F3/195 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F1/0227 Primary

  using supply converters · CPC title