Voltage calibration circuit and method

The voltage calibration circuit simplifies the self-calibration process for LDO circuits by using a reference voltage generation module, comparator, and calibration controller to adjust voltage based on temperature data, addressing complexity and cost issues in existing methods.

JP7609992B2Active Publication Date: 2025-01-07SHENZHEN PANGO MICROSYST CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023527405
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-12-31
Filing Date
2021-03-09
Publication Date
2025-01-07
Estimated Expiration
2041-03-09

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing voltage calibration methods for LDO circuits are complex and costly, requiring extensive testing and are not effective in achieving precise self-calibration due to design limitations and environmental factors.

Method used

A voltage calibration circuit and method that incorporates a reference voltage generation module, comparator, and calibration controller to simplify the self-calibration process by using temperature data to adjust the voltage based on comparison results, allowing for both background and foreground calibration.

Benefits of technology

Enables easy and effective voltage self-calibration, reducing hardware costs and simplifying test vectors while achieving precise voltage control, even in varying environmental conditions.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

According to a voltage calibration circuit and method provided by an embodiment of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module that obtains a reference voltage based on temperature data and sends it to a comparator, a comparator that includes a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, and compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result, and a calibration controller that is connected to the result output terminal of the comparator and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result sent from the comparator to obtain a target voltage. By combining the reference voltage generation module, the comparator, and the calibration controller, the present application can achieve self-calibration of voltage while minimizing additional hardware power consumption.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of integrated circuit design, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to voltage calibration circuits and methods. [Background technology]

[0002] LDO (Low Dropout Regulator) is a linear DC (Direct Current) voltage regulator. That is, LDO is a linear voltage drop type power management chip, which has the advantages of low cost, low noise, small static current, etc. Therefore, how to easily and effectively calibrate the voltage of LDO circuit system has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The main technical problem that the voltage calibration circuit and method provided by the embodiments of the present application aim to solve is how to simplify the voltage self-calibration process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a voltage calibration circuit including: a reference voltage generation module that obtains a reference voltage based on temperature data and transmits it to a comparator; a comparator including a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, the comparator comparing the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result; and a calibration controller connected to a result output terminal of the comparator, calibrating the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator to obtain a target voltage.

[0005] The voltage calibration circuit may also include a main circuit connected to the comparator for obtaining a voltage to be calibrated and transmitting the voltage to the comparator.

[0006] In addition, the voltage calibration circuit further includes a counter having a first connection terminal connected to the calibration controller and a second connection terminal connected to the main circuit, receiving a lift-up / down control signal sent from the calibration controller, and obtaining a count value based on the lift-up / down control signal.

[0007] The main circuit may also include a calibration determination module connected to the counter, receiving the count value transmitted from the counter, and determining whether or not the calibration operation is terminated based on the count value; an error amplifier connected to the calibration determination module, which sets the target voltage within a predetermined voltage range when the calibration determination module determines that the calibration operation is terminated; and a drive module connected to the error amplifier and generates a current necessary for the operation of the main circuit.

[0008] The reference voltage generation module may also include a temperature sensor, an A / D converter, and a reference voltage acquisition unit, wherein the temperature sensor is connected to the A / D converter and collects and transmits temperature data to the A / D converter, the A / D converter has a first connection terminal connected to the temperature sensor and a second connection terminal connected to the reference voltage acquisition unit, converts the temperature data into a temperature digital signal and transmits it to the reference voltage acquisition unit, and the reference voltage acquisition unit has a first connection terminal connected to the A / D converter and a second connection terminal connected to the comparator, and acquires a voltage corresponding to the temperature digital signal as a reference voltage and transmits it to the comparator.

[0009] The voltage calibration circuit may also include a calibration signal generation module coupled to the calibration controller for generating a calibration signal for causing the calibration controller to perform a voltage calibration operation.

[0010] Moreover, the calibration signal generating module may include a first signal generating module, and the calibration controller may have a first signal receiving terminal connected to the first signal generating module and receiving a first signal transmitted from the first signal generating module, the first signal being a calibration signal input by a user.

[0011] In addition, the calibration signal generating module may include a second signal generating module, and the calibration controller may further have a second signal receiving terminal connected to the second signal generating module and receiving a second signal transmitted from the second signal generating module when the reference voltage changes.

[0012] Furthermore, the calibration signal generation module may include a third signal generation module, and the calibration controller may further have a third signal receiving terminal connected to the third signal generation module and receiving a third signal as a clock signal transmitted from the third signal generation module.

[0013] In a second aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, there is further provided a voltage calibration method applied to the voltage calibration circuit of the first aspect, the method including: obtaining a voltage to be calibrated and a reference voltage, comparing the voltage to be calibrated with the reference voltage to obtain a voltage comparison result, and calibrating the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result, where the reference voltage is obtained by the reference voltage generation module based on temperature data. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the voltage calibration circuit and method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module, which obtains a reference voltage according to temperature data and sends it to a comparator, a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module and a second voltage terminal receiving a voltage to be calibrated, and a comparator, which compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result, and a calibration controller, which is connected to a result output terminal of the comparator, calibrates the voltage to be calibrated according to the voltage comparison result sent from the comparator to obtain a target voltage. The present invention can realize voltage self-calibration more simply and effectively by combining the reference voltage generation module, the comparator, and the calibration controller.

[0015] Other features of the present invention and corresponding advantages will be described in later portions of the specification, but it should be understood that at least some of the advantages will be apparent from the description of the present invention in this specification. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage calibration circuit provided according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a calibration controller in a voltage calibration circuit provided according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage calibration circuit provided according to another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main circuit in a voltage calibration circuit provided by another embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a specific voltage calibration circuit provided by another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of different signal acquisitions in an exemplary voltage calibration circuit provided by another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a specific voltage calibration circuit provided according to yet another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8]4 is a method flow chart of a voltage calibration method provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly describes the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments. It is clear that the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other accompanying drawings from these accompanying drawings without performing creative work.

[0018] In a conventional FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), there are various adjustment means for voltage. According to a conventional voltage trimming method, during calibration, it is necessary to input certain trimming information according to the test result, and then voltage trimming can be realized according to the number of bits that can be trimmed. However, these trimming methods make the test vector complicated, and the cost required for testing increases to a certain extent. In other words, in a conventional voltage trimming method, different trimming needs to be performed according to environmental factors such as temperature, and when more precise adjustment and control are required, it is usually affected by the process of the circuit. That is, the conventional voltage trimming method has design limitations and cannot realize better self-calibration.

[0019] In response to the above problems, the present inventors have proposed a voltage calibration circuit and method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which uses a reference voltage generation module, a comparator, and a calibration controller to simplify the conditions for implementing voltage self-calibration, and reduce the requirements for voltage self-calibration to a certain extent.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a voltage calibration circuit provided according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The voltage calibration circuit 100 may include a reference voltage generating module 110, a comparator 120, and a calibration controller .

[0021] In an embodiment, the reference voltage generating module 110 obtains a reference voltage based on the temperature data and sends it to the comparator 120. The voltage calibration circuit 100 in the embodiment of the present invention may be a linear low-voltage differential regulator (LDO).

[0022] In one embodiment, the comparator 120 includes a first voltage receiving terminal 121 connected to the reference voltage generating module 110 and a second voltage receiving terminal 122 for receiving a voltage to be calibrated. At the same time, the comparator 120 may compare the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result. The voltage to be calibrated is also referred to as an LDO real voltage.

[0023] In an embodiment, when the comparator 120 receives the reference voltage and the voltage to be calibrated transmitted from the first voltage receiving terminal 121 and the second voltage receiving terminal 122, the comparator 120 may compare the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result. Specifically, the comparator 120 may determine whether the voltage to be calibrated is greater than the reference voltage. If the comparator 120 determines that the voltage to be calibrated is greater than the reference voltage, the comparator 120 outputs a voltage comparison result of 1. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the comparator 120 may transmit the voltage comparison result of 1 to the calibration controller 130 as an up-down control signal to instruct the calibration controller 130 to lower the voltage to be calibrated.

[0024] In another embodiment, when the comparator 120 determines that the voltage to be calibrated is smaller than the reference voltage, the comparator 120 outputs a voltage comparison result of 0. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the voltage comparison result of 0 can be sent to the calibration controller 130 as an increase / decrease control signal to instruct the calibration controller 130 to increase the voltage to be calibrated. When calibrating the voltage to be calibrated, the calibration controller 130 can perform the calibration according to a predetermined voltage. For example, when the voltage to be calibrated V out is the reference voltage V refIf it is determined that the voltage V out can be increased by a predetermined voltage value O. At each calibration, the voltage V to be calibrated is out The value of becomes larger, and the voltage after calibration becomes the voltage to be calibrated V out +O. Furthermore, when it is determined that the voltage to be calibrated is equal to the reference voltage, the voltage calibration circuit may stop the voltage calibration operation.

[0025] During calibration, the predetermined voltage value can be kept constant, i.e., the voltage value that is increased or decreased each time can be the same. For example, the voltage to be calibrated V out is 3V, and the reference voltage V ref In the case where the voltage V is 4V, the predetermined voltage value O can be set to 0.2. That is, each time the voltage V to be calibrated is calibrated, out is increased by 0.2 V. During the calibration, the predetermined voltage value O is kept constant. At this time, the voltage to be calibrated V out are 3.2V, 3.4V, 3.6V, 3.8V, and 4.0V.

[0026] In other embodiments, the predetermined voltage value may be variable, i.e., the predetermined voltage value may be decremented during voltage calibration. For example, the predetermined voltage value O may be 0.5 V during the first calibration, 0.4 V during the second calibration, and 0.3 V during the third calibration.

[0027] In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when calibrating the voltage to be calibrated, it is also possible to calibrate the voltage to be calibrated at a maximum predetermined voltage value O at the start of calibration. If the relationship between the voltage to be calibrated and the reference voltage does not match the predetermined relationship, the predetermined voltage value can be reduced. For example, when the voltage to be calibrated V out is 3V, and the reference voltage V ref If the voltage V to be calibrated is 4V, the maximum predetermined voltage value O can be 0.4V. out is the reference voltage V ref Since it is smaller than V, the voltage to be calibrated is obtained as follows:out are 3.4V and 3.8V, respectively, and in the third calibration, it becomes 3.8V+0.4=4.2, which is obviously greater than 4V. In this case, instead of performing calibration using the maximum predetermined voltage value, the maximum predetermined voltage value can be reduced. For example, the maximum predetermined voltage value O can be halved to 0.2V. In this case, by adding the predetermined voltage value to the latest voltage to be calibrated, a value that is exactly 4V can be obtained. In this way, the calibration controller 130 can improve the speed of voltage calibration.

[0028] In another aspect, the calibration controller 130 is connected to the result output terminal 123 of the comparator 120, and can calibrate the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator 120 to obtain a target voltage.

[0029] In another embodiment, in order to more clearly understand the structure of the calibration controller 130, the embodiment of the present invention provides a schematic diagram shown in Fig. 2. As can be seen from Fig. 2, in addition to the reference voltage generation module 110, the comparator 120, and the calibration controller 130, the voltage calibration circuit 100 may further include a calibration signal generation module 140 connected to the calibration controller 130, for generating a calibration signal for causing the calibration controller 130 to perform a voltage calibration operation.

[0030] In an embodiment, the calibration signal generating module 140 may include a first signal generating module 141. The calibration controller 130 has a first signal receiving terminal connected to the first signal generating module 141 and receiving a first signal transmitted from the first signal generating module 141, the first signal being a calibration signal input by a user. The first signal is also referred to as a forced calibration signal. Note that the first signal may be a forced calibration command transmitted by a chip, without being limited by the voltage calibration circuit. That is, the first signal generating module 141 may be a part of the voltage calibration circuit 100, or may be a chip independent of the voltage calibration circuit 100.

[0031] In another embodiment, the calibration signal generating module 140 may include a second signal generating module 142. The calibration controller 130 further has a second signal receiving terminal connected to the second signal generating module 142 to receive a second signal transmitted from the second signal generating module 142 when the reference voltage changes. The second signal is also called a state change signal, which mainly refers to a reference voltage change signal. That is, when the reference voltage signal changes, the second signal is transmitted as 1 to the calibration controller 130, instructing the calibration controller 130 to perform a voltage calibration operation.

[0032] Moreover, the reference voltage typically changes with temperature, i.e., when the temperature changes, the second signal generating module 142 generates and sends a second signal to the calibration controller 130 to instruct the calibration controller 130 to calibrate the output voltage of the voltage calibration circuit 100 according to the latest reference voltage. In other words, the second signal may be responsive to the calibration controller 130 monitoring the change in the reference voltage, and when the reference voltage changes, the second signal is activated to cause the calibration controller 130 to perform a calibration operation.

[0033] In another embodiment, the calibration signal generating module 140 may include a third signal generating module 143. The calibration controller 130 further includes a third signal receiving terminal connected to the third signal generating module 143 and receiving a third signal as a clock signal transmitted from the third signal generating module 143. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a recalibration command is automatically transmitted every M+1 clock cycles after the calibration by the voltage calibration circuit is completed. That is, the third signal generating module 143 can transmit a third signal every M+1 clock cycles and instruct the calibration controller to perform a voltage calibration operation according to the third signal.

[0034] In the embodiment, the calibration controller 130 performs a voltage calibration operation when it receives any one of the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal. That is, when a certain clock period elapses, when a calibration command is forcibly input from the outside, or when a calibration reference condition changes, the calibration controller 130 performs a voltage calibration operation. The calibration reference condition may be whether or not the reference voltage has changed, whether or not the comparison condition has changed, whether or not the current environment has changed, etc. It can be clearly understood from FIG. 2 that the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal satisfy a logical relationship of "OR".

[0035] In addition, the reference voltage in the embodiment of the present invention may be fixed or may constantly change. That is, when the temperature of the environment in which the voltage calibration circuit is placed changes, the reference voltage also changes accordingly. Also, the reference voltage may be acquired while being constantly calibrated based on the reference voltage that is actually output. That is, the reference voltage may also be acquired while being constantly calibrated. The calibration process of the reference voltage is similar to the calibration process of the voltage to be calibrated, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

[0036] According to the voltage calibration circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module that obtains a reference voltage based on temperature data and transmits it to a comparator, a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module, and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, and includes a comparator that compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result, and a calibration controller that is connected to the result output terminal of the comparator and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator to obtain a target voltage. The present invention can realize self-calibration of voltage more simply and effectively by combining the reference voltage generation module, the comparator, and the calibration controller. It should be noted that the calibration controller in the embodiment of the present application can receive multiple signals, which not only facilitates background calibration of the LDO system to a certain extent, but also allows foreground calibration by different control commands (signals). In this way, calibration and control of logic clock resources can be more simply and effectively performed by FPGA.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 3, a voltage calibration circuit provided according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The voltage calibration circuit 200 may include a reference voltage generating module 210 , a main circuit 220 , a comparator 230 , and a calibration controller 240 .

[0038] In an embodiment, the main circuit 220 may be connected to a comparator 230 to obtain a voltage to be calibrated and send it to the comparator 230. The main circuit 220 in the embodiment of the present invention is also called an LDO. The main circuit 220 mainly performs some basic operations of the voltage calibration circuit, such as voltage stabilization and driving.

[0039] In another embodiment, the main circuit 220 may include a calibration determination module 221, an error amplifier 222, and a driving module 223. The relationship between the calibration determination module 221, the error amplifier 222, and the driving module 223 is shown in Figure 4. As can be seen from Figure 4, the calibration determination module 221 is connected to the counter 250, receives the count value sent from the counter 250, and determines whether the calibration operation is terminated based on the count value.

[0040] The error amplifier 222 may be connected to the calibration determination module 221, and the target voltage may be within a predetermined voltage range when the calibration determination module 221 determines that the calibration operation is completed. The driving module 223 is connected to the error amplifier 222 and generates a current required for the operation of the main circuit 220.

[0041] It should be noted that the reference voltage generating module 210 may be installed outside the main circuit 220 or directly in the main circuit. Alternatively, the reference voltage generating module 210 may not be installed in the voltage calibration circuit 200. In this case, the calibration controller 340 may also function as the reference voltage generating module 310. When it is simply necessary to input a reference voltage code value from the outside, a test vector is usually created outside, and the code value is scanned to select and store an appropriate reference voltage code value. In other words, the embodiment of the present invention can directly receive the reference voltage by the calibration controller 340. That is, the reference voltage can be directly input by a user through an interface. The calibration controller 340 can perform operations such as comparison and calibration on the received voltage to be calibrated and the reference voltage. In this way, the design of the test vector can be simplified, and the cost of testing can be reduced to a certain extent.

[0042] As can be seen from the above description, the reference voltage generation module 210 mainly generates a reference voltage. The reference voltage is an LDO reference voltage value required in the current environment. This reference voltage value is input from the outside and stored in the circuit, and is required to be preserved in the circuit even if the chip runs out of battery. In different environments, the sensing and monitoring module in the voltage calibration circuit can monitor the current environment and feed back the monitored information to the reference voltage generation module 210, and sample the corresponding LDO reference voltage value as the reference quantity for LDO calibration in the current environment. The current environment may include the physical environment and the specific application of the chip, etc.

[0043] It should be noted that the reference voltage generation module in the embodiment of the present invention may be installed in the main circuit 220, or may be installed independently of the main circuit 220. Also, a voltage trimming unit that is used in a tester to realize voltage trimming before a product corresponding to the voltage calibration circuit 200 is completed may be installed separately in the main circuit 220. That is, the voltage trimming unit is a circuit that mainly calibrates a voltage to be calibrated in a test stage, and the calibration controller is a circuit that calibrates a voltage to be calibrated after a product corresponding to the voltage calibration circuit 200 is completed.

[0044] In another embodiment, the voltage calibration circuit 200 further includes a counter having a first connection terminal 251 connected to the calibration controller 240 and a second connection terminal 252 connected to the main circuit 220, receiving a lift-up / down control signal sent from the calibration controller 240, and obtaining a count value based on the lift-up / down control signal. The counter 250 may also be connected to a calibration determination module 221 of the main circuit 220, obtaining a count value and sending it to the calibration determination module 221, and instructing the calibration determination module 221 to determine whether to stop the voltage calibration operation based on the count value.

[0045] In order to make the relationship between the reference voltage generating module 210, the main circuit 220, the comparator 230, the calibration controller 240 and the counter 250 more clearly understandable, the embodiment of the present invention provides a configuration block diagram shown in FIG. 5. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the voltage calibration circuit 200 may not include the reference voltage generating module 210. When the reference voltage generating module 210 is not included, the embodiment of the present invention can directly receive the reference voltage input from the outside through the first voltage receiving terminal of the comparator 230. When the selection switch 260 is connected to the first voltage receiving terminal, the calibration controller 240 can calibrate the reference voltage. On the other hand, when the selection switch 260 is connected to the second voltage receiving terminal, the calibration controller 240 can calibrate the voltage to be calibrated.

[0046] In addition, when the selection switch 260 receives a step control signal that is 1, it can calibrate the voltage to be calibrated, and when it receives a step control signal that is 0, it can calibrate the reference voltage. The step control signal may be input by a user, or may be output by the voltage calibration circuit according to the actual situation, and the specific input method is not explicitly limited here and can be selected according to the actual situation. Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can realize both the calibration of the reference voltage to be calibrated and the calibration of the reference voltage.

[0047] In another embodiment, the calibration controller 240 can receive a clock signal, which may be a clock 1, and an external control signal, which may be at least one of the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal mentioned in the above embodiment. The calibration controller 240 can obtain a lift-up / down control signal when calibrating the voltage according to the voltage comparison result output by the comparator 230. Then, the calibration controller 240 can send the lift-up / down control signal to the counter 250. At the same time, the calibration controller 240 can also send a pause / start count signal, a reset signal, an input signal, etc., to the counter 250, which have a relationship as shown in FIG. 6.

[0048] In one specific embodiment, when the voltage to be calibrated is higher than the reference voltage, the output of the comparator 230 is 1 and the up / down control signal is 1, so that the counter is controlled to count down to lower the reference voltage. When the voltage to be calibrated is lower than the reference voltage, the output of the comparator 230 is 0 and the up / down control signal is 0, so that the counter is controlled to count up to raise the reference voltage. For example, when the voltage to be calibrated V out is 3V, and the reference voltage V ref It can be seen that when the voltage to be calibrated is 4V and the predetermined voltage value O is 0.2, the voltage to be calibrated needs to be calibrated five times, and during the calibration, the counter values ​​are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, and the counter value is incremented. Note that, when counting, the counter can receive an initial count that is predetermined or input by the user according to the actual situation. For example, when the initial count value input by the user is 7, the obtained count values ​​are 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, respectively.

[0049] In an embodiment, when the voltage to be calibrated is adjusted close to the reference voltage, the output of the comparator 230 becomes a square wave that changes from 0 to 1 at approximately the same frequency as the clock 1. At this time, the comparator 230 generates at least N or N+1 0 to 1 changes continuously, so that the calibration completion signal is triggered. Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the voltage to be calibrated can be made slightly higher than the reference voltage after the calibration is completed.

[0050] In another embodiment, when the calibration operation is completed, the counter 250 stops counting, holds the current count value, and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated according to the count value. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the calibration controller 240 can release the reset signal 1 during the calibration and perform a reset operation with the reset signal 2. During the calibration operation, the calibration controller 240 can automatically lower the calibration signal without disturbing the calibration process. When the calibration is completed, the reset operation is performed with the reset signal 1, the automatic calibration operation is completed, the reset signal 2 is released, and the circuit starts to prepare for M+1 clock cycles and generates an automatic calibration command. This allows the repetition of the automatic calibration to be realized.

[0051] According to the voltage calibration circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module that acquires a reference voltage based on temperature data and transmits it to a comparator, a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module, and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, and includes a comparator that compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to acquire a voltage comparison result, and a calibration controller that is connected to a result output terminal of the comparator and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator to acquire a target voltage. The present invention can realize self-calibration of voltage more simply and effectively by combining the reference voltage generation module, the comparator, and the calibration controller. In addition, according to the embodiment of the present application, a main circuit is provided to supply the voltage to be calibrated to the voltage calibration circuit. In addition, a counter is provided to not only simplify the voltage calibration circuit, but also avoid timing confusion and relax clock frequency restrictions.

[0052] 7, a voltage calibration circuit provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown, the voltage calibration circuit 300 includes a reference voltage generation module 310, a main circuit 320, a comparator 330, a calibration controller 340 and a counter 350. The reference voltage generation module 310 includes a temperature sensor 311, an A / D converter 312 and a reference voltage acquisition unit 313.

[0053] In an embodiment, the temperature sensor 311 is connected to the A / D converter 312, and collects and transmits temperature data to the A / D converter 312. In addition, the A / D converter 312 may have a first connection terminal 3121 connected to the temperature sensor 311 and a second connection terminal 3122 connected to the reference voltage acquisition unit 313, convert the temperature data into a temperature digital signal, and transmit the temperature data to the reference voltage acquisition unit 313.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a digital code value representing the current chip temperature can be obtained by using a temperature sensor 311 and an A / D converter 312 (Analog-to-digital converter, ADC) in the FPGA. This digital code value serves as a pointer to a non-volatile memory, and can be written with a control code value corresponding to the LDO voltage required at that temperature according to the memory location it points to. When calibrating the voltage to be calibrated, the LDO standard reference voltages at different temperatures can be called, and the LDO standard reference voltage corresponding to the current temperature can be taken as the reference voltage. In other words, the reference voltage generating module 310 can generate a digital code representing the current temperature by using the temperature sensor 311 and the A / D converter 312. Then, the reference voltage acquiring unit 313 can perform addressing using the acquired temperature digital code to acquire a digital code value corresponding to the reference voltage, and the voltage corresponding to this digital code value can be taken as the reference voltage.

[0055] In one embodiment, the reference voltage acquisition unit 313 has a first connection terminal 3131 connected to the A / D converter and a second connection terminal 3132 connected to the comparator 330, and acquires a voltage corresponding to the temperature digital signal as a reference voltage and transmits it to the comparator 330.

[0056] As can be seen from the above description, when the comparator 330 obtains the voltage to be calibrated and the reference voltage, it compares the voltage to be calibrated with the reference voltage. If the voltage to be calibrated is greater than the reference voltage, the calibration controller 340 reduces the voltage to be calibrated according to a process, and then compares again whether the reduced voltage to be calibrated is greater than the calibration reference voltage. If the voltage to be calibrated is greater than the calibration reference voltage, the voltage to be calibrated can be further reduced according to a process. Also, if the voltage to be calibrated is lower than the reference voltage, the calibration controller 340 can increase the voltage to be calibrated.

[0057] In addition, during the calibration of the voltage to be calibrated, if the voltage to be calibrated rises and falls in succession in successive adjustment steps, it indicates that the current calibration has reached the situation closest to the reference voltage, and at this point, it can be determined that the current voltage calibration operation is completed. This allows the background calibration of the LDO system to be realized, while at the same time, foreground calibration, which can be easily controlled by the abundant logic clock resources of the FPGA, can be performed by control commands.

[0058] According to the voltage calibration circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module that obtains a reference voltage based on temperature data and sends it to a comparator; a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, and a comparator that compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result; and a calibration controller that is connected to the result output terminal of the comparator and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result sent from the comparator to obtain a target voltage. The present invention can realize voltage self-calibration more simply and effectively by combining the reference voltage generation module, the comparator, and the calibration controller. Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the voltage to be calibrated can be flexibly calibrated using the abundant logic clock resources of the FPGA, and the hardware cost can be reduced to a certain extent.

[0059] Please refer to Fig. 8, which is a method flowchart of a voltage calibration method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to the voltage calibration circuit described above. As can be seen from Fig. 8, the method includes steps S410 to S430.

[0060] In step S410, a voltage to be calibrated and a reference voltage are obtained, and the reference voltage is obtained by the reference voltage generating module based on temperature data.

[0061] In step S420, the voltage to be calibrated and the reference voltage are compared to obtain a voltage comparison result.

[0062] In step S430, the voltage to be calibrated is calibrated based on the voltage comparison result.

[0063] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the voltage calibration does not need to be overly dependent on the temperature characteristic curve of the reference voltage itself, so that the design margin is freed to a certain extent. In addition, the present invention can be used in various applications that require the LDO voltage to be changed according to the environment setting, and can realize relatively accurate control of the LDO voltage during background and foreground voltage calibration, and can not only mitigate the overshoot of the LDO voltage, but also improve the voltage recovery speed and optimize the load regulation rate. By using FPGA, the voltage calibration circuit does not require excessive hardware design costs, and can implement Built in Self Testing (BIST) of the chip.

[0064] As described above, according to the voltage calibration circuit and method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the voltage calibration circuit can be used to more simply and efficiently achieve voltage calibration. The voltage calibration circuit includes a reference voltage generation module that acquires a reference voltage based on temperature data and transmits it to a comparator, a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generation module, and a second voltage terminal that receives a voltage to be calibrated, and includes a comparator that compares the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result, and a calibration controller that is connected to a result output terminal of the comparator and calibrates the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator to obtain a target voltage. The present invention can more simply and effectively achieve self-calibration of voltage by combining a reference voltage generation module, a comparator, and a calibration controller. Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present application, the function of the reference voltage generation module can be also achieved by simply introducing a reference voltage from outside, thereby improving the flexibility of voltage calibration.

[0065] As can be seen, those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps of the methods, the systems, and the functional modules / units in the systems disclosed above may be implemented as software (which may be implemented by computer program code executable by a computing system), firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware embodiments, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical assemblies, for example, one physical assembly may have multiple functions, or one function or step may be performed by several physical assemblies in cooperation. Some or all of the physical assemblies may be implemented as software executed by a processor such as a central processing unit, digital signal processor, or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as integrated circuits such as application specific integrated circuits.

[0066] Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that communication media typically include computer readable instructions, data structures, computer program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media. Thus, the present application is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0067] The above is a detailed description of the examples of the present application in conjunction with specific embodiments, and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of the present application. Those skilled in the art to which the present application pertains may make some simple deductions or substitutions without departing from the inventive concept of the present application, and all of them should be considered as falling within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0068] This application claims priority to a prior Chinese application entitled "Voltage Calibration Circuit and Method" filed on December 31, 2020, with application number 202011627543.8, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. 1. A voltage calibration circuit, comprising: a reference voltage generating module for obtaining a reference voltage based on temperature data and sending the reference voltage to a comparator; a comparator including a first voltage receiving terminal connected to the reference voltage generating module and a second voltage receiving terminal for receiving a voltage to be calibrated, the comparator being configured to compare the reference voltage with the voltage to be calibrated to obtain a voltage comparison result; a calibration controller connected to a result output terminal of the comparator, for calibrating the voltage to be calibrated based on the voltage comparison result transmitted from the comparator to obtain a target voltage; a calibration signal generating module coupled to the calibration controller, the calibration signal generating module generating a calibration signal for causing the calibration controller to perform a voltage calibration operation; a main circuit connected to the comparator, for acquiring a voltage to be calibrated and sending it to the comparator; a counter having a first connection terminal connected to the calibration controller and a second connection terminal connected to the main circuit, for receiving a lift control signal sent from the calibration controller and obtaining a count value based on the lift control signal; Including, the calibration controller transmits a first reset signal or a second reset signal which is an inverted signal of the first reset signal to the counter, releases the first reset signal while calibrating the voltage to be calibrated, and executes a reset operation with the second reset signal, and when the calibration is completed, releases the second reset signal, and executes a reset operation with the first reset signal; The calibration signal generation module includes a second signal generation module; the calibration controller has a second signal receiving terminal connected to the second signal generating module and configured to receive a second signal, which is a calibration signal transmitted from the second signal generating module when the reference voltage changes; The calibration signal generating module includes a third signal generating module; The calibration controller further includes a third signal receiving terminal connected to the third signal generating module and configured to receive a third signal as a clock signal that is a calibration signal transmitted from the third signal generating module; The third signal generating module generates the third signal when the first reset signal performs a reset operation and the first reset signal is released. Including, 1. A voltage calibration circuit comprising:

2. The reference voltage generating module includes a temperature sensor, an A / D converter, and a reference voltage acquiring unit; The temperature sensor is connected to the A / D converter to collect and transmit temperature data to the A / D converter; the A / D converter has a first connection terminal connected to the temperature sensor and a second connection terminal connected to the reference voltage acquisition unit, converts the temperature data into a temperature digital signal, and transmits the temperature digital signal to the reference voltage acquisition unit; the reference voltage acquisition unit has a first connection terminal connected to the A / D converter and a second connection terminal connected to the comparator, and acquires a voltage corresponding to the temperature digital signal as a reference voltage and transmits it to the comparator; 2. The voltage calibration circuit according to claim 1 .

3. The calibration signal generation module includes a first signal generation module; the calibration controller has a first signal receiving terminal connected to the first signal generating module and configured to receive a first signal transmitted from the first signal generating module, the first signal being a calibration signal input by a user; 2. The voltage calibration circuit according to claim 1 .

4. A voltage calibration method applied to the voltage calibration circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: Obtaining a voltage to be calibrated and a reference voltage; comparing the voltage to be calibrated with the reference voltage to obtain a voltage comparison result; calibrating the voltage to be calibrated based on a result of the voltage comparison; During the calibration of the voltage to be calibrated, a first reset signal is released and a reset operation is performed with a second reset signal, and when the calibration is completed, the second reset signal is released and a reset operation is performed with the first reset signal; When the reference voltage is changed, a voltage calibration is performed using a second signal that is a calibration signal; When the first reset signal performs a reset operation and the first reset signal is released, a third signal is generated as a clock signal that is a calibration signal, and a voltage calibration operation is performed by the third signal; Including, The reference voltage is obtained by the reference voltage generating module based on temperature data. A voltage calibration method comprising:

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