Capacitor-less Voltage Regulator with Sinker Circuit for Stable Power Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor devices require external capacitors for voltage regulation, which occupy significant space and are not suitable for size reduction, as they fail to stabilize power supply voltages when load currents change suddenly.
Innovation Solution
A capacitor-less voltage regulator with a sinker that generates a sink current based on a sink enable signal when the functional circuit is not driven and blocks it when driven, using a voltage converter and sink logic circuit to maintain stable output power supply voltage without external capacitors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external capacitor is used in the voltage regulator, then the power supply voltage can be stabilized when load current changes suddenly, but the device occupies a significant amount of space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external capacitor from the voltage regulator system, extracting the component that causes space occupation while maintaining voltage stability through an alternative mechanism using a sinker circuit that generates compensating current
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sinker as an intermediary component that generates a sink current to compensate for load current changes, replacing the capacitor's voltage stabilization function without requiring large external capacitance
2Area of stationary object
If the external capacitor is removed to reduce device size, then the device area is reduced, but the power supply voltage becomes unstable when load current changes suddenly
Solution Approach 1:
The sinker is configured to generate a sink current in advance when the functional circuit is not driven, and to block or reduce the sink current when the functional circuit is driven, proactively compensating for load current changes before they affect voltage stability
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage regulator employs a feedback mechanism where the sinker's current generation is controlled based on the operational state of the functional circuit, automatically adjusting the sink current to maintain stable output voltage without external capacitors
Data Source
AI summary
A voltage regulator includes a voltage converter is configured to generate an output power supply voltage based on an input power supply voltage and an input reference voltage and provide the output power supply voltage to an external functional circuit, the voltage converter including an output terminal configured to output the output power supply voltage; and a sinker connected to the output terminal, the sinker configured to generate a sink current in response to a sink enable signal while the external functional circuit is not driven and configured to block generation of the sink current in response to an operating enable signal while the external functional circuit is driven, wherein the sink current corresponds to a load current that is to be consumed while the external functional circuit is driven.