Supplemental Current Driver for Voltage Regulator Droop Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voltage regulators experience voltage droop due to increased current demand, which can negatively impact circuit performance, and existing solutions to reduce droop often result in increased size and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A current driver is used to supplement the current provided by a voltage regulator, detecting operating conditions and providing supplementary current through a driver, detector, and training logic, without increasing total standby current, implemented in systems like clock and transmitter drivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the regulator's bandwidth is improved to reduce response time, then voltage droop is reduced, but regulator size and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
A current driver is introduced as an intermediary component between the voltage regulator and the load. The current driver receives a copy of the load current signal and provides supplemental current to the regulator, enabling faster response to current demands without modifying the regulator itself. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by achieving droop reduction without increasing regulator power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The current supplementation function is segmented into a separate current driver circuit that operates independently from the voltage regulator. The system divides the current provision task between the regulator (primary source) and the driver (supplemental source), allowing the regulator to maintain its original power consumption while the driver handles transient current demands.
2Reliability
If a larger or more heavily biased amplifier is used in the regulator, then voltage droop is reduced, but regulator size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The current driver acts as an intermediary that supplements regulator output without requiring the regulator's amplifier to be larger. By placing the supplemental current source outside the regulator, the regulator's internal amplifier can remain compact while still achieving improved voltage regulation under varying load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the current supplementation capability to a different dimension - rather than increasing the regulator's internal amplifier capacity (one dimension), the system adds a separate parallel current path through the driver circuit (another dimension), achieving the same effect without increasing regulator footprint.
Data Source
AI summary
Power supply circuits in which a supplemental current driver is utilized to boost the current provided by a voltage regulator. The supplementing driver detects operating conditions for providing the supplementary current, and may be trained to provide particular amounts of current in response to particular operation conditions of a circuit load.