Switchable Reference Signal Replicas for Low-Power Voltage Regulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing voltage regulation techniques in electronic circuits face challenges in efficiently managing power consumption and maintaining accuracy, especially in complex analog and mixed-signal circuits, where predicting instantaneous current draw is impractical, leading to trade-offs in power efficiency and system complexity.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that generate multiple replicas of a reference signal with different performance specifications, allowing for independent definition of accuracy, output impedance, and bandwidth, using a regulator circuit with sub-blocks and a receiving circuit that can switch between these replicas to optimize power consumption and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the regulator is designed with high bandwidth and current sourcing capability to track load changes, then voltage regulation accuracy is improved, but total power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The regulator is divided into multiple parallel LDO regulator sub-circuits, each with different performance characteristics (bandwidth, current sourcing capability). Instead of using a single high-performance regulator that consumes high power continuously, the system segments the regulation function across multiple specialized sub-circuits that can be selectively activated based on instantaneous load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different LDO regulator sub-circuits based on instantaneous load conditions. The switching mechanism selects which sub-circuit to activate according to the current demands, allowing the regulator to adapt its performance characteristics in real-time rather than maintaining fixed high-performance settings continuously.
2Loss of energy
If multiple parallel LDO regulators are used to address power consumption, then power efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple LDO regulator sub-circuits are merged into a single integrated voltage regulation system with a unified switching mechanism. This combining approach allows the system to achieve power efficiency benefits from multiple specialized regulators while managing complexity through integration rather than having separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage regulation system is designed with multi-functionality, where a single regulator system can provide multiple performance levels by switching between different LDO sub-circuits. This universal design allows the same system to serve different power efficiency requirements without needing separate dedicated systems for each condition.
3Use of energy by moving object
If successive voltage sampling with ADC and digital processing is used, then power consumption optimization is achieved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex digital processing components (ADC, multiplexer, digital processor, memory) from the voltage regulation system. Instead of using successive voltage sampling with digital processing, the invention directly switches between analog LDO regulator outputs based on load conditions, removing the unnecessary digital intermediary layers while maintaining power optimization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The LDO regulator sub-circuits and switching mechanism operate autonomously based on instantaneous load conditions without requiring external digital processing or complex control systems. The system self-regulates by directly responding to load demands through analog switching, eliminating the need for separate digital monitoring and control infrastructure.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A device (10) for buffering a reference signal (12) is provided. The device (10) comprises a regulator circuit (11) adapted to generate at least two replicas of the reference signal as regulated output signals (12',12"). The device (10) further comprises a receiving circuit (13) adapted to receive the regulated output signals (12',12") in a switchable manner. In this context, the regulated output signals (12',12") are defined with different performance specifications.