Voltage Regulator with Dynamic Charge Pump Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic systems, such as smartcards, face challenges in maintaining stable power supply voltage and current due to variable energy absorption from RF signals, leading to potential blockages in charge pumps and incorrect circuit operation.
Innovation Solution
A voltage regulator with selectively enabled regulation branches, each comprising components adapted to operate within different maximum voltages, allowing for optimal performance across varying supply voltage ranges, ensuring stable output voltage and current.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If charge pumps use High Voltage components, then performance with high supply voltage is improved, but area occupation increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic switching between different charge pump configurations based on the detected supply voltage level. The system transitions from a first charge pump (optimized for high voltage) to a second charge pump (optimized for low voltage) when the supply voltage falls below a threshold, ensuring optimal performance across varying voltage conditions without requiring both full HV and LV pump circuits to be active simultaneously, thereby reducing area occupation.
2Reliability
If charge pumps use Low Voltage components, then performance with reduced supply voltage is improved, but protection circuits against over-voltages are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects between two charge pump circuits based on supply voltage detection. When supply voltage is high, the LV-optimized pump is disabled and the HV-optimized pump is activated, eliminating the need for complex over-voltage protection circuits. The switching mechanism inherently protects the LV components from over-voltage conditions by preventing their operation when voltage exceeds safe levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a voltage detection mechanism and switching circuitry that acts as an intermediary between the supply voltage and the charge pump circuits. This intermediary monitors the supply voltage and selectively enables/disables appropriate pumps, serving as a protective interface that prevents LV components from being exposed to damaging over-voltage conditions without requiring additional complex protection circuits.
3Adaptability or versatility
If selective connection of pumping stages is implemented, then adaptation to desired regulated voltage is improved, but control circuit complexity increases very much
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the voltage regulation function into two separate, dedicated charge pump circuits: one optimized for high supply voltage operation and another optimized for low supply voltage operation. Each pump has its own pumping stages configured for optimal performance in its respective voltage range. This segmentation allows simple, dedicated control logic to switch between pumps based on voltage detection, avoiding the complexity of a single highly adaptable pump with complex selective connection circuitry.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a stable and defined regulated voltage and current, even with highly variable supply voltages, preventing blockages and ensuring proper circuit operation, particularly in memory circuits like EEPROM and FLASH types.
Implementation Method 1
the energy associated with the carrier of the RF signals sent by each reader (provided with a transceiver for exchanging data with each portable electronic system), is absorbed by an appropriate receiver circuit of the portable electronic system that transforms it into the supply voltage
Data Source
AI summary
A voltage regulator has an input terminal for receiving a supply voltage and an output terminal for providing a regulated voltage and a regulated current. Furthermore, the voltage regulator includes a regulator for generating the regulated voltage and the regulated current according to a regulation of the supply voltage. The regulator includes a plurality of regulation branches arranged between the input terminal and the output terminal, each one for providing an output voltage used for obtaining the regulated voltage and for providing an output current contributing to define the regulated current. The regulation branches are partitioned into a plurality of subsets each one including components adapted to operate within a corresponding maximum voltage different from the maximum voltage of the other subsets. In addition, the regulator includes a selector for selectively enabling the regulation branches according to an indicator of the supply voltage.