Abstract:
A voltage regulator has a phase compensation circuit which changes consumption current according to load current thereby to reduce consumption current. The phase compensation circuit includes: a first transistor having a drain connected to an output terminal of an error amplifier circuit; a second transistor having a drain connected to a gate of the first transistor and a gate connected to the gate of the first transistor; a current mirror circuit connected to the output terminal of the error amplifier circuit, a drain of the first transistor, and the drain of the second transistor; and a capacitor connected between the gate of the second transistor and a drain of an output transistor. Thereby, current consumed by the phase compensation circuit can be changed according to the load current, resulting in that the voltage regulator consumes less current.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-171780 filed on Aug. 5, 2011, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a phase compensation circuit of a voltage regulator and reduction in power consumption thereof. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    As a conventional voltage regulator that stably operates regardless of output capacity or output resistance, the circuit illustrated in  FIG. 6  has been known. 
         [0006]    The conventional voltage regulator is constituted of a reference voltage circuit  101 , a differential amplifier circuit  102 , a PMOS transistor  106 , a phase compensation circuit  460 , resistors  108  and  109 , a ground terminal  100 , an output terminal  121 , and a supply terminal  150 . The phase compensation circuit  460  is constituted of a constant current circuit  405 , NMOS transistors  401 ,  406 ,  403  and  408 , a capacitor  407 , and a resistor  404 . The differential amplifier circuit  102  is constituted of a one-stage amplifier illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0007]    Regarding the connection, an inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier circuit  102  is connected to the reference voltage circuit  101 , a non-inverting input terminal thereof is connected to a connection point of the resistors  108  and  109 , and an output terminal thereof is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor  106  and the drain of the NMOS transistor  401 . The other end of the reference voltage circuit  101  is connected to the ground terminal  100 . The source of the NMOS transistor  401  is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  403 , and the gate thereof is connected to the gate and the drain of the NMOS transistor  406 . The source of the NMOS transistor  403  is connected to the ground terminal  100 , and a gate thereof is connected to the resistor  404  and the drain of the NMOS transistor  408 . The source of the NMOS transistor  408  is connected to the ground terminal  100 , the gate thereof is connected to the other end of the resistor  404  and the capacitor  407 , and the drain thereof is connected to the source of the NMOS transistor  406 . The drain of the NMOS transistor  406  is connected to a constant current circuit  405 , and the other end of the constant current circuit  405  is connected to the supply terminal  150 . The source of the PMOS transistor  106  is connected to the supply terminal  150 , and the drain thereof is connected to the output terminal  121 , the other end of the capacitor  407 , and the other end of the resistor  108 . The other end of the resistor  109  is connected to the ground terminal  100  (refer to, for example, non-patent document 1). 
       PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Non-Patent Documents  
     [Non-Patent Document 1] IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS-I: REGULAR PAPERS, VOL. 54, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 2007 (FIG. 13) 
       [0008]    However, according to the conventional art, the phase compensation circuit  460  is adapted to pass a part of the current at the output terminal of the differential amplifier circuit  102  to the ground. Hence, current passes to an output terminal from a transistor  503  of the differential amplifier circuit  102 , causing imbalance in the current flowing to input transistors  501  and  504  with consequent occurrence of an offset. This has been posing a problem in that it is difficult to obtain an accurate output voltage. 
         [0009]    Further, fixed current is constantly supplied for operating the phase compensation circuit  460  regardless of the magnitude of a load current, so that unnecessarily large power has been consumed for a light load. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the problem described above by providing a voltage regulator capable of stably operating independently of output capacity or output resistance to obtain an accurate output voltage and also capable of reducing power consumed in the case of a light load. 
         [0011]    To this end, there is provided a voltage regulator including: an error amplifier circuit which amplifies and outputs the difference between a reference voltage and a divided voltage obtained by dividing a voltage output by an output transistor thereby to control the gate of the output transistor; and a phase compensation circuit, wherein the phase compensation circuit includes: a first transistor having a drain thereof connected to an output terminal of the error amplifier circuit; a second transistor having a drain thereof connected to a gate of the first transistor and a gate thereof connected to the gate of the first transistor through a resistor; a current mirror circuit connected to an output terminal of the error amplifier circuit, a drain of the first transistor, and the drain of the second transistor; and a capacitor connected between the gate of the second transistor and a drain of the output transistor. 
         [0012]    The voltage regulator equipped with the phase compensation circuit in accordance with the present invention is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset caused by disturbed balance of current passing through an input transistor of a differential amplifier circuit, thus allowing an accurate output voltage to be obtained, and also capable of operating with stability and high speed independently of output capacity or output resistance. Moreover, the voltage regulator according to the present invention is capable of controlling power consumption to a minimum for a light load. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a circuit diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a voltage regulator; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a current mirror circuit; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a circuit diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the current mirror circuit; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a circuit diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the current mirror circuit; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a circuit diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of the current mirror circuit; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional voltage regulator; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a circuit diagram illustrating a differential amplifier circuit constituted of a one-stage amplifier. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       First Embodiment  
       [0021]    First, the configuration of a voltage regulator will be described.  FIG. 1  is a circuit diagram illustrating the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0022]    The voltage regulator is constituted of a reference voltage circuit  101 , a differential amplifier circuit  102 , a phase compensation circuit  160 , a PMOS transistor  106 , resistors  108  and  109 , a ground terminal  100 , an output terminal  121 , and a supply terminal  150 . The phase compensation circuit  160  is constituted of NMOS transistors  112  and  114 , a capacitor  115 , a resistor  113 , and a current mirror circuit  110 . The current mirror circuit  110  has four terminals, namely, a terminal  1 , a terminal  2 , a terminal  3 , and a terminal  4 , and outputs a predetermined current from the terminal  2  or the terminal  3  on the basis of a voltage supplied to the terminal  1 . 
         [0023]    The following will describe the connection of an element circuit of the voltage regulator. 
         [0024]    The inverting input terminal of the differential amplifier circuit  102  is connected to the reference voltage circuit  101 , the non-inverting input terminal thereof is connected to the connection point of the resistors  108  and  109 , and the output terminal thereof is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor  106 , the drain of the NMOS transistor  112 , and the terminal  1  and the terminal  2  of the current mirror circuit  110 . The other end of the reference voltage circuit  101  is connected to the ground terminal  100 . The source of the NMOS transistor  112  is connected to the ground terminal  100 , and the gate thereof is connected to the resistor  113  and the drain of the NMOS transistor  114 . The gate of the NMOS transistor  114  is connected to the other end of the resistor  113  and the capacitor  115 , the drain thereof is connected to the terminal  3  of the current mirror circuit  110 , and the source thereof is connected to the ground terminal  100 . The terminal  4  of the current mirror circuit  110  is connected to the supply terminal  150 . The source of the PMOS transistor  106  is connected to the supply terminal  150 , the drain thereof is connected to the output terminal  121 , the other end of the capacitor  115 , and the other end of the resistor  108 . The other end of the resistor  109  is connected to the ground terminal  100 . 
         [0025]    The operation of the voltage regulator will now be described. 
         [0026]    As the voltage of the output terminal  121  increases, the voltage of a node  120  increases accordingly. If the voltage of the node  120  becomes higher than the voltage of the reference voltage circuit  101 , then the output voltage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  increases. This causes the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor  106  to increase, so that the drain current of the PMOS transistor  106  decreases and the voltage at the output terminal  121  decreases. Thus, the output terminal is controlled to have a constant desired voltage. 
         [0027]    In the voltage regulator illustrated in  FIG. 1 , poles are generated at frequencies indicated by the following expressions. 
         [0000]    
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
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                             R 
                             1 
                           
                            
                           
                             Gm 
                             
                               P 
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                               106 
                             
                           
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                               R 
                               out 
                             
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                                     N 
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                                     114 
                                   
                                 
                                  
                                 
                                   R 
                                   113 
                                 
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                                   115 
                                 
                               
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                           106 
                         
                       
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                             113 
                           
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         [0028]    where R 1  denotes a parasitic resistance component of an output impedance of the differential amplifier circuit  102 ; R out  denotes a load resistance connected to the output terminal  121 ; Gm P106  denotes the transconductance of the PMOS transistor  106 ; Gm N114  denotes the transconductance of the NMOS transistor  114 ; R 113  denotes the resistance value of the resistor  113 ; C 115  denotes the capacitance value of the capacitor  115 ; C out  denotes the output capacitance to be connected; and C G  denotes the gate capacitance value of the PMOS transistor  106 . 
         [0029]    As understood from expressions 1 and 2, the positions of the first pole and the second pole can be adjusted by the resistor  113 , the capacitor  115 , and the transconductance of the NMOS transistor  114 , thus permitting adjustment for the stable operation independently of the output resistance Rout and the output capacitance C out . 
         [0030]    The output terminal of the differential amplifier circuit  102  is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  112  and the current mirror circuit  110 , so that the current to the NMOS transistor  112  can be supplied from the current mirror circuit  110 . Further, no current passes from the output terminal of the differential amplifier circuit  102  to the NMOS transistor  112 , so that there will be no offset occurring in a transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102 . This arrangement prevents fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, making it possible to accurately set an output voltage. 
         [0031]    Based on the expressions given above, if the load resistance R out  is sufficiently high, then the positions of the first pole and the second pole can be separated even when Gm N114  is small. In this case, Gm of a MOS transistor is denoted by the following expression. 
         [0000]        Gm =(2 I   DS   μC   OX   W/L ) 1/2    (3)
 
         [0032]    Based on the above expression, if the load resistance R out  is sufficiently high, then the stable operation can be achieved even when the drain current of the NMOS transistor  114  of the phase compensation circuit  160  is reduced. 
         [0033]    Thus, the drive current can be controlled to remain low by limiting the value of current to be supplied to the phase compensation circuit  160  from the current mirror circuit  110  according to the magnitude of the current passing from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out . 
         [0034]    As described above, the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset in the transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  so as to prevent fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, thus permitting accurate setting of an output voltage. In addition, the consumption current of the phase compensation circuit  160  can be controlled to be low according to the magnitude of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out . 
       Second Embodiment  
       [0035]      FIG. 2  is a circuit diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a current mirror circuit  110  related to the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention. The current mirror circuit  110  is constituted of PMOS transistors  201 ,  202 ,  203 ,  204 , and NMOS transistors  205  and  206 . The source of the PMOS transistor  201  is connected to a supply terminal  150 , the gate thereof is connected to a node  130 , which is the output of a differential amplifier circuit  102 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  205 . The source of the NMOS transistor  205  is connected to a ground terminal  100 , and the gate thereof is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  205  and the gate of the NMOS transistor  206 . The source of the NMOS transistor  206  is connected to the ground terminal  100 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor  202 . The source of the PMOS transistor  202  is connected to the supply terminal  150  and the gate thereof is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor  202  and the gates of the PMOS transistor  203  and the PMOS transistor  204 . The source of the PMOS transistor  203  is connected to the supply terminal  150 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  112  of the phase compensation circuit  160 . The source of the PMOS transistor  204  is connected to the supply terminal  150 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of an NMOS transistor  114  of the phase compensation circuit  160 . 
         [0036]    In the current mirror circuit according to the first embodiment, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor  106 , which is the output of the differential amplifier circuit  102 , is input to the gate of the PMOS transistor  201 . The drain current of the PMOS transistor  201  changes according to the value of current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistor. The drain current of the PMOS transistor  201  is mirrored on the PMOS transistor  202  by the current mirror formed of the NMOS transistors  205  and  206 , and a mirror current, which is based on the value of the current supplied from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance, is passed to the phase compensation circuit  160  by the current mirror formed of the PMOS transistors  202 ,  203  and  204 . 
         [0037]    As described above, the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention, which has the phase compensation circuit with the current mirror circuit of the first embodiment, is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset in the transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  so as to prevent fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, thus permitting accurate setting of an output voltage. In addition, the consumption current of the phase compensation circuit  160  can be controlled to a low level according to the magnitude of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out . 
       Third Embodiment 
       [0038]      FIG. 3  is a circuit diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a current mirror circuit  110  related to the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention. The current mirror circuit of the second embodiment has additional NMOS transistors  301  and  302  to enable the current mirror circuit to be driven at a low voltage and to provide an accurate current mirror. The NMOS transistor  301  is added between a PMOS transistor  201  and an NMOS transistor  205 , the gate of the NMOS transistor  205  being connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  301 . The NMOS transistor  302  is added between a PMOS transistor  202  and an NMOS transistor  206 , the gate of the NMOS transistor  206  being connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  301 . The gate voltages for the NMOS transistors  301  and  302  are supplied from another circuit. 
         [0039]    In the current mirror circuit of the second embodiment, the NMOS transistors  301  and  302  act as a cascode circuit to improve the accuracy of the current mirror circuit of the NMOS transistors  205  and  206 . Further, the gate voltages for the NMOS transistors  301  and  302  are supplied from another circuit, thereby making it possible to control the upper limit of the consumption current of the cascode type current mirror circuit formed by the NMOS transistors  205 ,  206 ,  301  and  302  to a low level. 
         [0040]    As described above, the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention, which has the phase compensation circuit with the current mirror circuit of the second embodiment, is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset in the transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  so as to prevent fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, thus permitting accurate setting of an output voltage. In addition, the consumption current of the phase compensation circuit  160  can be controlled to a low level according to the magnitude of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out , making it possible to limit the drive current of the phase compensation circuit  160  so as to prevent the drive current from becoming excessive in the case where the value of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance is large. 
       Fourth Embodiment  
       [0041]      FIG. 4  is a circuit diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a current mirror circuit  110  related to the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention. In the current mirror circuit of the third embodiment, an NMOS transistor  401  has been added as a current source between the PMOS transistor  201  and the NMOS transistor  205 . The NMOS transistor  401  is a depletion-type transistor, the gate thereof being connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  205 . 
         [0042]    A depletion-type transistor having a fixed voltage between the gate and the source acts as a constant-current source when the operation state thereof reaches a saturation range. When the value of the load current from the PMOS transistor  106  referred to by the PMOS transistor  201  exceeds a predetermined value, the NMOS transistor  401  acts as the constant-current source, thereby restricting the drive current of the phase compensation circuit  160 . 
         [0043]    As described above, the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention, which has the phase compensation circuit with the current mirror circuit of the third embodiment, is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset in the transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  so as to prevent fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, thus permitting accurate setting of an output voltage. In addition, the consumption current of the phase compensation circuit  160  can be controlled to a low level according to the magnitude of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out , making it possible to limit the drive current of the phase compensation circuit  160  so as to prevent the drive current from becoming excessive in the case where the value of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance is large. 
       Fifth Embodiment  
       [0044]      FIG. 5  is a circuit diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a current mirror circuit  110  related to the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention. In the current mirror circuit of the fourth embodiment, a constant-current source circuit  506  has been added to replace the NMOS transistor  205 . The constant-current source circuit  506  is constituted of PMOS transistors  501  and  502 , NMOS transistors  503  and  504 , and a resistor  505 . 
         [0045]    The source of the PMOS transistor  501  is connected to the drain of a PMOS transistor  201 , the gate thereof is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor  501 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  503 . The source of the PMOS transistor  502  is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor  201 , the gate thereof is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor  501 , and the drain thereof is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  504 . The gate of the NMOS transistor  503  is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  504 , and the source thereof is connected to the resistor  505 . The gate of the NMOS transistor  504  is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor  504 , and the source thereof is connected to a ground terminal  100 . The other end of the resistor  505  is connected to the ground terminal  100 . 
         [0046]    The PMOS transistors  501  and  502  constitute a current mirror circuit. The NMOS transistors  503  and  504  constitute a current mirror circuit having the gates thereof interconnected, while the source of the NMOS transistor  503  is connected to the ground terminal  100  through a resistor. Hence, a voltage drop takes place in the resistor  505  due to the drain current of the NMOS transistor  503 , causing the gate-source voltage of the NMOS transistor  503  to decrease accordingly. The voltage drop in the resistor  505  is determined by the difference in value K between the NMOS transistors  503  and  504  or the difference in value K between the PMOS transistors  501  and  502  and the value of the resistor  505 , thus providing a constant-current source circuit that does not depend upon a supply voltage. 
         [0047]    When the value of the load current from the PMOS transistor  106  referred to by the PMOS transistor  201  exceeds a predetermined value, the constant-current source circuit  506  acts as the constant-current circuit, thereby restricting the value of the drive current of the phase compensation circuit  160 . 
         [0048]    As described above, the voltage regulator in accordance with the present invention, which has the phase compensation circuit with the current mirror circuit of the fourth embodiment, is capable of preventing the occurrence of an offset in the transistor of the input stage of the differential amplifier circuit  102  so as to prevent fluctuations in the output voltage attributable to the offset, thus permitting accurate setting of an output voltage. In addition, the consumption current of the phase compensation circuit  160  is controlled to a low level according to the magnitude of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance R out , making it possible to limit the drive current of the phase compensation circuit  160  so as to prevent the drive current from becoming excessive in the case where the value of the current passed from the PMOS transistor  106  to the load resistance is large.