Abstract:
A method for switching between first and second voltages is provided. Initially, a first voltage is provided from a first input terminal to an output terminal through a first MOS transistor, and the first MOS transistor is deactivated. A back-gate of a second MOS transistor is shorted to the output terminal in response to the deactivation of the first MOS transistor and after a settling interval, and the second MOS transistor is activated while its back-gate is shorted to the terminal so as to provide a second voltage from a second input terminal to the output terminal.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to a power switch and, more particularly, to a power switch with an increased switching speed. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , an example of a conventional power switch  100 - 1  can be seen. In this example, a NMOS transistor Q 1  is employed as the power sourcing or switching element that is coupled between the input and output terminals IN and OUT. NMOS transistor Q 1  is generally controlled by charge pump  102 . However, in this configuration, the charge pump  102  can consume a significant amount of current, and there is a “turn on” delay associated with the switch  100 - 1 . As an alternative, a storage capacitor C 1  (as shown in the power switch  100 - 2  in  FIG. 2 ) to combat some of the issues with power switch  100 - 2 , but the inclusion of capacitor C 1  presents another set of issues (such as the area consumed by capacitor C 1 ). Therefore, there is a need for an improved power switch. 
         [0003]    Some other conventional circuits are: U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,790; U.S. Pat. No. 7,626,360; U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,076; and European Patent No. EP0720270. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    An embodiment of the present invention, accordingly, provides an apparatus. The apparatus comprises a charge pump; a state machine having an first mode, a second mode and a third mode; an first MOS transistor that is coupled between an input terminal and an output terminal and that is coupled to the charge pump at its gate, wherein the first MOS transistor is activated during the third mode and deactivated during the first and second modes; a buffer that is coupled to the body of the first MOS transistor and the state machine, wherein the buffer provides a gate bias voltage to the body of the first MOS transistor during the third mode; and a gate bias circuit having: a second MOS transistor that is coupled to the charge pump at its drain and gate; a current source that is coupled to the source of the second MOS transistor; and a feedback circuit that is coupled to the state machine and the source of the second MOS transistor. 
         [0005]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback circuit further comprises: a selector that is coupled to the state machine; and an amplifier that is coupled to the selector, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the charge pump. 
         [0006]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the current source further comprises a bias circuit. 
         [0007]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback circuit further comprises: an input circuit that is coupled to the input terminal and that is coupled between the source of the second MOS transistor and the bias circuit; and an enable circuit that is coupled between the input circuit and the bias circuit and that activates the feedback circuit during the third mode. 
         [0008]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a current mirror that is coupled between the enable circuit and the bias circuit and that is coupled to the charge pump. 
         [0009]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the current minor further comprises a first current minor, and wherein input circuit further comprises: a second current minor that is coupled to the input terminal, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the enable circuit; and a third current minor that is coupled to the output terminal, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the enable circuit. 
         [0010]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the input circuit further comprises a current minor that is coupled to the input terminal, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the enable circuit. 
         [0011]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback circuit further comprises a Schmitt trigger that is coupled to the bias circuit and the charge pump. 
         [0012]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback circuit further comprises a discharge circuit that is coupled to the charge pump. 
         [0013]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a first input terminal; a second input terminal; an output terminal; a first power switch having: a first charge pump; a first state machine having an first mode, a second mode and a third mode; an first MOS transistor that is coupled between the first input terminal and the output terminal and that is coupled to the first charge pump at its gate, wherein the first MOS transistor is activated during the third mode of the first state machine and deactivated during the first and second modes of the first state machine; a first buffer that is coupled to the body of the first MOS transistor and the first state machine, wherein the first buffer provides a first gate bias voltage to the body of the first MOS transistor during the third mode of the first state machine; and a first gate bias circuit having: a second MOS transistor that is coupled to the first charge pump at its drain and gate; a first current source that is coupled to the source of the second MOS transistor; and a first feedback circuit that is coupled to the first state machine and the source of the second MOS transistor; and a second power switch having: a second charge pump; a second state machine having an first mode, a second mode and a third mode; an third MOS transistor that is coupled between the second input terminal and the output terminal and that is coupled to the second charge pump at its gate, wherein the third MOS transistor is activated during the third mode of the second state machine and deactivated during the first and second modes of the second state machine; a second buffer that is coupled to the body of the first MOS transistor and the second state machine, wherein the second buffer provides a second gate bias voltage to the body of the third MOS transistor during the third mode of the second state machine; and a second gate bias circuit having: a fourth MOS transistor that is coupled to the second charge pump at its drain and gate; a second current source that is coupled to the source of the fourth MOS transistor; and a second feedback circuit that is coupled to the second state machine and the source of the fourth MOS transistor. 
         [0014]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second feedback circuits each further comprise: a selector that is coupled to the state machine; and an amplifier that is coupled to the selector, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the charge pump. 
         [0015]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second current sources further comprise first and second bias circuits, respectively. 
         [0016]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first feedback circuit further comprises: a first input circuit that is coupled to the first input terminal and that is coupled between the source of the second MOS transistor and the first bias circuit; and a first enable circuit that is coupled between the first input circuit and the first bias circuit and that activates the first feedback circuit during the third mode of the first state machine. 
         [0017]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback circuit further comprises: a second input circuit that is coupled to the second input terminal and that is coupled between the source of the fourth MOS transistor and the second bias circuit; and a second enable circuit that is coupled between the second input circuit and the second bias circuit and that activates the second feedback circuit during the third mode of the second state machine. 
         [0018]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first power switch further comprises a current mirror that is coupled between the first enable circuit and the first bias circuit and that is coupled to the first charge pump. 
         [0019]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the current minor further comprises a first current minor, and wherein first input circuit further comprises: a second current mirror that is coupled to the first input terminal, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the first enable circuit; and a third current mirror that is coupled to the output terminal, the source of the second MOS transistor, and the first enable circuit. 
         [0020]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the second input circuit further comprises a fourth current mirror that is coupled to the second input terminal, the source of the fourth MOS transistor, and the second enable circuit. 
         [0021]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the second feedback circuit further comprises a Schmitt trigger that is coupled to the second bias circuit and the second charge pump. 
         [0022]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the feedback second circuit further comprises a discharge circuit that is coupled to the second charge pump. 
         [0023]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided. The method comprises providing a first voltage from a first input terminal to an output terminal through a first MOS transistor; deactivating the first MOS transistor; shorting a back-gate of a second MOS transistor to the output terminal in response to the deactivation of the first MOS transistor and after a settling interval; and activating the second MOS transistor while its back-gate is shorted to the terminal so as to provide a second voltage from a second input terminal to the output terminal. 
         [0024]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the step of activating the second MOS transistor further comprises: selecting the lesser of second voltage and the voltage on the output terminal with a current mirror; amplifying the current from the current minor; and providing the amplified current to the gate of the second MOS transistor. 
         [0025]    The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0027]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are diagrams of examples of conventional power switches; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  are diagrams of examples of power switch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are more detailed diagrams of examples of power switch of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a diagram of an example of a system employing the switches of  FIGS. 3-5 ; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a diagram depicting the operation of the system of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are, for the sake of clarity, not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views. 
         [0033]    Turning to  FIG. 3 , an example of a power switch  200  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be seen. Generally, to have improved operation over other conventional power switches (i.e.,  100 - 1 ), power switch  200  employs a gate bias circuit  204 , state machine  212 , and buffer  202  to increase the switching speed of transistor Q 1  (which is typically an NMOS transistor). In operation, the state machine  212  provides controls to the buffer  202  and gate bias circuit  204  based on an enable signal EN and switch signal SWITCH. Usually, the state machine  212  has three operational modes: an off mode, an on mode, and a standby mode. During the off mode, the gate bias circuit  204  is deactivated and the buffer  202  is controlled so that the body of the transistor Q 1  is at ground, and transistor Q 1  is “off” or deactivated. When transistor Q 1  turns “on” or is activated in the on mode, the state machine  212  deactivated the gate bias circuit  204 . During this on mode, the buffer  202  couples the back gate or body of transistor Q 1  to the output terminal so that the voltage at the output terminal is provided to the back gate, changing the threshold voltage (i.e., decreasing) for transistor Q 1 . During the standby mode, the gate bias circuit  204  is activated so that the voltage at the gate of the transistor Q 1  is controlled at the predetermined voltage, and the buffer  202  is controlled so that the body of the transistor Q 1  is at ground, and the transistor Q 1  is “off” or deactivated. Transistor Q 2  (which is typically an NMOS transistor) in conjunction with the current source  210  operates as a replica circuit, and the voltage from this replica circuit is differentially amplified by amplifier  208  with the lesser of the voltage on the input and output terminals IN and OUT (which is selected by the selector  206 ). This amplified signal is then used to bias the gate of transistors Q 1  and Q 2 , allowing the transistor Q 1  to activate more quickly. Finally, for standby mode, when the transistor Q 1  is switched “off,” there is a lag time or setting interval during deactivation (which can, for example, be about 300 ns) to allow for settling. 
         [0034]    In  FIG. 4 , a more detailed example of a power switch  200 - 1  can be seen. In this example, the gate bias circuit  204  is generally comprised of input circuit  302 - 1  (which generally includes transistors Q 10  to Q 13  that can, for example, be PMOS transistors), bias circuit  304 - 1  (which generally includes transistors Q 14  to Q 17  that can, for example, be NMOS transistors), an enable circuit  306 - 1  (which generally includes transistors Q 7  through Q 9  that can, for example, be NMOS transistors), and current mirror  308  (which generally includes transistors Q 5  and Q 6  that can, for example, be NMOS transistors). Additionally, the buffer  202  is generally formed of transistors Q 3  and Q 4  (which can, for example, be PMOS and NMOS transistors, respectively) that can short to the body or back gate of transistor Q 1  to ground or terminal OUT. The input circuit  302 - 1  (which is generally arranged as a pair of common gate amplifiers Q 10 /Q 11  and Q 12 /Q 13  that are active depending on the voltage on the input and output terminals IN and OUT) in conjunction with bias circuit  304 - 1  and current mirror  308  operate as a common-gate operational transconductance amplifier that performs substantially the same function as the selector  206  and amplifier  208  of  FIG. 3 . In the off mode or the on mode, the enable circuit  306 - 1  is deactivated by the control signal applied to the gates of the transistors Q 7 , Q 8 , and Q 9 . That is, the transistors Q 7 , Q 8 , Q 9  turn off, and the gate bias circuit  204  is deactivated. In the standby mode, the enable circuit  306 - 1  is activated by the control signal applied to the gates of the transistors Q 7 , Q 8 , and Q 9 . That is, the transistors Q 7 , Q 8 , and Q 9  turn on. The current is provided to the input circuit  302 - 1  from the bias circuit  304 - 1  through the enable circuit  306 - 1 , and, the charge pump  102  is activated during the standby mode and the on mode, and it is deactivated during the off mode. 
         [0035]    During the standby mode, the charge pump  102  and the gate bias circuit  204  are activated and the voltage at the gates of the transistors Q 1  and Q 2  is controlled at the predetermined voltage by the charge pump  102  and the gate bias circuit  204 . The input circuit  302 - 1  compares the voltage of the input terminal IN with the voltage of the output terminal OUT, and when the voltage of the input terminal IN is lower than that of the output terminal OUT, the transistors Q 10  and Q 11  are activated, while the transistors Q 12 , Q 23  are deactivated. When the voltage of the input terminal IN is higher than that of the output terminal OUT, on the other hand, the transistors Q 10  and Q 11  are deactivated, while the transistors Q 12 , Q 13  are activated. The pair of transistors Q 10  and Q 11  or transistors Q 12  and Q 13  amplifies the voltage difference of the sources of these transistors Q 1  and Q 2 , and the current corresponding to this voltage difference is supplied to the charge pump  102  (drain and gate of the transistor Q 2  and gate of the transistor Q 1 ) through the current mirror  308  (namely, transistor Q 5 ). Thus, the voltage at the gate of the transistors Q 1  and Q 2  is maintained at the predetermined voltage by the feedback control of the gate bias circuit  204 . The buffer  202  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the ground so that the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  increases. That is, the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  rises by the back gate effect (body effect). The predetermined voltage maintained by the gate bias circuit  204  is set higher than the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 2  and lower than that of the transistor Q 1 . During the standby mode, therefore, the transistor Q 2  is in on state, while the transistor Q 1  is in off state. 
         [0036]    When the mode of the power switch  200 - 1  is changed from the standby mode to the on mode, the gate bias circuit  204  is deactivated, and the buffer  200  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the output terminal OUT so that the output terminal OUT is provided to the back gate, changing the threshold voltage (i.e., decreasing) for the transistor Q 1 . In this on mode, the body of the back gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is coupled to its source, and the threshold voltage of the transistors Q 1  and Q 2  are the same. Since the voltage at the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is maintained higher than the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 2  by the gate bias circuit  204 , the transistor Q 1  turns “on” quickly because of the body or the back gate connection change from the ground terminal to the output terminal OUT. Due to this mode change from the standby mode to the on mode, the gate bias circuit  204  is deactivated. So, the voltage at the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is raised by the charge pump  102 , and this gate voltage is maintained higher than the predetermined voltage. 
         [0037]    When the mode of the power switch  200 - 1  is changed from the on mode to the standby mode, the gate bias circuit  204  is activated, and the buffer  200  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the ground so that the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  increases. Since the gate bias circuit discharges the gate of the transistors Q 1  and Q 2  and the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  rises by the body effect (the back gate effect), the transistor Q 1  turns “off.” Additionally, the voltage at the gate of the transistor Q 1 , Q 2  is maintained at the predetermined voltage by the gate bias circuit  204 . 
         [0038]    Turning to  FIG. 5 , another detailed example of a power switch  200 - 2  can be seen. In this example, the gate bias circuit  204  is generally comprised of input circuit  302 - 2  (which generally includes transistors Q 25  and Q 25  that can, for example, be PMOS transistors), bias circuit  304 - 4  (which generally includes transistors Q 18  and Q 19  that can, for example, be NMOS transistors), Schmitt trigger  312 , an enable circuit  306 - 2  (which generally includes transistors Q 23  and Q 24  that can, for example, be NMOS transistors), and a discharge circuit  310  (which generally includes transistors Q 20  to Q 22  that can, for example, be NMOS and PMOS transistors). The input circuit  302 - 2  (which is generally arranged as common gate amplifiers) in conjunction with bias circuit  304 - 2  and Schmitt trigger  312  operate as a common-gate hysteresis comparator that performs substantially the same function of the selector  206  and amplifier  208  of  FIG. 3 , where the Schmitt trigger deactivates the charge pump  202  when the gate voltage of transistor Q 1  is greater than the sum of the gate-source voltage of transistor Q 2  and the voltage on input terminal IN. Additionally, the discharge circuit  310  can be used to discharge the gate of transistor Q 1  when the transistor Q 1  is being switched “off”; this is usually controlled by a discharge signal DISCH from the state machine  212 . In the off mode or the on mode, the enable circuit  306 - 2  is deactivated by the control signal applied to the gates of the transistors Q 23  and Q 24 , that is, the transistors Q 23  and Q 24  turn “off,” and the gate bias circuit is deactivated. In the standby mode, the enable circuit  306 - 2  is activated by the control signal applied to the gates of the transistors Q 23  and Q 24 , and the transistors Q 23  and Q 24  turn “on.” Also, the current is provided to the input circuit  302 - 2  from the bias circuit  304 - 2  through the enable circuit  306 - 2 . And, the charge pump  102  is activated during the on mode, and it is deactivated during the off mode. During the standby mode, the charge pump  102  is activated or deactivated by the output signal of the Schmitt trigger  312 . 
         [0039]    During the standby mode, the buffer  202  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the ground terminal or supply rail, and the gate bias circuit is activated. The input circuit  302 - 2  compares the voltage of the input terminal IN with the source voltage of the transistor Q 2  (i.e., V gQ1 −V gsQ2 ), and the operation of the charge pump  102  is controlled by this comparison result. When the input voltage at the input terminal IN is lower than the source voltage (i.e., V gQ1 −V gsQ2 ) of the transistor Q 2 , the charge pump  102  is deactivated by an output signal of the Schmitt trigger  312 . When the input voltage at the input terminal IN is higher than the source voltage (i.e., V gQ1 −V gsQ2 ) of the transistor Q 2 , the charge pump  102  is activated by the output signal of the Schmitt trigger  312 . Since the Schmitt trigger  312  has hysteresis characteristics, the gate voltage of the transistor Q 1  (and transistor Q 2 ) varies in a certain voltage range corresponding to the hysteresis of the Schmitt trigger  312 . While the charge pump  102  is activated, the gate voltage of the transistor Q 1  rises in accordance with the current supplied from the charge pump  102 . While the charge pump  102  is deactivated, on the other hand, the gate voltage of the transistor Q 1  falls in accordance with the current flowing at the transistor Q 2 . Since the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  is coupled to the ground during the standby mode, the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  becomes at the level higher than the aforementioned certain voltage range. Therefore, the transistor Q 1  is in off state during the standby mode, but the transistor Q 2  is in on state. And, the discharge circuit  310  is deactivated during the standby mode. 
         [0040]    When the mode of the power switch  200 - 2  is changed from the standby mode to the on mode, the buffer  202  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the output terminal OUT, and the gate bias circuit  204  is deactivated by the deactivation of the enable circuit  306 - 2 . Since the body or the back gate connection of the transistor Q 1  is changed from the ground to the output terminal OUT, the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  decreases lower than the aforementioned certain voltage range and the transistor Q 1  turns “on” quickly. Additionally, the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is charged by the charge pump  102 , and the voltage of the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is maintained at a certain voltage higher than the aforementioned certain voltage. 
         [0041]    When the mode of the power switch  200 - 2  is changed from the on mode to the standby mode, the buffer  202  couples the body or the back gate of the transistor Q 1  to the ground so that the threshold voltage of the transistor Q 1  increases, and the gate bias circuit  204  and the discharge circuit  310  are activated so that the voltage of the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  falls. Since the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  is discharged by the transistor Q 2  and the discharge circuit  310 , the voltage at the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  falls and this gate voltage is maintained at the aforementioned certain voltage range by the control of the gate bias circuit. The discharge circuit  310  is activated by the one-shot discharge signal DISCH, and it discharges from the gate of the transistor Q 1  and Q 2  during the width of the one-shot discharge signal DISCH, for example 300 ns. The transistor Q 1  is turns “off” quickly by the discharge operation of the discharge circuit  310 . 
         [0042]    Now turning to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a system  300  that employs power switches  200 - 1  and  200 - 2  can be seen. In this system  300 , power switches  200 - 1  and  200 - 2  are coupled to a common output terminal PATHOUT so that each of power switches  200 - 1  and  200 - 2  can provide power from its respective input terminal VBUS and VBAT. As shown in  FIG. 7 , there is a generally constant voltage of about (for example) 4.2V on terminal VBAT, while the voltage on terminal VBUS varies from about (for example) 0V to 5V. An external power supply (not shown in  FIG. 6 ) can also be coupled to the terminal VBUS to provide the supply voltage to the terminal VBUS. During interval I 1 , switch  200 - 2  is enabled because signal EN 2  is logic high or “1,” while switch  200 - 1  is disabled because signal EN 1  is logic low or “0,” which allows power to be transmitted from terminal VBAT to terminal PATHOUT. At the beginning of interval I 2 , the voltage on terminal VBUS changes from 0V to 5V, and switch  200 - 1  is enabled. During interval I 3  (which is a settling interval), signal SW_ON 2  causes switch  200 - 2  to transition from its on mode to its standby mode, while switch  200 - 1  remains in its standby mode, allowing the back gate voltage VB 2  for switch  200 - 2  to drop to 0V. During the standby mode of switch  200 - 2 , the voltage on terminal PATHOUT drops (where the magnitude is dependant on the load on terminal PATHOUT), and, at the end of interval I 3 , signal SW_ON 1  causes switch  200 - 1  to enter its on mode from the standby mode. As a result of being activated in interval I 4 , the back gate voltage VB 1  of switch  200 - 1  increases so as to be substantially equal to voltage on terminal PATHOUT. Additionally, during interval I 4 , the gate voltage VG 1  for switch  200 - 1  is biased, while the gate voltage VG 2  for switch  200 - 2  drops. This allows the voltage on terminal PATHOUT to plateau at about 5V, and, at the beginning of interval I 5  (when signal SW_ON 1  transitions to logic low or “0”), the voltage on terminal PATHOUT drops (similar to interval I 3 ). Then, at the beginning of interval I 6 , signal SW_ON 2  transitions to logic high or “1,” allowing the voltage on terminal PATHOUT to return to 4.2V. 
         [0043]    As an example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable can be coupled to the terminal VBUS and the external power supply voltage (i.e., 5V). Additionally, for this example, a battery can be coupled to the terminal VBAT. When the battery is connected to the terminal VBAT and the USB cable is coupled to the terminal VBUS, the power switch  200 - 1  is in on mode and the power switch  200 - 2  is in standby mode. The external voltage (5V) is supplied to the terminal PATHOUT through the power switch  200 - 1 . If the USB cable is disconnected from the terminal VBUS, the battery voltage can be supplied to the terminal PATHOUT instead of the external voltage in order to prevent the voltage drop at the terminal PATHOUT. Therefore, it is desirable to have the power switch  200 - 1  turns off quickly and the power switch  200 - 2  turns on quickly. 
         [0044]    Having thus described the present invention by reference to certain of its preferred embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.