Patent ID: 7161393

Claim:
A circuit for providing a regulated current to a load, comprising: a power pass device that is arranged to receive an input voltage from a power source and to provide a regulated load current to the load in response to a control signal and the input voltage; a current control device that is arranged to provide a minority signal that is selected from a current sense signal, a voltage sense signal, a temperature sense signal, and a reference signal, wherein the current control device is further arranged to provide the control signal to the power pass device in response to the minority signal such that the output current is maintained constant with respect to the load current, a load voltage, and an internal temperature of the circuit; a minority selection device that is arranged to determine the minority signal based, in part, on the voltage sense signal, the temperature sense signal, and the reference signal; and a differential amplifier that is arranged to differentially combine the current sense signal and the minority signal, amplify the combination signal, and provide the control signal based on the combination.