Apparatus, systems, and methods for providing a hybrid power regulator

摘要

The present disclosure shows a hybrid regulator topology that can be more easily integrated and that can maintain high efficiency across a wide output and input voltage range, even with a small inductor. The hybrid regulator topology can include two types of regulators: a flying switched-inductor regulator and a step-down regulator that divides the input voltage into an M/N fraction of the input voltage. The disclosed embodiments of the hybrid regulator topology can reduce the capacitive loss of the flying switched-inductor regulator by limiting the voltage swing across the switches in the flying switched-inductor regulator. The disclosed embodiments of the hybrid regulator topology can reduce the inductor resistive loss of the flying switched-inductor regulator by operating the flying switched-inductor regulator at a high switching frequency and with a small amount of current flow through the inductor.

主权项

1. A voltage regulator configured to receive a first voltage signal and provide a final voltage signal based, at least in part, on the first voltage signal, the voltage regulator comprising:
a flying switched-inductor regulator having a first input terminal configured to receive a first voltage signal, a second input terminal configured to receive a second voltage signal, and an output terminal configured to provide an intermediate voltage signal based, at least in part, on the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal; a step-down regulator comprising an input terminal, coupled to the output terminal of the flying switched-inductor regulator, an output terminal, and a plurality of capacitors, wherein the step-down regulator is configured to receive, at the input terminal of the step-down regulator, the intermediate voltage signal from the output terminal of the flying switched-inductor regulator and provide, to the output terminal of the step-down regulator, the final voltage signal using a predetermined configuration of the plurality of capacitors; and a level shifting regulator comprising an input terminal, an output terminal, a flying capacitor, and a plurality of switches, wherein the level shifting regulator is configured to receive, at the input terminal of the level shifting regulator, the final voltage signal of the step-down regulator and to provide, at the output terminal of the level shifting regulator, the second voltage signal that is based on the final voltage signal of the step-down regulator.