摘要 |
A method and apparatus for using feedback to control the output voltage of a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) that is used as the input voltage to subsequent Low Drop Out (LDO) linear voltage regulators. A multiplexer and Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) are used to successively sample the output voltages of multiple parallel LDO regulators. The digitized voltage values are input to a digital processor that compares the LDO regulator output voltages with acceptable limits previously stored in memory. The digitized voltage values are used by the digital processor to control the output voltage of a SMPS that is used as the input voltage to the LDO regulators. The output voltage of the SMPS, and thus the input of the LDO regulators, is reduced to the minimum value that retains full performance of the LDO regulators. Operating each LDO regulator at full regulation ensures full performance of the LDO regulators. Minimizing the input voltage to the LDO regulators maximizes the efficiency of the total power supply. When integrated into a battery powered cellular phone, the invention maximizes efficiency thereby maximizing telephone talk time and standby time.
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