Step-down switching regulator with turn off undershoot prevention
View Patent ↗A step-down switching regulator prevents an output voltage undershoot and enables a quick lowering of an output voltage immediately after turning off of power supply. The step-down switching regulator includes an NMOS transistor connected between an output terminal and a ground voltage and another NMOS transistor connected in parallel with a synchronous rectification transistor. Upon reception of an on/off signal for terminating the operation of the switching regulator, the NMOS transistors are turned on into an on-state.
1. A synchronous-rectification-type step-down switching regulator for converting an input voltage at an input terminal of the switching regulator into a predetermined constant voltage that is applied to a load connected at an output terminal of the switching regulator,
the switching regulator comprising:
a first switching element configured to perform a switching in accordance with a control signal;
an inductor that is charged by the input voltage when the first switching element performs the switching;
a second switching element for synchronous rectification configured to discharge the inductor by performing a switching in accordance with the control signal;
a control circuit unit configured to control the switching of the first switching element in order to obtain the predetermined constant voltage at the output terminal, the control circuit also being configured to cause the second switching element to perform the switching in an opposite manner to the switching of the first switching element; and
a short-circuiting unit configured to connect the output terminal to a ground voltage and also short-circuit the second switching element when the control circuit unit is deactivated.
2. The step-down switching regulator according to claim 1 , wherein the short-circuiting unit includes:
a first short-circuiting switching element connected between the output terminal and the ground voltage; and
a second short-circuiting switching element connected in parallel with the second switching element,
wherein, upon reception of an external signal to terminate the operation of the control circuit unit, the first short-circuiting switching element connects the output terminal to the ground voltage while the second short-circuiting switching element short-circuits the second switching element.
3. A synchronous-rectification-type step-down switching regulator for converting an input voltage at an input terminal of the switching regulator into a predetermined constant voltage that is applied to a load connected at an output terminal of the switching regulator,
the switching regulator comprising:
a first switching element configured to perform a switching in accordance with a control signal;
an inductor that is charged by the input voltage when the first switching element performs the switching;
a second switching element for synchronous rectification configured to discharge the inductor by performing a switching in accordance with the control signal;
a control circuit unit configured to control the switching of the first switching element in order to obtain the predetermined constant voltage at the output terminal, the control circuit also being configured to cause the second switching element to perform the switching in an opposite manner to the switching of the first switching element;
a short-circuiting unit configured to connect the output terminal to a ground voltage when the control circuit unit is deactivated; and
a voltage detecting circuit unit configured to detect a voltage at a connecting portion between the inductor and the second switching element,
wherein the voltage detecting circuit unit, when the voltage at the connecting portion between the inductor and the second switching element is a negative voltage, turns on the second switching element into a conducting state upon reception of an external signal for terminating the operation of the control circuit unit.
4. The step-down switching regulator according to claim 3 , the short-circuiting unit includes a first short-circuiting switching element connected between the output terminal and the ground voltage,
wherein the first short-circuiting switching element connects the output terminal to the ground voltage upon reception of the external signal for terminating the operation of the control circuit unit.
5. A synchronous-rectification-type step-down switching regulator for converting an input voltage at an input terminal of the switching regulator into a predetermined constant voltage that is applied to a load connected at an output terminal of the switching regulator,
the switching regulator comprising:
a first switching element configured to perform a switching in accordance with a control signal;
an inductor that is charged by the input voltage when the first switching element performs the switching;
a second switching element for synchronous rectification configured to discharge the inductor by performing a switching in accordance with the control signal;
a control circuit unit configured to control the switching of the first switching element in order to obtain the predetermined constant voltage at the output terminal, the control circuit also being configured to cause the second switching element to perform the switching in an opposite manner to the switching of the first switching element;
a short-circuiting unit configured to connect the output terminal to a ground voltage when the control circuit unit is deactivated; and
an inverse current detection circuit unit configured to turn off the second switching element into a shutdown state upon detection of an inverse current that flows from the output terminal to the second switching element,
wherein, upon reception of an external signal for terminating the operation of the control circuit unit, the inverse current detection circuit unit turns on the second switching element into a conducting state when a voltage at a connecting portion between the inductor and the second switching element is a negative voltage.