Power supply circuit
View Patent ↗Provided is a power supply circuit generating a desired voltage by voltage multiplication, and satisfying both a demand to reduce current consumption and a demand to enable operation with a low power voltage at the same time. A power supply circuit of the present invention includes: a voltage generating circuit for generating internal voltages VI 1 and VI 2 from a power supply voltage VDD; a voltage step-up/down circuit for generating voltages VO 1 to VO 3 each having a different level by multiplying the internal voltages VI 1 and VI 12 ; and a voltage comparison circuit for comparing the voltage VO 2 with the power supply voltage VDD. The voltage generating circuit is configured to select one of the internal voltages VI 1 and VI 2 according to an output of the voltage comparison circuit. Additionally, a voltage multiplication rate of the voltage multiplication circuit is switched according to the output of the voltage comparison circuit.
1. A power supply circuit comprising:
a voltage generating circuit that generates an internal voltage from a power supply voltage;
a voltage multiplication circuit that receives the internal voltage and performs voltage multiplication of the received internal voltage to thereby generate a plurality of output voltages each having a different voltage level; and
a voltage comparison circuit that compares at least one of the plurality of output voltages with the power supply voltage, wherein
the voltage generating circuit is configured to switch the voltage level of the internal voltage in response to an output of the voltage comparison circuit, and
a multiplication rate of voltage multiplication by the voltage multiplication circuit is switched according to the output of the voltage comparison circuit.
2. The power supply circuit according to claim 1 , wherein
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to generate the plurality of output voltages by multiplying the received internal voltage by a first multiplication rate when the internal voltage has a first voltage level, and
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to generate the plurality of output voltages by multiplying the received internal voltage by a second multiplication rate higher than the first multiplication rate when the internal voltage has a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level.
3. The power supply circuit according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of output voltages includes:
a first output voltage; and
a second output voltage higher than the first output voltage,
the second voltage level is n times as high as the first voltage level (n is a number larger than 1),
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to output, as the first output voltage, the same voltage as the internal voltage and to output, as the second output voltage, a voltage n times as high as the internal voltage when the received internal voltage has the first voltage level, and
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to output, as the first output voltage, a voltage 1/n times as high as the internal voltage and to output, as the second output voltage, the same voltage as the internal voltage when the received internal voltage has the second voltage level.
4. The power supply circuit according to claim 3 , wherein
in response to the output of the voltage comparison circuit, the voltage generating circuit switches between an operation for supplying the internal voltage having the first voltage level to a first input of the voltage multiplication circuit, and an operation for supplying the internal voltage having the second voltage level to a second input of the voltage multiplication circuit, and
the voltage multiplication circuit switches the multiplication rate depending on which of the first input and the second input is supplied with the internal voltage.
5. The power supply circuit according to claim 4 , wherein
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to maintain a ratio between the voltage of the first input and the voltage of the second input at a predetermined value, and
the voltage generating circuit includes:
a first output connected to the first input and configured to output the internal voltage having the first voltage level;
a second output connected to the second input and configured to output the internal voltage having the second voltage level; and
two resistance elements connected in series between the first output and the second output, and
the voltage generating circuit is configured to be capable of controlling both voltages of the first output and the second output by feeding back a voltage of a connection node of the two resistance elements.
6. The power supply circuit according to claim 4 , wherein
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to maintain a ratio between the voltage of the first input and the voltage of the second input at a predetermined value, and
the voltage generating circuit includes:
a first output connected to the first input and configured to output the internal voltage having the first voltage level; and
a second output connected to the second input and configured to output the internal voltage having the second voltage level,
the voltage generating circuit is configured to be capable of controlling both voltages of the first output and the second output by feeding back a voltage of one of the first output and the second output, and
the other one of the first output and the second output is electrically separated from the ground terminal.
7. The power supply circuit according to claim 5 , wherein the first output and the second output of the voltage generating circuit are electrically separated from a ground terminal.
8. The power supply circuit according to claim 5 , wherein the voltage generating circuit further includes:
a first PMOS transistor connected between the first output and a power supply line to which the power supply voltage is supplied;
a second PMOS transistor connected in series between the power supply line and the second output;
a selection circuit section that selects, in response to the output of the voltage comparator circuit, whether to connect the power supply line to the first output through the first PMOS transistor, or to connect the power supply line to the second output through the second PMOS transistor; and
a control circuit section that controls a gate voltage of the first PMOS transistor and a gate voltage of the second PMOS transistor, in response to the voltage of the connection node.
9. The power supply circuit according to claim 7 , wherein the voltage generating circuit further includes:
a first PMOS transistor connected between the first output and a power supply line to which the power supply voltage is supplied;
a second PMOS transistor connected in series between the power supply line and the second output;
a selection circuit section that selects, in response to the output of the voltage comparator circuit, whether to connect the power supply line to the first output through the first PMOS transistor, or to connect the power supply line to the second output through the second PMOS transistor; and
a control circuit section that controls a gate voltage of the first PMOS transistor and a gate voltage of the second PMOS transistor, in response to the voltage of the connection node.
10. The power supply circuit according to claim 2 , wherein
in response to the output of the voltage comparison circuit, the voltage generating circuit switches between an operation for supplying the internal voltage having the first voltage level to a first input of the voltage multiplication circuit, and an operation for supplying the internal voltage having the second voltage level to a second input of the voltage multiplication circuit, and
the voltage multiplication circuit switches the multiplication rate depending on which of the first input and the second input is supplied with the internal voltage.
11. The power supply circuit according to claim 10 , wherein
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to maintain a ratio between the voltage of the first input and the voltage of the second input at a predetermined value, and
the voltage generating circuit includes:
a first output connected to the first input and configured to output the internal voltage having the first voltage level;
a second output connected to the second input and configured to output the internal voltage having the second voltage level; and
two resistance elements connected in series between the first output and the second output, and
the voltage generating circuit is configured to be capable of controlling both voltages of the first output and the second output by feeding back a voltage of a connection node of the two resistance elements.
12. The power supply circuit according to claim 10 , wherein
the voltage multiplication circuit is configured to maintain a ratio between the voltage of the first input and the voltage of the second input at a predetermined value, and
the voltage generating circuit includes:
a first output connected to the first input and configured to output the internal voltage having the first voltage level; and
a second output connected to the second input and configured to output the internal voltage having the second voltage level,
the voltage generating circuit is configured to be capable of controlling both voltages of the first output and the second output by feeding back a voltage of one of the first output and the second output, and
the other one of the first output and the second output is electrically separated from the ground terminal.
13. The power supply circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the first output and the second output of the voltage generating circuit are electrically separated from a ground terminal.
14. The power supply circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the voltage generating circuit further includes:
a first PMOS transistor connected between the first output and a power supply line to which the power supply voltage is supplied;
a second PMOS transistor connected in series between the power supply line and the second output;
a selection circuit section that selects, in response to the output of the voltage comparator circuit, whether to connect the power supply line to the first output through the first PMOS transistor, or to connect the power supply line to the second output through the second PMOS transistor; and
a control circuit section that controls a gate voltage of the first PMOS transistor and a gate voltage of the second PMOS transistor, in response to the voltage of the connection node.
15. The power supply circuit according to claim 13 , wherein the voltage generating circuit further includes:
a first PMOS transistor connected between the first output and a power supply line to which the power supply voltage is supplied;
a second PMOS transistor connected in series between the power supply line and the second output;
a selection circuit section that selects, in response to the output of the voltage comparator circuit, whether to connect the power supply line to the first output through the first PMOS transistor, or to connect the power supply line to the second output through the second PMOS transistor; and
a control circuit section that controls a gate voltage of the first PMOS transistor and a gate voltage of the second PMOS transistor, in response to the voltage of the connection node.