Reconfigurable charge pump
View Patent ↗An apparatus includes a charge pump array including multiple charge pump cells. The charge pump array is configurable into a first arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in series or a second arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in parallel. The apparatus can include reconfiguration circuitry configured to select the first arrangement of the charge pump cells or the second arrangement of the charge pump cells. The charge pump array is configured to alter a voltage level of a signal based, at least in part, on the selected arrangement of the charge pump cells.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a charge pump array including multiple charge pump cells;
control circuitry configured to generate control signals based on received configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling is configured to identify an arrangement of the charge pump cells that is based on a voltage level of a signal to be boosted by the charge pump array, and wherein the control circuitry comprises:
a down pump configured to reduce a voltage level of a signal received from the charge pump array by a preset voltage magnitude,
a level shifter configured to select the signal with the reduced voltage level as at least a portion of the control signals; and
reconfiguration circuitry configured to select a first arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in series or a second arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in parallel in response to the control signals, wherein the charge pump array is configured to alter the voltage level of the signal based, at least in part, on the selected arrangement of the charge pump cells.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry is configured to selectively couple a number of the multiple charge pump cells in series to form a voltage boost path through the charge pump array, and wherein the charge pump array is configured to propagate the signal through the voltage boost path to boost the voltage level of the signal.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry is configured to selectively arrange the multiple charge pump cells to form multiple voltage boost paths through the charge pump array, each of the voltage boost paths including multiple charge pump cells arranged in series, and wherein the voltage boost paths are configured to boost the voltage level of the signal in parallel.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry is configured to combine outputs of the voltage boost paths to generate an output signal corresponding to the boosted voltage level of the signal.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry further comprises:
a first switching device configured to selectively couple an output of a first charge pump cell to an input a second charge pump cell;
a second switching device configured to selectively couple the output of the first charge pump cell to an output of the charge pump array; and
a third switching device configured to selectively provide the signal to the input of the second charge pump cell.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry is configured to boost the signal through the first charge pump cell and the second charge pump cell in series in response to the first switching device coupling the output of the first charge pump cell to the input the second charge pump cell.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the reconfiguration circuitry is configured to boost the signal through the first charge pump cell in parallel with the second charge pump cell in response to the second switching device coupling the output of the first charge pump cell to the output of the charge pump array and the third switching device coupling the signal to the input of the second charge pump cell.
8. A method comprising:
generating control signals from received configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling is configured to identify an arrangement of charge pump cells in a charge pump array that is based on a voltage level of a signal to be boosted by the charge pump array, and wherein generating control signals comprises:
reducing a voltage level of a signal received from the charge pump array by a preset voltage magnitude, and
selecting the signal with the reduced voltage level as at least a portion of the control signals;
selecting a first arrangement of charge pump cells in a charge pump array from multiple different arrangements in response to the control signals; and
boosting the voltage level of the signal based, at least in part, on the first arrangement of the charge pump cells.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
selecting a second arrangement of the charge pump cells in the charge pump array from the multiple different arrangements; and
boosting the voltage level of the signal based, at least in part, on the second arrangement of the charge pump cells.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein selecting the first arrangement of the charge pump cells further comprising coupling a number of the multiple charge pump cells in series to form a voltage boost path through the charge pump array, and wherein boosting the voltage level of the signal further comprising propagating the signal through the voltage boost path to boost the voltage level of the signal.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein selecting the first arrangement of the charge pump cells further comprising arranging the multiple charge pump cells to form multiple voltage boost paths through the charge pump array, each of the voltage boost paths including multiple charge pump cells arranged in series, and wherein the voltage boost paths are configured to boost the voltage level of the signal in parallel.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein boosting the voltage level of the signal further comprising combining outputs of the voltage boost paths to generate an output signal corresponding to the boosted voltage level of the signal.
13. An apparatus comprising:
a charge pump array including multiple charge pump cells;
control circuitry configured to generate control signals based on received configuration signaling, wherein the configuration signaling is configured to identify an arrangement of the charge pump cells that is based on a voltage level of a signal to be boosted by the charge pump array, and wherein the control circuitry comprises:
a down pump configured to reduce a voltage level of a signal received from the charge pump array by a preset voltage magnitude; and
a level shifter configured to select the signal with the reduced voltage level as at least a portion of the control signals; and
means for selecting a first arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in series or a second arrangement of the charge pump cells coupled in parallel in response to the control signals, wherein the charge pump array is configured to alter the voltage level of the signal based, at least in part, on the selected arrangement of the charge pump cells.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the means for selecting is configured to selectively couple a number of the multiple charge pump cells in series to form a voltage boost path through the charge pump array, and wherein the charge pump array is configured to propagate the signal through the voltage boost path to boost the voltage level of the signal.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the means for selecting is configured to selectively arrange the multiple charge pump cells to form multiple voltage boost paths through the charge pump array, each of the voltage boost paths including multiple charge pump cells arranged in series, and wherein the voltage boost paths are configured to boost the voltage level of the signal in parallel.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the means for selecting is configured to combine outputs of the voltage boost paths to generate an output signal corresponding to the boosted voltage level of the signal.
17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein an impedance associated with the charge pump array corresponds to a number of charge pump cells coupled in series in a voltage boost path and a number of voltage boost paths arranged in parallel that the charge pump array utilizes to boost the voltage level of the signal.