The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 15, 2005
Filed:
Jul. 06, 2004
William Maclean, Tucson, AZ (US);
Glenn Chance Dunlap, Iii, Tucson, AZ (US);
Thatcher Klumpp, Tucson, AZ (US);
William MacLean, Tucson, AZ (US);
Glenn Chance Dunlap, III, Tucson, AZ (US);
Thatcher Klumpp, Tucson, AZ (US);
National Semiconductor Corporation, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A circuit and method for enabling a rapid adjustment of a reference voltage during a disable period such as a fault condition, shutdown condition, and the like, of a voltage regulator is described. A soft start circuit that is arranged to couple a reference voltage input of an error amplifier to a portion of an output voltage avoiding high current surges and optimizing start up time is modified to include a low resistance switch that provides a path for a reference node capacitance to rapidly discharge. The faster discharge may allow the reference voltage to match the output voltage even when the switch is activated for a very brief interval. This in return allows the output voltage to start up in a controlled manner after a disable period.