Digital switching voltage regulator

Claim 2

An improved digital switching voltage regulator comprising: control circuit means for providing a first output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across a load operatively coupled to said regulator departs from a voltage regulation window by crossing an upper threshold voltage and for providing a second output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across said load departs from said regulation window by crossing a lower threshold voltage, said regulation window being defined by said upper and lower threshold voltages; bi-directional shift register means for generating a set of control voltages in response to said first or said second output voltage of said control circuit means and said shift pulse; and switchable current source means for providing a current to said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 3

The regulator of claim 1 wherein said switchable current source means includes: an array of current sources for generating said current and an array of switches respectively coupled to said current sources for intermittently shunting at least a portion of said current away from said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 4

The regulator of claim 2 wherein said control circuit means further includes: means for providing a reference voltage and window comparator means for providing said first output voltage when a first portion of the voltage across said load is greater than said reference voltage by a differential voltage proportional to a window voltage and for providing said second output voltage when a second portion of said load voltage is less than said reference voltage by said differential voltage.

Claim 5

The regulator of claim 3 wherein said control circuit means further includes controllable pulse generator means operatively coupled to said comparator means for producing said shift pulse.

Claim 6

The switching regulator of claim 4 wherein said controllable pulse generator means includes OR gate means for providing a pulse enable s in response to said first or said second output voltage and clocked pulse generator means for generating a plural series of said shift pulse while being addressed by said enable signal.

Claim 7

The switching regulator of claim 5 wherein said bi-directional shift register means includes a plurality of serially arranged data registers for storing said control voltages.

Claim 8

The switching regulator of claim 6 wherein each switch included within said array of switches is operatively coupled to one of said data registers.

Claim 9

The switching regulator of claim 7 wherein said bi-directional shift register means further includes means for serially shifting data within said registers in first and second directions in response to said first and second output voltages, respectively.

Claim 10

An improved digital switching voltage regulator comprising: means for providing a reference voltage; window comparator means for providing a first output voltage when a first portion of the voltage across a load coupled to said regulator is greater than said reference voltage by a differential voltage and for providing a second output voltage when a second portion of the voltage across said load is less than said reference voltage by said differential voltage; an OR gate coupled to said window comparator means for producing a pulse enable signal in response to said first or said second output voltage of said window comparator means; a clocked pulse generator coupled to said OR gate for generating a series of shift pulses while being addressed by said enable signal; bi-directional shift register means for generating a set of control voltages in response to said first or said second output voltage of said window comparator means and one of said shift pulses; an array of current sources for providing a current to said load; and an array of switches respectively coupled to said current sources for intermittently shunting at least a portion of said current away from said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 11

An improved digital switching voltage regulator comprising: means for providing a reference voltage; window comparator means for providing a first output voltage when a first portion of the voltage across a load coupled to said regulator is greater than said reference voltage by a differential voltage and for providing a second output voltage when a second portion of the voltage across said load is less than said reference voltage by said differential voltage; an OR gate coupled to said window comparator means for producing a pulse enable signal in response to said first or said second output voltage of said window comparator means; a clocked pulse generator coupled to said OR gate for generating a series of shift pulses while being addressed by said enable signal; bi-directional shift register means for generating a set of control voltages in response to said first or said second output voltage of said window comparator means and one of said shift pulses; an array of current sources for providing a current to said load; and an array of switches respectively coupled to said current sources for intermittently shunting at least a portion of said current away from said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 16

An improved digital switching voltage regulator comprising: control circuit means for providing a first output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across a load operatively coupled to said regulator departs from a voltage regulation window by crossing an upper threshold voltage and for providing a second output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across said load departs from said regulation window by crossing a lower threshold voltage, said regulation window being defined by said upper and lower threshold voltages, said control circuit means including: means for providing a reference voltage, window comparator means for providing said first output voltage when a first portion of the voltage across said load is greater than said reference voltage by a differential voltage proportional to a window voltage and for providing said second output voltage when a second portion of said load voltage is less than said reference voltage by said differential voltage, and controllable pulse generator means operatively coupled to said comparator means for producing said shift pulse; bi-directional shift register means for generating a set of control voltages in response to said first or said second output voltage of said control circuit means and said shift pulse; and switchable current source means for providing a current to said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 17

An improved digital switching voltage regulator comprising: control circuit means for providing a first output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across a load operatively coupled to said regulator departs from a voltage regulation window by crossing an upper threshold voltage and for providing a second output voltage and at least one shift pulse when the voltage across said load departs from said regulation window by crossing a lower threshold voltage, said regulation window being defined by said upper and lower threshold voltages, said control circuit means including: means for providing a reference voltage, window comparator means for providing said first output voltage when a first portion of the voltage across said load is greater than said reference voltage by a differential voltage proportional to a window voltage and for providing said second output voltage when a second portion of said load voltage is less than said reference voltage by said differential voltage, and controllable pulse generator means operatively coupled to said comparator means for producing said shift pulse; bi-directional shift register means for generating a set of control voltages in response to said first or said second output voltage of said control circuit means and said shift pulse; and switchable current source means for providing a current to said load in response to said set of control voltages.

Claim 18

The switching regulator of claim 12 wherein said controllable pulse generator means includes OR gate means for providing a pulse enable signal in response to said first or said second output voltage and clocked pulse generator means for generating a plural series of said shift pulse while being addressed by said enable signal.

Claim 19

The switching regulator of claim 13 wherein said bi-directional shift register means includes a plurality of serially arranged data registers for storing said control voltages.

Claim 20

The switching regulator of claim 14 wherein each switch included within said array of switches is operatively coupled to one of said data registers.

Claim 21

The switching regulator of claim 15 wherein said bi-directional shift register means further includes means for serially shifting data within said registers in first and second directions in response to said first and second output voltages, respectively.