Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080197824 | ADAPTIVE FIRING ORDER CONTROL FOR DYNAMIC CURRENT BALANCE OF MULTIPHASE VOLTAGE REGULATORS - A pulse width modulation (PWM) modulator for a multiphase power converter and related adaptive firing order (AFO) method includes a multiphase leading edge generator having pulse generating circuitry associated with each of the regulator phases, wherein the pulse generating circuitry generates phase pulses associated with each of the phases. An adaptive firing order (AFO) controller having circuitry including a mixer receives and sums the phase pulses into a summing signal and uses the summing signal to generate a series of turn-on pulses therefrom. A multiphase PWM generator has inputs coupled to an output of the AFO controller coupled to receive the series of turn-on pulses, the multiphase PWM generator having circuitry for generating said PWM signals therefrom. An adaptive firing order (AFO) controlled multi-phase power converter includes a plurality of parallel connected regulator phases controlled by respective pulse width modulation (PWM) signals provided by the PWM modulator. | 08-21-2008 |
20080197825 | Uniform converter input voltage distribution power system - A uniform converter input voltage distribution power system evenly controls the individual input voltages of DC-to-DC series-input parallel-output connected converters using a uniform input voltage distribution controller including a generator for generating respective error signals from the converter input voltages using a common distribution reference signal for providing respective converter control signals connected to the converters through respective shared-bus controls for evenly distributing the power delivered by the converters that are shared-bus current-mode converters for preferably providing a low output voltage. Employing a common regulation control signal, the controller can also provide system output voltage regulation, system input current limiting, proportional-voltage control, relaxed voltage uniformity, and fault-tolerant power control. | 08-21-2008 |
20080203984 | STEP-UP SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROVIDED THEREWITH - A step-up switching power supply device with synchronous rectification includes a first switch that is turned on at startup of the device and a second switch that is turned on when an output voltage reaches an input voltage, the first and seconds switches being connected in parallel between the back gate and the source of a synchronous rectifier transistor. | 08-28-2008 |
20080203985 | DC-DC VOLTAGE CONVERTER - A DC-DC voltage converter is provided that includes a plurality of power channels and a controller. Each power channel is configured to provide a voltage output to an output node of the converter. Each power channel also includes a first sensing circuit configured to provide a primary feedback signal indicative of an output current of the power channel. Each power channel further includes an auxiliary sensing circuit to provided one or more auxiliary feedback signals indicative of an output current of each of the respective other power channels. The controller is configured to control each of the power channels based at least in part on the primary feedback signal and the one or more auxiliary feedback signals. | 08-28-2008 |
20080211468 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING POWER - A power supply includes a power source having at least one power source output, and a plurality of drivers connected to the at least one power source output. At least one of the plurality of drivers includes a bridge network having a first switch, a second switch and a bridge network output. The first switch is connected between the at least one power source output and the bridge network output. The second switch is connected between the bridge network output and a ground. The bridge network further includes at least one control input connected to the second switch to direct electrical current from the at least one power source output either substantially through the bridge network output or through the second switch to ground. | 09-04-2008 |
20080238384 | Current source circuit and method of outputting current - A current source circuit includes a voltage output section which outputs a voltage signal; a current source section and a conversion section. The current source section has at least one current source block comprising a plurality of current sources, each of which outputs an output current. The conversion section is provided between the voltage output section and the current source section and outputs a reference current to the plurality of current sources of the at least one current source block based on the voltage signal such that the output current from each of the plurality of current sources is set based on the reference current. | 10-02-2008 |
20080252272 | VOLTAGE REGULATOR WITH COTROL OF SWITCHING ELEMENTS - A regulator comprises an output terminal producing a regulated output voltage, a first comparator, a second comparator, a first sourcing circuit coupled to the output terminal, and a first sinking circuit coupled to the output terminal. The first comparator compares a feedback signal representative of the output voltage and a first sourcing reference signal that is less than a reference signal. The second comparator compares the feedback signal and a first sinking reference signal that is greater than the reference signal. The first sourcing circuit is configured to be responsive to the first comparator by sourcing a first current to the output terminal. The first sinking circuit is configured to be responsive to the second comparator by sinking a second current from the output terminal. | 10-16-2008 |
20080265851 | POWER SWITCH-MODE CIRCUIT WITH DEVICES OF DIFFERENT THRESHOLD VOLTAGES - The high side or low side FET of a buck converter, or both, are replaced by plural parallel devices of different threshold voltage and are turned on and off in a sequence which offers the best turn on and turn off characteristics related to high and low threshold voltages. The parallel devices can have the same or different active areas. | 10-30-2008 |
20080272752 | PULSE ADDING SCHEME FOR SMOOTH PHASE DROPPING AT LIGHT LOAD CONDITIONS FOR MULTIPHASE VOLTAGE REGULATORS - A multiphase regulator which includes an output node developing an output voltage, a feedback circuit determining error of the output voltage and providing a compensation signal indicative thereof, at least three phase circuits coupled in parallel to the output node, and an adaptive controller. Each phase circuit includes a modulation circuit and a switch circuit. Each modulation circuit receives the compensation signal and generates pulses on a corresponding one of the pulse modulation signals. Each switch circuit is coupled to the output node and is controlled by a corresponding pulse modulation signal. The adaptive controller is responsive to a load indication signal, such as indicating a low load condition, and drops operation of at least one of the phase circuits and adds at least one pulse to a pulse modulation signal of each remaining phase circuit. | 11-06-2008 |
20080303494 | SEMICONDUCTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND SYSTEM - An internal circuit has a plurality of circuit blocks operating by receiving an internal power supply voltage. An internal voltage control circuit generates a plurality of regulator control signals according to a combination of operating circuit blocks. A plurality of regulators operate in response to activation of the regulator control signals respectively to generate the internal power supply voltage by using an external power supply voltage. For example, as the number of the operating circuit blocks increases, the number of the operating regulators increases. By thus generating the regulator control signals according to the actual operation of the internal circuit to control the operations of the regulators, it is possible to reduce variation in the internal power supply voltage to a minimum. As a result, an operating margin of a semiconductor integrated circuit can be improved and a yield of the semiconductor integrated circuit can be improved. | 12-11-2008 |
20080303495 | POWER SUPPLY WITH A MAGNETICALLY UNCOUPLED PHASE AND AN ODD NUMBER OF MAGNETICALLY COUPLED PHASES, AND CONTROL FOR A POWER SUPPLY WITH MAGNETICALLY COUPLED AND MAGNETICALLY UNCOUPLED PHASES - An embodiment of a power supply includes an input node operable to receive an input voltage, an output node operable to provide a regulated output voltage, an odd number of magnetically coupled phase paths each coupled between the input and output nodes, and a first magnetically uncoupled phase path coupled between the input and output nodes. Such a power supply may improve its efficiency by activating different combinations of the coupled and uncoupled phase paths depending on the load conditions. For example, the power supply may activate only an uncoupled phase path during light-load conditions, may activate only coupled phase paths during moderate-load conditions, and may activate both coupled and uncoupled phase paths during heavy-load conditions and during a step-up load transient. | 12-11-2008 |
20080309300 | Digital current share bus interface - A digital current share bus interface connects to a power module which provides a signal representative of its output current, and adjusts the module's output current in response to a control signal received from the interface. A data formatting module receives the output current signal and generates a digital word that varies with the current; the bits of the word are coupled to a current share bus. A comparator module receives digital words conveyed via the bus and generated by the data formatting module at respective inputs, and provides the control signal to the power module so as to adjust its output current to match the current value represented by the digital word on the bus. In a typical implementation, multiple power modules are coupled to the current share bus via respective interfaces, with the output currents of all the power modules connected in parallel. | 12-18-2008 |
20090001949 | SWITCHING REGULATOR AND METHOD OF CONVERTING DC VOLTAGE - A switching regulator includes an inverter circuit and a size adjustment circuit. The inverter circuit converts an input voltage into an output voltage by a switching operation of a switch circuit. The size adjustment circuit controls an ON resistance of the switch circuit, depending on a power efficiency that is calculated from an input power dependent on the input voltage and an output power dependent on the output voltage. | 01-01-2009 |
20090039842 | DC-DC CONVERTER - The invention provides DC-DC converters comprising a load sensor, a variable Power MOS, and a Power MOS width controlling and driving device. The Power MOS width controlling and driving device is coupled between the load sensor and the variable Power MOS. The variable Power MOS comprises a plurality of PMOS transistors coupled in parallel and a plurality of NMOS transistors coupled in parallel. After the load sensor detects the load current of the DC-DC converter, the Power MOS width controlling and driving device conducts the PMOS and NMOS transistors according to the sensed load current to control the total size of the conduction paths that couple a transformed DC voltage output terminal to a source of an original DC voltage or ground. | 02-12-2009 |
20090039843 | SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT AND SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS - To provide a power supply apparatus which realizes a high-speed response, a stable operation, and a low output ripple with low power consumption. The first stage switching regulator receives an input voltage and forms a first voltage. The second stage switching regulator receives the first voltage and forms a second voltage. The second stage switching regulator includes an N-phase (N is two or more) switching regulator, and the first voltage is set to be N times a target value of the second voltage. The input voltage is set to be higher than the first voltage. | 02-12-2009 |
20090085535 | DC/DC BOOST CONVERTER WITH PULSE SKIPPING CIRCUITRY - A DC to DC boost converter circuit receives a DC input voltage and converts it to a DC output voltage at a different voltage level than the DC input voltage. The DC to DC boost converter includes a switching power converter for receiving the input voltage on an input and converting the input voltage to an output as the DC output voltage in response to pulse control signals. A switching controller generates the pulse control signals during a switching cycle. The switching controller further includes pulse skipping circuitry for generating a pulse width modulated signal to the switching power converter. A pulse width of the pulse width modulated signal is decreased responsive to a voltage level of an output voltage of the DC to DC boost converter being less than a control saw tooth waveform and the pulses width of the pulse width modulated signal is increased responsive to the voltage level of the output voltage of the DC to DC boost converter being greater than the control saw tooth waveform. | 04-02-2009 |
20090085536 | Systems and methods for improved coupled inductor topology efficiency utilizing a light load signal - Embodiments include systems and methods for voltage regulation in a coupled inductor topology. Embodiments comprise a switching voltage regulator that is responsive to a light load signal from the device to which power is supplied. When the light load signal indicates that the device is not in a light load condition, the voltage regulator exhibits a low resistance to reduce I | 04-02-2009 |
20090108821 | MULTI-PHASE VOLTAGE REGULATION MODULE - A voltage regulator module that includes components for a multi-phase converter, the converter including a plurality of power stage elements on one circuit board, a control element, driver elements, and elements for the output stages of the power stage elements on another circuit board. | 04-30-2009 |
20090121692 | Vibration-Reduction Fan Driving Circuit - Avibration-reduction an driving circuit is applicable to a fan that operates according to a current signal sent thereto, and is characterized in a current buffer unit connected to a drive current supplied from a power source and having a relatively large magnitude of change in current. The current buffer unit divides the original drive current into multiple continuously changing drive currents that have a relatively small magnitude of change in current, so that electric current supplied to the fan is regulated and output fractionally to achieve the purpose of reducing the vibration of fan caused by a large magnitude of change in current. | 05-14-2009 |
20090134855 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A DIRECT CURRENT CHOPPER CONTROLLER - A method of controlling a direct current (“DC”) chopper controller having a switch and a storage choke in which the choke has a current dependent on the switching of the switch on and off includes the following. A current variable derived from one of the time averaged value of the current of the choke and the peak value of the current of the choke is determined. A switching frequency for synchronizing the turning on and off the switch is calculated as a function of the current variable and on whether the current variable exceeds a current threshold. The switching frequency is determined to be a predetermined low frequency if the switching frequency is lower than the low frequency and is determined to be a predetermined high frequency if the switching frequency is greater than the high frequency. The switch is switched on and off in accordance with the switching frequency. | 05-28-2009 |
20090140706 | SYSTEM METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A MULTI-PHASE DC-TO-DC CONVERTER - A multiphase buck DC to DC converter with an input-output LC tank. The multiphase buck DC to DC converter with an input-output LC tank includes multiple synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells. Each one of the synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells having an input node, an output node and a control node. The synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells are arranged in a parallel configuration including having the input nodes of each one of the synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells connected together at a common input node. The synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells are also arranged in pairs of synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells. The output nodes of each one of the pairs of the synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells are connected to corresponding pair output node. Each one of the pairs of the synchronous buck DC to DC converter cells include a capacitor connected between the common input node and the corresponding pair output node and a corresponding output inductor connected between the corresponding pair output node and a common output node. Methods of reducing a DC input voltage are also disclosed. A multiphase buck DC to DC converter with a bypass capacitor is also disclosed. | 06-04-2009 |
20090146625 | VOLTAGE GENERATING APPARATUS - A voltage generating apparatus including a voltage generator and a current splitter is provided. The voltage generator has an output node, and generates a first output voltage from the output node. The first output voltage rises when the temperature rises and the current flowing from the output end of the voltage generator is fixed. And the first output voltage drops when the temperature is fixed and the current flowing from the output node of the voltage generator rises. The current splitter is used for increasing the current flowing through the current splitter when the temperature rises. Therefore, the rise of the first output voltage of the voltage generator will be restrained, and the temperature compensation can be achieved. | 06-11-2009 |
20090153111 | Switching Power Converter with Reduced Switching Losses - A switching power converter has at least one electronic power switch. To minimize switching losses and optimize efficiency, the gate drive voltage level used to drive the electronic power switch is optimized. In an aspect, a digital controller generates optimizes the gate drive voltage using efficiency optimization algorithms, which in an aspect are programmed in the digital controller. In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, the switching power supply has at least two electronic power switches coupled in parallel. Optimization algorithms are used to determine the optimum number of switched electronic power switches that are actively being switched at a given time in order to achieve optimized efficiency for condition changes, such as input voltage variation, load and environmental temperature changes. In an aspect, the algorithms are programmed in a digital controller chip. In an aspect, both gate drive voltage level and the number of electronic power switches being actively switched at a given time are optimized. | 06-18-2009 |
20090174376 | DC-DC converter - A Single Ended Primary Inductance Converter (SEPIC) fed BUCK converter includes: a first switch configured to open or close according to a first signal; a SEPIC portion coupled to the first switch and coupled to an energy source, the SEPIC portion comprising a first set of one or more passive components; a BUCK converter portion coupled to the first switch, the BUCK converter portion comprising a second set of one or more passive components. While the first switch is closed, the SEPIC portion is configured to store energy from an energy source in at least some of the first set of passive components and deliver energy to the BUCK portion, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver energy to a load and to store energy in at least some of the second set of passive components. While the first switch is open, the SEPIC portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load. | 07-09-2009 |
20090174377 | MULTIPHASE TRANSFORMER FOR A MULTIPHASE DC-DC CONVERTER - A multiphase DC-DC converter is provided that includes a multiphase transformer, the multiphase transformer including a plurality of input voltage terminals and an transformer output voltage terminal, each input voltage terminal associated with a corresponding phase. Each phase is assigned to an input voltage terminal of the plurality of input voltage terminals to minimize a ripple current at the input voltage terminals of the multiphase transformer. | 07-09-2009 |
20090189576 | Voltage Regulator with Communication Ring Scheme - A voltage regulator coupled to an unregulated DC input voltage source by an input terminal, and to a load by an output terminal is disclosed. The voltage regulator converts an input voltage at the input terminal to an output voltage at the output terminal. The voltage regulator includes a master controller and one or more slaves, and the master controller and each slave can communicate using a ring communication scheme. A command generated by the master controller can be passed from the master controller to the subsequent slaves. | 07-30-2009 |
20090195228 | Microprocessor die with integrated voltage regulation control circuit - An integrated circuit die includes a microprocessor and a control circuit to control elements of a voltage regulator to supply power to the microprocessor. | 08-06-2009 |
20090218996 | Switching Systems and Methods with Current Sensing - Embodiments of the present invention include an electronic circuit for performing current sensing. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a first switching transistor and a second switching transistor both coupled to receive a first switching current and a switching signal, and one or more transistors coupled in a first series. A first terminal of an initial transistor in the first series is coupled to a second terminal of the second switching transistor. A second terminal of a last transistor in the first series is coupled to a reference voltage. The first switching current is coupled to a second node between the second terminal of the second switching transistor and the first terminal of the initial transistor in the first series. In this manner, the circuit produces a switching voltage corresponding to said first switching current. | 09-03-2009 |
20090251117 | POWER CONVERTER WITH IMPROVED EFFICIENCY - A power converter ( | 10-08-2009 |
20090256537 | Multiphase Voltage Regulators And Methods For Voltage Regulation - A multiphase voltage regulator system comprises a microcontroller unit (MCU) including a reference voltage generator, and a timing generator for generating n-phase start timing signals; a load for receiving an output voltage; a comparator comparing the reference voltage and output voltage to generate a comparison result; and at least n points of load (POLs) coupled between the MCU and load for controlling output voltage in response to the n-phase start timing signals and the comparison result. Each POL may include a high-side and low-side transistor; and a D-FlipFlop, the D terminal coupled High, the clock terminal coupled to receive a control signal based on a respective one of the n-phase start timing signals, the Q terminal coupled to drive the high-side transistor, the /Q terminal coupled to drive the low-side transistor, and the reset terminal coupled to receive a reset control signal based on the comparison result. | 10-15-2009 |
20090267578 | Static phase shedding for voltage regulators based upon circuit identifiers - Systems and methods are disclosed that provide static phase shedding techniques to improve the efficiency of multi-phase voltage regulators within information handling systems by selecting the number of active phases for the multi-phase voltage regulators using circuit identifiers (IDs) for circuitry configured to be powered by the multi-phase voltage regulators, such as central processing units (CPUs). In one embodiment, processor identifier information related to installed CPUs is used to control the voltage regulator (VR) phase number to provide static phase shedding. This VR control can be implemented in a variety of ways, including the use of conventional analog multi-phase VR controllers and/or digital VR controllers. Dynamic phase shedding can also be used in conjunction with this static phase shedding to further reduce the number of active phases when a processor operates in a low power mode. | 10-29-2009 |
20090278517 | Regulator with Device Performance Dynamic Mode Selection - A voltage regulator device and accompanying methods are provided for providing efficient voltage regulation to an electronic device. Efficient regulator | 11-12-2009 |
20090295347 | System and Method for Reducing an Input Current Ripple in a Boost Converter - A device comprises a first power cell, a second power cell, a power factor correction module, a boost inductor switch circuit, and an output. The first and second power cells are configured to provide first and second currents in response to an input voltage. The power factor correction module is configured to continuously activate and deactivate the first and second power cells based on an input current level, on the input voltage, and on an output voltage. The boost inductor switch circuit is configured to disable the first power cell in response to the input current level being below a predetermined level. The output is configured to provide the output voltage based on the first and second currents when the input current level is above the predetermined level, and to provide the output voltage based on the second current when the input current level is below the predetermined level. | 12-03-2009 |
20090315523 | DC-DC CONVERTER - Provided is a DC-DC converter comprising: a drive switching element so that a current flows to an inductor, the drive switching element being driven by a PWM control pulse or a PFM control pulse, wherein a direct-current input voltage supplied from a direct-current power source is converted so as to output the converted direct-current voltage having a different potential, and wherein a PWM control is performed when a load is larger than a predetermined value and a PFM control is performed when the load is smaller than the predetermined value, the DC-DC converter further comprising: a pulse width regulation section to regulate the PWM control pulse so as not to have a pulse width smaller than a predetermined pulse width, at least when the PFM control is switched to the PWM control. | 12-24-2009 |
20090322291 | Integrated circuit with output drive power section - In some embodiments, one or more configurably or selectably engageable power transistors are integrated into a chip comprising an output drive power module for a voltage regulator (VR). In some embodiments, a chip with an output drive power module may have a pulse width modulator (PWM) input that can accommodate both a single PWM drive signal and independent high side and low side PWM drive signals. | 12-31-2009 |
20100052632 | DC/DC Converter and Current Sense Circuit Thereof - A current sense circuit includes a power transistor, a first level shifter, an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA), a second level shifter, and a dummy transistor. The power transistor has a first terminal and a power control terminal coupled to a control voltage. The first level shifter is coupled to the first terminal and pulls up a voltage of the first terminal to an operating voltage. The OTA is coupled to the first level shifter and converts the operating voltage into an operating current. The second level shifter is coupled to the OTA and pulls down the operating voltage to the voltage of the first terminal. The dummy transistor has a dummy control terminal with the control voltage, and a third terminal coupled to the second level shifter and having the same voltage as the voltage of the first terminal. | 03-04-2010 |
20100066319 | ADVANCED PHASE NUMBER CONTROL FOR MULTIPHASE CONVERTERS - A control circuit for generating a control signal to add phases to a multiphase voltage regulator. The control circuit includes an input for receiving an error correction voltage from an error amplifier of the multiphase voltage regulator and at least one output for providing a PWM control signal. Control circuitry generates at least one PWM control signal to add a phase to the multiphase voltage regulator responsive to a determination that the error correction voltage has exceeded a threshold level. | 03-18-2010 |
20100097041 | PFC CONTROLLER, SWITCHING REGULATOR AND POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT - A PFC counter which controls a switching element of voltage step-up chopper circuits arranged in parallel has a circuit (SLOG) generating a switch signal (GD_S) whose phase is shifted from that of a switch signal of one of the switching elements. This circuit has a first counter (COUNTM) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit of one of the switch signals; a second counter (COUNTS) which counts clock signals by a cycle unit having a predetermined phase difference with respect to one of the switch signals; and a first register (REG | 04-22-2010 |
20100109622 | MULTIPHASE DC/DC CONVERTER - A multiphase DC/DC converter according to the present invention includes: a plurality of DC/DC converters whose outputs are connected in common to supply electric power to a load; a load state detection portion which detects a state of the load connected to the plurality of DC/DC converters and outputs a detection result; and a control circuit which drives each of the plurality of DC/DC converters based on outputs from the plurality of DC/DC converters, and based on an output from the load state detection portion, drives the plurality of DC/DC converters with output phases of the plurality of DC/DC converters deviated from each other or with the output phases of the plurality of DC/DC converters aligned with each other. | 05-06-2010 |
20100117608 | CONTROL CIRCUIT, VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND RELATED CONTROL METHOD - A control circuit, applicable to a voltage regulator including a power switch. The control circuit includes a variable resistance generating unit and a detecting circuit. The variable resistance generating unit provides a variable resistor with resistance that varies over time. A reference current representing the current flowing through the power switch flows through the resistor to generate a first feedback voltage. The detecting circuit reduces the conduction of the power switch when the first feedback voltage is detected as being equal to or exceeding a predetermined voltage level. | 05-13-2010 |
20100123440 | Workload Balancing Among Power Switching Components In A Multiphase Switching Power Supply - Methods and apparatus for workload balancing among power switching components in a multiphase switching power supply, the power supply including one set of power switching components for each switching phase, where workload balancing includes: dropping one or more switching phases when output current demand on the power supply drops below a predetermined threshold, leaving at least one active switching phase; and rotating the at least one active switching phase among all sets of power switching components. | 05-20-2010 |
20100123441 | MULTI-PHASE DC-DC CONVERTER CONTROL - A system and method of controlling a multi-phase DC-DC converter having a first phase-leg and a second phase-leg using a single current sensor and a controller is provided. The single current sensor senses an amount of current flowing through the direct current link. Based on the amount of current sensed, the controller controls current flowing through the first phase-leg as well as current flowing through the second phase-leg. | 05-20-2010 |
20100156361 | System and Method for Transmitting Current Sharing Information among Paralleled Power Trains - An embodiment of the invention relates to a power control device configured to provide current-sharing control in a power converter including a plurality of power trains. The power control device transmits or receives a synchronization signal on a synchronization node to initiate a time frame that includes a plurality of time slots, and to control a switching activity of a power switch in a respective power train. The power control device further includes a current sharing bus node on which a digital current-sharing signal is transmitted in a designated time slot. The power control device determines a load current of the power converter and controls a power train current employing current data received on the current-sharing bus node from another power control device. The power control device may be a master power control device that transmits the synchronization signal on the synchronization node. | 06-24-2010 |
20100176774 | METHOD FOR ADJUSTING SUPPLIED POWER IN COMPUTER SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION - A method for adjusting supplied power is used at a computer system and a multi-phase power supply. The multi-phase power supply includes a plurality of power converting units. The method includes the following steps. First, a load state of the computer system is detected. Second, the number of the actuated multi-phase power supply in the power converting units is adjusted according to the load state. | 07-15-2010 |
20100225286 | POWER SOURCE APPARATUS - A power source apparatus includes a first converter having a reactor L | 09-09-2010 |
20100225287 | Voltage Regulator With Inductor Banks - A voltage regulator coupled to an unregulated DC input voltage source by an input terminal, and to a load by an output terminal is disclosed. The voltage regulator converts an input voltage at the input terminal to an output voltage at the output terminal. The voltage regulator includes one or more slaves, and each slave includes a switching circuit which serves as a power switch for alternately coupling and decoupling the input terminal to an intermediate node. The voltage regulator also includes a filter coupled to the slaves, the filter including one or more inductor banks each of which having a predetermined number of inductors. | 09-09-2010 |
20100244790 | CONSTANT CURRENT DRIVING DEVICE HAVING AN IMPROVED ACCURACY - An embodiment of a driving device is proposed for supplying at least one regulated global output current to a load. The driving device includes programming means for programming a value of the global output current within a global current range. Reference means are provided for supplying a reference voltage, which has a value corresponding to the value of the global output current. Conversion means are then used for converting the reference voltage into the global output current. In the driving device according to an embodiment of the invention, the conversion means include a plurality of conversion units for corresponding partial current ranges, which partition the global current range. Each conversion unit is adapted to convert the reference voltage into a partial output current that contributes to the global output current, with the partial output current that is within the corresponding partial current range. The driving device further includes control means for selectively enabling the conversion units according to the partial current range wherein the global output current falls and for controlling the reference voltage so as to swing in a partial voltage range for each partial current range (with the partial voltage ranges that are at least partly superimposed). | 09-30-2010 |
20100320977 | PULSE ADDING SCHEME FOR SMOOTH PHASE DROPPING AT LIGHT LOAD CONDITIONS FOR MULTIPHASE VOLTAGE REGULATORS - A pulse control system for a multiphase regulator including an error amplifier, a multiphase generator, and an adaptive controller. The error amplifier provides an error signal indicative of output voltage error. The multiphase generator develops modulation pulses for phases based on the error signal. The adaptive controller is responsive to a load indication signal and redirects at least one modulation pulse from a first of phase to a second phase. The load indication signal may be received from a microprocessor indicating a low power mode. The adaptive controller provides a smooth and efficient transition to low load conditions by dropping operation of one or more phases and redirecting modulation pulses to the remaining one or more phases, and reduced phases improve power efficiency for the low load conditions. | 12-23-2010 |
20100327827 | METHOD FOR BALANCING CURRENT - A method for method for inhibiting thermal run-away in a multi-phase power converter at varying load transition rates. A multi-phase power converter having an on-time is provided and the frequency of the multi-phase power converter is adjusted so that a load step period and the on time of the multi-phase power converter are in a temporal relationship. Alternatively, a load step rate is inhibited from locking onto a phase current of the multi-phase power converter by suspending an oscillator signal. In accordance with another alternative, a load step rate is inhibited from locking onto a phase current of the multi-phase power converter by suspending an oscillator signal and dithering an input signal to the oscillator. | 12-30-2010 |
20110018508 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE SWITCH MODE VOLTAGE REGULATORS - Circuit configurations for a high power switch-mode voltage regulator circuit is disclosed that include an array of Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) switching transistors electrically coupled to one another at their drains and sources and a plurality of gate driver circuits. Each gate driver circuit is coupled to a gate and dedicated to driving only one MOS switching transistor. | 01-27-2011 |
20110043173 | MULTIPHASE DC TO DC VOLTAGE CONVERTER - A multiphase DC to DC voltage converter which has multiple converter cells which are situated parallel to one another and are clocked with a time offset. Furthermore, it contains one magnetic measuring bridge between the outputs of each two converter cells. | 02-24-2011 |
20110109284 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EQUALIZING THE SMALL SIGNAL RESPONSE OF VARIABLE PHASE VOLTAGE REGULATORS - A control circuit for a variable phase voltage regulator comprises an error amplifier to generate a difference signal based on a difference between a reference voltage and a signal representative of a voltage at an output node of the variable phase voltage regulator. The control circuit also comprises a variable phase compensator to amplify the difference signal to produce a modified difference signal to compensate for effects of varying the number of active phases in the variable phase voltage regulator, wherein the amplification is proportional to a ratio of total number of phases in the variable phase voltage regulator to number of active phases in the variable phase voltage regulator. | 05-12-2011 |
20110115451 | DRIVING METHOD OF SWITCHING ELEMENT AND POWER SUPPLY UNIT - In a power supply unit, a main MOS and a sub MOS connected in parallel in a low-side power MOSFET section, a sensing MOS which is provided on a same semiconductor substrate with the low-side power MOSFET section, detects information corresponding to a load of the low-side power MOSFET section and is smaller in number than the transistors connected in parallel of the low-side power MOSFET section, and a control section for driving the main MOS and the sub MOS based on the information detected by the sensing MOS are provided. | 05-19-2011 |
20110127976 | MULTIPHASE SOFT-SWITCHED DC-DC CONVERTER - A high-frequency DC to DC converter comprising n transient converter circuits ( | 06-02-2011 |
20110148372 | SWITCHING VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND RELATED FEED-FORWARD CONTROL METHOD - A method of controlling a pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage regulator including a control circuit of a power stage, and a circuit configured to determine a duration of charge phases and further configured to receive a charge signal and to generate a logic command may include controlling, using the control circuit, switches of the power stage as a function of the logic command at an end of a charge phase and at a start of a discharge phase of an output capacitance. The method may also include generating the charge signal to be one of enabled and disabled during charge phases and another of enabled and disabled during discharge phases, and delaying, at each PWM cycle, the logic command with respect to a previous PWM cycle to compensate at least one of a phase and a frequency difference between each PWM cycle and a reference clock signal. | 06-23-2011 |
20110181255 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND POWER SUPPLY UNIT USING THE SAME - In a power supply unit having high-side and low-side switching elements each including power MOSFETs connected in parallel, the power MOSFETs are controlled so that the number of the transistors in an off state is increased as an output current becomes lower, and particularly, the transistors turned off when the output current is low are disposed on an outer side of a loop formed from a positive terminal of an input capacitor of a printed board to a negative terminal of the input capacitor via the switching elements. Thus, by turning off packages of the power MOSFETs disposed on an outer side of the main circuit loop and turning on packages of the power MOSFETs disposed on an inner side of the loop, the parasitic inductance of a main circuit is reduced, so that the switching loss can be reduced and efficiency in a light load can be improved. | 07-28-2011 |
20110221408 | POWER SUPPLY AND CONTROLLER CIRCUITS - A power supply system includes multiple power converter phases. A controller (e.g., a processor device) monitors energy delivery for each of multiple power converter phases that supply energy to a load. The controller analyzes the energy delivery associated with each of the multiple power converter phases to identify an imbalance of energy delivered by the multiple power converter phases to the load. Based on the analyzing and detection of an imbalance condition, the controller modifies a future order of activating the multiple power converter phases for powering the load. Accordingly, a single phase of a multiphase switching power converter may be prevented from becoming overloaded while delivering energy to power the load. | 09-15-2011 |
20110221409 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A semiconductor device includes: a voltage-control-type clock generation circuit having a plurality of stages of first delay elements and whose oscillation frequency is controlled according to a control voltage applied to the first delay elements; a delay circuit having a plurality of stages of second delay elements connected serially; and a selection circuit selecting one from pulse signals output by the plurality of stages of respective second delay elements. The first delay elements and the second delay elements have a same structure formed on a same semiconductor substrate, and a delay amount of the second delay elements is adjusted according to the control voltage. | 09-15-2011 |
20110241636 | MULTI-PHASE NON-INVERTING BUCK BOOST VOLTAGE CONVERTER - A multi-phase non-inverting buck boost voltage converter has a plurality of buck boost voltage regulators. Each regulator is associated with a separate phase for generating a regulated output voltage responsive to an input voltage. A plurality of current sensors are each associated with one of the plurality of buck boost voltage regulators for monitoring an input current to the associated buck boost voltage regulator and generating a current sense signal for the associated phase. A plurality of buck boost mode control circuitries are each associated with one of the buck boost regulator for controlling an associated buck boost voltage regulator using peak current mode control in a buck mode of operation and valley current mode control in boost mode of operation responsive to a common error voltage and the associated current sense signal. The plurality of buck boost mode control circuitries provides current balancing between the phases. A voltage error circuit generates the error voltage responsive to the regulated output voltage | 10-06-2011 |
20110248692 | Turbo circuit for providing voltage regulation and related method - According to one embodiment, a turbo circuit for increasing an output of a voltage regulator having a several power stages includes an activation sub-circuit coupled to a feedback signal of the voltage regulator, the activation sub-circuit being configured to generate a multi-stage ON signal for turning on the power stages substantially concurrently. The turbo circuit further comprises a deactivation sub-circuit coupled to the feedback signal, the deactivation sub-circuit being configured to cancel the multi-stage ON signal when the feedback signal reaches an extremum value. In one embodiment, the turbo circuit may be implemented in a multi-phase buck converter fabricated as part of an integrated circuit on a semiconductor die. In another embodiment, the turbo circuit can be implemented in a multi-phase boost converter as part of an integrated circuit on a semiconductor die. | 10-13-2011 |
20110254520 | CONTROLLERS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING MULTI-PHASE CONTROL - A controller includes an input selector, multiple cores and a multiplexer. The multiplexer is operable for multiplexing control signals to multiple output channels to provide multiple output signals. Each output channel can output a respective output signal, and each output signal represents a cyclic rotation of the control signals. The input selector is operable for enabling the cores to operate in a standby state alternately to control a multiplexing sequence of the control signals. | 10-20-2011 |
20110309807 | ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR SWITCHED DC-DC CONVERSIONAND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME - An electronic device for switched DC-DC conversion of an input voltage level into an output voltage level, comprising a first power switch and a second power switch, being connected in parallel and having a different gate width, and a driving stage that is configured to selectively drive the first power switch and/or second power switch depending on a load current output. | 12-22-2011 |
20120025796 | SENSING AND FEEDBACK WITH ENHANCED STABILITY IN A CURRENT MODE CONTROL VOLTAGE REGULATOR - The disclosed embodiments of voltage regulators incorporate a current mode control architecture. In one embodiment, a voltage regulator includes a power switch having an input and an output. The power switch is configured to provide a first voltage during a first conduction period and a second voltage during a second conduction period. An output filter is coupled between the power switch output and an output terminal to be coupled to a load. An adjustment device is coupled to sense a current sensing voltage corresponding to a current provided to the output filter. The adjustment device is configured to convert the current sensing voltage to an adjusted current sensing voltage, including replacing a current sensing resistance associated with the current sensing voltage with a reference resistance. Control circuitry includes a current sensing input coupled to the adjustment device to sense the adjusted current sensing voltage, and an output in communication with the power switch input. The control circuitry is configured to cause a transition of the power switch from the second conduction period to the first conduction period responsive to the adjusted current sensing voltage. | 02-02-2012 |
20120062192 | Voltage Regulator - To provide a voltage regulator capable of stably obtaining a desired output voltage even in a low-voltage operation with a voltage equal to or lower than 1 V, the voltage regulator includes a switch array in which a plurality of switches are connected in parallel, a switch state register storing an ON or OFF state of each of the switches in the switch array, and a comparator comparing a reference voltage and a voltage of an output terminal coupled to an output of the switch array and outputting a comparison result as a digital value, and a state of each of the switches in the switch array is changed by updating a value of the switch state register in accordance with the output of the digital value from the comparator. | 03-15-2012 |
20120068678 | DC-DC CONVERTER - Provided is a DC-DC converter capable of reducing not only a turn-off loss but also a turn-on loss. A snubber capacitor has one end connected to an anode of a step-up diode, a current input end of a step-up switching element and a main reactor. A first snubber diode has a cathode connected to other end of the snubber capacitor, and an anode connected to a cathode of the step-up diode. A second snubber diode has an anode connected to the cathode of the first snubber diode and other end of the snubber capacitor. A snubber reactor has one end connected to the anode of the first snubber diode, and other end connected to a cathode of the second snubber diode. | 03-22-2012 |
20120086418 | Multi-phase switching regulator and driver circuit and control method thereof - The present invention discloses a multi-phase switching regulator, and a driver circuit and a control method thereof. The multi-phase switching regulator includes: at least two power stages each having at least one switching power transistor which switches to convert a common input voltage to a common output voltage according to PWM signals generated by corresponding PWM controllers, respectively; a feedback circuit, generating a feedback signal according to the output voltage; a current balance circuit, generating a current balance signal according to the currents of the power stages and a phase off signal to distribute current loading among the active power stages; and a soft shutdown control circuit, generating a soft shutdown control signal according to the phase off signal to gradually change the duty of a PWM signal corresponding to a power stage, so as to softly shut down the power stage to avoid a voltage undershoot. | 04-12-2012 |
20120091979 | HIGH GAIN DC TRANSFORMER - A DC-DC power converter circuit ( | 04-19-2012 |
20120098508 | VOLTAGE REGULATOR HAVING SOFT STARTING FUNCTION AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - A voltage regulator apparatus includes a first power transistor and a second power transistor connected in parallel to each other between a first power source and a second power source, and a control unit for turning on the first power transistor and the second power transistor. An aspect ratio of the first power transistor is smaller than an aspect ratio of the second power transistor. The control unit turns on the second power transistor in a predetermined period of time after the first power transistor is turned on. | 04-26-2012 |
20120105033 | LIGHT AMOUNT DETECTING APPARATUS, AND LIGHT AMOUNT INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS - A light amount detecting apparatus includes: a photoelectric converting element converting quantity of light inputted to current; a current/voltage converting device having a positive input terminal connected to a first terminal of the photoelectric converting element, a negative input terminal connected to a second terminal of the photoelectric converting element, a negative output terminal for reversing polarity of a current inputted to the positive input terminal and outputting it as a voltage, a positive output terminal for reversing polarity of a current inputted to the negative input terminal and outputting it as a voltage, a first negative feedback resistor connecting the positive and negative output terminals, and a second negative feedback resistor connected between the negative and positive output terminals, the current/voltage converting device setting the photoelectric converting element in zero bias and converting the converted current to the voltage; and an amplifying device for amplifying the converted voltage. | 05-03-2012 |
20120139513 | PARAMETER ADJUSTMENT DEPENDING ON RESONANT FREQUENCY OF A POWER SUPPLY - According to example configurations herein, a controller receives a value indicative of a number of phases in a power supply to be activated for producing an output voltage to power a load. A resonant frequency of the power supply changes depending on the number of phases activated. According to one configuration, a controller utilizes the value to proportionally adjust at least one control parameter associated with the power supply in accordance with a change in the resonant frequency. In addition to modifying a parameter based on the number of activated phases and/or the resonant frequency of the power supply, the controller can also use the value of the input voltage as a basis to adjust at least one control parameter. Moreover, according to one example configuration, the controller digitally computes values for the at least one control parameter based on a number of phases to be activated. | 06-07-2012 |
20120153910 | DUAL-LOOP VOLTAGE REGULATOR ARCHITECTURE WITH HIGH DC ACCURACY AND FAST RESPONSE TIME - Dual-loop voltage regulator circuits and methods in which a dual-loop voltage regulation framework is implemented with a first inner loop having a bang-bang voltage regulator to achieve nearly instantaneous response time, and a second outer loop, which is slower in operating speed than the first inner loop, to controllably adjust a trip point of the bang-bang voltage regulator to achieve high DC accuracy. | 06-21-2012 |
20120161729 | BUCK CONVERTER - A buck converter includes an input unit, an inductor, and a filter capacitor. The input unit has an input node connected to a power source and an intermediate node connected to an output node through the inductor. The filter capacitor is coupled between the output node and ground. A first RC integral circuit is in parallel connection with the first inductor, a voltage acquired unit is in parallel connection with the capacitor of the RC integral circuit for obtaining a voltage U | 06-28-2012 |
20120161730 | POWER AND MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND METHOD - A power management device comprises: an input for receiving a transient energy pulse; a first storage section and a second storage section for storing energy from the input; an output; a switching section for selectively connecting the input, first storage section, second storage section and output in at least first and second configurations, wherein in the first configuration the first and second storage sections are connected so as to distribute energy from the transient energy pulse between the first and second storage sections, in the second configuration the respective voltages across the first and second storage sections are combined additively to produce an output voltage at the output, whereby the output voltage after switching to the second configuration is greater than the output voltage before switching to the second configuration. | 06-28-2012 |
20120169311 | Current Share Configuration in a Power Converter System - A power converter system is provided, which comprises a first voltage converting module for converting an input voltage to an output voltage, and a second voltage converting module for converting the input voltage to an output voltage, the second voltage converting module being connected in parallel with the first: voltage converting module. The power converter sys tem also includes at least one signalling line between the first voltage converting module and the second voltage converting module, and a current share controller operatively connected to communicate with the first and second voltage converting modules using the Power Management Bus protocol to establish a master- slave relationship between the first and second voltage converting modules, comprising a master voltage converting module and a slave voltage converting module. The first and second voltage converting modules are arranged to operate in a current share configuration so as to share a load current of the power converter system. The master voltage converting module is arranged to determine its output current and send a signal indicative of its output current to the slave voltage converting module via the at least one signalling line. The slave voltage converting module is arranged to adjust its output current in dependence upon the signal from the master voltage converting module. | 07-05-2012 |
20120187929 | SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT - A master transistor and a slave transistor are both insulated gate bipolar transistors. A slave diode is connected in anti-parallel to the slave transistor. The master transistor is brought into conduction if a current flowing in a master reactor becomes zero, and is brought into nonconduction after elapse of a first period. The slave transistor is brought into conduction subject to elapse of a certain period after the master transistor is brought into conduction that is one of conditions for conduction of the slave transistor, and is brought into nonconduction after elapse of a second period shorter than the first period. The certain period is shorter than a period from when the master transistor is brought into conduction until when the master transistor is brought into conduction again. | 07-26-2012 |
20120249101 | CONSISTENTLY BALANCED THERMAL LOAD DC-DC CONVERTER - A consistently balanced thermal load switched mode converter alternates among all phases of the power switching circuit to provide a uniform temperature rise on all components of the circuit under all load conditions. During low load conditions typically phases are held idle and the load is concentrated on the active phase(s) only, with cooling requirements (air flow, etc.) based on the temperature of the active phase(s). By alternating the active phases in a balanced sequence the thermal load is distributed across all of the phases minimizing system cooling requirements under all load conditions. | 10-04-2012 |
20120262136 | ENHANCED PHASE CONTROL CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR A MULTIPHASE POWER CONVERTER - A multiphase power converter has a plurality of phase circuits, each of which provides a phase current when being active. During single-phase operation of the multiphase power converter, an enhanced phase control circuit and method monitor the summation of the phase currents, and when the summation becomes higher than a threshold, switch the multiphase power converter to a higher power zone to increase the number of active phases. A high efficiency and high reliability multiphase power converter is thus accomplished. | 10-18-2012 |
20120268091 | SWITCHING CIRCUIT DEVICE AND POWER SUPPLY DEVICE HAVING SAME - A switching circuit device provided between a first node and a second node within a power supply circuit, an inductor being coupled to the first or second node, the switching circuit device has: a first transistor that is provided between the first node and the second node and has a first gate width; a second transistor that is provided in parallel with the first transistor between the first node and the second node and has a second gate width larger than the first gate width; and a driving signal generation circuit, which, in response to a control signal generated according to an output voltage of the power supply circuit, outputs a first driving signal which drives the first transistor on and off, and a second driving signal which drives the second transistor on and off, with different timings between the first driving signal output and the second driving signal output. | 10-25-2012 |
20120326682 | POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT WITH SPIKE SUPPRESSION CIRCUIT - A power supply circuit includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) chip, a number of phase circuits, a voltage output end, and a spike suppression circuit. The spike suppression circuit is connected to each of the phase circuits and the voltage output end. The PWM chip controls all of the phase circuits to alternately output power supply voltages according to a predetermined sequence. The spike suppression circuit receives the power supply voltages, and filters out voltage spikes in the power supply voltages, thereby outputting steady voltages to the voltage output end. | 12-27-2012 |
20130063109 | Multiple Branch Alternative Element Power Regulation - A power regulation scheme includes a first voltage regulation portion having a first voltage regulator, a second voltage regulator, and a switching system. The first voltage regulation portion is connected in parallel with a second voltage regulation portion. The second voltage regulation portion regulates an input voltage if an open condition occurs within the first voltage regulation portion. The switching system forces the second voltage regulator to regulate the input voltage if a short condition occurs within the first voltage regulator. | 03-14-2013 |
20130093403 | Methods and Circuits for Improving the Dynamic Response of a DC-DC Converter - Methods and circuits are described herein which may be used to improve the unloading transient response of a DC-DC converter. In some embodiments the transient response may be improved by improving the way MOSFET switches in the buck converter are controlled at the point in time when a current transient is detected, and subsequently during the transient, in such a way that the impact of the current transient is mitigated. In other embodiments an auxiliary current source is used to provide rapid transient response required by the overall power converter, leaving the main portion of the DC-DC converter to provide long term stability. | 04-18-2013 |
20130169249 | MULTI-PHASE DC-DC CONVERTER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - A multi-phase DC-DC converter and a method of controlling a multi-phase DC-DC converter are disclosed. The multi-phase DC-DC converter is adapted to control a plurality of channels in a multi-phase DC-DC converting circuit for providing an output voltage. The multi-phase DC-DC converter comprises a constant on unit, a plurality of PWM units and a pulse width logic unit. The constant on unit determines a time point of generating a turning on signal indicative of a preset time period according to the output voltage. Each PWM unit generates a PWM signal, and a pulse width thereof is determined according to the turning on signal and currents of the channels. The pulse width logic unit controls the channels according to the corresponding PWM signals generated by the plurality of PWM units. | 07-04-2013 |
20130169250 | Voltage Regulator and a Method for Reducing an Influence of a Threshold Voltage Variation - A voltage regulator can provide a regulated output voltage. The voltage regulator includes a regulating module that includes a resistor and a field effect transistor that has a threshold voltage. The resistor is coupled to a gate terminal and a source terminal of the field effect transistor. The regulating module provides the output voltage. A reference module is suitable for detecting a variation of the output voltage. The reference module is coupled with the regulating module. A current sink is suitable for subtracting a compensation current from the current flowing from the regulating module to the reference module. The compensation current is dependent on a variation of the threshold voltage. | 07-04-2013 |
20130214751 | MULTIPHASE SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT - There is provided a multiphase switching power supply circuit in which an input terminal receives an input voltage, an output terminal outputs an output voltage, first to an Nth power stages each include an inductor having one end connected to the output terminal; a high-side switch that connects another end of the inductor to the input terminal; and a low-side switch that connects the other end of the inductor to a reference voltage, a switch signal controller supplies first to an Nth control signals to the first to Nth power stages, the first to Nth control signals complementarily turning on and off their corresponding high-side switches and low-side switches at a frequency fs, and a switch signal controller determines phases of the first to Nth control signals according to a ration between inductance values of the inductors included in the first to Nth power stages. | 08-22-2013 |
20130265019 | Current source circuit with temperature compensation - A current source circuit with temperature compensation includes a power supply terminal, a reference current source unit connected to the power supply terminal, a feedback control unit connected to the power supply terminal and the reference current source unit, a current source generating unit connected to the feedback control unit and a ground terminal connected to the current source generating unit. The reference current source unit is a current source connected to the power supply terminal. The feedback control unit includes a first switching element, connected to the current source, and an inverting amplifier, connected between the current source and the first switching element. The current source generating unit includes a second switching element, connected to the first switching element, the current source and the inverting amplifier, and a first resistor, connected to the first and the second switching elements and the ground terminal. | 10-10-2013 |
20130293207 | POWER SUPPLY WITH A MAGNETICALLY UNCOUPLED PHASE AND AN ODD NUMBER OF MAGNETICALLY COUPLED PHASES, AND CONTROL FOR A POWER SUPPLY WITH MAGNETICALLY COUPLED AND MAGNETICALLY UNCOUPLED PHASES - An embodiment of a power supply includes an input node operable to receive an input voltage, an output node operable to provide a regulated output voltage, an odd number of magnetically coupled phase paths each coupled between the input and output nodes, and a first magnetically uncoupled phase path coupled between the input and output nodes. Such a power supply may improve its efficiency by activating different combinations of the coupled and uncoupled phase paths depending on the load conditions. For example, the power supply may activate only an uncoupled phase path during light-load conditions, may activate only coupled phase paths during moderate-load conditions, and may activate both coupled and uncoupled phase paths during heavy-load conditions and during a step-up load transient. | 11-07-2013 |
20140015500 | MULTIPHASE DIGITAL CURRENT MODE CONTROLLER WITH DYNAMIC CURRENT ALLOCATION - A multiphase switching regulator includes a power stage with at least a first phase and a second phase for supplying power to a load through inductors coupling the phases to the load. The multiphase switching regulator is operated by switching the first phase at a higher switching frequency than the second phase via pulse width modulation (PWM) signals provided to the phases. A phase-specific target current is generated for each phase at the switching frequency for that phase based on the difference between an output voltage of the power stage and a reference voltage. The current in the inductors coupling the phases to the load is sensed, and a duty cycle of the PWM signal provided to each phase is adjusted based on the phase-specific target current and sensed inductor current for that phase. | 01-16-2014 |
20140015501 | CIRCUIT FOR DRIVING GATE OF POWER MOS TRANSISTOR - A circuit for driving a gate of a power MOS transistor includes an adaptive pull-up unit and an adaptive pull-down unit. The adaptive pull-up unit is connected between a first power source voltage and the gate of the power MOS transistor. The adaptive pull-up unit maximizes pull-up current driving ability. The adaptive pull-down unit is connected between a second power source voltage and the gate of the power MOS transistor. The adaptive pull-down unit maximizes pull-down current driving ability. | 01-16-2014 |
20140043000 | CURRENT CONTROLLER HAVING PROGRAMMABLE CURRENT-CONTROL PARAMETERS AND HARDWARE-IMPLEMENTED SUPPORT FUNCTIONS - A current-control profile may be built from a sequence of phases in which the current is controlled in a defined manner. The electrical behavior of these phases may be configured within a list, which contains one entry, or slot, for each phase and which may be stored in a memory device. The order for stepping through the list is not hard-wired into the control circuit. Instead, such an order is part of the configuration for each entry, or slot, itself. Each entry/slot contains the information about the next phase, or the next possible phases depending upon the occurrence of any trigger events. In this way, the list of entries/slots is linked dynamically by the configuration thereby allowing for generation, in a flexible way, of current profiles with different characteristics and different numbers of phases and sequences. | 02-13-2014 |
20140055109 | Power Converter Including Integrated Driver for Depletion Mode Group III-V Transistor - In one implementation, a power converter includes an output stage integrated circuit (IC) on a group III-V die, and a driver IC for driving the output stage IC, the driver IC fabricated on a group IV die. The power converter also includes a composite power switch split between the group III-V die and the group IV die, wherein a depletion mode group III-V transistor of the composite power switch is monolithically integrated in the group III-V die, and a group IV control switch of the composite power switch is monolithically integrated in the group IV die. As a result, the depletion mode group III-V transistor may be operated as an enhancement mode transistor. | 02-27-2014 |
20140097813 | CURRENT PARKING RESPONSE TO TRANSIENT LOAD DEMANDS - Embodiments are disclosed relating to an electric power conversion device and methods for controlling the operation thereof. One disclosed embodiment provides an electric power conversion device comprising a first current control mechanism coupled to an electric power source and an upstream end of an inductor, where the first current control mechanism is operable to control inductor current. The electric power conversion device further comprises a second current control mechanism coupled between the downstream end of the inductor and a load, where the second current control mechanism is operable to control how much of the inductor current is delivered to the load. | 04-10-2014 |
20140132233 | ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS, AND POWER SUPPLY METHOD - An electronic apparatus, a power supply apparatus, and a power supply method. The electronic apparatus may include a controller to provide a control signal to generate a multiphase signal through conversion of an input power and to receive a feedback of an output voltage that is generated using the multiphase signal; and a power supply including a plurality of unit converters having upper and lower switching elements of a half or full-bridge type, being operated by the control signal, and configured to provide the output voltage by the multiphase signal generated according to driving of the plurality of unit converters, wherein the power supply detects whether the upper and lower switching elements are simultaneously turned on in the plurality of unit inverters and turns off the operation of the unit converters according to the detection result. | 05-15-2014 |
20140152278 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SWITCHED-INDUCTOR INTEGRATED VOLTAGE REGULATORS - Power controller includes an output terminal having an output voltage, at least one clock generator to generate a plurality of clock signals and a plurality of hardware phases. Each hardware phase is coupled to the at least one clock generator and the output terminal and includes a comparator. Each hardware phase is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of clock signals and a reference voltage, combine the corresponding clock signal and the reference voltage to produce a reference input, generate a feedback voltage based on the output voltage, compare the reference input and the feedback voltage using the comparator and provide a comparator output to the output terminal, whereby the comparator output determines a duty cycle of the power controller. An integrated circuit including the power controller is also provided. | 06-05-2014 |
20140167717 | DC/DC CONVERTER AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME - The present invention is directed to sufficiently reduce the level of EMI which occurs from a switching FET in a DC/DC converter and minimize deterioration in efficiency of a power supply. A DC/DC converter includes a switching circuit for driving a switching FET for increasing or decreasing voltage, and a switching circuit for driving a ringing frequency changing circuit. One end of a capacitor is connected to a drain of the switching FET for increasing or decreasing voltage, and the other end of the capacitor is connected to a drain of an FET for the ringing frequency changing circuit. A source of the FET for the ringing frequency changing circuit is connected to GND, and a control circuit is provided which makes the ringing frequency changing circuit valid so that a ringing frequency becomes low only in a ringing frequency component exerting large influence on deterioration in EMI. | 06-19-2014 |
20140176097 | MULTI-PHASE DC-DC POWER CONVERTER - A multi-phase DC-DC power converter is provided, which includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller and a plurality of output stage circuits. The plurality of output stage circuits converts an input voltage into an output voltage. The PWM controller includes a feedback circuit and a PWM generation module. The feedback circuit outputs a trigger signal according to the output voltage and a ramp signal. The PWM generation module at least generates a first PWM signal and a second PWM signal. In addition, a waveform of the first PWM signal partially overlaps a waveform of the second PWM signal at a logic high level. | 06-26-2014 |
20140191737 | POWER-SUPPLY APPARATUS - A power-supply apparatus according to an aspect includes an inductor, a transistor that supplies, in an on-state, a current to the input side of the inductor, a second transistor that becomes, when the first transistor is in an off-state, an on-state and thereby brings the input side of the inductor to a predetermined potential, a signal generation unit that generates voltage signals corresponding to a current flowing to the inductor, an amplifier that outputs a current according to the voltage signals, a converter that converts the current output from the amplifier into a voltage signal, and a control unit that controls the transistors based on a first feedback signal corresponding to the voltage on the output side of the inductor and the voltage signal, which is used as a second feedback signal. | 07-10-2014 |
20140191738 | SENSING A PHASE-PATH CURRENT IN A COUPLED-INDUCTOR POWER SUPPLY - An embodiment of a power supply includes an output node, inductively coupled phase paths, and a sensor circuit. The output node is configured to provide a regulated output signal, and the inductively coupled phase paths are each configured to provide a respective phase current to the output node. And the sensor circuit is configured to generate a sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through one of the phase paths. For example, because the phase paths are inductively coupled to one another, the sensor circuit takes into account the portions of the phase currents induced by the inductive couplings to generate a sense signal that more accurately represents the phase current through a single phase path as compared to conventional sensor circuits. | 07-10-2014 |
20140197810 | MULTI-PHASE DC-DC CONVERTER AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF - A multi-phase DC-DC converter and a controlling method thereof are provided. The multi-phase DC-DC converter includes a plurality of output units, a sensing unit, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller. Each of the output units is coupled to one corresponding output inductance of a plurality of output inductances, and each of the output units and the corresponding output inductance have a phase node therebetween. The sensing unit is coupled to the phase nodes to acquire output currents of all phases and provide a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero. The PWM controller adjusts a duty cycle of a PWM signal of the corresponding output unit according to each difference voltage. | 07-17-2014 |
20140253064 | BUCK DC-DC CONVERTER WITH IMPROVED ACCURACY AND STABILITY - A buck switching regulator includes a feedback control circuit including a balanced feedback network including first and second gain circuits configured to generate first and second feedback signals, respectively, indicative of the regulated output voltage; a ripple generation circuit configured to inject a first ripple signal to the first gain circuit and a second ripple signal to the second gain circuit; an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) configured to receive the second feedback signal and a reference signal and to generate an output signal being coupled to a node in the feedback control circuit; and a comparator configured to receive the first feedback signal and a comparator reference signal and to generate a comparator output signal. The output signal of the OTA is applied to the feedback control circuit to cancel a voltage offset in the regulated output voltage due to the injected ripple signal to the first gain circuit. | 09-11-2014 |
20140253065 | REDUCING HIGH-FREQUENCY NOISE IN PULSE-SKIPPING MODE OF A VOLTAGE REGULATOR - Embodiments of systems, methods and apparatuses of a voltage regulator are disclosed. One apparatus of the voltage regulator includes a series switch element, wherein the series switch element comprises a plurality of partitioned series switch elements, a shunt switch element, and a switching controller. The switching controller is operative to control the series switch element and the shunt switch element in an idle state, wherein none of the plurality of partitioned series switch elements are active, control the series switch element and the shunt switch element in a burst state, wherein N of the plurality of partitioned series switch elements are active, and control the series switch element and the shunt switch element in a transition state, wherein M of the plurality of partitioned series switch elements are active, and wherein M is less than N. | 09-11-2014 |
20140253066 | POWER CIRCUIT - According to one embodiment, a power circuit includes an input terminal | 09-11-2014 |
20140300331 | Systems and Methods to Control DC/DC Multiphase Switching Regulators - Various embodiments of the invention provide extend the switching frequency range of DC/DC multiphase switching regulators in order to overcome prior art frequency limitations in the number of available phases, for example, in low input to output ratio applications. In certain embodiments, this is accomplished by enabling partial overlap between multiple phases using asynchronous logic. The invention is easily scalable without introducing significant silicon area penalties. | 10-09-2014 |
20140312863 | CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR STEP-UP DC/DC CONVERTER - A switching transistor is configured such that its on resistance R | 10-23-2014 |
20140333273 | THERMAL BALANCE CONVERSION CIRCUIT - A thermal balance conversion circuit includes a voltage conversion circuit, a temperature detection circuit, a PWM controller, and a signal integration controller. The voltage conversion circuit includes a plurality of voltage conversion units, and each of the voltage conversion units converts the DC voltage of a external power to a driving voltage. The temperature detection circuit includes a plurality of temperature detection units, and the plurality of temperature detection units detects temperatures of the plurality of voltage conversion units. The pulse width modulation controller outputs a plurality of different phase PWM signals according to each of the voltage conversion units. The signal integrated controller receives the PWM signals from the PWM controller to control the voltage conversion of each of the voltage conversion unit. | 11-13-2014 |
20140368175 | HIGH PRECISION DC TO DC CONVERTER WITH WIDE LOAD RANGE AND GATE DRIVE CIRCUIT FOR USE THEREIN - A high precision DC/DC resonant converter with a wide load range includes a first switch leg having one end connected to an anode terminal of a DC power source and the other connected to a cathode terminal of the DC power source to independently operate at a switching frequency used in an application of an output voltage for no load or a light load equal to or less than a rated load; and one or more second switch legs having one end connected to the anode terminal of the DC power source and the other end connected to the cathode terminal of the DC power source to operate at a switching frequency for the rated load or a frequency equal to or less than the switching frequency used in the application of the output voltage for no load or the light load that the first switch leg takes charge of. | 12-18-2014 |
20140375288 | CURRENT SHARING METHOD FOR COT BUCK CONVERTER - A power system for providing an output current at a regulated system output voltage includes a first power stage and a second power stage, each being a constant on-time (COT) controlled power converter. The first and second power stages generate respective first and second regulated output voltage having reduced or very small output ripple at a common output voltage node. The first and second power stages each includes a ripple injection circuit to inject a ripple signal to the feedback control circuit in each power stage. The power system further includes a current sharing control circuit configured to measure a first output current of the first power stage and a second output current of the second power stage, and to generate a control signal to modulate the feedback control circuit of the second power stage to force the second output current to equal to the first output current. | 12-25-2014 |
20150008892 | Power Supply Unit Having Outputs That Can Be Connected in Parallel - A power supply unit comprises at least one first converter unit and a second converter unit. The at least one first converter unit is controlled with a first controller and supplies at a first output at least one of a first output voltage that is regulated using a first voltage regulator and an output current that is regulated using a first current regulator. The second converter unit is controlled by a second controller and supplies at a second output at least one of an output voltage that is regulated using the second voltage regulator and an output current that is regulated using a second current regulator. The first and second outputs are connected in parallel for providing a higher output power, and at least one controller includes a supervision unit for recognizing an output-side parallel connection. | 01-08-2015 |
20150061620 | CURRENT CONTROL CIRCUIT - Consistent with an example embodiment, there is a current control circuit for controlling current flow between a first terminal and second terminal. The current control circuit comprises a current-sensing power MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor). Current control is useful for limiting current flow during linear mode operations such as “hotswap”, “soft start” and “eFuse” operations, in particular, the reducing of or the preventing of high current surges due to discharged capacitive loads suddenly being switched into circuit. Such current surges can cause supply interference or cause malfunction of sensitive circuits due to the effects of the noise pulse. In extreme cases, fuses may blow or circuit breakers may trip due to the high current surges, therefore taking one or more systems offline. | 03-05-2015 |
20150077075 | Control Circuit for Multiple High Side Switches - The present document relates to the control of high side switches, e.g. the high side switches of half bridges. In particular, the present document relates to an efficient control circuit for controlling a plurality of high side switches. A control circuit for controlling a plurality of parallel high side switches of a respective plurality of parallel bridges is described. The control circuit comprises a charge provisioning unit configured to provide an electrical charge. Furthermore, the control circuit comprises a plurality of sets of high control switches for the plurality of high side switches, respectively; wherein each set of high control switches is configured to arrange the charge provisioning unit in parallel to a gate-source capacitance of the respective high side switch. In addition, the control circuit comprises a controller configured to, during a phase of a plurality of different phases, control a respective set of high control switches from the plurality of sets of high control switches to arrange the charge provisioning unit in parallel to the gate-source capacitance of the respective high side switch from the plurality of high side switches, to switch on the respective high side switch. | 03-19-2015 |
20150115916 | Control Method for a Power Supply System - A control method for a power supply system having at least two power parts with power outputs connected in parallel, wherein each power part is actuated via a separate control and where at least one first power limit is specified for each control, where the control actuates the allocated power part up to the first power limit in a normal mode, a first drawdown value of the output voltage is specified for each control upon reaching the first power limit, and the respective control regulates the output voltage of the related power part to the first drawdown value upon reaching the first power limit so that the parallel connection of a plurality of power parts without a super-ordinate control is achieved. | 04-30-2015 |
20150115917 | CONTROL CIRCUIT FOR INTERLEAVED SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY - In one embodiment, a control circuit configured for an interleaved switching power supply, can include: (i) a feedback compensation signal generation circuit configured to sample an output voltage of the interleaved switching power supply, and to generate a feedback compensation signal; (ii) a first switch control circuit configured to compare a voltage signal indicative of an inductor current in the first voltage regulation circuit against the feedback compensation signal, and to control a first main power switch in the first voltage regulation circuit; and (iii) a second switch control circuit configured to turn on a second main power switch in the second voltage regulation circuit after half of a switching cycle after the first main power switch is turned on, and to regulate an on time of the second main power switch. | 04-30-2015 |
20150130431 | MATRIX CONVERTER AND METHOD FOR COMPENSATING FOR OUTPUT VOLTAGE ERROR - A matrix converter includes a power converter, a command generator, and a commutation controller. The power converter includes bidirectional switches each having a conducting direction controllable by switching elements. The bidirectional switches are disposed between input terminals coupled to phases of an AC power source and output terminals coupled to phases of a load. The command generator generates a control command based on a voltage command specifying a pulse width of pulse width modulation control. The commutation controller controls the switching elements by a commutation method based on the control command so as to perform commutation control. The command generator includes a corrector to, when an error in an output voltage is caused by the commutation control, correct the pulse width specified in the voltage command in generating the control command to reduce the error in the output voltage. | 05-14-2015 |
20150130432 | MATRIX CONVERTER AND METHOD FOR COMPENSATING FOR OUTPUT VOLTAGE ERROR - A matrix converter includes a power converter, a control information generator, a commutation controller, a storage, and an error compensator. The power converter includes bidirectional switches each having a conducting direction controllable by switching elements. The bidirectional switches are disposed between input terminals and output terminals. The input terminals are respectively coupled to phases of an AC power source. The output terminals are respectively coupled to phases of a load. The control information generator generates control information to control the bidirectional switches. The commutation controller controls each of the switching elements based on the control information so as to perform commutation control. The storage stores setting information of at least one of a method of the commutation control and a modulation method of power conversion. The error compensator compensates for an output voltage error based on the setting information. | 05-14-2015 |
20160079844 | HALF BRIDGE POWER CONVERSION CIRCUITS USING GAN DEVICES - GaN-based half bridge power conversion circuits employ control, support and logic functions that are monolithically integrated on the same devices as the power transistors. In some embodiments a low side GaN device communicates through one or more level shift circuits with a high side GaN device. Both the high side and the low side devices may have one or more integrated control, support and logic functions. Some devices employ electro-static discharge circuits and features formed within the GaN-based devices to improve the reliability and performance of the half bridge power conversion circuits. | 03-17-2016 |
20160181907 | CURRENT BALANCING SYSTEM FOR SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENTS IN PARALLEL | 06-23-2016 |