US 11,906,992 B2Granted

Distributed power management circuit

AssigneeQorvo US, Inc.

InventorNadim Khlat

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A distributed power management circuit is provided. In embodiments disclosed herein, the distributed power management circuit can achieve multiple performance enhancing objectives simultaneously. More specifically, the distributed power management circuit can be configured to switch a modulated voltage from one voltage level to another within a very short switching window, reduce in-rush current required for switching the modulated voltage, and minimize a ripple in the modulated voltage, all at same time. As a result, the distributed power management circuit can be provided in a wireless device (e.g., smartphone) to enable very fast voltage switching across a wide modulation bandwidth (e.g., 400 MHz) with reduced power consumption and voltage distortion.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A distributed power management circuit comprising:

a distributed voltage modulation circuit comprising:
a voltage output that outputs a modulated voltage comprising a modulated initial voltage and a modulated offset voltage;
a voltage amplifier configured to generate the modulated initial voltage;
a voltage offset circuit coupled between the voltage amplifier and the voltage output and configured to generate the modulated offset voltage based at least on a low-frequency current generated outside the distributed voltage modulation circuit;
and
a control circuit configured to:
receive a modulated target voltage indicating that the modulated voltage will change from a present voltage level in a present time interval to a future voltage level in an upcoming time interval;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to a start of the upcoming time interval to increase the modulated voltage from the present voltage level toward the future voltage level when the future voltage level is higher than the present voltage level;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to the start of the upcoming time interval to maintain the modulated voltage at the present voltage level when the future voltage level is lower than the present voltage level;
and
cause the voltage offset circuit to change the modulated offset voltage from the present voltage level to the future voltage level within a defined temporal limit from the start of the upcoming time interval and maintain the modulated offset voltage at the future voltage level in the upcoming time interval.

8 more elements

A distributed voltage modulation circuit comprising:

a voltage output that outputs a modulated voltage comprising a modulated initial voltage and a modulated offset voltage;
a voltage amplifier configured to generate the modulated initial voltage;
a voltage offset circuit coupled between the voltage amplifier and the voltage output and configured to generate the modulated offset voltage based at least on a low-frequency current generated outside the distributed voltage modulation circuit;
and
a control circuit configured to:
receive a modulated target voltage indicating that the modulated voltage will change from a present voltage level in a present time interval to a future voltage level in an upcoming time interval;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to a start of the upcoming time interval to increase the modulated voltage from the present voltage level toward the future voltage level when the future voltage level is higher than the present voltage level;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to the start of the upcoming time interval to maintain the modulated voltage at the present voltage level when the future voltage level is lower than the present voltage level;
and
cause the voltage offset circuit to change the modulated offset voltage from the present voltage level to the future voltage level within a defined temporal limit from the start of the upcoming time interval and maintain the modulated offset voltage at the future voltage level in the upcoming time interval.

7 more elements

A method of supporting distributed power management comprising:

configuring a distributed voltage modulation to include a voltage output that outputs the modulated voltage, a voltage amplifier configured to generate the modulated initial voltage, and a voltage offset circuit comprising an offset capacitor coupled between an output of the voltage amplifier and the voltage output and configured to raise the modulated initial voltage by the modulated offset voltage to thereby generate the modulated voltage and a bypass switch coupled between the output of the voltage amplifier and a ground;
receiving the modulated target voltage indicating that the modulated voltage will increase from the present voltage level to the future voltage level, activating the voltage amplifier prior to the start of the upcoming time interval to generate the modulated voltage at the future voltage level subtracted by the modulated offset voltage within the defined temporal limit, opening the bypass switch after activating the voltage amplifier to thereby charge the offset capacitor to increase the modulated offset voltage from the present voltage level to the future voltage level, closing the bypass switch in response to the offset capacitor being charged up to the future voltage level, and deactivating the voltage amplifier after closing the bypass switch;
and
receiving the modulated target voltage indicating that the modulated voltage will decrease from the present voltage level to the future voltage level, activating the voltage amplifier prior to the start of the upcoming time interval to generate the modulated voltage at the present voltage level, opening the bypass switch to discharge the offset capacitor to reduce the modulated offset voltage from the present voltage level to the future voltage level, closing the bypass switch in response to the offset capacitor being discharged to the future voltage level, and deactivating the voltage amplifier after closing the bypass switch.

1 more element

A wireless device comprising:

a distributed voltage modulation circuit comprising:
a voltage output that outputs a modulated voltage comprising a modulated initial voltage and a modulated offset voltage;
a voltage amplifier configured to generate the modulated initial voltage;
a voltage offset circuit coupled between the voltage amplifier and the voltage output and configured to generate the modulated offset voltage based at least on a low-frequency current generated outside the distributed voltage modulation circuit;
and
a control circuit configured to:
receive a modulated target voltage indicating that the modulated voltage will change from a present voltage level in a present time interval to a future voltage level in an upcoming time interval;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to a start of the upcoming time interval to increase the modulated voltage from the present voltage level toward the future voltage level when the future voltage level is higher than the present voltage level;
activate the voltage amplifier prior to the start of the upcoming time interval to maintain the modulated voltage at the present voltage level when the future voltage level is lower than the present voltage level;
and
cause the voltage offset circuit to change the modulated offset voltage from the present voltage level to the future voltage level within a defined temporal limit from the start of the upcoming time interval and maintain the modulated offset voltage at the future voltage level in the upcoming time interval;
and
a transceiver circuit configured to generate the modulated target voltage.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/942,472Filed 12 Sep 2022 · us provisional application
Priority: 16 Sep 2021
Published: US 2023/0081095 A116 Mar 2023
Granted: 20 Feb 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

G05F 1/46
Regulating voltage or current: wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is DC
H03F 1/0227
By using a signal derived from the input signal: using supply converters
H03F 1/14
Modifications of amplifiers to reduce detrimental influences of internal impedances of amplifying elements: by use of neutralising means
H03F 3/195
With semiconductor devices only: in integrated circuits

Family

Application63/245,142Us provisional application · filed 16 Sep 2021
US 2023/0081095 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Mar 2023
US 11,906,992 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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