# US 12,009,749 B2 · Smart power stage circuit of power converter and current monitoring circuit thereof

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- Number: US 12,009,749 B2
- Document ID: US12009749B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/046,524
- Filed: 2022-10-14
- Published: 2023-06-22
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2021-12-17
- Assignees: uPI Semiconductor Corp.
- Applicants: uPI semiconductor corp.
- Inventors: Ya-Ran Xue; Jung-Hung Tseng; Heng-Li Lin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009749B2

## CPC

- H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
- G01R 19/16571: {comparing AC or DC current with one threshold, e.g. load current, over-current, surge current or fault current (G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528, G01R19/16533, G01R19/1659 take precedence; measuring currents by using elements sensitive to the magnetic field generated G01R15/14; measuring earth resistance G01R27/18; testing for leakage or short circuits in electrical apparatus G01R31/52)}
- H02M 1/0009: {Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter}
- H02M 1/0025: {Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter}
- H02M 1/088: for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A smart power stage (SPS) circuit of a power converter and a current monitoring circuit thereof are disclosed. The SPS circuit includes an output stage circuit and a driver. The output stage circuit receives an input voltage and the power converter provides an output voltage and an inductor current. The driver includes a driving circuit, a monitoring signal generation circuit and a compensation circuit. The driving circuit receives a PWM signal and provides a driving signal to the output stage circuit. The monitoring signal generation circuit receives the PWM signal, input voltage and output voltage for generating a monitoring signal related to the inductor current. The monitoring signal includes a simulated current signal. The compensation circuit is coupled to the monitoring signal generation circuit. When the simulated current signal is greater than a default value, the compensation circuit generates a compensation signal superposing to the simulated current signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A smart power stage (SPS) circuit of a power converter, comprising:
an output stage circuit, configured to receive an input voltage so that the power converter provides an output voltage and an inductor current; and
a driver, coupled to the output stage circuit, the driver comprising:
a driving circuit, coupled to the output stage circuit and configured to receive a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal and provide a driving signal to the output stage circuit;
a monitoring signal generation circuit, configured to receive the PWM signal, the input voltage and the output voltage to generate a monitoring signal related to the inductor current, the monitoring signal comprising a simulated current signal; and
a compensation circuit, coupled to the monitoring signal generation circuit,
wherein when the simulated current signal is greater than a default value, the compensation circuit generates a compensation signal superposing to the simulated current signal;
wherein the monitoring signal circuit comprises:
first current generation circuit, configured to receive the input voltage and the output voltage and generate the simulated current signal according to the input voltage and the output voltage;
a superposing circuit, coupled to the first current generation circuit and the compensation circuit respectively, configured to superpose the compensation signal on the simulated current signal;
a second current generation circuit configured to sense the inductor current to generate a sensing current signal; and
a switch, coupled to the first current generation circuit and the second current generation circuit, which is controlled by the PWM signal to selectively output the simulated current signal or the sensing current signal as the monitoring signal, and
wherein the compensation circuit comprises:
an error amplifying circuit having a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal, the first input terminal receiving the monitoring signal and the second input terminal receiving the default value, the error amplifying circuit generating an error amplification signal according to the monitoring signal and the default value;
a transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, the control terminal being coupled to the output terminal of the error amplifying circuit, and the second terminal being coupled to the second input terminal of the error amplifying circuit;
a compensation signal generation circuit coupled to the first terminal of the transistor and configured to selectively generate the compensation signal according to the error amplification signal, and
a resistor coupled to the second input terminal of the error amplifying circuit, wherein the resistor is configured to adjust a magnitude of the compensation signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The SPS circuit of claim 1, wherein when the simulated current signal is smaller than the default value, the compensation circuit stops generating the compensation signal.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The SPS circuit of claim 1, wherein the output stage circuit comprises a first switch and a second switch coupled in series with each other, and the monitoring signal generation circuit further comprises a current sensing circuit configured to sense a current flowing through the second switch to generate the sensing current signal, and the monitoring signal generation circuit selectively outputs the simulated current signal or the sensing current signal as the monitoring signal according to the PWM signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The SPS circuit of claim 3, wherein the monitoring signal generation circuit switches from outputting the simulated current signal to outputting the sensing current signal at a default time after the PWM signal changes from a first state to a second state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The SPS circuit of claim 1, wherein the output stage is also coupled to an output inductor, the default value is an adjustable reference voltage related to a saturation value of the output inductor.

### Claim 6

A current monitoring circuit, applied to a smart power stage (SPS) circuit of a power converter, the current monitoring circuit comprising:
a monitoring signal generation circuit configured to generate a monitoring signal related to an inductor current of the power converter, wherein the monitoring signal comprises a simulated current signal; and
a compensation circuit, coupled to the monitoring signal generation circuit, wherein when the simulated current signal is greater than a default value, the compensation circuit generates a compensation signal superposing to the simulated current signal,
wherein the monitoring signal generation circuit comprises:
a first current generation circuit, configured to receive an input voltage and an output voltage of the power converter and generate the simulated current signal according to the input voltage and the output voltage;
a superposing circuit, coupled to the first current generation circuit and the compensation circuit respectively, configured to superpose the compensation signal on the simulated current signal;
a second current generation circuit, configured to sense the inductor current to generate a sensing current signal; and
a switch, coupled to the first current generation circuit and the second current generation circuit, which is controlled by a PWM signal to selectively output the simulated current signal or the sensing current signal as the monitoring signal, and
wherein the compensation circuit comprises:
an error amplifying circuit having a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal, the first input terminal receiving the monitoring signal and the second input terminal receiving the default value, the error amplifying circuit generating an error amplification signal according to the monitoring signal and the default value;
a transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, the control terminal being coupled to the output terminal of the error amplifying circuit, and the second terminal being coupled to the second input terminal of the error amplifying circuit;
a compensation signal generation circuit coupled to the first terminal of the transistor and configured to selectively generate the compensation signal according to the error amplification signal; and
a resistor coupled to the second input terminal of the error amplifying circuit, wherein the resistor is configured to adjust a magnitude of the compensation signal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The current monitoring circuit of claim 6, wherein when the simulated current signal is smaller than the default value, the compensation circuit stops generating the compensation signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The current monitoring circuit of claim 6, wherein the SPS circuit comprises an output stage circuit, the output stage circuit comprises a first switch and a second switch coupled in series with each other, the monitoring signal generation circuit further comprises a current sensing circuit for sensing a current flowing through the first switch to generate the sensing current signal, and the monitoring signal generation circuit selectively outputs the simulated current signal or the sensing current signal as the monitoring signal according to a PWM signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The current monitoring circuit of claim 8, wherein the monitoring signal generation circuit switches from outputting the simulated current signal to outputting the sensing current signal at a default time after the PWM signal changes from a first state to a second state.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The current monitoring circuit of claim 6, wherein the SPS circuit is also coupled to an output inductor, the default value is an adjustable reference voltage related to a saturation value of the output inductor.