Output switch matrix to reallocate phases across independent voltage rails
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorAdam Geboff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Technologies directed to allocating and reallocating phases across independent voltage rails for multiple circuits are described. A multi-phase voltage regulator (VR) module with multiple output rails can include multiple VR controllers, multiple phases, an output switch matrix, and phase allocation logic. The phase allocation logic, using the output switch matrix, can selectively allocate and reallocate any combination of the multiple phases to one of the multiple VR controllers to provide an output power on one of the multiple output rails.
Claims22
A voltage regulator (VR) circuit comprising:
- a set of N output rails, where N is a positive integer greater than one;
- a set of N VR controllers;
- a set of M phases, where M is a positive integer greater than one, wherein each phase of the set of M phases comprises i) power components to regulate an output voltage and provide an output current, and ii) an N:1 input multiplexer to selectively couple the respective phase of the set of M phases to one of the set of N VR controllers;
- an output switch matrix coupled to the set of M phases and the set of N output rails;
- and
- supervisor logic coupled to the output switch matrix, the set of M phases, and the set of N VR controllers, wherein the supervisor logic is to selectively couple any one or more phases of the set of M phases to any one or more output rails of the set of N output rails.
A system comprising:
- a plurality of circuits;
- and a multi-phase voltage regulator (VR) module comprising a plurality of output rails, each of which is coupled to one of the plurality of circuits, wherein the multi-phase VR module further comprises:
- a plurality of VR controllers;
- a plurality of phases;
- an output switch matrix;
- and
- phase allocation logic coupled to the plurality of VR controllers, the plurality of phases, and the output switch matrix, wherein the phase allocation logic is to selectively allocate, using the output switch matrix, any combination of the plurality of phases to one of the plurality of VR controllers to provide an output power on one of the plurality of output rails.
A method of operating supervisor logic, the method comprising:
- receiving, by the supervisor logic from a first voltage regulator (VR) controller, a first request associated with a first phase allocation for a first output rail;
- identifying, by the supervisor logic, a first subset of one or more phases from a plurality of phases to allocate to the first output rail for the first phase allocation;
- controlling, by the supervisor logic, an input multiplexer of each phase of the first subset to couple to the first VR controller according to the first phase allocation;
- and
- controlling, by the supervisor logic, an output switch matrix to couple the first subset to the first output rail according to the first phase allocation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.