# US 2014/0152284 A1 · Regulated switching converter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0152284 A1 - Document ID: US20140152284A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/096,545 - Filed: 2013-12-04 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04 - Assignees: RF Micro Devices, Inc. - Applicants: RF Micro Devices, Inc. - Inventors: Ashraf Rozek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140152284A1 ## CPC - H02M 3/156: with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators - 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) ## Abstract A regulated switching converter having improved closed loop settling time is disclosed. An error amplifier having a voltage reference input, a feedback input, and an error output is included. An output filter having a voltage output terminal coupled to the feedback input provides an output voltage sample to the error amplifier. A compensation network coupled between the feedback input and the error output of the error amplifier includes at least one capacitor and at least one switch that is communicatively coupled across the at least one capacitor. A controller is adapted to monitor current flowing through the switching output terminal. The controller has at least one switch control output coupled to a control input of the at least one switch to allow the controller to momentarily close the at least one switch to substantially discharge the at least one capacitor when a predetermined high current state is reached. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A regulated switching converter comprising: an error amplifier having a voltage reference input, a feedback input, and an error output; an output filter having a voltage output terminal coupled to the feedback input of the error amplifier; a compensation network coupled between the feedback input and the error output of the error amplifier, the compensation network including at least one capacitor and at least one switch communicatively coupled across the at least one capacitor; and a controller having at least one switch control output coupled to a control input of the at least one switch and being adapted to monitor current flowing through a switching output terminal and to momentarily close the at least one switch to substantially discharge the at least one capacitor when a predetermined high current state is reached. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The regulated switching converter of claim 1 further including current sensing circuitry adapted to sense a level of the current flowing through the switching output terminal and having a current sense output coupled to a current state input of the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The regulated switching converter of claim 2 wherein the current sensing circuitry is adapted to output a logic level signal from the current sense output being indicative of an over-current flowing through the switching output terminal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The regulated switching converter of claim 2 wherein the current sensing circuitry fractionally mirrors the current flowing through the switching output terminal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The regulated switching converter of claim 4 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 100 to around about 1000. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The regulated switching converter of claim 4 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 1000 to around about 5000. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The regulated switching converter of claim 2 wherein the current sensing circuitry is adapted to compare the level of current flowing through the switching output terminal with a predetermined over-current reference level. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The regulated switching converter of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to turn off a positive field effect transistor (PFET) and turn on a negative FET (NFET) upon detecting an over-current event for the current flowing through the switching output terminal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The regulated switching converter of claim 1 wherein the error amplifier has unity gain when the at least one switch is closed. ### Claim 10 A regulated switching converter comprising: an error amplifier having a voltage reference input, a feedback input, and an error output; an output filter having a voltage output terminal coupled to the feedback input of the error amplifier; a compensation network coupled between the feedback input and the error output of the error amplifier, the compensation network including a first switch communicatively coupled across a first capacitor and a second capacitor with a series resistor coupled in parallel with the first capacitor and a second switch coupled across the second capacitor; and a controller being adapted to monitor current flowing through a switching output terminal and having a first control output coupled to a control input of the first switch and a second control output coupled to a control input of the second switch for momentarily closing the first switch to substantially discharge the first capacitor and for momentarily closing the second switch to substantially discharge the second capacitor when a predetermined high current state is reached. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The regulated switching converter of claim 10 wherein the first switch and the second switch are coupled in series. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The regulated switching converter of claim 11 wherein the error amplifier has unity gain when the first switch and the second switch are both closed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The regulated switching converter of claim 10 wherein the first switch is coupled in parallel with the first capacitor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The regulated switching converter of claim 10 wherein an output voltage of the regulated switching converter is critically damped during recovery from a reference voltage transition. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The regulated switching converter of claim 10 further including current sensing circuitry that fractionally mirrors the current flowing through the switching output terminal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The regulated switching converter of claim 15 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 100 to around about 1000. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The regulated switching converter of claim 15 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 1000 to around about 5000. ### Claim 18 A method of controlling a regulated switching converter with a compensation network having at least one capacitor comprising: providing at least one switch coupled across the at least one capacitor; providing a controller having a control output coupled to a control input of the at least one switch; monitoring current flowing through a switching output terminal to detect an over-current; and discharging the at least one capacitor by momentarily closing the at least one switch via a control signal output through the control output of the controller once the over-current is detected. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of controlling the regulated switching converter of claim 18 wherein the monitoring of current flowing through the switching output terminal is accomplished with current sensing circuitry coupled between the switching output terminal and a current state input of the controller. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of controlling the regulated switching converter of claim 19 wherein the current sensing circuitry fractionally mirrors the current flowing through the switching output terminal. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of controlling the regulated switching converter of claim 20 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 100 to around about 1000. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of controlling the regulated switching converter of claim 20 wherein a fraction between a mirrored current and the current flowing through the switching output terminal is 1:N, where N ranges from around about 1000 to around about 5000. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The method of controlling the regulated switching converter of claim 18 wherein the control signal is a logic level signal.