# US 2014/0191735 A1 · Digital duty cycle controller for a switching mode power supply > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191735 A1 - Document ID: US20140191735A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/736,943 - Filed: 2013-01-09 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-09 - Assignees: NVIDIA Corporation - Inventors: Yu Zhao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191735A1 ## CPC - G05F 1/10: Regulating voltage or current (G05F1/02 takes precedence) - H02M 3/157: with digital control - H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel} - G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES - 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 Disclosed are methods, devices, and systems to digitally control a duty cycle of a switching mode power supply. In one embodiment, a method comprises calculating a base duty cycle using a power management unit of a high-speed processing unit, calculating a dynamic offset duty cycle using the power management unit to apply a transfer function to a sampled feedback voltage signal, and adding the base duty cycle to the dynamic offset duty cycle to obtain a duty cycle of the switching mode power supply. A system comprises a switching mode power supply, a power management unit, a voltage sensor, and an analog to digital converter all embedded within a high-speed processing unit, and a pulse-width modulator coupled between the switching mode power supply and the high-speed processing unit to modulate the duty cycle of the switching mode power supply. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method to digitally control a duty cycle of a switching mode power supply, comprising: calculating a base duty cycle using a power management unit of a high-speed processing unit, wherein at least one of an output voltage of the high-speed processing unit, an output current of the high-speed processing unit, an input voltage of the high-speed processing unit, and a set of parameters of a switching mode power supply coupled to the high-speed processing unit is used as a variable in such calculations; calculating a dynamic offset duty cycle using the power management unit to apply a transfer function to a sampled feedback voltage signal; and adding the base duty cycle to the dynamic offset duty cycle to obtain a duty cycle of the switching mode power supply. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining the sampled feedback voltage signal by: sensing a plurality of analog feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit using a voltage sensor, converting the plurality of analog feedback voltages to a plurality of digital voltage signals using an analog to digital converter, and sampling the plurality of digital voltage signals continuously to obtain the sampled feedback voltage signal using the power management unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of analog feedback voltages are a plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit and the voltage sensor is embedded in the high-speed processing unit and senses the plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the set of parameters of the switching mode power supply include at least one of a DC resistance of an inductor of the switching mode power supply, a resistance of a high-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply, and a resistance of a low-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the switching mode power supply is a multi-phase switching mode power supply and an average duty cycle is calculated for each phase of the multi-phase switching mode power supply. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the high-speed processing unit is at least one of a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the power management unit is embedded inside the high-speed processing unit and is at least one of a digital signal processor, a microcontroller unit, and a digital signal controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: modulating the duty cycle of the switching mode power supply using a pulse-width modulator coupled between the switching mode power supply and the high-speed processing unit. ### Claim 9 A digital duty cycle controller of a switching mode power supply, comprising: a power management unit of a high-speed processing unit configured to: calculate a base duty cycle wherein at least one of an output voltage of the high-speed processing unit, an output current of the high-speed processing unit, an input voltage of the high-speed processing unit, and a set of parameters of the switching mode power supply coupled to the high-speed processing unit is used as a variable in such calculations, calculate a dynamic offset duty cycle by applying a transfer function to a sampled feedback voltage signal, and add the base duty cycle to the dynamic offset duty cycle to obtain a duty cycle of the switching mode power supply; and a pulse-width modulator coupled between the switching mode power supply and the high-speed processing unit to modulate the duty cycle of the switching mode power supply. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 9, further comprising: a voltage sensor to sense a plurality of analog feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 9, further comprising: an analog to digital converter to convert the plurality of analog feedback voltages to a plurality of digital voltage signals, and wherein the power management unit is configured to continuously sample the plurality of digital voltage signals to obtain the sampled feedback voltage signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 11, wherein the plurality of analog feedback voltages are a plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit and the voltage sensor is embedded in the high-speed processing unit and senses the plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 9, wherein the set of parameters of the switching mode power supply include at least one of a DC resistance of an inductor of the switching mode power supply, a resistance of a high-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply, and a resistance of a low-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 12, wherein the switching mode power supply is a multi-phase switching mode power supply and an average duty cycle is calculated for each phase of the multi-phase switching mode power supply. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 9, wherein the high-speed processing unit is at least one of a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU). ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The digital duty cycle controller of claim 9, wherein the power management unit is embedded inside the high-speed processing unit and is at least one of a digital signal processor, a microcontroller unit, and a digital signal controller. ### Claim 17 A system to digitally control a duty cycle of a switching mode power supply, comprising: a switching mode power supply configured to deliver at least one of a steady-state output voltage and a steady-state output current; a power management unit of a high-speed processing unit configured to: calculate a base duty cycle wherein at least one of an output voltage of the high-speed processing unit, an output current of the high-speed processing unit, an input voltage of the high-speed processing unit, and a set of parameters of the switching mode power supply coupled to the high-speed processing unit is used as a variable in such calculations, calculate a dynamic offset duty cycle by applying a transfer function to a sampled feedback voltage signal, and add the base duty cycle to the dynamic offset duty cycle to obtain a duty cycle of the switching mode power supply; a voltage sensor to sense a plurality of analog feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit; an analog to digital converter to convert the plurality of analog feedback voltages to a plurality of digital voltage signals, and wherein the power management unit is configured to continuously sample the plurality of digital voltage signals to obtain the sampled feedback voltage signal; and a pulse-width modulator coupled between the switching mode power supply and the high-speed processing unit to modulate the duty cycle of the switching mode power supply, and wherein the plurality of analog feedback voltages are a plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit and the voltage sensor is embedded in the high-speed processing unit and senses the plurality of on-die feedback voltages of the high-speed processing unit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the set of parameters of the switching mode power supply include at least one of a DC resistance of an inductor of the switching mode power supply, a resistance of a high-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply, and a resistance of a low-side MOSFET of the switching mode power supply. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the switching mode power supply is a multi-phase switching mode power supply and an average duty cycle is calculated for each phase of the multi-phase switching mode power supply and the high-speed processing unit is at least one of a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU). ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the power management unit is embedded inside the high-speed processing unit and is at least one of a digital signal processor, a microcontroller unit, and a digital signal controller.