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US 2016/0259353 A1Published application
Power combiner and balancer
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorJeffrey Anthony Morroni
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power combining technique includes receiving a first voltage at a first input and a second voltage at a second input. The power combining technique further includes combining, with at least two power converters, power received from the first and second inputs into a single power rail. A power balancing technique further includes controlling the at least two power converters such that a first one of the power converters outputs an amount of current to the single power rail that is proportional to and/or equal to the amount of current output by another of the power converters.
Claims26
An integrated circuit comprising:
- a first input;
- a second input;
- an output;
- a first power converter having:
- a voltage input coupled to the first input of the integrated circuit,
- a control input, and
- an output coupled to the output of the integrated circuit;
- a second power converter having:
- a voltage input coupled to the second input of the integrated circuit, the voltage input of the second power converter being free of connection to the voltage input of the first power converter,
- a control input, and
- an output coupled to the output of the first power converter and to the output of the integrated circuit;
- a first power converter control circuit having:
- a first input coupled to a reference voltage lead,
- a second input coupled to the output of the first power converter, and
- an output coupled to the control input of the first power converter;
- a second power converter control circuit having:
- a first input,
- a second input, and
- an output coupled to the control input of the second power converter;
- a first current sensing circuit having:
- an input coupled to the output of the first power converter, and
- an output coupled to the first input of the second power converter control circuit;
- and
- a second current sensing circuit having:
- an input coupled to the output of the second power converter, and
- an output coupled to the second input of the second power converter control circuit, the second power converter control circuit being free of connection with the reference voltage lead.
23 more elements
A device comprising:
- a first power converter having an input and an output;
- a second power converter having an input and an output, the input of the second power converter being free of connection to the input of the first power converter;
- and
- a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) having an input coupled to the outputs of the first and second power converters, and
- one or more data storage device components coupled to the PMIC.
2 more elements
A device comprising:
- a first power converter having an input and an output;
- a second power converter having an input and an output, the input of the second power converter being free of connection to the input of the first power converter, the output of the second power converter being coupled to the output of the first power converter;
- first control circuitry configured to control the first power converter based on a signal indicative of the voltage at the output of the first power converter and a reference voltage;
- and
- second control circuitry configured to control the second power converter based on a signal indicative of a current at the output of the first power converter and a signal indicative of a current at the output of the second power converter.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving a first voltage at a first input and a second voltage at a second input, a voltage level of the first voltage being different than a voltage level of the second voltage;
- combining, with a first power converter and a second power converter, power received from the first and second inputs into a single power rail;
- and
- controlling the second power converter such that the second power converter outputs an amount of current to the single power rail that is proportional to an amount of current output to the single power rail by the first power converter.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.