# US 2016/0259353 A1 · Power combiner and balancer

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- Number: US 2016/0259353 A1
- Document ID: US20160259353A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/719,575
- Filed: 2015-05-22
- Published: 2016-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-02
- Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Applicants: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Inventors: Jeffrey Anthony Morroni
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160259353A1

## CPC

- G05F 1/56: using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices (G05F1/461 takes precedence)
- G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C)
- H02J 1/10: Parallel operation of DC sources
- H02J 1/102: being switching converters (H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence)
- H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
- H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel}
- H02M 3/285: {Single converters with a plurality of output stages connected in parallel (parallel operation of a plurality of converters in DC distribution networks H02J1/10)}
- H02J 1/106: {for load balancing, symmetrisation, or sharing}
- H02M 1/0003: {Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits}
- H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
- G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- 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 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein first and second power converters are buck converters.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first and second power converters are low-dropout regulators (LDOs).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first power converter is a first type of power converter, and the second power converter is a second type of power converter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the input of the first current sensing circuit is magnetically coupled to the output of the first power converter, and wherein the input of the second current sensing circuit is magnetically coupled to the output of the second power converter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the input of the first current sensing circuit is electrically coupled to the output of the first power converter, and wherein the input of the second current sensing circuit is electrically coupled to the output of the second power converter.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The integrated circuit of claim 1,
wherein the first power converter and the first power converter control circuit regulate a voltage produced at the output of the first power converter such that a magnitude of the voltage is proportional to a magnitude of a reference voltage, and
wherein the second power converter and the second power converter control circuit regulate a current produced at the output of the second power converter such that a magnitude of the current is proportional to a magnitude of a current produced at the output of the first power converter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The integrated circuit of claim 7,
wherein the second power converter and the second power converter control circuit regulate the current produced at the output of the second power converter such that the magnitude of the current produced at the output of the second power converter is equal to the magnitude of the current produced at the output of the first power converter.

### Claim 9

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.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein first and second power converters are buck converters.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the first and second power converters are low-dropout regulators (LDOs).

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the first power converter is a first type of power converter, and the second power converter is a second type of power converter.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the data storage device components are solid-state drive components.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9,
wherein the first power converter is configured to regulate a voltage produced at the output of the first power converter such that a magnitude of the voltage is proportional to a magnitude of a reference voltage, and
wherein the second power converter is configured to regulate a current produced at the output of the second power converter such that a magnitude of the current is proportional to a magnitude of a current produced at the output of the first power converter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The device of claim 14, wherein the second power converter and the second power converter control circuit regulate the current produced at the output of the second power converter such that the magnitude of the current produced at the output of the second power converter is equal to the magnitude of the current produced at the output of the first power converter.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The device of claim 14, wherein the second power converter is configured to regulate the current produced at the output of the second power converter without using a signal indicative of the voltage at the output of the second power converter.

### Claim 17

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.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, further comprising a powered device having an input coupled to each of the outputs of the first and second power converters.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The device of claim 18, wherein the powered device is a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The device of claim 19, wherein the powered device is a solid-state drive, and wherein the PMIC is coupled to one or more solid-state drive components.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, further comprising:
a power source having:
a first output coupled to the input of the first power converter, and
a second output coupled to the input of the second power converter.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The device of claim 21, wherein the power source is configured to output a first voltage at the first output of the power source and a second voltage at the second output of the power source, and wherein a magnitude of the first voltage is different than a magnitude of the second voltage.

### Claim 23 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, wherein the second control circuitry controls the second power converter without using a signal indicative of a voltage at the output of the second power converter.

### Claim 24 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17, wherein the second control circuitry controls the second power converter without using a signal indicative of the reference voltage.

### Claim 25

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.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein controlling the second power converter comprises:
controlling the second power converter such that the second power converter outputs an amount of current to the single power rail that is substantially equal to an amount of current output to the single power rail by the first power converter.