# US 2021/0242779 A1 · Switching converter with pulse truncation control

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- Number: US 2021/0242779 A1
- Document ID: US20210242779A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/238,979
- Filed: 2021-04-23
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-27
- Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Applicants: Texas Instruments Incorporated
- Inventors: Kuang-Yao Cheng; Muthusubramanian Venkateswaran; Dattatreya Baragur Suryanarayana; Preetam Charan Anand Tadeparthy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210242779A1

## CPC

- 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 1/0061: {using discharge tubes}
- H02M 1/0016: {Control circuits providing compensation of output voltage deviations using feedforward of disturbance parameters}
- H02M 1/0067: {Converter structures employing plural converter units, other than for parallel operation of the units on a single load}
- H02M 1/0077: {Plural converter units whose outputs are connected in series}
- H02M 3/1566: {with means for compensating against rapid load changes, e.g. with auxiliary current source, with dual mode control or with inductance variation}
- H02M 3/1586: {switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved}
- 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 system includes a load and a switching converter coupled to the load. The switching converter includes at least one switching module and an output inductor coupled to a switch node of each switching module. The switching converter also includes a controller coupled to each switching module, where the controller is configured to adjust a pulse clock rate and a switch on-time for each switching module. The controller comprises a pulse truncation circuit configured to detect a voltage overshoot condition and to truncate an active switch on-time pulse in response to the detected voltage overshoot condition.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A circuit comprising:
a first comparator having a first comparator input, a second comparator input, and a first comparator output, the first comparator input adapted to be coupled to a switching output;
a compensation circuit comprising a second comparator and a latch, the second comparator having a third comparator input, a fourth comparator input, and a second comparator output;
a logic circuit having a first logic input, a second logic input, and a logic output, the first logic input coupled to the first comparator output and the second logic input coupled to the second comparator output; and
the latch having a latch input coupled to the logic output.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the compensation circuit configured to extend at least one later pulse in response to a truncated pulse.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to determine an amount of pulse truncation and to extend only one single-phase pulse based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to determine an amount of pulse truncation and to extend multiple single-phase pulses based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The circuit of claim 1, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to determine when pulse truncation is performed and to adjust at least one later pulse for one or more of the switching circuits in response to the pulse truncation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The circuit of claim 5, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to determine an amount of pulse truncation associated with a given switching circuit and to adjust at least one later pulse for one or more of the switching circuits based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The circuit of claim 6, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to extend a plurality of multi-phase pulses based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The circuit of claim 6, wherein the compensation circuit is configured to reduce a plurality of multi-phase pulses based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 9

A method, comprising:
in response to detecting a voltage overshoot condition, truncating, by pulse truncation circuitry, a first pulse; and
in response to detecting that the pulse truncation circuit truncates the first pulse, adjusting, by compensation circuitry, a duration of a second pulse.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising extending, by the compensation circuitry, the second pulse in response to the pulse truncation.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the compensation circuitry, an amount of pulse truncation; and
extending only one pulse based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the compensation circuitry, an amount of pulse truncation; and
extending multi-phase pulses based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining, by the compensation circuitry, an amount of pulse truncation; and
reducing multi-phase pulses based on the amount of pulse truncation.

### Claim 14

A system, comprising:
a first switching circuit;
a second switching circuit; and
a controller coupled to the first switching circuit and to the second switching circuit, the controller comprising:
a loop compensation circuit;
a phase manager coupled to the loop compensation circuit;
a first on-time generation circuit coupled to the first switching circuit and to the phase manager;
a second on-time generation circuit coupled to the second switching circuit and to the phase manager.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the loop compensation circuit is configured to produce a clock signal, a combined current value, and an average inductor current value.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the phase manager circuit is configured to:
select a first phase for the first on-time generation circuit.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the switching circuit is adapted to be coupled to a load, and the load comprises a multi-core processor.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, further comprising:
a first inductor coupled to the first switching circuit; and
a second inductor coupled to the second switching circuit.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the controller further comprises a current sharing circuit coupled to the first on-time generation circuit and to the second on-time generation circuit.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the first switching circuit comprises:
a gate driver;
power transistors coupled to the gate driver; and
a current sensing circuit coupled to the power transistors and to the current sharing circuit.