Input current sensing AVP method for future VRM
AssigneeVirginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
InventorsMing Xu, Fred C. Lee, Jinghai Zhou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A voltage converter provides a desired voltage droop with load while avoiding output current sensing and active control/feedback circuits and avoiding excessive power dissipation from passive components by placing a sensing resistor in the low current, switched input circuit of the voltage converter. Therefore, the resistor conducts only when a switch controlling voltage conversion is conductive, generally at very low duty cycle and low current.
Claims19
A voltage converter comprising
- a switching device in series with an input terminal for controlling an output voltage of said voltage converter,
- means for developing a voltage due to input current from said input terminal to said voltage converter, and
- means for controlling said switching device to provide a desired voltage droop in said output voltage of said voltage converter such that said output voltage of said voltage converter is adaptively positioned above a minimum allowed voltage by an amount sufficient to accommodate transients, overshoot and ringing at maximum load and below a maximum allowed voltage by an amount sufficient to accommodate transients, overshoot and ringing at low load, said means for controlling said switching device being responsive to both said output voltage of said voltage converter and said voltage developed due to said input current.
A method for passively producing voltage droop with increasing load in a voltage converter, said method comprising steps of
- interrupting input current from a voltage source to control an output voltage of said voltage converter,
- controlling a switch to supply current in said voltage converter when said input current is interrupted,
- developing a voltage due to input current to said voltage converter from an input terminal of said voltage converter, and
- controlling said interruption step to provide a desired voltage droop in said output voltage of said voltage converter such that said output voltage of said voltage converter is adaptively positioned above a minimum allowed voltage by an amount sufficient to accommodate transients, overshoot and ringing at maximum load and below a maximum allowed voltage by an amount sufficient to accommodate transients, overshoot and ringing at low load, said controlling step being responsive to both said output voltage of said voltage converter and said voltage developed due to said input current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.