Current parking response to transient load demands
AssigneeNVIDIA Corporation
InventorWilliam James Dally
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments are disclosed relating to an electric power conversion device and methods for controlling the operation thereof. One disclosed embodiment provides an electric power conversion device comprising a first current control mechanism coupled to an electric power source and an upstream end of an inductor, where the first current control mechanism is operable to control inductor current. The electric power conversion device further comprises a second current control mechanism coupled between the downstream end of the inductor and a load, where the second current control mechanism is operable to control how much of the inductor current is delivered to the load.
Claims20
An electronic circuit, comprising:
- a first current control mechanism coupled between an electric power source and an upstream end of an inductor;
- a second current control mechanism coupled between a downstream end of the inductor and a load;
- a capacitor coupled between the second current control mechanism and the load;
- and
- a controller circuit configured to:
- control the first current control mechanism to generate a current in the inductor;
- control the second current control mechanism to provide a first portion of the current to the load and a second portion of the current to the capacitor in a first state to accumulate a charge on the capacitor;
- and
- control the second current control mechanism to receive a reserve current generated by the capacitor in a second state by discharging the charge accumulated on the capacitor, wherein the current generated in the inductor is diverted to ground by a first transistor that is directly coupled between the downstream end of the inductor and the ground when the second current control mechanism is in the second state.
A method of controlling current delivered to a load, comprising:
- controlling a first current control mechanism that is coupled between an electric power source and an upstream end of an inductor to generate a current in the inductor,
- controlling the second current control mechanism to provide a first portion of the current to the load and a second portion of the current to the capacitor in a first state to accumulate a charge on the capacitor;
- and
- controlling the second current control mechanism to receive a reserve current generated by the capacitor in a second state by discharging the charge accumulated on the capacitor, wherein the current generated in the inductor is diverted to ground by a first transistor that is directly coupled between the downstream end of the inductor and the ground when the second current control mechanism is in the second state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.