Cirrus Logic Inc.

Abhishek Ray

Chanchal Gupta

Pietro Gallina

Graeme G Mackay

Ivan Perry

Hasnain Akram

Vivek Parasuram

Shashank Alevoor

Rosario Pagano

Bryan Quinones

Techniques for measuring average inductor charging current in a switched-power circuit avoid incurring measurement delay or a requirement of a complex filter. An inductor charging current measurement circuit coupled to a power output stage of the switched-power circuit measures an average charging current in an inductor of the switched-power circuit using pair of capacitors to sample an output voltage of the power output stage at different cycle times of an inductor current waveform. The measurement circuit includes a switch that connects the pair of capacitors together to provide a measurement indicative of the average inductor charging current by sharing charge between the first capacitor and the second capacitor to provide the measurement voltage. The provided measurement voltage is indicative of an average of an estimated peak and an estimated valley of the inductor current waveform, which may be used to make determinations regarding a magnitude of the load current.

Average inductor charging current measurement in a switched-mode power supply using switched-capacitor charge sharing

A power converter system for converting an input voltage at an input into an output voltage at an output may comprise a switch network comprising a reactive circuit element and a plurality of switches, switch control circuitry configured to operate the plurality of switch in a plurality of periodic, sequential states to regulate the output voltage, and reference current generating circuitry. The reference current generating circuitry may include a comparator coupled to a sensed switch of the plurality of switches and configured to compare a current flowing through the sensed switch to a reference current and current-steering circuitry coupled to the comparator configured to generate the reference current and alternate the reference current between a first reference current and a second reference current whenever the switch control circuitry changes from one state of the plurality of periodic, sequential states to another state of the plurality of periodic, sequential states.

Delta-based current steering for power converter peak/valley current control

Growing community of inventors

Chandler, AZ, United States of America

Abhishek Ray