Texas Instruments Corporation

Biranchinath Sahu

Tetsuo Tateishi

Christopher John Sanzo

Nandakishore Raimar

Jitendra Kumar Agrawal

Pradeep V S R Pydah

Brian Ashley Carpenter

Kuang-Yao Cheng

Naga Venkata Prasadu Mangina

Dattatreya B S

The disclosure provides an over-current protection circuit. A signal generating block in the over-current protection circuit generates one or more input voltages, a summed voltage and an average voltage in response to one or more differential voltages. A control block generates one or more control signals in response to the one or more input voltages and the average voltage. An analog control loop block generates an initiation signal in response to the summed voltage and an output voltage. A phase control logic block generates one or more PWM (pulse width modulated) signals in response to the initiation signal and the one or more control signals.

Over-current protection in multiphase DC-DC switching regulators

Undershoot reduction circuitry includes, for example, a first comparator, a second comparator, and a controller. The first comparator is operable for comparing an indication of a power supply voltage output against a first threshold. The second comparator is operable for comparing an indication of the power supply voltage output against a second threshold. The controller is operable for generating a first power control signal to raise the power supply voltage output when the indication of the power supply voltage output has a first slope and crosses the first threshold and to lower the power supply voltage output when the indication of the power supply voltage output has an opposite slope and crosses the second threshold.

Undershoot reduction

A switching regulator comprising a droop amplifier responsive to a reference voltage and a feedback voltage to generate a droop voltage. The droop amplifier includes a boost circuit configurable to increase a transconductance of the droop amplifier during an upward transition of the reference voltage. The switching regulator further includes a comparator responsive to the droop voltage and a current sense signal. The comparator is configured to initiate switching in the switching regulator.

DC-DC switching regulator with transconductance boosting

Circuits and methods for controlling Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) input of a driver circuit during transition of states are provided. The driver circuit is operative in one of a high state, a low state and a tri-state based on the PWM input. The method includes receiving a tri-state command for transition from the high state to the tri-state. A PWM output signal is enabled to transition from a high logic value to a low logic value for driving the driver circuit from the high state to the low state upon receipt of the tri-state command. The PWM output signal is enabled to transition from the low logic value to a tri-state logic value for driving the driver circuit from the low state to the tri-state upon elapse of a threshold time delay. The PWM input to the driver circuit is based on the PWM output signal.

Circuits and methods for controlling PWM input of driver circuit

A converter for a multi-phase current network can include a plurality of current sensors, each of the plurality of current sensors being configured to detect current for a respective phase of the multi-phase network. A current averaging circuit is configured to provide an indication of the average current for the multi-phase network based on the current detected by each of the plurality of current sensors. A modulator is configured to modulate at least one phase of the multi-phase network independently of each other phase of the multi-phase network based on a difference between the current detected for the at least one phase and the average current for the multi-phase network.

Current balancing for multi-phase converters

An apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a current sensor, an error amplifier, a comparator, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), control logic, and drivers. The error amplifier is adapted to receive a reference voltage and a feedback voltage, and the comparator has a first input terminal and a second input terminal, where the sum of at least a first portion of a common mode voltage and an output of the error amplifier is input into the first input terminal, and wherein the sum of at least a second portion of the common mode voltage and an output of the current sensor is input into the second input terminal. The ADC receives the sum of the second portion of the common mode voltage and the output of the current senor. Additionally, the ADC has a plurality of internal threshold voltages that are between the common mode voltage and an overcurrent limit adjustment voltage. The control logic receives an output from the comparator and the ADC, and the drivers are each adapted to receive at least one control signal from the control logic so as to provide drive signals to a converter.

Dynamic phase manager for multi-phase switching regulators

One embodiment of the invention includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit. The DAC circuit includes a DAC portion configured to generate an output voltage having a magnitude that varies based on a plurality of digital values of a digital input signal. The DAC circuit also includes a test portion configured to compare the output voltage with a predetermined test voltage for each of the plurality of digital values of the digital input signal during a test mode. The test portion can provide a digital output signal corresponding to one of acceptance and failure of the DAC circuit.

Self-testing digital-to-analog converter

Various apparatuses, methods and systems for a multi-mode DAC with selectable output range, granularity and offset and controlled slew rate are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for supplying a reference signal, including a digital-to-analog converter, a counter and a clock. The digital-to-analog converter has a digital input and an analog output that supplies a reference signal based on the digital input. The counter has a digital control word input, a clock input, a clock enable output and a count output connected to the digital input of the digital-to-analog converter. The counter is adapted to assert the clock enable output when the digital control word input requests an output count that is different from an actual count at the count output of the counter. The clock has an enable input connected to the clock enable output of the counter and a clock output connected to the clock input of the counter. The clock is adapted to produce clock pulses on the clock output while the enable input is asserted.

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Bengaluru, India

Biranchinath Sahu