National Semiconductor Corporation

Sgs-thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc

Jayendar Rajagopalan

Shu-Ing Ju

Jeffry Mark Huard

Fred C Lee

Jonathan Robert Knight

Douglas Robert Farrenkopf

Christopher Falvey

Rajarshi Paul

Paolo Nora

Rob Butler

The invention relates to a switching regulator with an error amplifier circuit and a feed-forward circuit. The error amplifier circuit provides an error signal by amplifying the difference between a feedback signal and a reference signal. The feed-forward circuit level-shifts the output of the error amplifier based on the feed-forward input signal and a scaling factor. The resulting adjusted error signal includes both feed-back and feed-forward signal components. A PWM comparator is employed to compare the adjusted error signal to a ramp signal. Switched-mode regulation is performed based on the PWM comparator output. In addition, buck-boost mode transition smoothing circuitry may also be employed to smooth the buck-mode/boost-mode transition in a buck-boost switching regulator.

Feed forward control of switching regulator

The invention relates to a differential amplifier with internal compensation. The invention also relates to a regulator controller and a regulator which includes such an amplifier. The amplifier includes a preamplifier circuit and a gain circuit. The frequency response of the amplifier is based in part on internal compensation within the preamplifier circuit. The internal compensation of the differential amplifier includes a low frequency zero that is provided by the preamplifier circuit.

Internally compensated differential amplifier

A current-mode switching regulator is provided. In one embodiment, the regulator is a multi-mode buck-boost regulator that operates as follows. When the operating mode changes, a gain associated with the inner current loop changes, and the loop compensation changes. The inner current loop gain and the loop compensation are adjusted when the operating mode changes such that the post-mode change feedback variable values are roughly the same as the pre-mode change feedback variables values.

Apparatus and method for loop adjustment for a DC/DC switching regulator

A buck-boost converter is provided. In buck-boost mode, the converter operates in at least three phases. In one phase, the inductor current ramps upward. In another phase, the inductor current ramps downward. In yet another phase, the inductor current remains at roughly the same non-zero value. Only one pulse-width modulating signal is used in the buck-boost operation. A PWM comparator compares the pulse-width modulating signal with the error signal and trips when the error signal exceeds the pulse-width modulating signal. One of the three phases occurs at the beginning of the clock pulse before the PWM comparator trips. Another of the phases occurs while the PWM comparator is tripped. Yet another of the phases occurs from the time that the PWM goes from tripped to untripped until the beginning of the next clock cycle.

Apparatus and method for three-phase buck-boost regulation

Periodically, sensed amplitude for the output signal of a voltage-controlled oscillator is compared to a reference and biasing of the voltage-controlled oscillator is correspondingly set, thereby controlling amplitude of the voltage-controlled oscillator output signal. Process and temperature dependencies of the amplitude are eliminated while achieving low phase noise and large signal-to-noise ratio in the output signal, and consequently low phase noise.

Discrete-time amplitude control of voltage-controlled oscillator

A circuit for generating a ramped voltage having controlled maximum amplitude (e.g., for use in a switching controller), and a method for generating such a ramped voltage without use of a comparator. The ramped voltage is a voltage developed across a periodically charged and discharged capacitor, or optionally a level-shifted version of such voltage. Preferably, a ring oscillator generates a clock signal (without use of a comparator) for use in controlling the periodic charging and discharging of the capacitor, and a feedback loop generates a supplemental charging current for the capacitor in response to feedback indicative of the ramped output voltage. Preferably, the ring oscillator is a current-starved ring oscillator biased by a zero temperature coefficient bias current source, and the feedback loop includes a sample-adjust-hold circuit which samples the ramped output voltage shortly before the capacitor discharges, generates an adjustment voltage indicative of the difference between a reference voltage and the sampled output voltage, and holds the adjustment voltage for use in the next charging cycle. Preferably, a current mirror generates the supplemental charging current in response to the adjustment voltage held by the sample-adjust-hold circuit. The ramped voltage generation circuit can be implemented in less area (for the same ramped voltage frequency) than required for a conventional circuit employing at least one comparator, with the ramped voltage peak and valley levels being invariant to process and temperature variations, and with reduced supply voltage.

Method and circuit for comparator-less generation of ramped voltage having controlled maximum amplitude

A DC-to-DC converter having multiple power delivery channels, and including a current-sharing switching controller implemented as an integrated circuit, multi-channel circuitry (including parallel channels connected to one output node) external to the controller chip, and current sharing circuitry (including circuitry external to the controller chip and circuitry including current mirrors internal to the controller chip), and methods for generating PWM power switch control signals for use in (and performing DC-to-DC conversion using) such a DC-to-DC converter. Preferably, the current sharing circuitry generates individual channel current signals from voltage analogs thereof produced external to the controller chip, and superposes the individual channel current signals to produce an average current signal. Channel current error signals are generated by subtracting the individual channel current signals from the average current signal. The power switch control signal for each channel is generated in response to the channel current error signal for the appropriate channel and a feedback signal (an output voltage error signal) indicative of the output potential of the DC-to-DC converter relative to a reference potential, so that the DC-to-DC converter achieves a desired output potential with increased current sharing among the channels. The invention implements current sharing between channels of a DC-to-DC converter using simple circuitry external to the controller chip (and without an external bus which connects one channel to the other), and with simple, silicon-area efficient circuitry internal to the controller chip. Preferably, current mirror circuitry in the controller chip generates a set of identical average current signals, each of which is proportional to the average of the currents drawn from the individual channels, and additional current mirror circuitry generates a set of identical error current signals, each of which is an error current proportional to the difference between the DC-to-DC converter's output potential and a reference potential.

Switching DC-to-DC converter and conversion method with current sharing

A circuit having multiple channels for generating multiple ramped voltage signals (preferably of a type useful in an interleaved PWM dc/dc converter) such that each ramped voltage signal has a different phase, and all the ramped voltage signals have a uniform controlled maximum amplitude. The circuit can be implemented as an integrated circuit (or portion of an integrated circuit) which generates the multiple ramped voltage signals with uniform maximum amplitude in a manner independent of process and temperature variations in implementing and operating such integrated circuit. In preferred embodiments, the circuit includes a single amplifier having an input coupled to receive a reference signal (indicative of a preselected maximum ramped voltage amplitude) and an output which is coupled (in time-division-multiplexed fashion) to each of the ramped voltage generation channels, thus implementing time-division-multiplexed negative feedback loops which control the maximum amplitude of the ramped voltage signal generated by each channel. The input offset voltage error of the amplifier is applied across all channels equally. Preferably, the ramped voltage signal generating circuit also includes circuitry for generating clock signals for controlling generation of the ramped voltage signals. Another aspect of the invention is a method for generating multiple ramped voltage signals (preferably those of a type useful in an interleaved PWM dc/dc converter) such that each ramped signal has a different phase and a uniform, controlled maximum amplitude.

Circuit for generating interleaved ramped voltage signals having

A method for preparing power factor control integrated circuits which generate linear pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms is presented. The method of pulse width modulation waveform generation involves providing a capacitor; fast charging the capacitor; and controlling a discharge rate of the capacitor to ensure a constant switching period and a linear PWM waveform. The method is applicable for any single-phase ac/dc converter topology that performs power factor correction. Unlike conventional techniques which utilize three feedback loops, the method of the present invention reduces the total number of feedback loops to two, eliminates input voltage sensing and achieves the same objective. This method results in significant integrated circuit simplification, such as elimination of multiplier, squarer and divider circuits in the control integrated circuit and reduces the cost of the integrated circuit.

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Newcastle, WA, United States of America

Jayendar Rajagopalan