Texas Instruments Corporation

Preetam Charan Anand Tadeparthy

Vikram Gakhar

Muthusubramanian Venkateswaran

Mayank Jain

Naman Bafna

Ammineni Balaji

Sreelakshmi Suresh

Vikas Lakhanpal

Rengang Chen

Jomy G Joy

Vishnuvardhan Reddy Jaladanki

Venkatesh Wadeyar

Ankit Seedher

Kuang-Yao Cheng

Scott Edward Ragona

Evan Reutzel

Rohit Narula

Matthew John Ascher Schurmann

Siddaram Mathapathi

Bhaskar Ramachandran

Gaurav Chandra

Dattatreya Baragur Suryanarayana

Sumeet Mathur

Rajesh Venugopal

Pamidi Ramasiddaiah

Bikash Kumar Pradhan

Cheng Wei Chen

Prakash Easwaran

Wenkai Wu

Manish Parmar

Naga Venkata Prasadu Mangina

Vibha Goenka

Karthik Anyam

Charan Hemanth Kumar

Vishal Shaw

Anandha Ruban Tt

Muthusubramanian Nv

An apparatus includes a first variable resistor having a first resistor control terminal and a second variable resistor having a second resistor control terminal. The apparatus also includes a temperature sensing circuit having a temperature sensing output, the temperature sensing circuit configured to provide a device temperature indication at the temperature sensing output. Additionally, the apparatus includes a controller having a controller input, a controller output, the controller input coupled to the temperature sensing output, the controller output coupled to the first resistor control terminal and to the second resistor control terminal, the controller configured to produce a control signal at the controller output responsive to the device temperature indication.

Rdson-based current sensing system

An example apparatus includes: a phase circuit configured to receive a pulse of a pulse width module (PWM) signal; provide, after receiving the pulse, an output voltage to a load; exhibit a fault; in response to the fault corresponding to a first category, transmit a first code voltage in a current sense (CS) signal; in response to the fault corresponding to a second category, transmit a reference voltage in the CS signal; receive, after transmission of the reference voltage, a tristate voltage in the PWM signal; and transmit, after receiving the tristate voltage, a second code voltage in the CS signal based on a type of the fault and the second category.

Methods and apparatus to detect and diagnose faults in buck regulators

In some examples, a circuit includes a state machine. The state machine is configured to operate in a first state in which the state machine gates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal provided for control of a power converter according to a first signal provided by a voltage control loop. The state machine is configured to operate in a second state in which the state machine gates the PWM signal according to a second signal provided by a current limit comparator. The state machine is configured to transition from the first state to the second state responsive to the second signal being asserted after the first signal is asserted in a switching cycle of the power converter. The state machine is configured to transition from the current state to the first state responsive to the first signal being asserted after the second signal in a switching cycle of the power converter.

Power converter control with programmable blanking time

In an example, an apparatus includes a first decoder circuit having a first voltage identification (VID) analog input and a first digital output. The apparatus also includes a precharge circuit having a digital input and a first analog output, the digital input coupled to the first digital output. The apparatus also includes a second decoder circuit having a second VID analog input, a precharge analog input and a second digital output, the precharge analog input coupled to the first digital output. The apparatus also includes a multiplexer having a multiplexer output and first and second multiplexer inputs, the first multiplexer input coupled to the first digital output, and the second multiplexer input coupled to the second digital output.

Voltage identification signal decoder with precharging

A controller includes: a pulse-width modulation (PWM) circuit; a control loop; and a reference voltage controller. The control loop has: a feedback input adapted to be coupled to an output voltage of a power stage; a control loop output coupled to a PWM control input; and an operational amplifier with a first feedback input, a first reference input, and an amplifier output, the first feedback input connected to the feedback input, and the amplifier output coupled to the PWM control input. The reference voltage controller has a reference voltage output coupled to the first reference input, the reference voltage controller configured to adjust a reference voltage provided to the reference voltage output responsive to a dynamic error estimate based on error in the operational amplifier.

Switching converter control loop and dynamic reference voltage adjustment

In an example, a method includes storing a pending PWM pulse for a switching voltage regulator. The method also includes determining a switching voltage regulator is operating in a current limit mode, where an inductor current is above a current limit threshold. The method includes providing a predetermined number of PWM pulses in the current limit mode. The method also includes, responsive to providing the predetermined number of PWM pulses, ceasing storage of pending PWM pulses for the switching voltage regulator.

Pulse width modulation techniques for a multiphase voltage converter

A system includes a load and a switching converter coupled to the load. The switching converter includes at least one switching module and an output inductor coupled to a switch node of each switching module. The switching converter also includes a controller coupled to each switching module, where the controller is configured to adjust a pulse clock rate and a switch on-time for each switching module. The controller comprises a pulse truncation circuit configured to detect a voltage overshoot condition and to truncate an active switch on-time pulse in response to the detected voltage overshoot condition.

Switching converter with pulse truncation control

In described examples, a controller includes a converter. The converter generates a first signal responsive to an input signal. A summing block is coupled to the converter. The summing block receives the first signal and generates a second signal. A limiter is coupled to the summing block and generates a third signal responsive to the second signal and a code signal. A logic block generates a target signal responsive to the third signal. The third signal transitions to an intermediate level at a first slew rate and the third signal transitions from the intermediate level to the target signal at a second slew rate.

Architecture to mitigate overshoot/undershoot in a voltage regulator

A device includes a current mirror, a switch, first and second current paths, first and second buffers, a variable resistor, a temperature-sensing circuit, and a controller. The first current path is coupled between the current mirror's input and the switch. The switch switches between ground and a transistor based on a control signal. The second current path is coupled between a first current mirror output and ground. The first buffer is coupled to a second current mirror output. The second buffer is coupled to the variable resistor, which is coupled to the first buffer. The temperature-sensing circuit provides a device temperature to the controller, which is coupled to a first buffer output and determines a first adjustment to the first and second current paths and a second adjustment to the variable resistor based on the device temperature.

A multiphase controller includes an integrator enable terminal, a pulse width modulator, an error integrator, an open drain driver, and an integrator enable circuit. The integrator enable terminal is adapted to be coupled to the integrator enable terminal of a different instance of the multiphase controller. The pulse width modulator is configured to modulate a power stage. The error integrator is configured to control the pulse width modulator. The open drain driver is coupled to the integrator enable circuit. The integrator enable circuit is coupled to the pulse width modulator, the error integrator, the open drain driver, and the integrator enable terminal. The integrator enable circuit is configured to activate the open drain driver responsive to generation of a power stage control pulse by the pulse width modulator, and activate the error integrator responsive to a logic low signal at the integrator enable terminal.

Multiphase controller communication

Multi-mode power converter with programmable control

An example circuit includes a loop controller having current phase inputs, a feedback input, a control loop output and a transient event output. The feedback input is adapted to be coupled to an output terminal of a multi-phase power stage. A PWM circuit has a blanking input, a control input and a PWM output, the control input coupled to the control loop output. A phase management circuit has a transient detect input, a PWM input, a blanking output and phase outputs. The transient detect input is coupled to the transient event output. The PWM input is coupled to the PWM output and the blanking output is coupled to the blanking input. Each of the phase outputs is adapted to be coupled to a respective phase of the multi-phase power stage. The phase management circuit is configured to provide a blanking control signal representative of a variable blanking time.

Reducing transients for multiphase power regulators

An amplifier includes a first stage and a second stage. The first stage is configured to amplify a received signal. The second stage is coupled to the first stage. The second stage includes a source follower and a compensation network. The source follower includes an input and an output. The compensation network is coupled to the input of the source follower and the output of the source follower. The compensation network is configured to modify a magnitude and phase response of the first stage based on a load capacitance coupled to the output of the source follower.

Amplifier capacitive load compensation

Described embodiments include a voltage regulator circuit comprising a first comparator having a first comparator input coupled to a waveform input source, a second comparator input coupled to an output voltage terminal and a first comparator output. There is a second comparator having third and fourth comparator inputs and a second comparator output, the third comparator input coupled to a voltage source configured to provide a voltage representing a current limit, and the fourth comparator input coupled to the output voltage terminal. There is also a state machine having a first state machine input coupled to the first comparator output, a second state machine input coupled to the second comparator output and a state machine output, wherein a state of the state machine is determined by the first and second comparator outputs, and the state machine output provides a PWM signal responsive to the state of the state machine.

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Preetam Charan Anand Tadeparthy