FULLY INTEGRATED VOLTAGE REGULATOR USING OPEN LOOP DIGITAL CONTROL FOR OPTIMUM POWER STEPPING AND SLEW RATE

• US 20140062442A1
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Russell, Daniel J., Seymour, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/283
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/565 sensing a condition of the system or its load in addition to means responsive to deviations in the output of the system, e.g. current, voltage, power factor G05F1/563 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for an integrated voltage regulator with open loop digital control for power stepping. In one aspect, a method for regulating an output voltage includes receiving data indicative of a power setting associated with an identified state of an electrical circuit, the power setting based on a load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state, enabling one or more parallel driver segments based on the received data indicative of the power setting. The method further includes sourcing by the enabled one or more parallel driver segments sufficient current to meet the load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state while maintaining the output voltage at a predetermined voltage level, and providing the output voltage to the electrical circuit at the predetermined voltage level.

Claims

1. A method for regulating an output voltage, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of a power setting associated with an identified state of an electrical circuit, the power setting based on a load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state;

enabling one or more parallel driver segments based on the received data indicative of the power setting;

sourcing by the enabled one or more parallel driver segments sufficient current to meet the load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state while maintaining the output voltage at a predetermined voltage level; and

providing the output voltage to the electrical circuit at the predetermined voltage level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the electrical circuit is identified based on an associated operating load condition of the electrical circuit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a load current demand for the identified state is characterized using a power simulation for the associated operating load condition of the electrical circuit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising configuring a voltage regulator to regulate the output voltage;

and wherein the characterization of the load current demand for the identified state is performed prior to the configuring of the voltage regulator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more parallel driver segments comprises a multiplexer and a transistor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a size of the transistor is determined based on the characterized load current demand for the state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parallel driver segments provide digital open loop control of the output voltage.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein analog closed loop control maintains the output voltage at the predetermined voltage level.

9. A system for regulating an output voltage, the system comprising:

a digital state machine configured to identify one or more states of an electrical circuit included in the system, wherein each of the one or more identified states is associated with a respective power setting with a power range, the power setting based on a load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state;

one or more parallel driver segments configured to source a sufficient amount of current in order to meet the load current demand of the electrical circuit in the identified state; and

an amplifier configured to accommodate system load changes for each particular power range of the power setting associated with the identified state in order to maintain the output voltage at a predetermined voltage level for the identified state.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more states of the electrical circuit are identified based on one or more respective operating load conditions of the electrical circuit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a load current demand for each of the one or more identified states is characterized using power simulations for each respective operating load condition of the electrical circuit.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a voltage regulator configured to regulate the output voltage, wherein;

the voltage regulator includes the one or more parallel driver segments and the amplifier; and

the characterization of the load current demand for each of the one or more states is performed prior to configuring the voltage regulator.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more parallel driver segments provide digital open loop control of the output voltage.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a one of the one or more parallel driver segments comprises a multiplexer and a transistor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a size of the transistor is determined based on the characterized load current demand for the respective identified state.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein analog closed loop control maintains the output voltage at the predetermined voltage level.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a resistor divider that samples the output voltage; and

wherein maintaining the output voltage at a predetermined voltage level comprises;

comparing, by the amplifier, the sampled output voltage to a reference voltage; and

adjusting the output voltage based on the comparing, by the amplifier, of the sampled output voltage to the reference voltage.