CHARGE PUMP TIMING CONTROL

• US 20150077175A1
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: pSemi Corporation (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Original Assignee: Arctic Sand Technologies, Inc. (Murata Manufacturing Co Limited)
• Inventors: Giuliano, David M., Szczeszynski, Gregory, Barrett, Raymond Jr., Summit, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,742,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/536
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Cycle timing of a charge pump is adapted according to monitoring of operating characteristics of a charge pump and/or peripheral elements coupled to the charge pump. In some examples, this adaptation provides maximum or near maximum cycle times while avoiding violation of predefine constraints (e.g., operating limits) in the charge pump and/or peripheral elements.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a charge pump having switch elements arranged to operate in a plurality of cycles, wherein said switch elements switch according to a timing pattern, wherein each cycle is associated with a different configuration of the switch elements, wherein the switch elements are configured to provide charging and discharging paths for a plurality of capacitive elements; and

a controller coupled to the charge pump, wherein the controller comprises an output for controlling the timing pattern of the switching of the cycles of the charge pump and one or more sensor inputs for accepting sensor signals that characterize operation of the charge pump;

wherein at least one of said one or more sensor inputs is connected to a converter that is coupled to the charge pump, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing pattern of the switching of the cycles of the charge pump by adjusting a switching frequency of said cycles of the charge pump based upon said one or more sensor inputs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing pattern of the switching of the cycles of the charge pump by adjusting a cycle'"'"'s switching frequency of the charge pump.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing pattern of the switching of the cycles of the charge pump by determining a switching time to end each successive cycle according to variation of the one or more sensor inputs during said cycle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor inputs comprise an output voltage sensor input representing an output voltage of the charge pump, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing pattern according to variation of the output voltage sensor input.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing pattern to maintain the variation of the output voltage with a desired range.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the desired range comprises a fixed range.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the desired range comprises a range dependent on a second sensor input of the controller.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the switching frequency of said cycles of the charge pump based upon said one or more sensor inputs in a manner that results in maintaining a desired voltage margin between the output of the charge pump and an output of the converter.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor inputs comprise a converter sensor input representing an operating characteristic of the converter coupled to the output of the charge pump.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the converter sensor input represents an output voltage of the converter.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the converter sensor input represents a duty cycle of switching operation of the converter.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor inputs comprise an internal sensor input representing an internal signal of the charge pump.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the internal signal comprises a voltage across a device in the charge pump, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the timing to maintain the voltage across the device within a predetermined range.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charge pump comprises a Dickson charge pump.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said charge pump is configured for operating in an adiabatic mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensor inputs comprises a current signal representing a current through said converter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said current signal represents an output current of said converter.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensor inputs comprises a current signal representing a current through said charge pump.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said current signal represents an output current of said charge pump.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensor inputs comprises a signal that represents a voltage ripple on a capacitive element in said plurality of capacitive elements.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more sensor inputs comprises a signal that represents a switching frequency of the converter.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said converter comprises a DC-DC converter.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a buck converter.

24. An apparatus comprising a charge pump, a converter, and a controller, wherein said charge pump comprises switch elements that are arranged to operate in a plurality of cycles, wherein said switch elements switch according to a timing pattern, wherein said switch elements are configured to provide charging paths for capacitive elements, wherein said switch elements are further configured to provide discharging paths for said capacitive elements, wherein each of said cycles from said plurality of cycles is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of different configurations of said plurality of switch elements, wherein said converter is coupled to said charge pump, wherein said controller is coupled to said charge pump, wherein said controller comprises one or more sensor inputs, wherein said one or more sensor inputs accept one or more corresponding sensor signals, wherein said one or more corresponding sensor signals comprise signals that characterize operation of said charge pump to which said controller is coupled, wherein said controller comprises an output for controlling said timing pattern of said switching of the cycles of said charge pump, wherein said controller is configured to adjust said timing pattern of the switching of said cycles of said charge pump by adjusting a switching frequency of said cycles of the charge pump based upon said one or more sensor inputs.

25. An apparatus comprising a converter, means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value, means for causing said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value to operate in a plurality of cycles according to a timing pattern, each of said cycles corresponding to a set of charging and discharging paths for capacitive elements, means for controlling said timing pattern, and means for receiving sensor signals characterizing operation of said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value, wherein said means for controlling said timing pattern is coupled to said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value, wherein said means for controlling said timing pattern comprises an output for controlling said means for causing said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value to operate in a plurality of cycles according to a timing pattern, wherein said means for controlling said timing pattern comprises said means for receiving sensor signals characterizing operation of said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value, wherein said converter is coupled to means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value, and wherein said means for controlling said timing pattern is configured to adjust said timing pattern of said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value by adjusting a switching frequency of said cycles of said means for transforming a voltage from a first DC value to a second DC value pump based upon said means for receiving sensor signals.