METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DC-DC VOLTAGE CONVERTERS

• US 20180032096A1
• Filed: 10/05/2017
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: BECK, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,326,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/575 characterised by the feedback circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0025 Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/15 using active elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/157 with digital control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Abstract

An embodiment pertains to a method including determining if an amplitude of an error signal has entered steady state. If the amplitude of the error signal has not entered steady state, then amplify with a high gain the amplitude of the AC component of the error signal. If the amplitude of the error signal has entered steady state, then initiate a timer. Determining if the amplitude of the error signal has remained in steady state while the timer runs. If the amplitude of the error signal has remained in steady state while the timer runs, then amplify with a low gain the amplitude of the AC component of the error signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a filter that filters a signal representing an error voltage, wherein the error voltage is associated with an output voltage of a DC-DC voltage converter; and

a compensator having an amplifier gain that depends on an amplitude of the error voltage, the compensator using the filtered signal to produce an output that controls one or more phases of the DC-DC voltage converter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter comprises a band reject filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the band reject filter is a ripple filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the band reject filter is configured to remove a peak-to-peak signal component associated with the output voltage.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the band reject filter is configured to remove harmonics of a switching frequency of the DC-DC voltage converter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compensator includes a variable gain circuit that forms the amplifier gain that depends on the amplitude of the error voltage, wherein the amplifier gain is applied to the filtered signal for use in producing the output.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the variable gain circuit includes:

a steady state range detector that determines when the error voltage is in a steady state range and produces a logic signal based on the comparison; and

a gain adjuster that adjusts the amplifier gain in response to the logic signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the steady state range detector comprises:

an absolute value circuit that determines an absolute value of the error voltage;

a threshold detection circuit having that compares the absolute value with a threshold and produces the logic signal based on the comparison.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a timer circuit having an input coupled to an output of the steady state range detector, wherein the timer circuit delays receipt of the logic signal by the gain adjuster by a predetermined amount of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an integrator for producing an integration on a lowpass filtered version of the error voltage, wherein the integration is further used by the compensator to produce the output.

11. A method, comprising:

filtering a signal representing an error voltage, wherein the error voltage is associated with an output voltage of a DC-DC voltage converter;

adjusting an amplifier gain of a compensator depending on an amplitude of the error voltage;

using, by the compensator, the filtered signal to produce an output that controls one or more phases of the DC-DC voltage converter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein filter comprises performing a band reject filtering on the signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the band reject filtering comprises a ripple filter.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the band reject filtering includes removing a peak-to-peak signal component associated with the output voltage.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the band reject filtering includes removing harmonics of a switching frequency of the DC-DC voltage converter.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

forming the amplifier gain depending on the amplitude of the error voltage; and

applying the amplifier gain to the filtered signal for use in producing the output.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the amplifier gain includes:

determining when the error voltage is in a steady state range; and

adjusting the amplifier gain in response to a determination that the error voltage is in the steady state range.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining when the error voltage is in the steady state range comprises:

determining an absolute value of the error voltage;

comparing the absolute value with a threshold; and

providing an indication that the error voltage is in the steady state range based on the comparison.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

delaying receipt of the determination that the error voltage is in the steady state range by a predetermined amount of time before adjusting the amplifier gain.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

producing an integration on a lowpass filtered version of the error voltage, wherein using further includes using the integration to produce the output.