Digital controller with two control paths

• US 6,674,379 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Giannopoulos, Demetri, Li, Qiong
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN PIERRE, PEGUY
• Application Number:
  US10/261,223
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 341/123, 341/155, 341/159, 341/120, 323/234, 323/241
• US Class Current: 341/123
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 21/02 electric

Abstract

A digital controller comprises two control paths each having an A/D converter. One of the two converters has a substantially higher sampling speed and lower resolution than the other. Thus, one is suitable to deal with the fast responses while the other is suitable to deal with the slow responses, and can replace high-speed high-resolution A/D converter which is high in both cost and power consumption.

Claims

1. A digital controller for generating a control signal comprising two control paths each having an analog-to-digital converter and a feedback compensation unit, wherein said two converters are different in sampling speed.

2. The digital controller of claim 1 wherein said two converters are also different in resolution.

3. The digital controller of claim 2 wherein one of said converter has a sampling speed high enough for a fast response and the other converter has a resolution high enough for a slow response.

4. The digital controller of claim 1 wherein said two control paths have a common sensed source.

5. The digital controller of claim 4 wherein said two control paths have a common reference.

6. The digital controller of claim 1 wherein said two control paths have different sensed sources.

7. The digital controller of claim 6 wherein said two controller paths have different references.

8. The digital controller of claim 1 wherein one of said converters has a sampling speed at least 10 times faster than that of another converter.

9. The digital controller of claim 8 wherein one of said converters has a sampling speed 100 times faster than that of another converter.

10. The digital controller of claim 1 further comprises a generator for generating said control signal from outputs of both control paths.

11. A digital controller for generating a control signal comprising two control paths combined to generate said control signal, each having an analog-to-digital converter and a feedback compensation unit.

12. The digital controller of claim 11 wherein said two converters are different in sampling speed and/or resolution.

13. The digital controller of claim 12 wherein said two converters are parallel arranged to sense a common signal source.

14. The digital controller of claim 13 wherein said two converters are arranged to sense two different signal sources respectively.

15. A digitally controlled power converter comprising a digital controller for generating a control signal, wherein said digital controller comprises a first control path having a first analog-to-digital converter and a second control path having a second analog-to-digital converter, wherein said first converter has a higher sampling speed than said second converter.

16. The power converter of claim 15 wherein said first converter has a lower resolution than said second analog-to-digital converter.

17. The power converter of claim 15 wherein said two converters sensed signals from a same signal source.

18. The power converter of claim 17 wherein said signal source is an output voltage or current of said power converter.

19. The power converter of claim 15 wherein said first analog-to-digital converter senses an output voltage of said power converter, and said second analog-to-digital converter senses an output current of said power converter.