Various methods and apparatuses for a multiple input-voltage-level voltage-regulator and a multiple voltage-level DC power supply

• US 7,535,122 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Visairo-Cruz, Horacio, Kumar, Pavan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMAYA, CARLOS DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/394,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 307/46, 307/50, 307/43, 307/80
• US Class Current: 307/80
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/10 Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/157 with digital control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1588 comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence
• 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

A method, apparatus, and system are described in which operating characteristics of voltage regulator (VR) may be controlled. Example operating characteristics that are controlled may be 1) power conversion efficiency based on load demand on the VR, 2) response rate to a transient deviation from a regulated output parameter, such as voltage or current, of the VR based on either 1) measured load or 2) receipt of an indication from a first load communicating that anticipated load conditions may cause the transient deviation from a set point of the regulated output parameter due to a significant change in load demand, or other similar operating characteristic. The VR may select an operating input voltage from two or more input voltages to control the operating characteristics of the VR by receiving a selection signal. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a multiple input-voltage level voltage-regulator (VR) to dynamically reconfigure selection between the multiple input-voltages to control operating characteristics of the VR selected from the group consisting of

     1) power conversion efficiency based on load demand on the VR, or

     2) response rate to a transient deviation from a regulated output parameter of the VR based on either measured load or receipt of a signal indicating an anticipated load change, wherein the VR having a first stage to receive a first input-voltage level, where the first stage at that first input-voltage level is designed to operate above a first power conversion efficiency level for a first power level outputted from the VR, and a second stage to receive a second input voltage level, wherein the second stage at that second input voltage level is designed to operate above a second power conversion efficiency level for a second power level outputted from the VR, where the first power level is different than the second power level; and

a system controller to select between the multiple input voltages and to control a switching frequency of the VR to maintain substantially flat-line power conversion efficiency from light load to full load conditions in the VR.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more switches internal to the VR to dynamically vary the operating characteristics of the VR by selecting one of the stages as its input stage, wherein the one or more switches receive a selection signal from the system controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the system controller determines the selection signal depending upon the group consisting of 1) measured current (i) load conditions to achieve above a specific efficiency level in power conversion, measured voltage (v) load conditions to achieve above a specific efficiency level in power conversion, a measured deviation of an output parameter from a regulated set point of that output parameter, or receiving an indication from a first load communicating that anticipated load conditions may cause a transient deviation from the set point of the regulated output parameter due to a change in load demand.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more switches further comprises:

a first switch to receive a first input voltage level, a second switch to receive a ground potential voltage level, and a third switch to receive second input voltage level lower than the first input voltage level.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third switch is one selected from the group consisting of 1) a MOSFET in series with a reverse biased diode, 2) a JFET, or 3) a first MOSFET back-to-back in series with a second MOSFET.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a Direct Current (DC) power source of a mobile computing platform coupled to the VR, wherein the DC power source is a battery with multiple battery cells to generate two or more levels of DC voltage where a first cell has a first output terminal and a second cell has a second output terminal to enable connecting to multiple voltage levels from this single DC power source.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a Direct Current (DC) power source of a mobile computing platform coupled to the VR, wherein the DC power source is a fuel cell with multiple hydrogen cells to generate two or more levels of DC voltage, where a first cell has a first output terminal and a second cell has a second output terminal to enable connecting to multiple voltage levels from this single DC power source.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a detector to monitor the load demand on the VR and supply a feedback signal to the system controller.

9. A method, comprising:

controlling operating characteristics of voltage regulator (VR) selected from the group consisting of

     1) power conversion efficiency based on load demand on the VR or

     2) response rate to a transient deviation from a regulated output parameter of the VR based on either measured load or receipt of an indication from a first load communicating that anticipated load conditions may cause the transient deviation from a set point of the regulated output parameter due to a change in load demand; and

selecting a switching frequency and input voltage-level from two or more input voltages to control the operating characteristics of the VR in computing device; and

receiving a selection signal to select one of the input voltage levels as an operating voltage for the VR; and

setting a switching frequency in the VR according to the selected operating frequency to maintain substantially flat-line power conversion efficiency from light load to full load conditions in the VR.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

measuring load current being supplied from the VR; and

sending the selection signal to the VR to select between the input voltage levels based on the measured load current.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

measuring voltage level being supplied from the VR; and

sending the selection signal to the VR to select between the input voltage levels based on deviation of the measured voltage level from a set point voltage level.

12. A system, comprising:

a power-converting voltage-regulator (VR) having two or more inputs with each having its own input voltage level and one or more switches to select between the input voltage levels to reduce power conversion losses in a mobile computing system by selecting one of the input voltage levels as an operating voltage for the VR;

a detector to measure a load parameter being supplied from the VR;

a system controller to send a signal to the one or more switches to select between the input voltage levels based on the measured load parameter and to control a switching frequency of the VR to maintain substantially flat-line power conversion efficiency from light load to full load conditions in the VR; and

a Direct Current (DC) power source of the mobile computing platform coupled to at least one of the inputs of the VR.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more switches further comprises:

a first switch to receive a first input voltage level, a second switch to receive a ground potential voltage level, and a third switch to receive second input voltage level lower than the first input voltage level.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the third switch is one selected from the group consisting of 1) a MOSFET in series with a reverse-biased diode, 2) a JFET, a first MOSFET back-to-back in series with a second MOSFET.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the system controller includes software instructions embedded on a computer readable medium coded to dynamically select the operating voltage of the VR depending on system load conditions to achieve above a specific efficiency level in power conversion.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the system controller includes software instructions embedded on a computer readable medium coded to dynamically select the operating voltage level of the VR depending on system load conditions in order to hasten a response rate to transient deviations in system load conditions.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the DC power source is a battery with multiple battery cells to generate two or more levels of DC voltage, where a first cell has a first output terminal and a second cell has a second output terminal to enable connecting to multiple voltage levels from this single DC power source.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile computing device is a laptop computer with a wireless communication module coupled to the DC power source.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the detector to measure a load current being supplied from the VR and the system controller to send the signal to the one or more switches to select between the input voltage levels based on the measured load current.

20. A machine readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by the machine, to cause the machine to perform the following operations, comprising:

controlling operating characteristics of voltage regulator (VR) selected from the group consisting of

     1) power conversion efficiency based on load demand on the VR or

     2) response rate to a transient deviation from a regulated output parameter of the VR based on either measured load or receipt of an indication from a first load communicating that anticipated load conditions may cause the transient deviation from a set point of the regulated output parameter due to a change in load demand; and

selecting a switching frequency and an input voltage-level from two or more input voltages to control the operating characteristics of the VR in computing device;

sending a selection signal to select one of the input voltage levels as an operating voltage for the VR; and

setting a switching frequency of the VR according to the selected switching frequency to maintain substantially flat-line power conversion efficiency from light load to full load conditions in the VR.

21. The computer readable medium storing instructions of claim 20, to cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:

receiving measured load current being supplied from the VR; and

sending the selection signal to the VR to select between the input voltage levels based on the measured load current.

22. The computer readable medium storing instructions of claim 20, to cause the machine to perform further operations, comprising:

receiving measured voltage level being supplied from the VR; and

sending the selection signal to the VR to select between the input voltage levels based on deviation of the measured voltage level from a set point voltage level.