Voltage regulator with current-mode dual-edge width modulation and non-linear control

• US 7,764,054 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Guo, Yigang, Carobolante, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley; Shawn
• Application Number:
  US12/124,953
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 323/224, 323/283, 323/285
• US Class Current: 323/224
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel

Abstract

A voltage regulator with current-mode, dual-edge pulse width modulation (PWM) and non-linear control. The voltage regulator may include a top switch (e.g., MOSFET) configured to couple a power supply supplying an input voltage to a load. A linear control circuit of the regulator may use a first ramp signal to control turning ON of the top switch and a second ramp signal to control turning OFF of the top switch. A non-linear control circuit may turn ON the top switch upon detection of a load current step-up change to maintain an output voltage of the regulator within its regulation band. The non-linear control circuit may turn OFF the top switch upon a load current step-down change to prevent output voltage overshoot.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a voltage regulator, the method comprising:

using a first ramp signal to control turning ON of a top switch of a voltage regulator, the top switch of the voltage regulator being configured to couple a power supply supplying an input voltage to a load of the voltage regulator;

using a second ramp signal to control turning OFF of the top switch of the voltage regulator, the second ramp signal being out of phase with the first ramp signal;

detecting a step change of a load current drawn by the load from the voltage regulator; and

responding to the step change of the load current by using a non-linear control circuit to control the top switch of the voltage regulator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step change is a step-down change and wherein responding to the step change comprises:

turning OFF the top switch independent of the second ramp signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the top switch is turned OFF before inductor current flowing through an output inductor of the regulator reduces to zero to prevent the output voltage from overshooting.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step change is a step-up change and wherein responding to the step change comprises:

turning ON the top switch.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the step change of the load current comprises:

comparing an output voltage of the regulator with a feedback voltage at an input of a voltage error amplifier of a linear control circuit to generate a detection signal, the error amplifier generating a comparison signal based on a difference between the output voltage and a reference voltage.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the detection signal is amplified and level shifted with the comparison signal to generate an adjusted detection signal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the adjusted detection signal is compared to the first ramp signal to detect the step change of the load current.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step change is a step-up change and wherein the nonlinear control circuit uses the first ramp signal to detect a step-up change.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the step change of the load current comprises:

detecting a difference between an output voltage of the regulator and a feedback voltage at an input of a voltage error amplifier to generate a detection signal; and

comparing the detection signal to the first ramp signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the detection signal is level shifted prior to being compared to the first ramp signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein using the first ramp signal to control turning ON of the top switch of the voltage regulator comprises:

comparing the first ramp signal to a comparison signal generated by a voltage error amplifier, the error amplifier being configured to compare the output voltage to a reference voltage.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein using the second ramp signal to control turning OFF of the top switch of the voltage regulator comprises:

comparing the second ramp signal to a comparison signal generated by a voltage error amplifier, the voltage error amplifier being configured to compare the output voltage to a reference voltage.

13. A voltage regulator comprising:

a first switch and a second switch;

a linear control circuit configured to control the first and second switches, the linear control circuit being configured to use a first ramp signal to control turning ON of the first switch and to use a second ramp signal to control turning OFF of the first switch, the first and second ramp signals being out of phase, the first and second switches being synchronously switched; and

a non-linear control circuit configured to source current to a load upon occurrence of a step change of a load current drawn by the load.

14. The regulator of claim 13 further comprising:

a load current detector configured to compare an output voltage of the regulator with a feedback input of a voltage error amplifier of the linear control circuit to sense the step change of the load current.

15. The regulator of claim 13 wherein the non-linear control circuit is configured to turn OFF the top first switch independent of the second ramp signal when the step change comprises a step-down change sufficient to cause an output voltage of the regulator to overshoot.

16. The regulator of claim 13 further comprising:

a duty cycle blanking circuit configured to prevent the first switch from being turned ON during a predetermined blanking time.

17. A method of controlling a voltage regulator, the method comprising:

controlling switching of a pair of synchronously switched transistors using a first signal and a second signal of a linear control circuit, the first and second signals being out of phase;

detecting a step change of a load current drawn by a load from the regulator; and

responding to the step change of the load current by controlling switching of the pair of synchronously switched transistors using a non-linear control circuit.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first signal is a first ramp signal and the second signal is a second ramp signal.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the nonlinear control circuit uses the first ramp signal to detect a step-up change of the load current.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the first signal is used to control turning ON of a switch in the pair of synchronously switched transistors and the second signal is used to control turning OFF of the switch, the switch being configured to couple an input voltage power supply to the load.