Power supply circuitry, collection and reporting of power supply parameter information

• US 8,024,138 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Americas Corp. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: International Rectifier Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Sreenivas, Venkat, Noon, James, Carroll, Robert T., Martin, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui; Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desta; Elias
• Application Number:
  US12/143,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 702/60, 702/64, 702/79, 702/81, 702/189, 700/296, 363/16, 363/20, 363/75, 323/283, 323/285
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel

Abstract

In an example configuration, a power supply manager receives an output current value representing an amount of output current supplied by one or more power converter phases to a load. The power supply manager also receives a duty cycle value representing a duty cycle for controlling operation of the at least one power converter phase. The power supply manager produces an estimate of input current supplied to the power supply circuit based at least in part on multiplying the output current value by the duty cycle value. Contrary to conventional methods such as physically measuring an input current using complex measuring circuitry, embodiments herein include utilizing parameter information such as output current information and duty cycle information to deduce an amount of input current.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a parameter management circuit;

receiving a first value representing an amount of output current supplied by a power supply circuit to a load;

receiving a second value representing a duty cycle for controlling operation of the power supply circuit; and

producing an estimate of input current supplied to the power supply circuit based at least in part on multiplying the first value by the second value.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in the parameter management circuit;

receiving an output voltage value representing an output voltage of the power supply circuit; and

producing a power output value associated with the power supply circuit based on multiplying the output voltage value by the estimate of the input current.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in the parameter management circuit;

receiving an input voltage value representing an input voltage of a source supplying the input current to the power supply circuit; and

producing an estimate of input power supplied by the source to the power supply circuit based on multiplying the input voltage value by the estimate of the input current.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit includes multiple power converter phases;

and

wherein receiving the second value includes receiving an average duty cycle value, the average duty cycle value being an average of multiple duty cycles used to control operation of the multiple power converter phases.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein receiving the first value includes receiving an output current value indicating a summation of current supplied by each of the multiple power converter phases to the load.

6. The method as in claim 5 further comprising:

in the parameter management circuit;

maintaining calibration correction information derived as a result of applying at least one known load value to an output of the power supply circuit;

receiving a raw output current value representing an amount of current supplied by the multiple power converter phases to the load; and

applying the calibration correction information to the raw output current to produce the output current value.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

in the parameter management circuit;

utilizing the estimate of input current to determine a health status of the power supply circuit.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the input current is supplied by a power source to the power supply circuit;

and

wherein producing the estimate of input current includes modifying the estimate of input current to account for an amount of current supplied by the power source to activate switches in the power supply circuit for delivery of the output current to the load.

9. The method as in claim 8 further comprising:

in the parameter management circuit;

detecting which of multiple power converter phases in the power supply circuit is activated to supply power to the load;

producing a bias value representing an amount of current supplied by the power source to activate switches in the multiple power converter phases for delivery of the output current to the load; and

adding the bias value to the estimate of input current.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein producing the estimate of input current includes:

modifying the estimate of input current to account for bias current used to power circuitry that controls operation of at least one power converter phase in the power supply circuit.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the input current is supplied by a power source to the power supply circuit;

and

wherein the duty cycle represents a portion of a switching cycle that at least one high side switch device is activated in a power converter phase of the power supply circuit to convey power from the power source to the load.

27. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first value indicates the amount of output current supplied to the load by at least one power converter phase in the power supply circuit;

wherein the duty cycle indicates a portion of a switching cycle in which the at least one power converter phase is activated to produce the output current to power the load; and

wherein the estimate of input current indicates an amount of current inputted to the at least one power converter phase to produce the output current to power the load.

28. The system as in claim 27, wherein the duty cycle represents a portion of a switching cycle that at least one high side switch device in the at least one power converter phase is turned to an ON state to convey the input current through the at least one power converter phase to the load.

12. A tangible computer-readable hardware storage medium having instructions stored thereon for processing data information, such that the instructions, when executed by a processing device, causes the processing device to perform the operations of:

receiving a first value representing an amount of output current supplied by at least one power converter phase to a load;

receiving a second value representing control information for controlling operation of the at least one power converter phase; and

producing an estimate of input current supplied to the power supply circuit based at least in part on multiplying the first value by the second value.

13. A system comprising:

a first storage resource to maintain a first value representing an amount of output current supplied by at least one power converter phase to a load;

a second storage resource to maintain a second value representing a duty cycle for controlling operation of the at least one power converter phase; and

a parameter management circuit configured to produce an estimate of input current supplied to the at least one power converter phase based at least in part on multiplying the first value by the second value.

14. A system as in claim 13 further comprising:

at least one programmable filter to filter sampling of the amount of output current and the duty cycle over time; and

wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to update the estimate of input current based on the filtered sampling.

15. A system as in claim 13 further comprising:

a programmable resource to set a refresh rate; and

wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to update the estimate of input current based on a setting of the refresh rate.

16. The system as in claim 13 further comprising:

a storage resource to maintain an output voltage value representing an output voltage of the at least one power converter phase; and

wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to produce a power output value associated with the at least one power converter phase based on multiplying the output voltage value by the estimate of the input current.

17. The system as in claim 13 further comprising:

a storage resource to maintain an input voltage value representing an input voltage of a source supplying the input current to the at least power converter phase; and

wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to produce an estimate of input power supplied by the source to the at least one power converter phase based on multiplying the input voltage value by the estimate of the input current.

18. The system as in claim 13, wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to utilize the estimate of input current to determine a health status of the at least one power converter phase.

19. The system as in claim 13, wherein the input current is supplied by a power source to the at least one power converter phase;

and

wherein the parameter management circuit modifies the estimate of input current to account for an amount of current supplied by the power source to activate switches in the at least one power converter phase for delivery of the output current to the load.

20. The system as in claim 17, wherein the parameter management circuit is configured to:

detect which of multiple power converter phases is activated to supply power to the load;

produce a bias value representing an amount of current supplied by the power source to activate switches in the at least one power converter phase for delivery of the output current to the load; and

add the bias value to the estimate of input current.

25. The management circuit as in claim 13, wherein the parameter management circuit comprises:

a processor;

a hardware storage resource that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the processor;

an interconnect coupling the processor and the hardware storage resource; and

wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to produce the estimate of input current supplied to the at least one power converter phase.

29. The system as in claim 13, wherein the input current is supplied by an input power source to at least one power converter phase in a power supply circuit;

and

wherein the duty cycle represents a portion of a switching cycle that at least one high side switch device in the at least one power converter phase is turned to an ON state to convey power from the input power source through the at least one power converter phase to the load.

21. A system comprising:

a power manager in communication with multiple power supplies;

each of the multiple power supplies producing an estimate of corresponding input current used by a respective power supply to power a corresponding load;

the power manager monitoring a health status of the multiple power supplies based on power supply status information derived by each of the multiple power supplies; and

wherein each of the multiple power supplies produces an estimate of corresponding input current to the respective power supply based at least in part on the respective power supply multiplying a first value by a second value, the first value representing an amount of output current supplied by the respective power supply to the corresponding load, the second value representing a duty cycle of the respective power supply; and

wherein the power manager is configured to monitor the health status based on retrieval of the estimate of corresponding input current from each respective power supply.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein each respective power supply of the multiple power supplies produces power efficiency information, the power efficiency information produced by each respective power supply indicating an efficiency of converting an input voltage of the respective power supply to an output voltage for driving the corresponding load of the respective power supply;

and

wherein the power manager is configured to monitor the health status based on retrieval of the power efficiency information from each respective power supply.

23. A system as in claim 21, wherein the power manager is configured to access the power efficiency information from the multiple power supplies to monitor the health status;

and

wherein the power manager is configured to schedule operations associated with the corresponding loads based on the power efficiency information retrieved from each of the multiple power supplies.

24. A system as in claim 21, wherein the power manager is configured to access the power efficiency information from the multiple power supplies to monitor a degradation of the power supplies over time.

26. A system comprising:

a first storage resource to store a first value representing an amount of output current supplied by a power converter phase to a load;

a second storage resource to store a second value representing a duty cycle used to control switching operation of the power converter phase; and

a parameter management circuit configured to produce, based at least in part on multiplying the first value by the second value, an estimate of input current supplied through switch circuitry of the power converter phase to power the load.