Method and system of regulating voltages

• US 8,228,048 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Spencer, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Application Number:
  US12/363,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20100194360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 323/269, 323/270, 323/272, 323/268, 323/282, 323/283
• US Class Current: 323/268
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/563 including two stages of regulation at least one of which is output level responsive, e.g. coarse and fine regulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0045 Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode

Abstract

Regulating voltages. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are systems including a switching circuit configured to produce an intermediate voltage signal from an input voltage signal, and a first voltage regulator coupled the switching circuit and configured to produce a first regulated voltage signal from the intermediate voltage signal. The switching circuit is configured to create the intermediate voltage signal based on a switching signal having a duty cycle, and wherein the duty cycle of the switching signal is open-loop with respect the intermediate voltage signal and the first regulated voltage signal.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a switching circuit configured to produce an intermediate voltage signal from a first input voltage signal; and

a first voltage regulator coupled the switching circuit and configured to produce a first regulated voltage signal from the intermediate voltage signal;

wherein the switching circuit is configured to create the intermediate voltage signal based on a switching signal having a duty cycle, and wherein the duty cycle of the switching signal is open-loop with respect to the intermediate voltage signal and the first regulated voltage signal; and

wherein the switching circuit couples to the switching signal that originates from a second voltage regulator configured to produce a second regulated voltage signal based on a second input voltage signal, the second input voltage signal different than the first input voltage signal, the second regulated voltage signal different than the first regulated voltage signal and different than the intermediate voltage signal, and the duty cycle of the switching signal configured to change responsive to closed-loop control of the second regulated voltage.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first voltage regulator comprises a linear-type regulator.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the switching signal is configured to have a variable duty cycle.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the switching circuit is configured to reduce the voltage of the input voltage signal to be the intermediate voltage signal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the input voltage signal is 3.3 volts, and the first regulated voltage signal is 1.5 volts.

6. A motherboard comprising:

a printed circuit board;

a socket for a main processor, the socket coupled to the printed circuit board; and

a power supply circuit coupled to the printed circuit board, the power supply circuit comprising;

a switching circuit configured to produce an intermediate voltage signal from a first input voltage signal;

a linear-type regulator coupled the intermediate voltage signal, the linear-type regulator configured to produce a first regulated voltage signal from the intermediate voltage signal; and

a switching-type regulator configured to create a second regulated voltage signal based on a second input voltage signal, the second input voltage signal different than the first input voltage signal, the second regulated voltage signal different than both the first regulated voltage signal and the intermediate voltage signal, the switching-type regulator comprising;

a control circuit configured to create a switching signal with variable duty cycle, changes in duty cycle of the switching signal are closed-loop with respect to the second regulated voltage; and

an electrically controlled switch coupled to the switching signal, the electrically controlled switch configured to selectively operate based on the switching signal;

wherein the switching circuit couples to the switching signal with a variable duty cycle, the changes in duty cycle of the switching signal are open-loop with respect to the intermediate voltage signal and the first regulated voltage signal, and the switching circuit is configured to create the intermediate voltage signal based on the switching signal.

7. The motherboard of claim 6 further comprising:

a connector coupled to the printed circuit board and configured to couple to a power supply unit;

wherein the switching-type regulator is configured to create the second regulated voltage from a 5 Volt signal supplied through the connector.

8. The motherboard as in claim 6 wherein the switching circuit is configured to reduce voltage to create the intermediate voltage signal.

9. The motherboard as in claim 6 wherein the first regulated voltage signal is 1.5 Volts, and the second regulated voltage signal is 3.3 Volts.

10. The motherboard as in claim 9 further comprising:

a connector coupled to the printed circuit board and configured to couple to a power supply unit;

wherein the switching circuit is configured to create the intermediate voltage signal from a 3.3 Volt signal supplied through the connector.

11. A method comprising:

converting a first input voltage signal with a first voltage to a first regulated voltage signal, the converting using switching-type regulator that creates a variable duty cycle switching signal, with the duty cycle changes based on closed-loop control of the first regulated voltage signal; and

converting a second input voltage signal having a second voltage to an intermediate voltage signal, the second voltage different than the first voltage, the converting using a switching circuit switched using the variable duty cycle switching signal of the switching-type regulator.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising converting the intermediate voltage signal to a second regulated voltage signal, the converting using a linear-type regulator.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

wherein converting the second signal further comprises converting a 3.3 Volt signal to the intermediate voltage signal; and

wherein converting the intermediate voltage signal to the second regulated voltage further comprises converting to a 1.5 Volt signal.