Power supply architecture system designer

• US 8,712,741 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perry, Jeffrey Robert, Garrison, Martin, Mac, Dien, Nguyen, Khang, Padgaonkar, Ajay, Gibson, Phil, Hung, Scott, Berns, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US13/169,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 703/5, 703/19, 716/100, 716/101, 716/102, 716/118, 716/119, 716/132, 716/138, 713/320, 713/324
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

A system may include a database configured to store information including characteristics of a plurality of components. The system may further include a server in communication with the database and configured to: receive design parameters indicative of a plurality of power supply loads to be powered; determine a plurality of power supply architectures that may be used to provide power supply solutions satisfying the plurality of loads, each power supply architecture including at least one position requiring a component configured to satisfy a load requirement; for each one of at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, determine, based on the characteristics of the plurality of components, at least one component configured to satisfy the corresponding load requirement for each position of the one of the power supply architectures; and generate at least one power supply design in accordance with the power supply architectures and the determined components.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a database configured to store information including characteristics of a plurality of components; and

a server in communication with the database and configured to;

receive design parameters indicative of a plurality of power supply loads to be powered;

determine a plurality of power supply architectures that may be used to provide power supply solutions satisfying the plurality of loads, each power supply architecture including at least one position requiring a component configured to satisfy a load requirement;

for each one of at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, determine, based on the characteristics of the plurality of components, at least one component configured to satisfy the corresponding load requirement for each position of the one of the power supply architectures; and

generate at least one power supply design in accordance with the power supply architectures and the determined components.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each component configured to satisfy a load requirement includes a power supply switcher component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to:

group a plurality of power supply loads into a load group according to a common voltage shared by each power supply load in the load group; and

sum the current for the load group to determine a total current for the load group.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the server is further configured to determine a load requirement for the load group including the summed current and the common voltage.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine whether the design requirements specify that a load requires a unique supply; and

prevent the load requiring a unique supply from being grouped with other loads.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine whether the summed current for the load group is above a threshold value; and

if so, break the load group into at a plurality of load subgroups, each load subgroup having a total current not exceeding the threshold value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive design parameters indicative of at least one input voltage source; and

determine the plurality of power supply architectures further based on the at least one input voltage source.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user device in communication with the server and configured to send a request to the server including the design parameters;

wherein the server is further configured to send the generated at least one power supply design to the user device responsive to the request.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the user device is further configured to:

receive filter criteria; and

filter the generated at least one power supply design according to the filter criteria, without additional access or interaction with the database.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to optimize the generated at least one power supply design in accordance with at least one design parameter indicative of a design optimization.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one design parameter indicative of a design optimization indicates to optimize for at least one of power supply efficiency, footprint size, and component cost.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to optimize the generated at least one power supply design to give preferred treatment to at least one component unrelated to its electrical or physical characteristics.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive an additional design parameter indicative of a second design optimization; and

for each one of at least the subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, generate at least one additional design in accordance with the each one of power supply architectures accounting for the additional design optimization.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive a design parameter indicative of a design optimization; and

filter the displayed power supply designs according to the design optimization, without additional access or interaction with the database.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to determine at least one recommended power supply design based on evaluation of the at least one power supply design against the design parameters.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to determine the plurality of power supply architectures by calculating intermediate rail voltages.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein server is further configured to calculate intermediate rail voltages by a heuristic configured to at least one of:

calculate the intermediate rail voltages based on the duty cycle of downstream regulator targeting low, medium, and high duty cycle for the downstream supplies; and

utilize at least one predefined percentage of voltage difference between an input voltage specified by the design requirements and a voltage specified for one of the plurality of power loads.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the server is further configured to:

create a combination including at least one intermediate rail voltage; and

determine to use one of the at least one intermediate rail voltage to power an input voltage of a load if the one of the at least one of the intermediate rail voltage is of a voltage above that of the input voltage of the load.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a computing device including a design tool application, design parameters indicative of a plurality of power supply loads to be powered;

grouping the plurality of power supply loads into load groups based at least in part on the design parameters;

determining intermediate rail voltages based at least in part on the design parameters;

determining, by the design tool application, a plurality of power supply architectures that may be used to provide power supply solutions satisfying the plurality of loads based on the load groups and intermediate rail voltages, each power supply architecture including at least one position requiring a component configured to satisfy a load requirement; and

for each one of at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, determining, based on the characteristics of the plurality of components, at least one component satisfying the corresponding load requirement for each position of the one of the power supply architectures; and

generating at least one power supply design in accordance with the power supply architectures and the determined components.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

summing the current for each load in a load group to determine a total current for the load group; and

determining a load requirement for the load group including the summed current at the grouped voltage.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising optimizing the generated at least one design in accordance with at least one design parameter indicating a design optimization.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

calculating power supply designs optimized according to each of a plurality of design optimizations that may be indicated by the user; and

filtering the displayed power supply designs in accordance with at least one design parameter indicating a design optimization.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising, for one of the at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures:

calculating a first power supply design optimized according to a first one of the plurality of design optimizations that may be indicated by the user; and

calculating a second power supply design optimized according to a second one of the plurality of design optimizations that may be indicated by the user.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising optimizing the generated at least one power supply design in accordance with at least one design parameter indicating a design optimization.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an additional design parameter indicating a design optimization; and

for each one of at least the subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, generating at least one additional power supply design in accordance with the each one of power supply architectures accounting for the additional design optimization.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining at least one recommended power supply solution based on evaluation of the power supply architectures against the design parameters.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising ranking the generated at least one power supply design in accordance with at least one design parameter indicating a design optimization.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising displaying the generated at least one power supply design ranked according to the generated ranking.

29. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

calculating intermediate rail voltages capable of being used by power supply architectures; and

determining the plurality of power supply architectures by utilizing different combinations of at least a subset of the intermediate rail voltages.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising calculating intermediate rail voltages by at least one of:

calculating the intermediate rail voltages based on the duty cycle of downstream regulator targeting low, medium, and high duty cycle for the downstream supplies; and

utilizing at least one predefined percentage of voltage difference between an input voltage specified by the design requirements and a voltage specified for one of the plurality of power loads.

31. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions configured to cause a computing device to:

receive information relating to a plurality of loads to be powered by a power supply;

group the plurality of power supply loads into load groups based at least in part on the design parameters;

determine intermediate rail voltages based at least in part on the design parameters;

determine a plurality of power supply architectures that may be used to provide power supply solutions satisfying the plurality of loads based on the load groups and intermediate rail voltages, each power supply architecture including at least one position requiring a component configured to satisfy a load requirement;

for each one of at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, determine, based on the characteristics of the plurality of components, at least one component configured to satisfy the corresponding load requirement for each position of the one of the power supply architectures; and

generate at least one power supply design in accordance with the power supply architectures and the determined components.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions configured to cause the computing device to:

generate a requirements web site configured to receive the design parameters; and

send the requirements web site to a user device.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions configured to cause the computing device to:

generate a results web site configured to cause a user device to display the generated at least one design in accordance with the plurality of power design parameters; and

send the results web site to the user device.