Synthetic ripple regulator with frequency control

• US 8,786,270 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Wu, Xuelin, Yang, Xiping, Shen, Sisan, Chen, Jian-Song
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE III, HENRY E
• Application Number:
  US13/217,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 323282-285, 323/288
• US Class Current: 323/288
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A synthetic ripple regulator including frequency control based on a reference clock. The regulator includes an error network, a ripple detector, a combiner, a ripple generator, a comparator network and a phase comparator. The error network provides an error signal indicative of relative error of the output voltage. The ripple detector provides a ramp control signal based on the input and output voltages and a pulse control signal. The combiner adjusts the ramp control signal based on a frequency compensation signal to provide an adjusted ramp control signal. The ripple generator develops a ripple control signal based on the adjusted ramp control signal. The comparator network develops the pulse control signal to control switching based on the error signal and the ripple control signal. The phase comparator compares the pulse control signal with the reference clock and provides the frequency compensation signal.

Claims

1. A synthetic ripple regulator which converts an input voltage to a regulated output voltage and which includes frequency control based on a fixed frequency reference clock, said synthetic ripple regulator comprising:

an error network providing an error signal indicative of relative error of the output voltage;

a ripple detector which provides a ramp control signal based on the input and output voltages and a pulse control signal;

a combiner which adjusts said ramp control signal based on a frequency compensation signal to provide an adjusted ramp control signal;

a ripple generator which develops a ripple control signal based on said adjusted ramp control signal;

a comparator network which develops said pulse control signal to control switching based on said error signal and said ripple control signal at a frequency that varies in response to load transients; and

a phase comparator which compares said pulse control signal with the reference clock and which provides said frequency compensation signal indicative thereof to control steady-state operating frequency of the synthetic ripple regulator by adjusting said ramp control signal to adjust said frequency of said pulse control signal towards the fixed frequency of the reference clock.

2. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 1, wherein:

said ripple detector comprises at least one transconductance device which provides a ramp control current based on the input and output voltages and a pulse control signal;

wherein said phase comparator compares said pulse control signal with the reference clock to develop said frequency compensation signal; and

wherein said combiner adjusts said ramp control current using said frequency compensation signal to provide an adjusted ramp control current.

3. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 2, wherein said ripple generator comprises a ripple capacitance which is charged and discharged by said adjusted ramp control current.

4. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 2, wherein frequency compensation signal comprises a frequency compensation current and wherein said combiner comprises a multiplier which multiplies said ramp control current by said frequency compensation current divided by a reference current.

5. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 1, wherein said phase comparator comprises:

a first latch for detecting edges of the reference clock;

a second latch for detecting edges of said pulse control signal;

a resistor-capacitor network for developing a frequency compensation voltage; and

a switched current network controlled by said first and second latches for charging and discharging said resistor-capacitor network based on a duration between edges of the reference clock and said pulse control signal.

6. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 1, wherein said comparator network comprises:

a window network which converts said error signal into a window signal with upper and lower limits; and

a hysteretic comparator which compares said ripple control signal with said window signal to develop said pulse control signal.

7. The synthetic ripple regulator of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of phase networks, each developing a corresponding one of a plurality of ripple control signals based on the input and output voltages and a corresponding one of a plurality of pulse width modulation signals; and

wherein said pulse control signal comprises a master clock signal which controls switching frequency of each of said plurality of pulse width modulation signals.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a synthetic ripple regulator which converts an input voltage to a regulated output voltage and which includes frequency control based on a fixed frequency reference clock, wherein said synthetic ripple regulator comprises;

an error network providing an error signal indicative of relative error of the output voltage;

a ripple detector which provides a ramp control signal based on said input and output voltages and a pulse control signal;

a combiner which adjusts said ramp control signal based on a frequency compensation signal to provide an adjusted ramp control signal;

a ripple generator which develops a ripple control signal based on said adjusted ramp control signal;

a comparator network which develops said pulse control signal to control switching based on said error signal and said ripple control signal at a frequency that varies in response to load transients; and

a phase comparator which compares said pulse control signal with said reference clock and which provides said frequency compensation signal indicative thereof to control steady-state operating frequency of said synthetic ripple regulator by adjusting said ramp control signal to adjust said frequency of said pulse control signal towards said fixed frequency of said reference clock.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein said synthetic ripple regulator comprises a multiphase regulator and wherein said pulse control signal comprises a master clock signal.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising:

a processor receiving said output voltage as source voltage; and

a memory, coupled to said processor, receiving said output voltage as source voltage.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein said phase comparator comprises:

a first flip-flop which receives said reference clock and which provides an up signal;

a second flip-flop which receives said pulse control signal and which provides a down signal;

a control gate having inputs receiving said up and down signals and an output coupled to clear inputs of said first and second flip-flops;

a resistor-capacitor network developing a frequency compensation voltage as said frequency compensation signal;

a switched current source which charges said resistor-capacitor network when said up signal is asserted; and

a switched current sink which discharges said resistor-capacitor network when said down signal is asserted.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein said combiner multiplies said ramp control signal by said frequency compensation signal to provide said adjusted ramp control signal.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

said phase comparator provides said frequency compensation signal as a frequency compensation voltage;

wherein said ripple detector comprises a transconductance amplifier which provides said ramp control signal as a ramp control current based on voltage applied across an output inductance; and

wherein said combiner comprises and a multiplier which multiplies said frequency compensation voltage by said ramp control current.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein said combiner includes a converter which converts said frequency compensation voltage to a frequency compensation current and wherein said multiplier comprises current multiplier which multiplies said frequency compensation current by said ramp control current divided by a reference current.

15. A method of controlling steady-state switching frequency of a synthetic ripple regulator based on a fixed frequency reference clock, wherein the synthetic ripple regulator converts an input voltage to a regulated output voltage, the method comprising:

determining an error of the output voltage and providing a compensation signal indicative thereof;

developing a window signal with upper and lower limits using the compensation signal;

generating a ramp signal based on a difference between the input and output voltages when a pulse control signal is asserted high and based on the output voltage when the pulse control signal is asserted low;

providing a frequency compensation value based on comparing the pulse control signal and the reference clock;

adjusting the ramp signal based on the frequency compensation value and providing an adjusted ramp signal to adjust a frequency of the pulse control signal towards the fixed frequency of the reference clock;

converting the adjusted ramp signal to a ripple signal; and

comparing the ripple signal and the window signal and providing the pulse control signal indicative thereof at a frequency that varies in response to load transients.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said providing a frequency compensation value comprises:

increasing a level of the frequency compensation value when the reference clock has a higher frequency than the pulse control signal; and

decreasing the level of the frequency compensation value when the reference clock has a lower frequency than the pulse control signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said adjusting the ramp signal based on the frequency compensation value comprises multiplying the ramp signal by the frequency compensation value.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

said generating a ramp signal comprises generating a ramp current;

wherein said generating a frequency compensation value comprises generating a frequency compensation current; and

wherein said adjusting the ramp signal comprises multiplying the ramp current by the frequency compensation current and dividing by a reference current.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said converting the adjusted ramp signal comprises charging a ripple capacitor with an adjusted ramp current to provide a ripple voltage.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

said determining an error of the output voltage comprises amplifying a difference between the output voltage and a reference voltage to provide a compensation voltage;

wherein said developing a window signal comprises providing an upper voltage by adding an offset voltage to the compensation voltage and providing a lower voltage by subtracting an offset voltage from the compensation voltage; and

wherein said comparing the adjusted ripple signal and the window signal comprises comparing the ripple voltage with the upper voltage and the lower voltage.