Snubber for a direct current (DC)-DC converter

• US 9,184,701 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Berchtold, Jean-Christophe, Levesque, Chris, Southcombe, William David, Jones, David E., Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BERHANE, ADOLF D
• Application Number:
  US13/937,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20130307616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 323/265, 323/282, 323/288, 323/312, 323/317, 323/351
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/34 Snubber circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/00 Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0211 with control of the supply voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/18 the bias of the gate of a FET being controlled by a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0416 having gain or transmission power control

Abstract

Circuitry, which includes a direct current (DC)-DC converter having a first switching power supply is disclosed. The first switching power supply includes a first switching converter, an energy storage element, a first inductive element, which is coupled between the first switching converter and the energy storage element, and a first snubber circuit, which is coupled across the first inductive element. The first switching power supply receives and converts a DC power supply signal to provide a first switching power supply output signal based on a setpoint.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a first switching converter of a first switching power supply and configured to receive a direct current (DC) power supply signal;

an energy storage element of the first switching power supply;

a first inductive element of the first switching power supply and coupled between the first switching converter and the energy storage element;

a first snubber circuit of the first switching power supply and coupled across the first inductive element; and

switching control circuitry of the first switching power supply and configured, to during a continuous conduction mode (CCM), allow energy to flow from the energy storage element to the first inductive element, and during a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), not allow energy to flow from the energy storage element to the first inductive element,

wherein the first switching power supply is configured to receive and convert the DC power supply signal to provide a first switching power supply output signal based on a setpoint.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising DC-DC control circuitry configured to provide indication of a selection of one of the CCM and the DCM to the first switching power supply.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the selection of the one of the CCM and the DCM is based on a rate of change of the setpoint.

4. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the first inductive element has an inductive element current, which is positive when energy flows from the first inductive element to the energy storage element, and is negative when energy flows from the energy storage element to the first inductive element.

5. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the switching control circuitry is further adapted to control the first snubber circuit, such that during the CCM, the first snubber circuit is in an OPEN state, and during the DCM, when the inductive element current reaches about zero from previously being positive, the first snubber circuit transitions from the OPEN state to a CLOSED state.

6. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the energy storage element is a first capacitive element.

7. The circuitry of claim 2 further comprising control circuitry adapted to provide the setpoint to the DC-DC control circuitry, which is further adapted to make the selection of the one of the CCM and the DCM.

8. The circuitry of claim 2 further comprising control circuitry adapted to make the selection of the one of the CCM and the DCM, and provide a DC configuration control signal to the DC-DC control circuitry, such that the DC configuration control signal is based on the selection of the one of the CCM and the DCM.

9. The circuitry of claim 8 further comprising transceiver circuitry comprising the control circuitry.

10. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the first switching power supply further comprises a second switching converter adapted to receive the DC power supply signal, such that the second switching converter is coupled across the first switching converter.

11. The circuitry of claim 10 wherein the first switching converter is a charge pump buck converter and the second switching converter is a buck converter.

12. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the first switching power supply further comprises:

a second switching converter adapted to receive the DC power supply signal; and

a second inductive element coupled between the second switching converter and the energy storage element, such that during the CCM, energy is allowed to flow from the energy storage element to the second inductive element, and during the DCM, energy is not allowed to flow from the energy storage element to the second inductive element.

13. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein the first switching power supply further comprises a second snubber circuit coupled across the second inductive element.

14. The circuitry of claim 12 wherein the first switching converter is a charge pump buck converter and the second switching converter is a buck converter.

15. The circuitry of claim 2 further comprising a second switching power supply adapted to receive and convert the DC power supply signal to provide a second switching power supply output signal.

16. The circuitry of claim 15 wherein the second switching power supply is a charge pump.

17. The circuitry of claim 15 wherein:

the first switching power supply output signal is an envelope power supply signal for a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA); and

the second switching power supply output signal is a bias power supply signal used for biasing the RF PA.

18. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the first switching power supply output signal is an envelope power supply signal for a first radio frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA).

19. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

the first RF PA comprising;

a first non-quadrature PA path having a first single-ended output; and

a first quadrature PA path coupled between the first non-quadrature PA path and an antenna port, such that the first quadrature PA path has a first single-ended input, which is coupled to the first single-ended output; and

a second RF PA comprising a second quadrature PA path coupled to the antenna port,

wherein the antenna port is configured to be coupled to an antenna.

20. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

the first RF PA, which is a first multi-mode multi-band quadrature RF PA coupled to multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry via a single alpha PA output; and

the multi-mode multi-band alpha switching circuitry having;

a first alpha non-linear mode output associated with a first non-linear mode RF communications band; and

a plurality of alpha linear mode outputs, such that each of the plurality of alpha linear mode outputs is associated with a corresponding one of a first plurality of linear mode RF communications bands.

21. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

the first RF PA comprising a first final stage having a first final bias input, such that bias of the first final stage is via the first final bias input;

PA control circuitry;

a PA-digital communications interface (DCI) coupled between a digital communications bus and the PA control circuitry; and

a final stage current digital-to-analog converter (IDAC) coupled between the PA control circuitry and the first final bias input.

22. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

the first RF PA having a first final stage and adapted to;

receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal; and

receive a first final bias signal to bias the first final stage;

PA bias circuitry adapted to receive a bias power supply signal and provide the first final bias signal based on the bias power supply signal; and

a DC-DC converter adapted to receive the DC power supply signal from a DC power supply and provide the bias power supply signal based on the DC power supply signal, such that a voltage of the bias power supply signal is greater than a voltage of the DC power supply signal.

23. The circuitry of claim 18 further comprising:

multi-mode multi-band radio frequency (RF) power amplification circuitry having at least a first RF input and a plurality of RF outputs, such that;

the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry comprises the first RF power amplifier (PA);

configuration of the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry associates one of the at least the first RF input with one of the plurality of RF outputs; and

the configuration is associated with at least a first look-up table (LUT);

PA control circuitry coupled between the multi-mode multi-band RF power amplification circuitry and a PA-digital communications interface (DCI), such that the PA control circuitry has at least the first LUT, which is associated with at least a first defined parameter set; and

the PA-DCI, which is coupled to a digital communications bus.

24. A method comprising:

providing a first switching power supply comprising a first switching converter, a first inductive element, an energy storage element, a first snubber circuit, and switching control circuitry;

such that the first inductive element is coupled between the first switching converter and the energy storage element, and the first snubber circuit is coupled across the first inductive element;

receiving and converting a DC power supply signal to provide a first switching power supply output signal based on a setpoint; and

during a continuous conduction mode (CCM), allowing energy to flow from the energy storage element to the first inductive element, and during a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), not allowing energy to flow from the energy storage element to the first inductive element.