Phase reconfigurable switching power supply

• US 9,494,962 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim, Kay, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dole, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tiku, Sisay G
• Application Number:
  US13/689,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20130141072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 323/265, 323/273, 323/282, 323/283, 323/304, 323/308, 323/318, 323/351
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/02 Regulating voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/155 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1586 switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved

Abstract

Embodiments of circuitry, which includes power supply switching circuitry and a first inductive element, are disclosed. The power supply switching circuitry has a first switching output and a second switching output. The first inductive element is coupled between the first switching output and a power supply output. The power supply switching circuitry operates in one of a first operating mode and a second operating mode. During the first operating mode, the first switching output is voltage compatible with the second switching output. During the second operating mode, the first switching output is allowed to be voltage incompatible with the second switching output.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a power supply output; and

power supply switching circuitry having a first switching output and a second switching output, wherein;

a first inductive element is coupled between the first switching output and the power supply output;

the power supply switching circuitry is adapted to operate in one of a first operating mode and a second operating mode;

during the first operating mode, the first switching output is voltage compatible with the second switching output such that the first switching output is directly coupleable with the second switching output; and

during the second operating mode, the first switching output is allowed to be voltage incompatible with the second switching output such that the first switching output is not directly coupleable with the second switching output.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising a first power supply, which has the power supply output, comprises the power supply switching circuitry and the first inductive element, and is adapted to provide a first power supply output signal via the power supply output.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein the first power supply further comprises power supply control circuitry adapted to select the one of the first operating mode and the second operating mode.

4. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein the first switching output is directly coupled to the second switching output.

5. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the power supply control circuitry is prevented from selecting the second operating mode.

6. The circuitry of claim 3 wherein:

the first power supply further comprises a second inductive element coupled between the second switching output and the power supply output; and

the power supply control circuitry is prevented from selecting the first operating mode.

7. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein:

the first power supply further comprises a second inductive element coupled between the second switching output and the power supply output;

the power supply switching circuitry is adapted to provide a first switching output signal to the first inductive element via the first switching output; and

the power supply switching circuitry is further adapted to provide a second switching output signal to the second inductive element via the second switching output.

8. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein a waveshape of the second switching output signal is about equal to a waveshape of the first switching output signal.

9. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein an inductance of the second inductive element is about equal to an inductance of the first inductive element.

10. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the first power supply further comprises a first capacitive element coupled between the power supply output and a ground.

11. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the second switching output signal is about phase-aligned with the first switching output signal.

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein a bandwidth of the first power supply output signal is greater than 10 megahertz.

13. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the second switching output signal is phase-shifted from the first switching output signal by 90 degrees.

14. The circuitry of claim 13 wherein a bandwidth of the first power supply output signal is less than 10 megahertz.

15. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the second switching output signal is phase-shifted from the first switching output signal by 180 degrees.

16. The circuitry of claim 15 wherein a bandwidth of the first power supply output signal is less than 10 megahertz.

17. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein:

the second switching output signal is delayed from the first switching output signal by a switching signal delay;

the first inductive element is adapted to have a first inductor current; and

the second inductive element is adapted to have a second inductor current, such that the first inductor current and the second inductor current combine to provide a combined inductor current, which has a frequency response with a plurality of notches, such that frequency locations of the plurality of notches are based on the switching signal delay.

18. The circuitry of claim 17 wherein a bandwidth of the first power supply output signal is greater than 10 megahertz.

19. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein when a maximum magnitude of the first power supply output signal is less than a first threshold, the second switching output is disabled.

20. The circuitry of claim 7 wherein the first power supply output signal is an envelope power supply signal.

21. The circuitry of claim 20 wherein the envelope power supply signal is amplitude modulated to at least partially provide envelope tracking.

22. The circuitry of claim 20 wherein an RF power amplifier is adapted to receive and amplify an RF input signal to provide an RF transmit signal using the envelope power supply signal, which provides power for amplification.

23. The circuitry of claim 7 further comprising an analog supply, such that:

the first power supply further comprises a switching supply and the analog supply;

the switching supply comprises the power supply switching circuitry, the first inductive element, and the second inductive element;

the switching supply is adapted to at least partially provide the first power supply output signal;

the analog supply is adapted to at least partially provide the first power supply output signal;

the analog supply is adapted to regulate a voltage of the first power supply output signal based on a setpoint of the first power supply output signal; and

the switching supply is adapted to drive an output current from the analog supply toward zero.

24. The circuitry of claim 23 wherein:

the analog supply comprises a parallel amplifier;

the parallel amplifier is adapted to at least partially provide the first power supply output signal;

the parallel amplifier is further adapted to regulate the voltage of the first power supply output signal based on the setpoint of the first power supply output signal; and

the switching supply is further adapted to drive an output current from the parallel amplifier toward zero.

25. The circuitry of claim 24 wherein:

the first power supply further comprises power supply control circuitry adapted to;

provide a first switching control signal, such that the first switching output signal is based on the first switching control signal; and

provide a second switching control signal, such that the second switching output signal is based on the second switching control signal;

the analog supply further comprises ripple cancellation circuitry;

the ripple cancellation circuitry is adapted to at least partially cancel ripple current from the first inductive element and the second inductive element based on the first switching control signal and the second switching control signal; and

the switching supply is further adapted to drive an output current from the ripple cancellation circuitry toward zero.

26. The circuitry of claim 25 wherein the first power supply further comprises summing circuitry adapted to receive and sum the first switching control signal and the second switching control signal to provide a summing output signal to the ripple cancellation circuitry.

27. The circuitry of claim 7 further comprising packaging, which comprises the first inductive element and the second inductive element, such that the first inductive element and the second inductive element are closely matched to one another.

28. A method comprising:

providing a first inductive element coupled between a first switching output and a power supply output;

providing power supply switching circuitry having the first switching output and a second switching output; and

operating the power supply switching circuitry in one of a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein

during the first operating mode, the first switching output is voltage compatible with the second switching output such that the first switching output is directly coupleable with the second switching output; and

during the second operating mode, the first switching output is allowed to be voltage incompatible with the second switching output such that the first switching output is not directly coupleable with the second switching output.