Transient power control

• US 9,515,553 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Endura IP Holdings, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Endura Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Dosluoglu, Taner, Ihs, Hassan
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHENG, DIANA
• Application Number:
  US14/602,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20150364994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 327306-307, 327309-311
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1566 with means for compensating against rapid load changes, e.g. with auxiliary current source, with dual mode control or with inductance variation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Abstract

Automatic transient control circuitry may be used to alleviate issues relating to large changes in power demands by a load in an integrated circuit. The transient control circuitry may inject current to or retract current from a load, for example charging or discharging a bypass capacitor associated with the load, when circuitry of the load is commanded to an operational state from a standby state or vice-versa, respectively.

Claims

1. A method useful in control of power to a power domain of an integrated circuit, comprising:

determining if circuitry of a power domain is to transition from a low power state to a higher power state;

if the circuitry is to transition from the low power state to the higher power state;

providing power from a first power source to the circuitry of the power domain using a DC-DC switching converter, and

providing current from a second power source to the circuitry of the power domain on a plurality of selectable paths, with a number of selected paths of the selectable paths decreasing over time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first power source and the second power source are the same power source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first power source and the second power source are different power sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second power source is an inductor switching node.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising ceasing to provide current on the plurality of selectable paths when voltage applied to the circuitry of the power domain is over a predefined voltage with respect to voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the selectable paths includes a first output branch coupled to the circuitry of the power domain and a second output branch coupled to a ground.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selectively configuring each of the selectable paths to provide current to either the first output branch or the second output branch based on a measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain is a measure of voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain is a measure of voltage applied to the circuitry of the power domain.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain is a measure of output voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the selectable paths includes at least one current mirror.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of selected paths is based on a measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain is used as an index to at least one look-up table (LUT) in selection of the number of selected paths.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one LUT comprises a plurality of LUTs, with a particular one of the LUTs selected for use based on a rate of change of the measure indicative of power available to the circuitry of the power domain with respect to a desired amount of power available to the circuitry of the power domain.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of selected paths decreasing over time comprises selectively ceasing to provide current on each of the selectable paths when voltage applied to the circuitry of the power domain is over a predefined voltage with respect to voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter, with each path having a different predefined voltage with respect to voltage of the output capacitor.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein current is continuously provided on each of the selectable paths for no longer than a predefined period.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predefined period is one clock cycle of a clock.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the clock is a clock for the DC-DC switching converter.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the low power state is a standby state and the higher power state is an operational state.

20. Circuitry useful in controlling transients in a power distribution system, comprising:

a DC-DC switching converter coupled to a node for applying voltage to a power domain load; and

a digitally controlled current source coupled to the node for applying current to the power domain load, in parallel with the DC-DC switching converter, in a ramping manner.

21. The circuitry of claim 20, wherein the digitally controlled current source includes a plurality of current paths selectively coupling a power source to the node for applying voltage to the power domain load.

22. The circuitry of claim 21, wherein each of the current paths selectively couples the power source to the node for applying voltage to the power domain load based on an enable signal for that path and a signal indicative of difference of voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter and voltage applied to the power domain load.

23. The circuitry of claim 21, wherein a magnitude of current supplied by a particular current path is based on a magnitude of the signal indicative of difference of voltage of the output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter and voltage applied to the power domain load.

24. The circuitry of claim 21, wherein a magnitude of current supplied by a particular path is based on a magnitude of a signal indicative of a rate of change of difference of voltage of an output capacitor of the DC-DC switching converter with respect to voltage applied to the power domain load.

25. A system with a power transient control circuitry comprising:

a first switch and a second switch coupled in series between a higher power source and lower power source;

an inductor having one end coupled between the first and second switch and another end coupled to a capacitor and a power load in parallel; and

a first plurality of paths selectively couplable between the higher power source and the power load, each of the first plurality of paths having a switch for selectively coupling the path between the higher power source and the power load.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising at least one comparator for comparing voltage provided to the power load with predetermined values and an isolation switch coupled between the capacitor and the power load.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising a control circuitry, coupled to the first and second switch, to control the first and second switch based on feedback signals.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein each of the first plurality of paths passes discrete amounts of power to the power load.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the first and second switch based on a signal indicative of voltage at a node between the capacitor and the inductor.

30. The system of claim 25, further comprising a second plurality of paths selectively couplable between a node, between the first plurality of paths and the power load, and the lower power source, each of the second plurality of paths having a switch for selectively coupling the path between the node, between the first plurality of paths and the power load, and the lower power source.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a bypass switch selectively coupling the one end and the other end of the inductor.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the bypass switch based on at least a signal indicative of a comparison of inductor current and desired load current.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the control circuitry is configured to close the bypass switch if the signal indicative of the comparison of inductor current and desired load current indicates that the inductor current is greater than the desired load current by a predetermined factor.