Dual mode voltage regulator with reconfiguration capability

• US 9,577,523 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cowley, Nicholas P., Talbot, Andrew D., Mudd, Mark, Spinks, Stephen J., Pinson, Keith, Perry, Colin L., Martin, Alan J., Kan, Chi Man, Aitken, Matthew T., Barber, William L., Ali, Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): Dole, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tiku, Sisay G
• Application Number:
  US13/997,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 323/224, 323282-285
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0045 Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A dual mode voltage regulator according to one embodiment includes a passive regulator circuit, a switching regulator circuit, and a controller circuit configured to determine parameters of an external select input. The controller is configured to selectively couple, on a cold boot up, either the passive regulator circuit or the switching regulator circuit between an input voltage port and an output load based on the determination of parameters.

Claims

1. A dual mode voltage regulator, comprising:

an input voltage port;

an output voltage port;

a passive regulator circuit;

a switching regulator circuit; and

a controller circuit to determine parameters of an external select input and selectively couple one of said passive regulator circuit and said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port, said selective coupling based on said determining of parameters, wherein said parameters include at least a ratio of a voltage at said output voltage port to a voltage at said input voltage port;

wherein said controller circuit is further to couple said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio of said voltage at said output voltage port to said voltage at said input voltage port is below a second pre-determined threshold.

2. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said switching regulator circuit comprises:

an upper power switch coupled between said input voltage port and said output voltage port; and

a lower power switch coupled between said output voltage port and a ground;

wherein said passive regulator circuit is to control a pass gate, said pass gate employing said upper power switch of said switching regulator.

3. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 2, further comprising timing generation circuitry to provide a pulse width modulated (PWM) gating signal to said upper power switch and said lower power switch, and wherein a transition of said selective coupling is synchronized with said PWM gating signal.

4. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said parameters include at least one of voltage at said input voltage port, voltage at said output voltage port, and current through a load coupled to said output voltage port.

5. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said controller circuit is further to couple said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through said load exceeds a first pre-determined threshold.

6. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 5, wherein said controller circuit is further to couple said passive regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through said load is below said first pre-determined threshold.

7. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said controller circuit is further to couple said passive regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio exceeds said second pre-determined threshold.

8. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said controller circuit is further to couple said passive regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to detecting the absence of a system clock signal.

9. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein said switching regulator circuit is a buck voltage regulator and said passive regulator circuit is as a low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulator.

10. The dual mode voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein, upon a cold boot up, said controller circuit is to selectively couple one of said passive regulator circuit and said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port.

11. A method for providing dual mode voltage regulation, said method comprising:

determining, by a controller circuit, parameters of an external select input;

selectively coupling, by said controller circuit, one of a passive voltage regulator and a switching voltage regulator between an input voltage port and an output voltage port, said selective coupling based on said determining of parameters, wherein said parameters include at least a ratio of a voltage at said output voltage port to a voltage at said input voltage port; and

coupling said switching voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio of said voltage at said output voltage port to said voltage at said input voltage port is below a second pre-determined threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said parameters include at least one of voltage at said input voltage port, voltage at said output voltage port, and current through a load coupled to said output voltage port.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a switch that is operable as a power switch associated with said switching voltage regulator and as a pass gate associated with said passive voltage regulator.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a PWM gating signal to control said switch and transitioning said selective coupling in synchronization with said PWM gating signal.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling said switching voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through a load coupled to said output voltage port exceeds a first pre-determined threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through a load coupled to said output voltage port is below said first pre-determined threshold.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio exceeds said second pre-determined threshold.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to detecting the absence of a system clock signal.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising selectively coupling, by said controller circuit, one of said passive regulator circuit and said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port upon a cold boot up.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which when executed by a processor result in the following operations for providing dual mode voltage regulation, said operations comprising:

determining, by a controller circuit, parameters of an external select input;

selectively coupling, by said controller circuit, one of a passive voltage regulator and a switching voltage regulator between an input voltage port and an output voltage port, said selective coupling based on said determining of parameters, wherein said parameters include at least a ratio of a voltage at said output voltage port to a voltage at said input voltage port; and

coupling said switching voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio of said voltage at said output voltage port to said voltage at said input voltage port is below a second pre-determined threshold.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said parameters include at least one of voltage at said input voltage port, voltage at said output voltage port, and current through a load coupled to said output voltage port.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said operations further comprise generating a PWM gating signal to control said switching voltage regulator and transitioning said selective coupling in synchronization with said PWM gating signal.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said operations further comprise coupling said switching voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through a load coupled to said output voltage port exceeds a first pre-determined threshold.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said operations further comprise coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that a current through a load coupled to said output voltage port is below said first pre-determined threshold.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said operations further comprise coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to determining that said ratio exceeds said second pre-determined threshold.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said operations further comprise coupling said passive voltage regulator between said input voltage port and said output voltage port in response to detecting the absence of a system clock signal.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, where said operations further comprise selectively coupling, by said controller circuit, one of said passive regulator circuit and said switching regulator circuit between said input voltage port and said output voltage port upon a cold boot up.