Dual inductive element charge pump buck and buck power supplies

• US 9,577,590 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Levesque, Chris, Berchtold, Jean-Christophe, Colles, Joseph Hubert, Deuchars, Robert, Southcombe, William David, Zimlich, David, Jones, David E., Yoder, Scott, Stockert, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Jue
• Application Number:
  US13/937,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 323/272
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H03F 1/0227 using supply converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0261 with control of the polarisation voltage or current, e.g. gliding Class A
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/171 A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/222 A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/27 A biasing circuit node being switched in an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/318 A matching circuit being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• 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 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/411 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising two power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/414 A switch being coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier to switch the output on/off
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/417 A switch coupled in the output circuit of an amplifier being controlled by a circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/504 the supply voltage or current being continuously controlled by a controlling signal, e.g. the controlling signal of a transistor implemented as variable resistor in a supply path for, an IC-block showed amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/534 Transformer coupled at the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/537 A transformer being used as coupling element between two amplifying stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/541 Transformer coupled at the output of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21106 An input signal being distributed in parallel over the inputs of a plurality of power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21142 Output signals of a plurality of power amplifiers are parallel combined to a common output
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/21157 : A filter circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 : with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/191 : Tuned amplifiers H03F3/193, H03F3/195 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 : with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 : in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/21 : with semiconductor devices only H03F3/245 takes precedence
• 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: H03F 3/602 : Combinations of several amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 : Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 : Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal

Abstract

A direct current (DC)-DC converter, which includes a charge pump buck power supply and a buck power supply is disclosed. The charge pump buck power supply includes a charge pump buck converter, a first inductive element, and an energy storage element. The charge pump buck converter and the first inductive element are coupled in series between a DC power supply, such as a battery, and the energy storage element. The buck power supply includes a buck converter, a second inductive element, and the energy storage element. The buck converter and the second inductive element are coupled in series between the DC power supply and the energy storage element. As such, the charge pump buck power supply and the buck power supply share the energy storage element.

Claims

1. Circuitry comprising:

a charge pump buck power supply comprising a charge pump buck converter, a first inductive element, and an energy storage element, such that the charge pump buck converter and the first inductive element are coupled in series between a direct current (DC) power supply and the energy storage element;

the charge pump buck converter has a first output inductance node and comprises a plurality of shunt pump buck switching elements coupled in series between the first output inductance node and a ground; and

the first inductive element is coupled between the first output inductance node and the energy storage element; and

a buck power supply comprising a buck converter, a second inductive element, and the energy storage element, such that;

the buck converter and the second inductive element are coupled in series between the DC power supply and the energy storage element; and

the charge pump buck power supply and the buck power supply share the energy storage element.

2. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

during a first converter operating mode, the charge pump buck power supply is adapted to receive and convert a DC power supply signal from the DC power supply to provide a first switching power supply output signal to a load based on a setpoint; and

during a second converter operating mode, the buck power supply is adapted to receive and convert the DC power supply signal from the DC power supply to provide the first switching power supply output signal to the load based on the setpoint, wherein the setpoint is based on a desired voltage of the first switching power supply output signal.

3. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein:

during the second converter operating mode, the charge pump buck power supply is adapted to be disabled; and

during the first converter operating mode, the buck power supply is adapted to be disabled.

4. The circuitry of claim 2 wherein selection of one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode is based on a voltage of the DC power supply signal and the setpoint, such that the first converter operating mode is selected when the desired voltage of the first switching power supply output signal is greater than the voltage of the DC power supply signal.

5. The circuitry of claim 4 wherein the selection of the one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode is further based on a load current of the load.

6. The circuitry of claim 5 wherein the second converter operating mode is selected when the desired voltage of the first switching power supply output signal is less than the voltage of the DC power supply signal and the load current is less than a load current threshold.

7. The circuitry of claim 5 wherein the selection of the one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode is further based on maximizing efficiency.

8. The circuitry of claim 2 further comprising control circuitry and DC-DC control circuitry, such that:

the control circuitry is adapted to provide the setpoint to the DC-DC control circuitry; and

the DC-DC control circuitry is adapted to select one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode.

9. The circuitry of claim 2 further comprising control circuitry and DC-DC control circuitry, such that the control circuitry is adapted to:

provide the setpoint to the DC-DC control circuitry;

select one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode; and

provide a DC configuration control signal to the DC-DC control circuitry based on the selection of the one of the first converter operating mode and the second converter operating mode.

10. The circuitry of claim 9 further comprising transceiver circuitry and a DC-DC converter, such that:

the transceiver circuitry provides the control circuitry; and

the DC-DC converter provides the DC-DC control circuitry, the charge pump buck power supply, and the buck power supply.

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

12. The circuitry of claim 11 wherein:

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

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

13. The circuitry of claim 12 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.

14. The circuitry of claim 12 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.

15. The circuitry of claim 12 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.

16. The circuitry of claim 12 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 the bias power supply signal and provide the first final bias signal based on the bias power supply signal; and

a direct current DC-DC converter adapted to receive the DC power supply signal from the 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.

17. The circuitry of claim 12 further comprising:

multi-mode multi-band 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 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.

18. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the buck converter has a second output inductance node;

the second inductive element is coupled between the second output inductance node and the energy storage element; and

the buck converter comprises a shunt buck switching element coupled between the second output inductance node and a ground.

19. The circuitry of claim 18 wherein:

the buck converter further comprises a series buck switching element coupled between the DC power supply and the second output inductance node;

the charge pump buck converter further comprises an alpha plurality of series pump buck switching elements coupled in series between the DC power supply and the first output inductance node through an alpha flying capacitive element; and

the charge pump buck converter further comprises a beta plurality of series pump buck switching elements coupled in series between the DC power supply and the first output inductance node through a beta flying capacitive element.

20. The circuitry of claim 1 further comprising the DC power supply.

21. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the DC power supply is a battery.

22. The circuitry of claim 1 wherein the energy storage element is a capacitive element.

23. A method comprising:

providing a charge pump buck power supply comprising a charge pump buck converter, a first inductive element, and an energy storage element, such that the charge pump buck converter and the first inductive element are coupled in series between a direct current (DC) power supply and the energy storage element;

the charge pump buck converter has a first output inductance node and comprises a plurality of shunt pump buck switching elements coupled in series between the first output inductance node and a ground; and

the first inductive element is coupled between the first output inductance node and the energy storage element;

providing a buck power supply comprising a buck converter, a second inductive element, and the energy storage element, such that;

the buck converter and the second inductive element are coupled in series between the DC power supply and the energy storage element; and

the charge pump buck power supply and the buck power supply share the energy storage element;

during a first converter operating mode, receiving and converting a DC power supply signal from the DC power supply using the charge pump buck power supply to provide a first switching power supply output signal to a load based on a setpoint; and

during a second converter operating mode, receiving and converting the DC power supply signal from the DC power supply using the buck power supply to provide the first switching power supply output signal to the load based on the setpoint, wherein the setpoint is based on a desired voltage of the first switching power supply output signal.