Load sharing across multiple voltage supplies

• US 9,690,346 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Bucher, II, James Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Vincent
• Application Number:
  US14/928,806
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 713300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for sharing power load across multiple input supplies in a peripheral device. Current utilized by the peripheral device from a first voltage supply is monitored and if the current exceeds a first threshold, a voltage converter is utilized to supplement the current from the first voltage supply with current from a second voltage supply up to a maximum total current threshold for the second voltage supply.

Claims

1. A method for sharing power load across a plurality of voltage supplies to a peripheral device, the method comprising steps of:

monitoring a current utilized by the peripheral device from a first voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies;

if the current utilized by the peripheral device from the first voltage supply is greater than a first threshold, supplementing the current from the first voltage supply with current from a second voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies by converting the voltage of the second voltage supply to the voltage of the first voltage supply;

monitoring a total current utilized by the peripheral device from the second voltage supply; and

if the total current utilized by the peripheral device from the second voltage supply is greater than a second threshold, limiting the supplementation of the current from the first voltage supply with the current from the second voltage supply.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the voltage of the second voltage supply to the voltage of the first voltage supply is performed by a buck converter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the buck converter is driven by a variable-frequency hysteretic current control circuit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the buck converter is driven by a fixed-frequency hysteretic current control circuit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a storage device with a Serial AT Attachment (“

SATA”

) power connector and wherein the first voltage supply comprises a 5V power bus of the SATA power connector and the second voltage supply comprises a 12V power bus of the SATA power connector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a hard disk drive (“

HDD”

) device and the first voltage supply is utilized for a read/write channel of the HDD device and the second voltage supply is utilized for a spindle motor and voice coil motor of the HDD device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed by a load sharing circuit embedded in an electronic fuse of the peripheral device.

8. An apparatus for sharing power load across a plurality of voltage supplies in a peripheral device, the apparatus comprising:

a first current sense component configured to sense a current utilized by the peripheral device from a first voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies;

a voltage converter configured to convert voltage of a second voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies to the voltage of the first voltage supply;

a current controller configured to monitor the current utilized by the peripheral device from the first voltage supply, and if the current utilized by the peripheral device from a first voltage supply exceeds a first threshold, drive the voltage converter to supplement the current from the first voltage supply with current from the second voltage supply;

a second current sense component configured to sense a total current utilized by the peripheral device from the second voltage supply; and

a current limiting component configured to monitor the total current total current utilized by the peripheral device from the second voltage supply, and if the total current utilized by the peripheral device from the second voltage supply exceeds a second threshold, cause the current controller to limit the supplementation of the current from the first voltage supply with the current from the second voltage supply.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the voltage converter comprises a buck converter.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the current controller comprises a hysteretic current control circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the peripheral device is a storage device with a Serial AT Attachment (“

SATA”

) power connector and wherein the first voltage supply comprises the SATA power connector 5V power bus and the second voltage supply comprises the SATA power connector 12V power bus.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the peripheral device is a hard disk drive (“

HDD”

) device and the first voltage supply is utilized for a read/write channel of the HDD device and the second voltage supply is utilized for a spindle motor and voice coil motor of the HDD device.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is embedded in an electronic fuse of the peripheral device.

14. A hard disk drive (“

HDD”

) apparatus comprising;

a power connector connecting the HDD apparatus to a host device and providing a plurality of voltage supplies from the host device to the HDD apparatus;

a first set of components of the HDD apparatus configured to draw power from a first voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies;

a second set of components of the HDD apparatus configured to draw power from a second voltage supply of the plurality of voltage supplies; and

a load sharing module interposed between the plurality of voltage supplies and the first and second set of components, the load sharing module configured to

monitor a current utilized by the first set of components from the first voltage supply,

if the current utilized by the first set of components from the first voltage supply is greater than a first threshold, supplementing the current from the first voltage supply with current from the second voltage supply by converting the voltage of the second voltage supply to the voltage of the first voltage supply,

monitor a total current utilized by the first and second set of components from the second voltage supply, and

if the total current from the second voltage supply is greater than a second threshold, limit the supplementation of the current from the first voltage supply with the current from the second voltage supply.

15. The HDD apparatus of claim 14, wherein the load sharing module comprises a buck converter.

16. The HDD apparatus of claim 15, wherein the buck converter is driven by a hysteretic current control circuit.

17. The HDD apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first set of components comprises a read/write channel of the HDD apparatus and the second set of components comprises a spindle motor of the HDD apparatus.