Digital sub-regulators

• US 9,899,922 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2017
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Remple, Terrence Brian, Shahrokhinia, Sassan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dole, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Bryan R
• Application Number:
  US15/431,243
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/59 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/157 with digital control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0005 Modifications of input or output impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/48 Servo-type converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In certain aspects, a regulator includes a variable-impedance switch coupled between a supply rail and a circuit block, wherein an impedance of the variable-impedance switch is set by an impedance code input to the variable-impedance switch. The regulator also includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a block supply voltage at the circuit block into a voltage code, and a controller configured to adjust the impedance code based on the voltage code in a direction that reduces a difference between the block supply voltage and a target supply voltage.

Claims

1. A regulator, comprising:

a variable-impedance switch coupled between a supply rail and a circuit block, wherein an impedance of the variable-impedance switch is set by an impedance code input to the variable-impedance switch;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a block supply voltage at the circuit block into a voltage code; and

a controller configured to adjust the impedance code based on the voltage code in a direction that reduces a difference between the block supply voltage and a target supply voltage;

wherein the controller is configured to adjust the impedance code by a first amount within a period of time in response to a voltage droop on the block supply voltage, and to adjust the impedance code by a second amount within the period of time in response to a voltage overshoot on the block supply voltage, wherein a magnitude of the first amount is larger than a magnitude of the second amount, and the voltage droop and the voltage overshoot have approximately a same magnitude.

2. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a multiplexer configured to receive a plurality of adjustment values;

a decoder configured to select one of the plurality of adjustment values based on the voltage code, wherein the multiplexer is further configured to output the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values at an output of the multiplexer; and

an accumulator coupled to the output of the multiplexer, wherein the accumulator is configured to adjust the impedance code based on the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values.

3. The regulator of claim 2, wherein the accumulator is configured to adjust the impedance code based on the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values by adding the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values to the impedance code.

4. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a plurality of accumulators, wherein each one of the plurality of accumulators is configured to adjust the impedance code based on a respective one of a plurality of adjustment values to generate a respective updated impedance code;

a multiplexer configured to receive the updated impedance codes from the plurality of accumulators; and

a decoder configured to select one of the plurality of adjustment values based on the voltage code;

wherein the multiplexer is further configured to select one of the updated impedance codes based on the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values, and to output the selected one of the updated impedance codes to the variable-impedance switch.

5. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the target supply voltage is proportional to a supply voltage on the supply rail.

6. The regulator of claim 5, wherein the ADC comprises:

a reference generation circuit configured to generate a plurality of reference voltages, wherein each one of the plurality of reference voltages is a different fraction of the supply voltage on the supply rail; and

a plurality of comparators, wherein each one of the plurality of comparators is configured to compare a respective one of the reference voltages with the block supply voltage, and to generate a respective bit of the voltage code based on the comparison;

wherein the target supply voltage corresponds to one of the reference voltages.

7. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the variable-impedance switch comprises a plurality of clusters, each one of the plurality of clusters comprises respective one or more pass transistors coupled between supply rail and the circuit block, and the impedance code controls a number of the plurality of clusters that are turned on.

8. The regulator of claim 7, wherein the plurality of clusters is weighted such that turning on one of the plurality of clusters changes the impedance of the variable-impedance switch by an approximately fixed percentage regardless of a number of the plurality of clusters that are already turned on.

9. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine in which one of a plurality of magnitude ranges the magnitude of the voltage droop on the block supply voltage is located based on the voltage code, and to adjust the impedance code based on the determined one of the plurality of magnitude ranges.

10. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the first amount is at least four times larger than the magnitude of the second amount.

11. The regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to shift the voltage code if a previous adjustment to the impedance of the variable-impedance switch is greater than a threshold, and to adjust the impedance code based on the shifted voltage code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the supply rail is coupled to a power distribution network, and the period of time is less than a resonance period of a resonance network formed by an inductance of the power distribution network and a capacitance of the circuit block.

13. A method for adjusting an impedance of a variable-impedance switch, wherein the variable-impedance switch is coupled between a supply rail and a circuit block, and an impedance of the variable-impedance switch is set by an impedance code input to the variable-impedance switch, the method comprising:

converting a block supply voltage at the circuit block into a voltage code; and

adjusting the impedance code based on the voltage code in a direction that reduces a difference between the block supply voltage and a target supply voltage;

wherein adjusting the impedance code based on the voltage code further comprises;

adjusting the impedance code by a first amount within a period of time in response to a voltage droop on the block supply voltage; and

adjusting the impedance code by a second amount within the period of time in response to a voltage overshoot on the block supply voltage;

wherein a magnitude of the first amount is larger than a magnitude of the second amount, and the voltage droop and the voltage overshoot have approximately a same magnitude.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the impedance code based on the voltage code further comprises:

selecting one of the plurality of adjustment values based on the voltage code; and

adjusting the impedance code based on the selected one of the plurality of adjustment values.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the impedance code based on the voltage code further comprises:

for each one of a plurality of adjustment values, adjusting the impedance code by the respective adjustment value to generate a respective updated impedance code; and

selecting one of the updated impedance codes based on the voltage code.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the target supply voltage is proportional to a supply voltage on the supply rail.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the impedance code based on the voltage code further comprises:

determining in which one of a plurality of magnitude ranges the magnitude of the voltage droop on the block supply voltage is located based on the voltage code; and

adjusting the impedance code based on the determined one of the plurality of magnitude ranges.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the magnitude of the first amount is at least four times larger than the magnitude of the second amount.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising shifting the voltage code if a previous adjustment to the impedance of the variable-impedance switch is greater than a threshold, wherein adjusting the impedance code is based on the shifted voltage code.