Patent Publication Number: US-2023141062-A1

Title: Switching power supply module and memory storage device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 110141829, filed on Nov. 10, 2021. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to a power supply technology, and particularly relates to a switching power supply module and a memory storage device. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Most electronic devices are provided with a regulator to regulate (for example, step down) the input power to an appropriate value and supply the regulated power to various electronic circuits inside the electronic device. General regulators include direct current to direct current (DC/DC) regulators and low dropout (LDO) regulators. The DC/DC regulator is a regulating circuit with high power utilization efficiency. For example, when a DC/DC regulator performs a step-down operation, the DC/DC regulator can generally maintain a power utilization rate of 90% or more. Therefore, the DC/DC regulators are more commonly utilized to supply power to electronic circuits that consume more power. On the other hand, when the LDO regulator performs a step-down operation, the LDO regulator consumes excess power in the form of heat, and therefore the power utilization efficiency of the LDO regulator is poor. Accordingly, compared to DC/DC regulators, LDO regulators are more suitable for supplying power with small current. In addition, compared to DC/DC regulators, LDO regulators have the advantage of lower construction cost. Therefore, how to simultaneously configure these two regulators in the same electronic device and make them complement each other in operation is actually one of the issues that practitioners in the art are devoted to exploring. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure provides a switching power supply module and a memory storage device, which can improve the operation efficiency of different types of regulation circuits when they are utilized to cooperate with each other. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure provides a switching power supply module. The switching power supply module includes a first voltage regulation circuit, a second voltage regulation circuit, a switch circuit and a control circuit. The first voltage regulation circuit is configured to regulate an original power as a first power. The second voltage regulation circuit is configured to regulate the original power as a second power. The control circuit is coupled to the first voltage regulation circuit, the second voltage regulation circuit, and the switch circuit. The control circuit is configured for controlling the switch circuit to operate in one of a first state and a second state. In the first state, the switch circuit is configured to provide the first power to the first power supply target and the second power supply target. In the second state, the switch circuit is further configured to cut off the power supply path between the first voltage regulation circuit and the first power supply target and provide the second power to the second power supply target. The power conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulation circuit is higher than the power conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulation circuit. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure further provides a memory storage device, which includes a rewritable non-volatile memory module, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCI Express) interface, and a switching power supply module. The switching power supply module is coupled to the rewritable non-volatile memory module and the PCI express interface. The first voltage regulation circuit in the switching power supply module is configured to regulate the original power as the first power. The second voltage regulation circuit in the switching power supply module is configured to regulate the original power as the second power. The switching power supply module is configured to operate in one of the first state and the second state. In the first state, the switching power supply module is configured to provide the first power to the rewritable non-volatile memory module and the PCT express interface. In the second state, the switching power supply module is configured to cut off the power supply path between the first voltage regulation circuit and the first power supply target and provide the second power to the PCI express interface. The power conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulation circuit is higher than the power conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulation circuit. 
     Based on the above, the first voltage regulation circuit is configured to regulate the original power as the first power. The second voltage regulation circuit is configured to regulate the original power as the second power. In particular, the power conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulation circuit is higher than that of the second voltage regulation circuit. The control circuit can selectively control the switch circuit to conduct the first power supply path to provide the first power to the first power supply target in the first state, or conduct the second power supply path to provide the second power to the second power supply target in the second state. In this way, the operation efficiency of the two different types of voltage regulation circuits can be improved when they are operated in cooperation with each other. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic view of a switching power supply module according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic view illustrating a switching power supply module or a switching circuit operating in a first state according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic view illustrating a switching power supply module or a switching circuit operating in a second state according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic view of a first voltage regulation circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic view of a second voltage regulation circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic view of a memory storage device according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     A number of exemplary embodiments are presented below to illustrate the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to the multiple exemplary embodiments illustrated. Also, appropriate combinations of the exemplary embodiments are allowed. The term “coupling” used in the description of this disclosure (including claims) can refer to any direct or indirect connection means. For example, if the text describes that the first device is coupled to the second device, it should be interpreted as that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be indirectly connected to the second device through other devices or some kind of connection means. In addition, the term “signal” can refer to at least one current, voltage, charge, temperature, data, or any other one or more signals. 
       FIG.  1    is a schematic view of a switching power supply module according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Please refer to  FIG.  1   , the switching power supply module  10  may include a voltage regulation circuit (also referred to as a first voltage regulation circuit)  11 , a voltage regulation circuit (also referred to as a second voltage regulation circuit)  12 , a switch circuit  13  and a control circuit  14 . 
     The voltage regulation circuit  11  can be used to regulate a voltage (also referred to as original power) VDD as a voltage (also referred to as first power) V 1 . For example, the voltage V 1  may be lower than the voltage VDD. The voltage regulation circuit  12  can be used to regulate the voltage VDD as a voltage (also referred to as second power) V 2 . For example, the voltage V 2  may be lower than the voltage VDD. In particular, the power conversion efficiency of the voltage regulation circuit  11  is higher than the power conversion efficiency of the voltage regulation circuit  12 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the voltage regulation circuit  11  may include an inductance element  111 . The voltage regulation circuit  11  can be used to regulate the voltage VDD as the voltage V 1  by charging the inductance element  111 . For example, the voltage regulation circuit  11  may include a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) regulator. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the voltage regulation circuit  12  may include an error amplifier  121 . The voltage regulation circuit  12  can be used to regulate the voltage VDD to the voltage V 2  based on the feedback of the error amplifier  121 . For example, the voltage regulation circuit  12  may include a low dropout (LDO) regulator. 
     The switch circuit  13  is coupled to the voltage regulation circuit  11 , the voltage regulation circuit  12 , and the control circuit  14 . The switch circuit  13  (or the switching power supply module  10 ) can be selectively operated in one of the first state and the second state. In the first state, the switch circuit  13  can simultaneously provide the voltage V 1  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  11  to a load circuit (also referred to as the first power supply target)  101  and a load circuit (also referred to as the second power supply target)  102 . That is to say, in the first state, the voltage regulation circuit  11  can use the voltage V 1  to simultaneously supply power to the load circuits  101  and  102  through the switch circuit  13 . On the other hand, in the second state, the switch circuit  13  can cut off the power supply path between the voltage regulation circuit  11  and the load circuit  101  and provide the voltage V 2  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  12  to the load circuit  102 . That is, in the second state, the voltage regulation circuit  12  can use the voltage V 2  to supply power to the load circuit  102  only through the switch circuit  13 . 
     The control circuit  14  is coupled to the voltage regulation circuit  11 , the voltage regulation circuit  12 , and the switch circuit  13 . The control circuit  14  can be configured to control the switch circuit  13  to operate in the first state or the second state. For example, the control circuit  14  can send a signal (also referred to as a switch signal) SEL to the switch circuit  13 . The signal SEL can be used to control the switch circuit  13  to operate in the first state or the second state. The switch circuit  13  can automatically operate in the first state or the second state in response to the signal SEL. For example, the control circuit  14  may include a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices. 
       FIG.  2    is a schematic view illustrating a switching power supply module or a switching circuit operating in a first state according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Please refer to  FIG.  2   , when it is necessary to supply power to the load circuits  101  and  102  simultaneously, the control circuit  14  can send a signal (also referred to as an enable signal) EN to the voltage regulation circuit  11  to activate the voltage regulation circuit  11 . The activated voltage regulation circuit  11  can generate the voltage V 1 . On the other hand, the control circuit  14  can send a signal SEL to the switch circuit  13  to control the switch circuit  13  to operate in the first state. In the first state, the switch circuit  13  can conduct the power supply path between the voltage regulation circuit  11  and the load circuit  101  and the power supply path between the voltage regulation circuit  11  and the load circuit  102 . In this manner, in the first state, the switch circuit  13  can provide the voltage V 1  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  11  to the load circuits  101  and  102  to supply power to the load circuits  101  and  102  simultaneously. 
       FIG.  3    is a schematic view illustrating a switching power supply module or a switching circuit operating in a second state according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to  FIG.  3   , when the load circuit  101  does not need to be powered, the control circuit  14  can turn off the voltage regulation circuit  11  through the signal EN. The turned-off voltage regulation circuit  11  may not generate the voltage V 1 . On the other hand, the control circuit  14  can send a signal SEL to the switch circuit  13  to control the switch circuit  13  to operate in the second state. In the second state, the switch circuit  13  can cut off the power supply path between the voltage regulation circuit  11  and the load circuit  101  to stop supplying power to the load circuit  101 . Meanwhile, in the second state, the switch circuit  13  can conduct the power supply path between the voltage regulation circuit  12  and the load circuit  102  to use the voltage V 2  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  12  to supply power to the load circuit  102 . 
     It should be noted that the power utilization rate (or power conversion efficiency) of the voltage regulation circuit  11  in the operation of regulating the voltage VDD as the voltage V 1  (for example, stepping down the voltage VDD) is higher than the power utilization rate (or power conversion efficiency) of the voltage regulation circuit  12  in the operation of regulating the voltage VDD as the voltage V 2  (for example, stepping down the voltage VDD). Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG.  2   , when the load circuits  101  and  102  need to be powered simultaneously, the voltage regulation circuit  11  is used to simultaneously supply power with large current to the load circuits  101  and  102 , which can effectively improve the overall power utilization rate. On the other hand, in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG.  3   , when only the load circuit  102  needs to be powered, the voltage regulation circuit  12  is used to supply power with small current to the load circuit  102 , which can effectively reduce the static power consumption generated by the operation of the voltage regulation circuit  11 . 
     It should be noted that in the second state shown in  FIG.  3   , the voltage regulation circuit  11  is in an OFF state. Before switching the switching power supply module  10  or the switching circuit  13  from the second state to the first state, the control circuit  13  can activate the voltage regulation circuit  11  through the signal EN. The activated voltage regulation circuit  11  can generate the voltage V 1 . Then, the control circuit  13  can set the voltage V 2  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  12  according to the voltage V 1 . For example, the control circuit  13  can send a signal (also referred to as a voltage control signal CTRL) to the voltage regulation circuit  12  to instruct the voltage regulation circuit  12  to regulate the voltage V 2 . For example, the control circuit  13  may instruct the voltage regulation circuit  12  to set the voltage V 2  not to be higher than the voltage V 1 . After the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can control the switch circuit  13  to switch from the second state to the first state through the signal SEL. For example, after the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , when the voltage V 2  is not higher than the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can control the switch circuit  13  to switch from the second state to the first state through the signal SEL (for example, from the power supply state of  FIG.  3    to the power supply state of  FIG.  2   ). In addition, after the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can turn off the voltage regulation circuit  12 . In this way, during the process of switching the switch circuit  13  from the second state to the first state, the current provided to the load circuit  102  can be gently converted from being originally supplied by the voltage regulation circuit  12  into being supplied by the voltage regulation circuit  11 , thereby reducing the adverse effect on the load circuit  102  due to the change of power supply. 
     On the other hand, in the first state shown in  FIG.  2   , the voltage regulation circuit  11  is in an activated state to continuously generate the voltage V 1 . Before switching the switching power supply module  10  or the switch circuit  13  from the first state to the second state, the control circuit  13  can set the voltage V 2  generated by the voltage regulation circuit  12  according to the voltage V 1 . For example, the control circuit  13  can instruct the voltage regulation circuit  12  to set the voltage V 2  not to be lower than the voltage V 1  through the signal CTRL. After the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can control the switch circuit  13  to switch from the first state to the second state through the signal SEL. For example, after instructing the voltage regulation circuit  12  to regulate the voltage V 2 , when the voltage V 2  is not lower than the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can control the switch circuit  13  to switch from the first state to the second state through the signal SEL (for example, switching from the power supply state of  FIG.  2    to the power supply state of  FIG.  3   ). In addition, after the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  can turn off the voltage regulation circuit  11  to stop generating the voltage V 1 . In this manner, during the process of switching the switch circuit  13  from the first state to the second state, the current provided to the load circuit  102  can be gently converted from being originally supplied by the voltage regulation circuit  11  into being supplied by the voltage regulation circuit  12 , thereby reducing the adverse effect on the load circuit  102  due to the change of power supply. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the operation of setting the voltage V 2  according to the voltage V 1  may also be setting the voltage V 2  to be close to or the same as the voltage V 1  by the voltage regulation circuit  12 . In this way, in the process of switching the switch circuit  13  from the first state to the second state or from the second state to the first state, the voltages V 1  and V 2  can become consistent, so that the current provided to the load circuit  102  can be gently switched between being supplied by the voltage regulation circuit  11  and the voltage regulation circuit  12 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the control circuit  13  can detect the voltage  11  in real time at the output terminal of the voltage regulation circuit  11 . Based on the detected voltage  11 , the control circuit  13  can instruct the voltage regulation circuit  12  to regulate the voltage V 2 , for example, to make the voltage V 2  follow or be close to the voltage  11 . 
       FIG.  4    is a schematic view of a first voltage regulation circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  4   , the voltage regulation circuit  11  may include a switching element  401 , an inductance element L 1 , and a capacitance element C 1 . The switching element  401  can be in an ON or OFF state to charge or discharge the inductance element L 1 , so as to generate an output voltage Vout according to the input voltage Vin. In addition, the voltage V 1  can be generated according to the output voltage Vout of  FIG.  4   . It should be noted that in different exemplary embodiments, the configuration of the electronic components in the voltage regulation circuit  11  can be adjusted according to practical requirements to meet the functional requirements of the corresponding DC/DC regulator. 
       FIG.  5    is a schematic view of a second voltage regulation circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  5   , the voltage regulation circuit  12  may include an error amplifier  501 , a transistor element  502 , an impedance element R 1 , an impedance element R 2 , and a reference voltage Vref. The error amplifier  501  can control the voltage difference between the two ends of the transistor element  502  according to the voltage Vfb and the reference voltage Vref, thereby regulating the output voltage Vout. In other words, the error amplifier  501  can feed back the output voltage Vout to the regulation of the voltage difference between the two ends of the transistor element  502 , thereby affecting the output voltage Vout. The voltage V 2  can be generated according to the output voltage Vout of  FIG.  5   . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, during the period when the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the control circuit  13  of  FIG.  1    may set the voltage Vref according to the voltage V 1 . For example, the voltage Vref is directed to or coupled to the output terminal of the voltage regulation circuit  11 . For example, the voltage Vref can be coupled to the output terminal of the voltage regulation circuit  11  through a voltage divider circuit. This voltage divider circuit can be used to convert the voltage V 1  at the output terminal of the voltage regulation circuit  11  into a voltage Vref (for example, Vref=V 1 *R 2 /(R 1 +R 2 )). In this way, during the period when the voltage V 2  is set according to the voltage V 1 , the output voltage Vout can gradually become close to or the same as the voltage V 1 . It should be noted that in different exemplary embodiments, the configuration of the electronic components in the voltage regulation circuit  12  can be adjusted according to practical requirements to meet the functional requirements of the corresponding LDO regulator. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of  FIG.  1   , the load circuit  101  may include a rewritable non-volatile memory module, and the load circuit  102  may include a peripheral component interconnect express (PCI Express, PCIe) interface. However, in another exemplary embodiment, the load circuits  101  and  102  may also include other types of electronic circuits or electronic devices. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the switching power supply module  10  mentioned in the foregoing exemplary embodiment may be disposed in a memory storage device. However, in another exemplary embodiment, the switching power supply module  10  can also be disposed in other types of electronic devices, and is not limited to a memory storage device. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, a memory storage device (also known as a memory storage system) includes a rewritable non-volatile memory module and a controller (also known as a control circuit). Generally, the memory storage device is used together with a host system, so that the host system can write data to the memory storage device or read data from the memory storage device. 
       FIG.  6    is a schematic view of a memory storage device according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to  FIG.  6   , the memory storage device  600  includes a switching power supply module  60 , a rewritable non-volatile memory module  61 , and a PCI express (PCIe) interface  62 . The rewritable non-volatile memory module  61  can be used to store data from the host system. The PCIe interface  62  can be used to connect to a host system. 
     The switching power supply module  60  may include a switching power supply module  10  of  FIG.  1   . The rewritable non-volatile memory module  61  may be regarded as the load circuit  101  of  FIG.  1   , and the PCIe interface  62  may be regarded as the load circuit  102  of  FIG.  1   . The switching power supply module  60  can use power supplies P 1  and P 2  to supply power to the rewritable non-volatile memory modules  61  and  62 , respectively. For example, the power supply P 1  can be provided by the voltage regulation circuit  11  in  FIG.  1   , and the power supply P 2  can be selectively provided by the voltage regulation circuit  11  or  12  in  FIG.  1    under different states of the switching power supply module  60 . For details of related operations, please refer to the descriptions of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and no further description is incorporated herein. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, the rewritable non-volatile memory module  61  and/or the PCIe interface  62  can also be substituted by other types of electronic circuits or electronic devices, which are not limited by the disclosure. 
     The rewritable non-volatile memory module  61  is used to store data written by the host system. The rewritable non-volatile memory module  61  may include a single level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory module (that is, each memory cell of a SLC NAND flash memory module is capable of storing 1 bit of data), a multi level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory module (that is, each memory cell of an MLC NAND flash memory module is capable of storing 2 bits of data), a triple level cell (TLC) NAND flash memory module (that is, each memory cell of a TLC NAND flash memory module is capable of storing 3 bits of data), a quad level cell (QLC) NAND flash memory module (that is, each memory cell of a QLC NAND flash memory module is capable of storing 4 bits of data), other flash memory modules, or other memory modules with the same characteristics. 
     In summary, the switching power supply module provided by the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure can selectively conduct or switch the power supply paths of different types of voltage regulation circuits (such as DC/DC regulators and LDO regulators), so as to achieve the best economic benefits of these voltage regulation circuits in joint operation. In addition, by making the output voltage of the LDO regulator to follow or become close to the output voltage of the DC/DC regulator in advance during the switching of the power supply paths, the adverse effects on the load circuit caused by the switching of the power supply paths can be reduced. 
     Although the present disclosure has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope to be protected by the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope of the attached claims.