Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses an analog to digital conversion system, which converts an analog input signal into a digital output signal using low resolution analog to digital converters, while avoiding interference, such as clipping.

<CIT> discloses a method and apparatus for increasing the effective resolution of an analog-to-digital converter to a value greater than that provided by the actual word length or bit capacity thereof. This is achieved by a coarse/fine resolver which provides the "coarse" and "fine" analog signal components of the analog input signal, which are subsequently converted to a digital domain and combined to result in the digital output signal of increased resolution.

Certain examples are described in the following detailed description in sampled to the following drawings.

Usually, a feedback signal in a digitally-controlled power supply needs sufficient resolution (e.g., resolution of the voltage measurement of the feedback signal) for the digitally-controlled power supply to achieve accurate operation (e.g., precision control). For instance, with proper resolution, a digitally-controlled power supply can detect small changes to the feedback signal and dynamically regulate itself accordingly to address those small changes. Proper resolution can allow a digitally-controlled power supply to trim the voltage being outputted with better precision to address changes in electrical load.

The invention is defined by the voltage sampling method according to claim <NUM> and the voltage sampling system according to claim <NUM>. Further aspects are defined by the corresponding dependent claims.

Some examples described herein provide for staged sampling of an output signal to achieve high-resolution measurement (e.g., voltage measurement) of the output signal, and to achieve this high-resolution measurement without the use of a high-resolution analog-to-digital (ADC) traditionally needed to do so. In particular, some examples can achieve high-resolution measurement of the output signal while using one or more lower-resolution ADCs typically utilized by the industry in constructing digitally-controlled power supplies. The lower-resolution ADCs utilized by a given example may have a lower total cost than a single high-resolution ADC that would otherwise be needed to achieve high-resolution measurement. For instance, some systems and methods described herein may utilize one or two lower resolution ADCs (e.g. <NUM> bit resolution) to measure an output signal (e.g., of a digitally-controlled power supply) at a predetermined resolution, and may utilize those lower resolution ADCs in place of a single, higher-resolution ADC (e.g., <NUM>-bit ADC) to obtain the measurement. With the high-resolution measurement, a digitally-controlled power supply (or the like) can improve the resolution of a feedback signal used within the digitally-controlled power supply, which in turn can improve precision of its operation.

Various examples provide for systems and methods for voltage sampling using one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to sense divided portions of a sampled voltage (e.g., of an output signal), using the one or more analog-to-digital converters to provide a plurality of digital values representative of those divided portions, and combining the plurality of digital values to produce a total digital value representative of the sampled voltage. Such systems and methods can achieve a high resolution for the total digital value while permitting use of ADCs that have a resolution lower than would otherwise be required to achieve the high resolution. Generally, the total cost of the one or more lower-resolution ADCs utilized by various systems and methods described herein have a lower total cost than the single higher resolution ADC that would be needed to achieve the same high resolution.

For particular examples, the voltage sampling described herein uses one or more lower-resolution resolution analog-to-digital converters (e.g., <NUM>-bit or <NUM>-bit ADCs) to sense the portions of the sampled voltage and to provide the plurality of digital values representative of those portions. The resolution of the total digital value achieved by various examples may be higher than what can be achieved by using any one of the one or more lower-resolution ADCs alone to sense the entirety of the sampled voltage. Further, the resolution of the total digital value achieved by various examples may be equal to or higher than the resolution achieved using a higher-resolution ADC (e.g., <NUM>-bit) to sense the entirety of the sampled voltage. Consequently, various examples can provide a digital value (representative of a sampled voltage) having a high resolution, previously achieved using a higher-resolution ADC, now being achieved using one or more lower-resolution ADCs, which have a lower cost than their higher-resolution counterparts.

According to some examples, a first ADC is utilized to sense a sampled voltage divided by a set of resistors as a coarse sampled voltage, and a second ADC is utilized to sense the remainder of the sampled voltage (e.g., provided by a differential amplifier) as a fine sampled voltage. Since the sum of the coarse sampled voltage and the fine sampled voltage equals the total sampled voltage (e.g., the coarse signal plus the fine signal is the total feedback signal), the digital values provided by the first and second ADCs can be combined to provide a digital value representing the sampled voltage. As described herein, the resolution of this digital value may be higher than what can be achieved by using either first ADC or the second ADC alone to sense the sampled voltage, and may be higher than what can be achieved by sensing the sampled voltage using a single ADC (e.g., <NUM>-bit) having a higher-resolution than each of the first and second ADCs.

According to various examples, a shared ADC is utilized at a first time to sense a sampled voltage divided by a set of resistors as a coarse sampled voltage, and the shared ADC is utilized at a second time to sense the remainder of the sampled voltage (e.g., provided by a differential amplifier) as a fine sampled voltage (e.g., a fine signal). A switching mechanism may facilitate the shared analog-to-digital converter to be used with the fine sampled voltage at a first time, and to be used with the coarse sampled voltage at a second time. The results of the shared ADC at the first time may be combined with the result of the shared ADC at a second time to produce a digital value representative of the sampled voltage. The resolution of this digital value may be higher than what can be achieved by using the shared ADC to sense the sampled voltage all at once, and may be higher than what can be achieved by sensing the sampled voltage using a single ADC (e.g., <NUM>-bit) having a higher-resolution than the shared ADC.

With respect to applications, the systems and methods provided can be utilized to improve the resolution of a feedback signal, such as that of a digitally-controlled electric power supply (hereafter, power supply), without use of a higher-cost ADC. For instance, the sampled voltage may be that of a feedback signal from a power converter of the power supply, where two ADCs or a single-shared ADC is utilized to sense the feedback signal divided by a resistor as a coarse signal, and to sense the remainder of the feedback signal (e.g., provided by a differential amplifier) as a fine signal. The coarse signal plus the fine signal is the total the feedback signal. When the power converter is operated in regulation, the fine signal can be used to fine-tune the output voltage of the power converter and can rapidly detect the voltage change during load/line transient conditions. In this way, systems and methods described herein can permit allow for staged signal sampling to improve the resolution of feedback signal in the digital-controlled power supply, and do so without the need for a higher-cost ADC.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an example method <NUM> for sampling voltage according to the present disclosure. For some examples, the method <NUM> may be one performed with respect to a device that utilizes feedback control to adjust its output, such as a power supply. Depending on the example, the method <NUM> may be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on a machine-readable medium or in the form of electronic circuitry. For some examples, the operations performed or the order in which operations are performed may differ from what is illustrated by <FIG>.

The method <NUM> may begin at block <NUM> by dividing a sampled voltage into a fine sampled voltage and a coarse sampled voltage. For some examples, the sampled voltage may be one sampled from an output of a power converter or another electronic device. For some examples, the sample voltage is sampled from an output signal. A set of components including a resistor, a capacitor, a differential amplifier (e.g., differential operational amplifier), or the like may be utilized to divide the sampled voltage to the fine sampled voltage and the coarse sampled voltage.

The method <NUM> continues with block <NUM> by converting a fine sampled voltage, from block <NUM>, to a first digital value representing the fine sampled voltage. A lower-resolution analog-to-digital converter (e.g., <NUM>-bit analog-to-digital converter rather than a <NUM>-bit one) may be utilized to convert the fine sampled voltage to the first digital value. For various examples, the first digital value representing the fine sampled voltage provides a voltage measurement of the fine sampled voltage. Additionally, for some examples, the sample voltage is sampled from an output signal and, as a result, the fine sampled voltage may be a signal (i.e., a fine sampled signal). As described herein, the fine sampled voltage, once combined with the coarse sampled voltage, may be utilized herein to fine-tune the operation of an electronic device, such as a power converter and its output during load/line transient conditions.

For some examples, converting the fine sampled voltage to the first digital value comprises first scaling down the fine sampled voltage to a scaled fine sampled voltage. The fine sampled voltage may be scaled down based on a maximum voltage sense level associated with the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that is to be used at block <NUM> to produce the first digital value. For instance, the ADC utilized at block <NUM> may have a maximum voltage sense level of <NUM>. 3V and, as such, the fine sampled voltage can be scaled down by a factor of <NUM>. Eventually, the ADC (having the maximum voltage sense level) can be used to convert the scaled fine sampled voltage to the first digital value.

The method <NUM> continues with block <NUM> by converting a coarse sampled voltage, from block <NUM>, to a second digital value representing the coarse sampled voltage. A lower-resolution analog-to-digital converter (e.g., <NUM>-bit analog-to-digital converter rather than a <NUM>-bit one) may be utilized to convert the coarse sampled voltage to the second digital value. For some examples, the analog-to-digital converter used at block <NUM> may be the same as the one used by block <NUM> (e.g., shared based on time). For various examples, the second digital value representing the coarse sampled voltage provides a voltage measurement of the coarse sampled voltage. Additionally, for some examples, the sample voltage is sampled from an output signal and, as a result, the coarse sampled voltage may be a signal (i.e., coarse sampled signal). Notwithstanding <FIG>, the coarse sampled voltage may be converted to the second digital value before, in parallel with, or after the fine sampled voltage is converted to the first digital value.

For some examples, converting the coarse sampled voltage to the second digital value comprises first scaling down the coarse sampled voltage to a scaled coarse sampled voltage. The coarse sampled voltage may be scaled down based on a maximum voltage sense level associated with the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that is to be used at block <NUM> to produce the second digital value. For instance, the ADC utilized at block <NUM> may have a maximum voltage sense level of <NUM>. 3V and, as such, the coarse sampled voltage can be scaled down by a factor of <NUM>. Eventually, the ADC (having the maximum voltage sense level) can be used to convert the scaled coarse sampled voltage to the second digital value.

The method <NUM> continues with block <NUM> by producing a third digital value representing the combined sampled voltage and may do so by combining the first digital value, from block <NUM>, with the second digital value, from block <NUM>. For various examples, the third digital value representing the combined sampled voltage provides a voltage measurement of the sampled voltage. As described herein, the resolution of this third digital value may be equal to or greater than the resolution of a digital value of the sample voltage obtained using a single analog-to-digital converter having a higher bit-resolution than those used in blocks <NUM> and <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an example method <NUM> for sampling voltage according to the present disclosure. For some examples, the method <NUM> may be one performed with respect to an electronic device, such as a power converter of a power supply having feedback control. Depending on the example, the method <NUM> may be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on a machine-readable medium or in the form of electronic circuitry. For some examples, the operations performed or the order in which operations are performed may differ from what is illustrated by <FIG>.

The method <NUM> may begin at block <NUM> by sampling a voltage of an output of an electronic device, such as a power converter of a digital-controlled power supply. Depending on the example, the sample voltage may be obtained from the output using a directional coupler or the like, which may be coupled to an output port of the electronic device.

The method <NUM> continues with block <NUM> by dividing the sampled voltage, from block <NUM>, into a fine sampled voltage and a coarse sampled voltage. The method <NUM> continues to block <NUM> by converting a fine sampled voltage, from block <NUM>, to a first digital value representing the fine sampled voltage. Likewise, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> continues by converting a coarse sampled voltage, from block <NUM>, to a second digital value representing the coarse sampled voltage. Notwithstanding <FIG>, the coarse sampled voltage may be converted to the second digital value before, in parallel with, or after the fine sampled voltage is converted to the first digital value.

The method <NUM> continues with block <NUM> by producing a third digital value representing the sampled voltage and may do so by combining the first digital value, from block <NUM>, with the second digital value, from block <NUM>. At block <NUM> the method <NUM> continues by adjusting the electronic device (e.g., power converter) based on the third digital value produced at block <NUM>. For some examples, adjusting the electronic device based on the third digital value comprises comparing the third digital value to a sampled digital value representing a desired voltage (e.g., desired voltage output from the power converter) and causing the electronic device to compensate for the difference between the two digital values (e.g., reduce or eliminate the difference over multiple feedback iterations).

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example voltage sampling system <NUM> according to the present disclosure. For some examples, the voltage sampling system <NUM> is part of an electronic device that utilizes voltage sampling, such a power supply including feedback control. As shown, the voltage sampling system <NUM> includes a voltage divider module <NUM>, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) module <NUM>, and a combiner module <NUM>. In various examples, the components or the arrangement of components in the voltage sampling system <NUM> may differ from what is depicted in <FIG>.

As used herein, modules and other components of various examples may comprise, in whole or in part, machine-readable instructions or electronic circuitry. For instance, a module may comprise machine-readable instructions executable by a processor to perform one or more functions in accordance with various examples described herein. Likewise, in another instance, a module may comprise electronic circuitry to perform one or more functions in accordance with various examples described herein. The elements of a module may be combined in a single package, maintained in several packages, or maintained separately.

The voltage divider module <NUM> may facilitate division of a sampled voltage into a fine sampled voltage and a coarse sampled voltage. For some examples, the voltage divider module <NUM> includes one or more resistors, capacitors, or differential amplifiers (e.g., differential operational amplifier) that provide for the fine and coarse sampled voltages from the sampled voltage. The voltage divider module <NUM> may scale down the fine sampled voltage before the fine sampled voltage is provided to the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) module <NUM>. Additionally, the voltage divider module <NUM> may scale down the coarse sampled voltage before the coarse sampled voltage is provided to the ADC module <NUM>. When scaling down the fine sampled voltage, the fine sampled voltage may be scaled down based on a maximum voltage sense level associated with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) included by the ADC module <NUM> to produce the first digital value. Likewise, when scaling down the coarse sampled voltage, the coarse sampled voltage may be scaled down based on a maximum voltage sense level associated with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) included by the ADC module <NUM> to produce the second digital value.

The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) module <NUM> may facilitate conversion of a sampled voltage to a digital value representing the sampled voltage. For instance, the ADC module <NUM> may convert the fine sampled voltage, provided by the voltage divider module <NUM>, to a first digital value representing the fine sampled voltage, and convert the coarse sampled voltage, provided by the voltage divider module <NUM>, to a second digital value representing the fine sampled voltage. Depending on the example, the ADC module <NUM> may convert the fine sampled voltage and coarse sampled voltage may be converted to their respective digital values in in parallel (e.g., simultaneously) or sequentially. According to various examples, the ADC module <NUM> includes one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), which can include digital signal processors. Further, as described herein, the one or more ADCs included by the ADC module <NUM> may have a lower-resolution than would otherwise traditionally be needed to obtain a high-resolution measurement of the sampled voltage. As described herein, the digital value representing the sampled voltage may provide a voltage measurement for the sampled voltage.

The combiner module <NUM> may facilitate production of a third digital value by combining the first digital value from the ADC module <NUM> with the second digital value from the ADC module <NUM>. As described herein, the third digital value may represent the sampled voltage and, more specifically, may be a digital value representing a voltage measurement of the sampled voltage. To combine the digital values, the combiner module <NUM> may include an adder, summer, or the like. For some examples, the third digital value provided by the combiner module <NUM> provides is used in generating a control signal used to adjust the operation of an electronic device (e.g., power converter).

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example power converter <NUM> utilizing the example voltage sampling system <NUM> according to the present disclosure. In particular, <FIG> represents an example of implementing the voltage sample system <NUM> as part of a feedback control of the power converter <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the power converter <NUM> includes a voltage input to receive an input signal, a voltage output to provide an output signal based on power converting the input signal, and a control input to control power conversion of the input signal to the output signal. The voltage sampling system <NUM> is coupled to the power converter <NUM> such that the voltage sampling system <NUM> can obtain a sample voltage (e.g., sample signal) from the output signal provided by the voltage output. The sample voltage may be obtain from the voltage output by way of a directional coupler coupled to the voltage output.

As further shown in <FIG>, the voltage sampling system <NUM> is coupled to the power converter <NUM> such that a digital value representing the sampled voltage (hereafter, sampled voltage digital value) produced by the voltage sampling system <NUM> can be provided to the power converter <NUM> by way of a comparison module <NUM>. According to some examples, the comparison module <NUM> receives the sampled voltage digital value from the voltage sampling system <NUM>, receives a sampled voltage digital value, and compares the sampled voltage digital value to the sampled voltage digital value. The sampled voltage digital value can represent the output voltage desired from the power converter <NUM>, while the sampled voltage digital value represents the output voltage being provided by the power converter <NUM> (during operation) at or near present time. By the comparison, the comparison module <NUM> can determine a difference (e.g., error) between the two digital values and generate a control signal intended to cause the power converter <NUM> to compensate for the difference (e.g., reduce or eliminate the difference).

As illustrated in <FIG>, the power converter <NUM> can receive the control signal from the comparison module <NUM> via the control input of the power converter <NUM>. Depending on the example, the control signal may comprise a pulse-width modulated signal generated by the comparison module <NUM> based on the difference between the sampled voltage digital value and the sampled voltage digital value.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example voltage sampling device <NUM> according to the present disclosure. According to some examples, the voltage sampling device <NUM> performs operations according to the method <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>. Additionally, for some examples, the voltage sampling device <NUM> implements some or all components of a voltage sampling system as described herein (e.g., the voltage sampling system <NUM> of <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, the voltage sampling device <NUM> includes an output voltage <NUM>, resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, an operational amplifier <NUM>, and a voltage sampling module <NUM>. As also shown, the voltage sampling module <NUM> includes analog-to-digital converters <NUM>, capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, and switches <NUM>, <NUM>.

Depending on the example, the output voltage <NUM> may be coupled to an output of an electronic device, such a power converter. During operation, a voltage (e.g., 12V) may be sampled from the output voltage Vout (<NUM>) and divided across resistors R1, R2, and R3 (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> respectively), which are coupled in series. The voltage may be sampled from the output voltage Vout (<NUM>) through a coupler (not shown) attached to the output voltage <NUM> (e.g., directional coupler). The voltage across R1 may be considered a fine sampled voltage Vy (e.g., 1V) of the sampled voltage, while the voltage across R2 and R3 may be considered a coarse sampled voltage Vx (e.g., 11V) of the sampled voltage. Accordingly, the sum of the fine sampled voltage Vy and the coarse sampled voltage Vx equals the sampled voltage.

To accommodate a maximum voltage sense level associated with the first analog-to digital converter (ADC) <NUM>, the resistance of each of R2 and R3 may be such that R2 and R3 as configured cause the coarse sampled voltage to scale down according to the maximum voltage sense level (hereafter, scaled coarse sampled voltage) before the coarse sampled voltage is provided to the digital controller <NUM>. As such, where the maximum voltage sense level is <NUM>. 3V and the coarse sampled voltage Vx is 11V, the resistance of each of R2 and R3 may be such that the coarse sampled voltage is scaled down by <NUM>. 3V so that the ADC <NUM> can properly measure the coarse sampled voltage Vx.

As shown, the scaled coarse sampled voltage produced by R2 and R3 may be provided to the voltage sampling module <NUM> via a resistor-capacitor (RC) filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. With respect to the fine sampled voltage across R1, the fine sampled voltage may be determined by use of a differential amplifier, which in <FIG> is implemented by the resistors R4, R5, R6 (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> respectively) and the operational amplifier <NUM>. The fine sampled voltage, once determined by the differential amplifier, may be provided to the voltage sampling module <NUM> via a RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>.

During operation of the voltage sampling device <NUM>, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may facilitate the sampling (e.g., measurement) of each of the fine and coarse sampled voltages and may generate digital values representing those sampled voltages (e.g., digital values representing their voltage measurements). For instance, to measure the coarse sampled voltage, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may first activate the switch S1 (<NUM>) to receive the scaled coarse sampled voltage (as scaled by R2 and R3) from the RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. The reception of the scaled coarse sampled voltage through the switch S1 (<NUM>) causes the capacitor <NUM> (the first holding capacitor Ch1) to be charged by the scaled coarse sampled voltage. After the capacitor <NUM> has reached the scaled coarse sampled voltage, the switch S1 (<NUM>) may be deactivated and the first analog-to-digital converter <NUM> can convert the scaled coarse sampled voltage stored in the capacitor <NUM> to a digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage (e.g., digital value representing the voltage measurement of the scaled coarse sampled voltage). By later processes, the digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage may or may not be adjusted (e.g., based on the maximum voltage sensing level) to reverse the scaling applied by way of R2 and R3.

With respect to measuring the fine sampled voltage, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may first activate the switch S2 (<NUM>) to receive the fine sampled voltage from the RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. The reception of the fine sampled voltage through the switch S2.

(<NUM>) causes the capacitor <NUM> (the second holding capacitor Ch1) to be charged by the fine sampled voltage. After the capacitor <NUM> has reached the fine sampled voltage, the switch S2 (<NUM>) may be deactivated and the second analog-to-digital converter <NUM> can convert the fine sampled voltage stored in the capacitor <NUM> to a digital value representing the fine sampled voltage (e.g., digital value representing the voltage measurement of the fine sampled voltage).

As described herein, depending on the example, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may sample and convert the fine sampled voltage and the coarse sampled voltage to digital values in parallel or sequentially.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example voltage sampling device <NUM> according to the present disclosure. According to some examples, the voltage sampling device <NUM> performs operations according to the method <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>. Additionally, for some examples, the voltage sampling device <NUM> implements some or all components of a voltage sampling system as described herein (e.g., the voltage sampling system <NUM> of <FIG>). As shown in <FIG>, the voltage sampling device <NUM> includes an output voltage <NUM>, resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, an operational amplifier <NUM>, and a voltage sampling module <NUM>. As also shown, the voltage sampling module <NUM> includes an analog-to-digital converter <NUM>, a capacitor <NUM>, and switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

According to some examples, the output voltage <NUM>, the resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, and the operational amplifier <NUM> are similar to, and operate similarly to, the output voltage <NUM>, the resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, and the operational amplifier <NUM> of the voltage sampling device <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>. As such, through the switch S1 (<NUM>) of the voltage sampling module <NUM>, the voltage sampling module <NUM> can receive a scaled coarse sampled voltage through the resistor-capacitor (RC) filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. Likewise, through the switch S2 (<NUM>) of the voltage sampling module <NUM>, the voltage sampling module <NUM> can receive a fine sampled voltage through the resistor-capacitor (RC) filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>.

During operation of the voltage sampling device <NUM>, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may facilitate the sampling (e.g., measurement) of each of the fine and coarse sampled voltages and may generate digital values representing those sampled voltages (e.g., digital values representing their voltage measurements). Unlike the voltage sampling module <NUM> of the voltage sampling device <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>, the voltage sampling module <NUM> utilizes a single analog-to-digital converter (the analog-to-digital converter <NUM>) in sampling (e.g., measuring) each of the fine sampled voltage and the coarse sampled voltage. In this way, the analog-to-digital converter <NUM> can be shared by two sampling processes of the voltage sampling module <NUM>.

For some examples, to measure the coarse sampled voltage at time T1, the voltage sampling module <NUM> ensures that the switch S1 (<NUM>) is activated, that the switch S2 (<NUM>) is deactivated, and that the switch Sdis (<NUM>) is deactivated. By activating the switch S1 (<NUM>), the voltage sampling module <NUM> may receive the scaled coarse sampled voltage (as scaled by R2 and R3) from the RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. The reception of the scaled coarse sampled voltage through the switch S1 (<NUM>) (while the switch Sdis [<NUM>] remains deactivated) causes the capacitor <NUM> (the holding capacitor Ch) to be charged by the scaled coarse sampled voltage. After the capacitor <NUM> has reached the scaled coarse sampled voltage, the switch S1.

(<NUM>) may be deactivated and the analog-to-digital converter <NUM> can convert the scaled coarse sampled voltage stored in the capacitor <NUM> to a digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage (e.g., digital value representing the voltage measurement of the scaled coarse sampled voltage). By later processes, the digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage may or may not be adjusted (e.g., based on the maximum voltage sensing level) to reverse the scaling applied by way of R2 and R3.

Between sampling the two different sampled voltages, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may first ensure that the capacitor <NUM> (the holding capacitor Ch) has no residual charge from its last sampling. To do this, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may activate the switch Sdis (<NUM>) to discharge the capacitor <NUM>, and deactivate the switch Sdis (<NUM>) after the capacitor <NUM> has been sufficiently discharged.

With respect to measuring the fine sampled voltage at time T2, the voltage sampling module <NUM> may ensure that the switch S1 (<NUM>) is deactivated, that the switch S2 (<NUM>) is activated, and that the switch Sdis (<NUM>) is deactivated. By activating the switch S2 (<NUM>), the voltage sampling module <NUM> may receive the fine sampled voltage from the RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. The reception of the fine sampled voltage through the switch S2 (<NUM>) (while the switch Sdis [<NUM>] remains deactivated) causes the capacitor <NUM> (the holding capacitor Ch) to be charged by the fine sampled voltage. After the capacitor <NUM> has reached the fine sampled voltage, the switch S2 (<NUM>) may be deactivated and the analog-to-digital converter <NUM> can convert the fine sampled voltage stored in the capacitor <NUM> to a digital value representing the fine sampled voltage (e.g., digital value representing the voltage measurement of the fine sampled voltage).

As described herein, the order in which the voltage sampling module <NUM> samples and converts the fine sampled voltage and the coarse sampled voltage may vary between different examples.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example power conversion system <NUM> including an example power converter <NUM> utilizing an example voltage sampling device according to the present disclosure. As shown, the power conversion system <NUM> includes an output voltage <NUM> from a power converter <NUM>, resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, an operational amplifier <NUM>, a digital controller <NUM>, and an input voltage to the power converter <NUM>. As further shown, the digital controller <NUM> includes a digital pulse-width modulator (DPWM) module <NUM>, a digital compensator <NUM>, a digital comparator <NUM>, a combiner <NUM>, and analog-to-digital converters <NUM>, <NUM>. According to some examples, the example voltage sampling device of <FIG> comprises the resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, the operational amplifier <NUM>, the analog-to-digital converters <NUM>, <NUM> of the digital controller <NUM>, and the combiner <NUM> of the digital controller <NUM>.

According to some examples, the output voltage <NUM>, the resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, and the operational amplifier <NUM> are similar to, and operate similarly to, the output voltage <NUM>, the resistors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the capacitors <NUM>, <NUM>, and the operational amplifier <NUM> of the voltage sampling device <NUM> described above with respect to <FIG>. As such, through the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) <NUM> of the digital controller <NUM>, the digital controller <NUM> can receive a scaled coarse sampled voltage through the resistor-capacitor (RC) filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>. Likewise, through the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) <NUM> of the digital controller <NUM>, the digital controller <NUM> can receive a fine sampled voltage through the RC filter implemented by the resistor <NUM> and the capacitor <NUM>.

For some examples, the digital controller <NUM> receives the fine and coarse sampled voltages and generates a control signal to adjust the operation of the power converter <NUM> based on the fine and coarse sampled voltages. In particular, as shown in <FIG>, the analog-to-digital converter <NUM> (ADC0) may receive the scaled coarse sampled voltage, convert the scaled coarse sampled voltage to a digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage, and provide the digital value to the combiner <NUM>. Similarly, the analog-to-digital converter <NUM> (ADC1) may receive the fine sampled voltage, convert the fine sampled voltage to a digital value representing the scaled coarse sampled voltage, and provide the digital value to the combiner <NUM>.

The combiner <NUM> can combine the two digital values and provide the combined digital value to the digital comparator <NUM>. In the context of the power conversion system <NUM>, the combined digital value can represent the voltage measurement of a feedback signal. The digital comparator <NUM> can compare the combined digital value to a digital value representing a sampled voltage (e.g., voltage measurement) desired for the output voltage <NUM> of the power converter <NUM>. The digital comparator <NUM> can provide the result of the comparison (e.g., the difference between the digital values) as a digital value to the digital compensator <NUM>.

The digital compensator <NUM> can treat the digital value received from the digital comparator <NUM> as an error value of power converter <NUM>. Based on this error value, the digital compensator <NUM> can generate a digital adjustment for the power converter <NUM>. The digital pulse-width modulator (DPWM) module <NUM> can receive the digital adjustment from the digital compensator <NUM>, and generate a control signal based on the adjustment. The control signal generated may comprise pulse-width modulated signal, which the power converter <NUM> may be configured to receive.

Based on the control signal, the power converter <NUM> may adjust its operation to compensate for the error value determined by the digital comparator <NUM>. During operation of the power conversion system <NUM>, the foregoing process may continue as a continuous feedback control loop, thereby permitting the power converter <NUM> to continuously adjust its operation to according to the voltage sampled from the output voltage <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A voltage sampling method, comprising:
producing a sampled voltage from an output of an electronic device by a coupler coupled to a first set of resistors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and a second set of resistors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>);
dividing, by a voltage divider, the sampled voltage into a fine sampled voltage and a coarse sampled voltage, the fine sampled voltage being supplied by an output of a differential amplifier coupled across the first set of resistors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the sum of the coarse sampled voltage and the fine sampled voltage equals the sampled voltage, and wherein the coarse sampled voltage is larger than the fine sampled voltage;
converting the fine sampled voltage being supplied by the output of the differential amplifier to a first digital value representing the fine sampled voltage by a second analog-to-digital converter (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) coupled to the output of the differential amplifier, wherein the fine sampled voltage has a lower value than a maximum voltage sense level associated with the first analog-to digital converter (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>);
converting, by a first analog-to-digital converter (<NUM>, <NUM>) coupled to at least one of the resistors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) among the second set of resistors (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), the coarse sampled voltage to a second digital value representing the coarse sampled voltage; and
producing a third digital value by combining the first digital value with the second digital value, the third digital value representing the sampled voltage.