PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16127633
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-09
Publication Date: 2019-03
Patent Classification: ["323", "271000"]

Abstract:
A switch mode power supply (voltage converter) is adapted as a current-mode control buck regulator for different loading conditions. The voltage converter operates in a continuous conduction mode (CCM) during heavy load conditions using pulse width modulation (PWM). When a zero-current detector determines no inductor current during light load conditions (discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) region), the controller initiates adaptive duty control using pulse frequency modulation (PFM). Adaptive duty estimation circuitry provides controllable energy to charge the power inductor to maintain voltage accuracy and maximize efficiency when in the PFM mode. Using clock synchronization and a single control-loop, smooth transition between PFM, PWM, and bypass modes is automatically performed. Clock synchronization from a master oscillator provides a base for frequency division in different operation modes which gives controllable evenly distributed switching harmonics. An inductor zero-current detector triggers an adaptive estimated duty cycle that is synchronized with the master oscillator.

Claim (Index 1):
A method for seamless mode transition in a switching regulator, said method comprising the steps of:\n using a pulse width modulation (PWM) mode to provide current pulses to a power inductor when in a continuous conduction mode (CCM) during a first load condition; using a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) mode to provide current pulses to the power inductor when in a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) during a second load condition, wherein the first load condition is greater than the second load condition; and synchronizing switching between PWM and PFM modes to a master clock having a frequency.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 14.0
- Percentile: 97.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.67647
- Patent Class: 323.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12458570', '12647377', '14518175', '13161526', '15596399']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7704360672758175
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4965089211075791
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7430433526589937
- Mean Citation Score: 278.856226
- Max Citation Score: 291.31992
- Similarity Product: 247.3477957923604

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test