PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10644592-B2
Application Number: US-201816197711-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: DC-DC converter with a dynamically adapting load-line

Abstract:
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components are described. In various embodiments, a power converter includes two feedback loops to separate the stability and the equivalent output resistance, which allows the bandwidth to increase. The first loop includes a compensator receiving an output current of an amplifier. Additionally, a first converter and a first current mirror generate a target current based on the output current of the amplifier. Based on the target current, multiple step-down converters generate an output voltage, which is returned to the amplifier through a resistor. The second loop includes a second converter with a first order series RC filter to reduce the second loop&#39;s response time. A second current mirror receives current from the second converter and generates a dynamically adapting feedback current, which flows through the resistor in the first loop.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A power converter comprising:
 an operational transconductance amplifier configured to:
 receive a reference voltage and a feedback voltage; 
 determine a voltage difference between the reference voltage and the feedback voltage; and 
 convey an output current based on the voltage difference; and 
 
 a compensator configured to:
 receive the output current; and 
 convey a first voltage based on the output current; and 
 
 first circuitry configured to:
 receive the first voltage from the compensator; and 
 generate an output voltage on an output node based at least in part on the first voltage; 
 
 wherein the first circuitry further comprises:
 a converter configured to receive the first voltage from the compensator and generate a first reference current; and 
 a current mirror configured to receive the first reference current from the converter and generate a target current based on the first reference current. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The power converter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first circuitry further comprises a plurality of step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters configured to:
 receive the target current from the current mirror; 
 receive an input voltage; and 
 generate the output voltage on the output node as a fraction of the input voltage, wherein the fraction is based on a duty cycle within the plurality of step-down DC-DC converters. 
 
     
     
       3. The power converter as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a resistor connected between the output node and an input of the operational transconductance amplifier receiving the feedback voltage. 
     
     
       4. The power converter as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising second circuitry configured to decrease a feedback current flowing through the resistor, in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and the reference voltage is decreasing. 
     
     
       5. The power converter as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising second circuitry configured to increase a feedback current flowing through the resistor, in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and the reference voltage is increasing. 
     
     
       6. The power converter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the operational transconductance amplifier is an open-loop amplifier with no local feedback to provide stability. 
     
     
       7. The power converter as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the compensator is a Type II compensator for the operational transconductance amplifier. 
     
     
       8. A method comprising:
 receiving, by an operational transconductance amplifier, a reference voltage and a feedback voltage; 
 determining, by the operational transconductance amplifier, a voltage difference between the reference voltage and the feedback voltage; 
 conveying, by the operational transconductance amplifier, an output current based on the voltage difference; 
 conveying, by a compensator, a first voltage based on the output current; 
 generating, by first circuitry, an output voltage on an output node based at least in part on the first voltage; 
 receiving, by a converter of the first circuitry, the first voltage from the compensator; 
 generating, by the converter, a first reference current, 
 receiving, by a current mirror of the first circuitry, the first reference current from the converter; and 
 generating, by the current mirror, a target current based on the first reference current. 
 
     
     
       9. The method as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 receiving, by a plurality of step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters of the first circuitry, the target current from the current mirror; 
 receiving, by the plurality of step-down DC-DC converters, an input voltage; and 
 generating, by the plurality of step-down DC-DC converters, the output voltage on the output node as a fraction of the input voltage, wherein the fraction is based on a duty cycle within the plurality of step-down DC-DC converters. 
 
     
     
       10. The method as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising connecting, by a resistor, the output node and an input of the operational transconductance amplifier receiving the feedback voltage. 
     
     
       11. The method as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising decreasing, by second circuitry, a feedback current flowing through the resistor, in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and the reference voltage is decreasing. 
     
     
       12. The method as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the operational transconductance amplifier is an open-loop amplifier with no local feedback to provide stability. 
     
     
       13. A system on a chip comprising:
 a primary converter configured to convert an external voltage to an internal voltage; 
 a plurality of functional units; and 
 a power converter configured to generate an output voltage based on at least the internal voltage to one or more of the plurality of functional units, wherein the power converter comprises:
 an operational transconductance amplifier configured to:
 receive a reference voltage and a feedback voltage; 
 determine a voltage difference between the reference voltage and the feedback voltage; and 
 convey an output current based on the voltage difference; and 
 
 a compensator configured to:
 receive the output current; and 
 convey a first voltage based on the output current; and 
 
 first circuitry configured to:
 receive the first voltage from the compensator; and 
 generate an output voltage on an output node based at least in part on the first voltage. 
 
 
 
     
     
       14. The system on a chip as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the first circuitry of the power converter further comprises a converter configured to:
 receive the first voltage from the compensator; and 
 generate a first reference current. 
 
     
     
       15. The system on a chip as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the first circuitry of the power converter further comprises a current mirror configured to:
 receive the first reference current from the converter; and 
 generate a target current based on the first reference current. 
 
     
     
       16. The system on a chip as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the first circuitry of the power converter further comprises a plurality of step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters configured to:
 receive the target current from the current mirror; 
 receive an input voltage; and 
 generate the output voltage on the output node as a fraction of the input voltage, wherein the fraction is based on a duty cycle within the plurality of step-down DC-DC converters.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/691,472, entitled “DC-DC CONVERTER WITH A DYNAMICALLY ADAPTING LOAD-LINE”, filed Aug. 30, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     Embodiments described herein relate to the field of integrated circuits and, more particularly, to efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     A computing system such as a semiconductor chip includes multiple components, each capable of processing data. The multiple components include interface and functional blocks or units. In various embodiments, the multiple components are individual dies on one of a system on a chip (SOC), a multi-chip module (MCM) or a printed circuit board. Examples of components are general-purpose processors with one or more cores in a central processing unit (CPU), highly parallel data architected processors with one or more cores in graphics processing units (GPUs) and digital signal processors (DSPs), display controllers, audio processing components, networking components, peripheral interface controllers, memory controllers, and so on. 
     Control logic, such as a power management unit, within the computing system determines one or more operating states for the different components. The operating state includes a power supply voltage and an operational clock frequency. Clock generating circuitry generates different clock signals at the one or more specified different frequencies, whereas a power distribution network provides the one or more specified different power supply voltages. This on-chip network uses power supplies and regulation circuits to generate the specified different power supply voltages for use by the devices within the functional units. Additionally, the network relies on a pair of on-chip planes where one voltage plane (metal layer) is dedicated to the power supply voltage and another ground plane (metal layer) is dedicated to the ground value. 
     The target output voltage changes as the operating modes change over time and the work demand at a given operating mode changes over time for the one or more components. When devices in the components draw current from the power and ground planes, the changes in the demand of current creates both a current-resistance (IR) drop and a transient voltage drop. Although the duration of the voltage variation may be temporary, the voltage variation causes unreliable behavior for the devices causing the variation and neighboring devices. Additionally, for mobile devices, a voltage value provided by a battery reduces as the stored energy is consumed. 
     In view of the above, methods and mechanisms for efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     Systems and methods for management of operating modes for efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components are contemplated. In various embodiments, a power converter receives an input voltage and generates an output voltage on an output capacitor for one or more components. In some embodiments, the multiple components are individual dies on one of a system on a chip (SOC). The power converter includes an amplifier for conveying an output current based on a differential voltage input. In various embodiments, the power converter includes two feedback loops ending on one of the two inputs of the amplifier. The two feedback loops separate the stability and the equivalent output resistance of the power converter, which allows the bandwidth of the power converter to increase. A first loop of the two feedback loops provides the equivalent output resistance of the power converter. A second loop of the two feedback loops provides stability for the power converter. By separating the equivalent output resistance and stability, each become independent parameters for the power converter. 
     In an embodiment, the power converter includes an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) and a first feedback loop that includes a compensator. In various embodiments, the compensator may be one of two types. In an embodiment, the compensator may be of a first type providing an origin pole, one zero, one high-frequency pole, and a phase boost reaching 90 degrees to counteract some of the gains and phases contained in the transfer function. For example, the first type of compensator may be a Type II compensator, which provides two poles and one zero as well as the locations of the two poles and the one zero and additionally the phase boost reaching 90 degrees. Alternatively, the compensator may be of a second type providing two poles, two zeroes and a phase boost greater than 90 degrees. For example, the second type of compensator may be a Type III compensator. 
     The compensator generates a voltage based on the output current of the OTA. The first feedback loop also includes a transistor with a gate terminal receiving the generated voltage. Since the transistor receives a current on the drain terminal based on the generated voltage, the transistor is a converter, which converts the generated voltage to the current. The current is a reference current for a first current mirror. The current source transistor of the first current mirror sends a target current proportional to the reference current to one or more step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters. In some embodiments, each step-down DC-DC converter is a current mode buck converter. In an embodiment, two or more step-down DC-DC converters are connected in parallel to provide a multiphase step-down DC-DC converter. The switching frequency of the individual step-down DC-DC converters is phase shifted with respect to one another, which results in cancellation of the ripple currents flowing in input and output filters. The one or more step-down DC-DC converters generate respective inductor currents used to charge a single output capacitance, which generates an output voltage based on the received target current. 
     The output voltage is returned to an input of the OTA through a resistor. The resistor also receives a dynamically adapting feedback current supplied by a second feedback loop. The dynamically adapting feedback current creates a voltage drop across the resistor between the input of the amplifier and the output voltage. Therefore, the feedback voltage received on one input of the OTA is greater than the output voltage. The feedback voltage is compared to a reference voltage by the OTA. 
     The second feedback loop receives the voltage generated by the compensator (first type or second type, e.g., a Type II or III as mentioned above) in the first feedback loop. Another transistor receives the generated voltage on a gate terminal through a first order series resistor-capacitor (RC) filter. The RC filter causes a response time of the second loop to be greater than a response time of the first loop. Since the transistor receives a current on the drain terminal based on the generated voltage, the transistor is also a converter, which converts the generated voltage to the current passing through the drain terminal. The current is a reference current for a second current mirror. The second current mirror has multiple current source transistors, each connected to a switch. One or more of the multiple current source transistors connected to closed switches generate the dynamically adapting feedback current based on the reference current of the second current mirror. 
     Control logic in the second feedback loop opens and closes switches for the multiple current source transistors in a manner to increase the dynamically adapting feedback current in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and a target voltage is increasing. The control logic adjusts the opening and closing of the switches in a manner to decrease the dynamically adapting feedback current in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and a target voltage is decreasing. 
     These and other embodiments will be further appreciated upon reference to the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and further advantages of the methods and mechanisms may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of amplifiers with feedback loops. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a power converter. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an integrated circuit. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system. 
     
    
    
     While the embodiments described in this disclosure may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to. 
     Various units, circuits, or other components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the unit/circuit/component can be configured to perform the task even when the unit/circuit/component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits. Similarly, various units/circuits/components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a unit/circuit/component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) for that unit/circuit/component. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described in this disclosure. However, one having ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the embodiments might be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail for ease of illustration and to avoid obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a generalized block diagram of one embodiment of amplifiers with feedback loops is shown. In the illustrated embodiment, amplifier  120  receives one or more inputs  110  and generates an amplifier output  122 . The loop  130  receives the amplifier output  122  and generates the voltage output Vout  132 , which charges the output capacitor Cout  134 . In addition, loop  130  sends feedback information  136  to the inputs  110 . Each of the gain A 1  of the amplifier  120  and the loop  130  affect the equivalent output resistance of the circuit in addition to the stability. 
     The bandwidth (BW) of the circuit on the left is given by the below expression:
 
 BW= 1/(2π× R out× C out)
 
     The output capacitance Cout  134  is relatively fixed and dependent upon the one or more components connected to the output node. In an embodiment, a relatively high bandwidth is desired to generate a stable output for a transient output load. For example, the circuit is designed to maintain a stable Vout  132  on the output Cout although the amount of current drawn by the load changes. However, the bandwidth is limited by the switching frequency of the circuit and the Nyquist frequency of the circuit. Therefore, as seen in the above expression, the equivalent output resistance Rout is also limited, which limits the circuit&#39;s ability to maintain a stable Vout  132  on the output Cout in the presence of transient current draw on the output. 
     In an embodiment, the amplifier  120  is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with a gain (gm) equal to A 1 . The gain is relatively small to increase stability, which also limits the accuracy of maintaining a stable Vout  132  in the presence of transient current draw on the output. In one embodiment, the circuit on the left is a multiphase power converter. In some embodiments, the loop  130  includes a current mirror for translating the output current of the OTA to a target current. One or more step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters receive the target current and an input voltage. The one or more step-down DC-DC converters generate the output voltage Vout  132 . 
     In some embodiments, each of the one or more step-down DC-DC converters is a current mode step-down converter. In an embodiment, each step-down DC-DC converter is a buck converter. In one embodiment, two or more step-down DC-DC converters are connected in parallel to provide a multiphase step-down DC-DC converter. The switching frequency of the individual step-down DC-DC converters is phase shifted with respect to one another, which results in cancellation of the ripple currents flowing in input and output filters. The loop  130  also returns either Vout  132  or a voltage value based on Vout  132  as feedback information  136  to the inputs  110 . In an embodiment, the inputs  110  include a reference voltage and a feedback voltage from loop  130 . The OTA  120  generates the output current based on the differential voltage input. 
     The loop  130  and feedback information  136  provides versatility in addition to functionality, but also reduces stability. When the gain A 1  of amplifier  120  increases, the upper threshold of the inputs  110  reduces, and when reached, the amplifier output  122  may saturate, which reduces the stability of the circuit. Stability typically is referred to the output Vout  132  reaches a non-oscillatory state. However, undesirable characteristics, such as poor phase response, overshoot, and ringing, occur prior to oscillation occurs. Designers determine thresholds for one or more of these characteristics when defining stability for the circuit. Regardless, the ability to maintain Vout  132  as a relatively stable output value despite changing current loads is more easily achieved when the equivalent output resistance is able to change without affecting stability. 
     When the circuit is used as a power converter, the equivalent output resistance is also referred to as a load-line. In some cases, no load-line is desired such as for power rails where the target output voltage is fixed and it is desired to maintain Vout  132  at the target voltage independent of changing current draw by external components. Such a condition reduces Rout to 0 in the above expression and changes BW to an infinite value. An attempt to achieve the added flexibility is shown in the circuit on the right. As shown, amplifier  120  is replaced with amplifier  150 , which has a gain A 2  greater than the gain A 1 . In addition, loop  130  is replaced with loop  160 , and a second loop, which is shown as loop  140 , is added. 
     In some embodiments, loop  160  includes components to prevent saturation of the amplifier output  152  and Vout  132 . A further description of these components is provided shortly. Loop  160  sends feedback information  166  to the inputs  110 . Loop  140  sends feedback information  142  to the inputs  110 . In various embodiments, loop  140  includes components to create a response time of the second loop that is greater than a response time of the first loop. In an embodiment, loop  160  defines the load-line of the circuit while loop  140  maintains stability of the circuit. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a generalized block diagram of one embodiment of a power converter  200  is shown. In various embodiments, power converter  200  receives an input voltage  292  and generates an output voltage Vout  250  on output capacitor  252 . Power converter  200  includes an amplifier  206  for conveying an output current on node  208  based on a differential voltage input. As shown, the inputs are a reference voltage  204  and a feedback voltage  254  based on the output voltage Vout  250 . In an embodiment, amplifier  206  is an error amplifier, which compares the reference voltage  204  and the feedback voltage  254 . The amplifier  206  amplifies the difference on the inputs and generates an output current based on the amplified difference. Therefore, in various embodiments, amplifier  206  is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA). An OTA is an open-loop amplifier with no local feedback to provide stability. Therefore, feedback is provided externally to provide stability. In various embodiments, power converter  200  includes two feedback loops for generating the feedback voltage  254 . The two feedback loops separate the stability and the equivalent output resistance of power converter  200 , which allows the bandwidth of power converter  200  to increase. A first loop of the two feedback loops provides the equivalent output resistance of the power converter  200 . A second loop of the two feedback loops provides stability for the power converter  200 . Therefore, the equivalent output resistance and the stability are independent parameters for the power converter when the second loop is added. 
     In various embodiments, compensation is added to an error amplifier, such as amplifier  206 , to counteract phases included in the closed-loop control-to-output transfer function, which could reduce stability. Therefore, as used herein, a compensator refers to circuitry configured to provide a phase boost by adding one or more poles and zeroes in the closed-loop transfer function. In an embodiment, the compensator may be of a first type providing an origin pole, one zero and one high-frequency pole as well as the locations of the two poles and additionally a phase boost reaching 90 degrees. For example, the first type of compensator may be a Type II compensator. The Type II compensator includes a series combination of a capacitor and a resistor between the output of the OTA and a ground reference. Additionally, the Type II compensator includes a capacitor in parallel with the series combination. 
     Alternatively, the compensator may be of a second type providing two poles, two zeroes and a phase boost between 90 degrees and 180 degrees. For example, the second type of compensator may be a Type III compensator. The Type III compensator includes a first series combination of a capacitor and a resistor between the output of the OTA and an input of the OTA. Additionally, the Type III compensator includes a capacitor in parallel with the first series combination. Further, the Type III compensator includes a second series combination of a resistor and a capacitor between the power supply and the input of the OTA as well as a resistor in parallel with the second series combination. 
     In some embodiments, compensator  210  generates a voltage based on the output current of amplifier  206 . As shown, compensator  210  is a Type II compensator for amplifier  206 . As shown, compensator  210  includes a capacitor  212  in series with a resistor  214 . In addition, compensator  210  includes a second capacitor  216  in parallel with the series combination of capacitor  212  and resistor  214 . In other embodiments, compensator  210  is a Type III compensator for amplifier  206 . 
     Converter  220  is a voltage-to-current (V-to-I) converter, which receives the voltage generated by compensator  210  and generates the reference current  226  based on the received voltage. As shown, converter  220  includes transistor  222  and resistor  224 . As shown, transistor  222  is an n-type field effect transistor (nfet), which receives the generated voltage on its gate terminal. In addition, reference current  226  flows through its drain terminal. In an embodiment, reference current  226  is proportional to the voltage on the gate terminal of transistor  222  divided by the resistance of resistor  224 . Reference current  226  is the reference current for the current mirror formed by transistors  228  and  230 . Each of transistors  228  and  230  is a p-type field effect transistor (pfet). Transistor  228  is a diode-connected transistor for the current mirror, which receives the reference current  226 . The source terminals of transistors  228  and  230  are connected to the supply voltage VDD  290 . 
     Transistor  230  is a current source transistor for the current mirror. When the device widths of the diode-connected transistor  238  of the current mirror and the current source transistor  230  of the current mirror match, the target current  232  equals the reference current  226 . With a non-unity ratio between the device widths, the target current  232  is a scaled version of the reference current  226  based on the non-unity ratio. A scaled version of a given current in a current mirror is a current with smaller or larger amperage compared to the given current. In one embodiment, it is larger (e.g. twice, etc.). In another embodiment, it is smaller (e.g., half, etc.). In an embodiment, the scaled version of the given current is a current that is equal to the given current multiplied by the device width of the current source transistor of the current mirror divided by the device width of the diode-connected transistor of the current mirror. For example, if the device width of the current source transistor  230  is twice the device width of the diode-connected transistor  228 , then the target current  232  is twice the amperage of the reference current  226 . 
     Multiple step-down direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters  234 - 238  receive the target current  232  and generate the output voltage Vout  250  based on the target current  232  and the input voltage VIN  292 . In some embodiments, the input voltage VIN  292  is sent from an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) power supply, and Vout  250  is a fraction of VIN  292  based on the duty cycle within the step-down DC-DC converters  234 - 238 . Each of the step-down converters  234 - 238  generates a respective one of the inductor currents  244 - 248  which flows through a respective one of the inductors  240 - 243 . The sum of the inductor currents  244 - 248  charges the output capacitor Cout  252  to Vout  250 . 
     The effective switching frequency is multiplied by the number of phases while the load is divided by the number of phases. Increasing the number of step-down converters  234 - 238  reduces ripple current in input and output filters, such as LC low pass filters, which improves the transient response, but it also increases design complexity and layout difficulty. In various embodiments, each of the step-down converters  234 - 238  is a current mode step-down converter. In some embodiments, each step-down converter is a buck converter and power converter  200  is a multiphase buck converter. In some embodiments, the multiple step-down DC-DC converters  234 - 238  are connected in parallel as shown to provide a multiphase step-down DC-DC converter. The switching frequency of each individual one of the step-down DC-DC converters  234 - 238  is phase shifted with respect to one another, which results in cancellation of the ripple currents flowing in input and output filters. 
     The output voltage Vout  250  is returned to an input of amplifier  206  through resistor  202 . The resistor  202  also receives a dynamically adapting feedback current  294  supplied by another current mirror. The dynamically adapting feedback current  294  creates a voltage drop across resistor  202 . Therefore, the feedback voltage  254  is greater than Vout  250 . The feedback voltage  254  is compared to the reference voltage  204  by amplifier  206 . 
     Similar to converter  220 , converter  270  receives a voltage based on the voltage generated by compensator  210 . However, converter  270  receives the generated voltage through a first order series resistor-capacitor (RC) filter  260 . RC filter  260  includes resistor  262  and capacitor  264 . RC filter  260  creates a response time of the second loop to be greater than a response time of the first loop. The second loop begins with the voltage generated by compensator  210  and includes RC filter  260 , converter  270 , and the current mirror generating the dynamically adapting feedback current  294 . The first loop begins with converter  220  and includes the current mirror generating the target current  232 , the multiple step-down converters  234 - 238  and resistor  202 . The first loop provides the load-line, or the equivalent output resistance of converter  200 . The second loop provides stability for converter  200 . Therefore, the load-line and stability are independent parameters for converter  200 . 
     Converter  270  is a voltage-to-current (V-to-I) converter, which receives the voltage generated by compensator  210  after it passes through RC filter  260 . As shown, converter  270  includes transistor  272  and resistor  274 . Transistor  272  is an nfet, which receives the output of RC filter  260  on its gate terminal and reference current  276  flows through its drain terminal. Reference current  276  is the reference current for the current mirror formed by transistors  278 - 282 . Each of transistors  278 - 282  is a pfet. The source terminals of transistors  278 - 282  are connected to the supply voltage VDD  290 . 
     Transistor  278  is a diode-connected transistor for the current mirror. This current mirror has multiple current source transistors  280 - 282 , each connected to a switch. For example, transistor  280  is connected to switch S 1   284 . Transistor  282  is connected to switch S 2   286 . The current mirror may include any number of current source transistors and switches. When one or more of the multiple current source transistors  280 - 282  are connected to a corresponding closed switch, these current source transistors generate the dynamically adapting feedback current  294  based on the reference current  276 . 
     Similar to the current mirror generating the target current  232 , when the device width of the diode-connected transistor  278  matches the sum of the device widths of the one or more current source transistors  280 - 282  connected to a closed switch, the dynamically adapting feedback current  294  equals the reference current  276 . With a non-unity ratio between the device width of the diode-connected transistor  278  and the sum of the device widths of the one or more current source transistors  280 - 282  connected to a closed switch, the dynamically adapting feedback current  294  is a scaled version of the reference current  276  based on the non-unity ratio. 
     Control logic (not shown) opens and closes switches  284 - 286  in a manner to increase the dynamically adapting feedback current  294  in response to determining a difference between Vout  250  and a target voltage is increasing. Power converter  200  is relied upon to maintain the target voltage, but when the current drawn by one or more components receiving Vout  250  changes, the output voltage Vout  250  may change. The first loop regulates Vout  250  and returns it to the target voltage. The second loop maintains stability by preventing oscillation of Vout  250  due to the relatively high gain of amplifier  206 . The control logic adjusts the opening and closing of the switches  284 - 286  in a manner to decrease the dynamically adapting feedback current  294  in response to determining a difference between the output voltage and a target voltage is decreasing. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a generalized flow diagram of one embodiment of a method  300  for efficiently generating a stable output for a transient load for one or more components is shown. For purposes of discussion, the steps in this embodiment are shown in sequential order. However, in other embodiments some steps may occur in a different order than shown, some steps may be performed concurrently, some steps may be combined with other steps, and some steps may be absent. 
     A first current is generated based on a differential voltage input on a relatively high gain amplifier of a power converter (block  302 ). A first voltage is generated based on the first current (block  304 ). For example, an OTA generates the first current as an output current and a compensator generates the first voltage based on the first current. In some embodiments, the compensator is a Type II compensator for the OTA. The first voltage is converted to a target current in a first feedback loop (block  306 ). For example, the first loop includes a voltage-to-current converter followed by a current mirror. 
     The target current is sent to controllers of one or more step-down DC-DC converters (block  308 ). The one or more step-down DC-DC converters generate the output voltage of the power converter based on at least the target current (block  310 ). The output voltage is sent to an input of the amplifier (block  312 ). In some embodiments, a series resistor is used to increase the feedback voltage, which is input to the amplifier, above the output voltage. 
     In some embodiments, block  314  occurs simultaneously with block  306  as the second feedback loop begins at a similar time as the first feedback loop. The first voltage, which is output by the compensator is converted to a reference current (block  314 ). For example, the first loop includes a voltage-to-current converter followed by a current mirror. However, the voltage-to-current converter includes a first order series RC filter, which creates the response time of the second loop to be greater than the response time of the first loop. Therefore, the first loop may quickly begin regulating the output voltage of the power converter, and a short time later, the second loop ensures oscillation does not occur and stability is maintained. 
     The current mirror in the second loop includes multiple current source transistors, each connected to a switch. The device widths and the control of the switches are used to generate and adjust a dynamically adapting feedback current based on the reference current in the second loop (block  316 ). In some embodiments, the dynamically adapting feedback current flows through the series resistor in the first loop, which adjusts the feedback voltage appearing on the input of the amplifier (block  318 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a generalized block diagram of one embodiment of an integrated circuit (IC)  400  is shown. As shown, an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter  402  converts an AC voltage to a DC voltage and sends the DC voltage to converter  404 , which is a DC to DC converter. Converter  404  sends a DC voltage to IC  410 . In various embodiments, IC  410  receives a 12V bus. Each of the power converters  420  and  422  receive the output of converter  404  and generates a corresponding output voltage for one or more components on IC  410 . In some embodiments, a power management unit (not shown) provides control signals to power converters  420  and  422  for adjusting the operating voltage for components on IC  410 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, IC  410  includes a fabric  430  for high-level interconnects and chip communication, a memory interface  440 , a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a processor with a parallel data microarchitecture such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a camera  446  and a display controller  448 . Various input/output (I/O) interfaces, clock sources, such as phase lock loops (PLLs), and other functional units are not shown for ease of illustration. As shown, power converter  420  sends an operating voltage to the memory controller  440 , the CPU  442  and the GPU  444 . Power converter  422  sends an operating voltage to the camera  446  and the display controller  448 . Another number of power converters and other combinations of connections are possible and contemplated. In various embodiments, each of power converters  420  and  422  is a multiphase, current mode buck converter with two feedback loops as described earlier for power converter  200  in  FIG. 2 . 
     In various embodiments, the fabric  430  provides a top-level interconnect for IC  410 . Fabric  430  may maintain cache coherence for memory requests and route requests between components on IC  410 . An example of a cache coherency protocol includes the MOESI protocol with the Modified (M), Owned (O), Exclusive (E), Shared (S), and Invalid (I) states. Fabric  430  may include one or more switch bars to aggregate traffic. In various embodiments, different types of traffic flow independently through the fabric  430 . The independent flow is accomplished by allowing a single physical fabric bus to include a number of overlaying virtual channels, or dedicated source and destination buffers, each carrying a different type of traffic. Each channel is independently flow controlled with no dependence between transactions in different channels. 
     The memory interface  440  may include a memory controller and a cache to reduce the demands on memory bandwidth and average power consumption. In an embodiment, the allocation policy for the cache is programmable. The interface between the combination of the memory interface  440  and the remainder of IC  410  may include multiple buses. Asynchronous memory requests, responses, snoops, snoop responses, and input/output (I/O) transactions are visible at this interface with temporal relationships. 
     The CPU  442  uses circuitry for executing instructions according to a predefined general-purpose instruction set. Any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs) may be chosen. The CPU  442  may one or more cores and one or more levels of a cache memory subsystem. Each core supports the out-of-order execution of one or more threads of a software process and include a multi-stage pipeline. The GPU  444  has a micro-architecture which provides high instruction throughput for a computational intensive task such as a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) core. 
     The camera  446  uses an image blender capability and other camera image processing capabilities as is well known in the art. One or more other processing blocks associated with real-time memory performance for display may be added along with the camera  446  such as a video graphics controller. The display controller  448  sends graphics output information that was rendered to one or more display devices. The rendering of the information is performed by the display controller  448 . Frame buffers stored in an off-die DRAM or an on-die cache  914  includes at least color values for each pixel on the screen. 
     Turning next to  FIG. 5 , a block diagram of one embodiment of a system  500  is shown. As shown, system  500  may represent chip, circuitry, components, etc., of a desktop computer  510 , laptop computer  520 , tablet computer  530 , cell or mobile phone  540 , television  550  (or set top box configured to be coupled to a television), wrist watch or other wearable item  560 , or otherwise. Other devices are possible and are contemplated. In the illustrated embodiment, the system  500  includes at least one instance of IC  508  which may include the functionality of IC  410  (of  FIG. 4 ) with one or more power converters. The power converters may include two feedback loops as described for power converter  200  (of  FIG. 2 ). IC  508  may be coupled to external memory  502 , peripherals  504 , and power supply  506 . 
     IC  508  is coupled to one or more peripherals  504  and the external memory  502 . A power supply  506  is also provided which supplies the supply voltages to IC  508  as well as one or more supply voltages to the memory  502  and/or the peripherals  504 . In various embodiments, power supply  506  may represent a battery (e.g., a rechargeable battery in a smart phone, laptop or tablet computer). In some embodiments, more than one instance of IC  508  may be included (and more than one external memory  502  may be included as well). 
     The memory  502  may be any type of memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate (DDR, DDR2, DDR3, etc.) SDRAM (including mobile versions of the SDRAMs such as mDDR3, etc., and/or low power versions of the SDRAMs such as LPDDR2, etc.), RAMBUS DRAM (RDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), etc. One or more memory devices may be coupled onto a circuit board to form memory modules such as single inline memory modules (SIMMs), dual inline memory modules (DIMMs), etc. Alternatively, the devices may be mounted with an SoC or IC containing processor  100  in a chip-on-chip configuration, a package-on-package configuration, or a multi-chip module configuration. 
     The peripherals  504  may include any desired circuitry, depending on the type of system  500 . For example, in one embodiment, peripherals  504  may include devices for various types of wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, global positioning system, etc. The peripherals  504  may also include additional storage, including RAM storage, solid state storage, or disk storage. The peripherals  504  may include user interface devices such as a display screen, including touch display screens or multitouch display screens, keyboard or other input devices, microphones, speakers, etc. 
     In various embodiments, program instructions of a software application may be used to implement the methods and/or mechanisms previously described. The program instructions may describe the behavior of hardware in a high-level programming language, such as C. Alternatively, a hardware design language (HDL) may be used, such as Verilog. The program instructions may be stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Numerous types of storage media are available. The storage medium may be accessible by a computer during use to provide the program instructions and accompanying data to the computer for program execution. In some embodiments, a synthesis tool reads the program instructions in order to produce a netlist comprising a list of gates from a synthesis library. 
     It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are only non-limiting examples of implementations. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20181121
Publication Date: 20200505
Grant Date: 20200505
Priority Date: 20170830
Inventors: ONGARO, Fabio
COULEUR, MICHAEL
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H02M3/155", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/158", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/305", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F1/575", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F1/575", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/156", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03F3/213", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F1/62", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/305", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03F2200/129", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F1/461", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/158", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F1/461", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/156", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05F3/262", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/155", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/156", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/305", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/155", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03F2200/129", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/156", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M2001/0048", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/14", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M2001/0045", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03F3/213", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02B70/10", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M3/1566", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0045", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0045", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0045", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02M1/0048", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/305", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 63920750