US6583608B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Voltage/current controller device, particularly for interleaving switching regulators
Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL
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Filing: 2001-09-18
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Granted: 2003-06-24
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Expires: 2021-09-18
Abstract
Abstract A voltage/current controller device, particularly for interleaving switching regulators, comprises: a DC/DC converter having a plurality of modules, with each module including a drive transistor pair connected in series between first and second supply voltage references, a current sensor connected to one transistor in the pair, and a current read circuit connected to the sensor. Advantageously, the read circuit comprises a transconductance amplifier connected across the current sensor to sense a voltage signal related to a load current being applied to each module, the transconductance amplifier reading the voltage signal with the transistor in the conducting state.
Inventors
- 👤 Alessandro Zafarana
- 👤 Claudia Castelli
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:42
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02M; H02M3/00; H02M3/02; H02M3/04; H02M3/10; H02M3/145; H02M3/155; H02M3/156; H02M3/158; H02M3/1584; H02M1/00; H02M1/0003; H02M1/0009
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A voltage/current controller device, comprising: a DC/DC converter having a plurality of modules, with each module including a drive transistor pair connected in series between first and second supply voltage references, a current sensor connected to one transistor in said pair, and a current reading circuit connected to said sensor, said reading circuit including a transconductance amplifier connected across said current sensor to sense a voltage signal related to a load current being applied to each of said modules, said transconductance amplifier reading said voltage signal with said one transistor in a conducting state.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A voltage/current controller device, comprising: a DC/DC converter having a plurality of modules, with each module including a drive transistor pair connected in series between first and second supply voltage references, a current sensor connected to one transistor in said pair, and a current reading circuit connected to said sensor, said reading circuit including a transconductance amplifier connected across said current sensor to sense a voltage signal related to a load current being applied to each of said modules, said transconductance amplifier reading said voltage signal with said one transistor in a conducting state.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A controller device according to claim 1 , wherein said transconductance amplifier is a track-and-hold type structured to interrupt reading said voltage signal during periods of instability in the working conditions of said DC/DC converter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A controller device according to claim 1 , wherein said transconductance amplifier generates an update signal (track) by combining a control signal of said one transistor and a clock signal to each module together through an AND logic operator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
A controller device according to claim 1 , further comprising an error amplifier having an input terminal connected to said second supply voltage reference, and having an output terminal feedback-connected to another input terminal through a bias resistive element, said error amplifier outputting a triangular PWM signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A controller device according to claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of PWM modulators connected to said output terminal of said error amplifier.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
A controller device according to claim 5 , further comprising a comparator structured to compare the reading by said reading circuit with a reference signal, thereby allowing the current to be checked at each reading cycle.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
A controller device according to claim 4 , wherein a sum of DC values of current readings by said reading circuit each is used for shifting a reference signal of a loop, containing said error amplifier, proportionally to an applied load to each module.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
A controller device according to claim 4 , wherein said DC/DC converter compares current information in each module with a mean value of the currents, thereby correcting a read control voltage of each module and any unbalance between modules, and equalizing the output current values.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
47 words
A controller device according to claim 1 , wherein said reading circuit has an output connected to a summing node, said summing node being also input an output voltage Vo(f) from each module and outputting a first order estimate of the load current of said DC/DC converter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
A controller device according to claim 9 , wherein said summing node is connected to another summing node arranged to be input a reference signal, and that said another summing node is connected to said DC/DC converter through a series of an error amplifier and a PWM modulator.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
96 words
A controller device according to claim 10 , wherein said DC/DC converter processes the reading performed by said reading circuit to obtain an error amplifier output voltage in the frequency domain given as: vc ( f )= Zf/Zi*vo ( f )− Zf*k*Σi R sense* li ( f ) where: vs(f) is a control voltage of said PWM modulator, vo(f) is an output voltage of each module, Zf is an output-to-inverting terminal impedance of said error amplifier, Zi is an inverting terminal-to-output voltage impedance of said error amplifier, and li(f) is a current sampling of said module.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
A controller device according to claim 10 , further comprising an additional compensation network connected between an output terminal of said DC/DC converter and an inverting terminal of said error amplifier to provide a stable DC/DC converter.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
97 words
A voltage/current controller device, comprising: a first drive transistor connected between a first supply voltage reference and an intermediate circuit node connected to a load; a second drive transistor connected between the intermediate circuit node and a second supply voltage reference; and a track-and-hold transconductance amplifier connected to a selected one of the first and second drive transistors, the transconductance amplifier being structured to sense a current though the selected drive transistor during a conducting state of the selected drive transistor and refrain from sensing the current during transition periods of the first and second drive transistors.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
97 words
A voltage/current controller device, comprising: a first drive transistor connected between a first supply voltage reference and an intermediate circuit node connected to a load; a second drive transistor connected between the intermediate circuit node and a second supply voltage reference; and a track-and-hold transconductance amplifier connected to a selected one of the first and second drive transistors, the transconductance amplifier being structured to sense a current though the selected drive transistor during a conducting state of the selected drive transistor and refrain from sensing the current during transition periods of the first and second drive transistors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
The controller device of claim 13 , further comprising an error amplifier having a first input terminal connected to said second supply voltage reference and an output terminal connected to an output of the transconductance amplifier through a bias resistive element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The controller device of claim 14 wherein the error amplifier includes a second input terminal feedback-connected to the output terminal by the bias resistive element.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
The controller device of claim 14 , further comprising a PWM modulator having an input connected to the output terminal of the error amplifier and an output connected to a DC/DC converter that includes the first and second drive transistors.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
78 words
The controller device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second drive transistors comprise a first DC/DC converter module, the controller device further comprising: a second DC/DC converter module; and a summing node having a first input connected to an output of the transconductive amplifier, a second input connected to receive an output voltage Vo(f) from each module, and an output that provides a first order estimate of a load current of the first DC/DC converter module.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
122 words
A method of controlling a current imparted to a load using a controller device that includes first and second drive transistors connected between a first and second supply voltage references, the first and second drive transistors being connected to each other at an intermediate circuit node connected to the load, the method comprising: sensing a current through the first drive transistor during a conducting state of the first drive transistor; stopping the sensing of the current prior to a conducting state of the second drive transistor; holding a value of the sensed current during the conducting state of the second drive transistor; and adjusting duty cycles of the first and second drive transistors based on the held value of the sensed current.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
122 words
A method of controlling a current imparted to a load using a controller device that includes first and second drive transistors connected between a first and second supply voltage references, the first and second drive transistors being connected to each other at an intermediate circuit node connected to the load, the method comprising: sensing a current through the first drive transistor during a conducting state of the first drive transistor; stopping the sensing of the current prior to a conducting state of the second drive transistor; holding a value of the sensed current during the conducting state of the second drive transistor; and adjusting duty cycles of the first and second drive transistors based on the held value of the sensed current.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-06-23 | 2006-12-23 | 2007-06-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-06-23 | 2010-12-23 | 2011-06-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-06-23 | 2014-12-23 | 2015-06-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |