Patent US6791304B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6791304B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Electronic device including multiphase switching regulator and related methods
Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC
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Filing: 2003-01-24
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Granted: 2004-09-14
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Expires: 2023-01-24
Abstract
Abstract An electronic device may include a circuit board, at least one load circuit carried by the circuit board, and a power distribution conductor carried by the circuit board and connected to the at least one load circuit. The electronic device may also include a multiphase switching regulator including a plurality of output stages connected to the power distribution conductor, and a controller for controlling the output stages based upon respective phase currents. The respective phase currents may be derived from corresponding voltage drops across the power distribution conductor and a matrix of resistivity values.
Inventors
- 👤 Lawrence G. Pearce
- 👤 Nicolaas W. Van Vonno
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 20:56
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02J; H02J1/00; H02J1/10; H02J1/102; H02M; H02M3/00; H02M3/02; H02M3/04; H02M3/10; H02M3/145; H02M3/155; H02M3/156; H02M3/158; H02M3/1584
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
An electronic device comprising: a circuit board; at least one load circuit carried by said circuit board; a power distribution conductor carried by said circuit board and connected to said at least one load circuit; and a multiphase switching regulator comprising a plurality of output stages connected to said power distribution conductor, and a controller for controlling said output stages based upon respective phase currents derived from corresponding voltage drops across said power distribution conductor and a matrix of resistivity values.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
An electronic device comprising: a circuit board; at least one load circuit carried by said circuit board; a power distribution conductor carried by said circuit board and connected to said at least one load circuit; and a multiphase switching regulator comprising a plurality of output stages connected to said power distribution conductor, and a controller for controlling said output stages based upon respective phase currents derived from corresponding voltage drops across said power distribution conductor and a matrix of resistivity values.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising at least one analog-to-digital converter for converting the corresponding voltage drops to digital voltage values; wherein the matrix of resistivity values comprises a matrix of digital resistivity values; and wherein said controller comprises digital processing circuitry.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electronic device of claim 2 wherein said controller further comprises a memory storing the matrix of digital resistivity values.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said multiphase switching regulator comprises a pulse width modulated switching regulator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a resistivity measurement structure connected to said controller and having a resistivity corresponding to that of said power distribution conductor; and wherein said controller generates the matrix of resistivity values based upon baseline resistivity values and resistivity values from said resistivity measurement structure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electronic device of claim 5 wherein said resistivity measurement structure comprises at least one Van der Pauw measurement structure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The electronic device of claim 1 wherein each output stage comprises at least one output and an inductor connected thereto; and wherein the matrix of resistivity values is based upon resistivities from the inductors to said at least one load circuit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said multiphase switching regulator comprises a multiphase buck switching regulator.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said circuit board comprises at least one dielectric layer and at least one conductive layer thereon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic device of claim 1 wherein said at least one load circuit comprises a microprocessor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a battery connected to said multiphase switching regulator.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
125 words
An electronic device comprising: a circuit board; at least one load circuit carried by said circuit board; a power distribution conductor carried by said circuit board and connected to said at least one load circuit; a pulse width modulated multiphase switching regulator comprising a plurality of output stages connected to said power distribution conductor, and a controller for controlling said output stages based upon respective phase currents, said controller comprising digital processing circuitry for deriving the respective phase currents from digital voltage values representing corresponding voltage drops across said power distribution conductor and a matrix of digital resistivity values; and at least one analog-to-digital converter connected between said power distribution conductor and said controller for converting the corresponding voltage drops to the digital voltage values.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
125 words
An electronic device comprising: a circuit board; at least one load circuit carried by said circuit board; a power distribution conductor carried by said circuit board and connected to said at least one load circuit; a pulse width modulated multiphase switching regulator comprising a plurality of output stages connected to said power distribution conductor, and a controller for controlling said output stages based upon respective phase currents, said controller comprising digital processing circuitry for deriving the respective phase currents from digital voltage values representing corresponding voltage drops across said power distribution conductor and a matrix of digital resistivity values; and at least one analog-to-digital converter connected between said power distribution conductor and said controller for converting the corresponding voltage drops to the digital voltage values.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electronic device of claim 12 wherein said controller further comprises a memory storing the matrix of digital resistivity values.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
The electronic device of claim 12 further comprising a resistivity measurement structure connected to said controller and having a resistivity corresponding to that of said power distribution conductor; and wherein said controller generates the matrix of digital resistivity values based upon baseline resistivity values and resistivity values from said resistivity measurement structure.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electronic device of claim 14 wherein said resistivity measurement structure comprises at least one Van der Pauw measurement structure.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
The electronic device of claim 12 wherein each output stage comprises at least one output and an inductor connected thereto; and wherein the matrix of digital resistivity values is based upon resistivities from the inductors to said at least one load circuit.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electronic device of claim 12 wherein said multiphase switching regulator comprises a multiphase buck switching regulator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electronic device of claim 12 wherein said circuit board comprises at least one dielectric layer and at least one conductive layer thereon.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic device of claim 12 wherein said at least one load circuit comprises a microprocessor.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic device of claim 12 further comprising a battery connected to said multiphase switching regulator.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
96 words
A method for supplying power to at least one load circuit carried by a circuit board using a power distribution conductor also carried by the circuit board and connected to the at least one load circuit, the method comprising: connecting a plurality of output stages to the power distribution conductor; determining respective voltage drops across the power distribution conductor for the output stages; deriving phase currents for the output stages based upon the voltage drops and a matrix of resistivity values; and controlling the output stages to provide multiphase switching based upon the derived phase currents.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
96 words
A method for supplying power to at least one load circuit carried by a circuit board using a power distribution conductor also carried by the circuit board and connected to the at least one load circuit, the method comprising: connecting a plurality of output stages to the power distribution conductor; determining respective voltage drops across the power distribution conductor for the output stages; deriving phase currents for the output stages based upon the voltage drops and a matrix of resistivity values; and controlling the output stages to provide multiphase switching based upon the derived phase currents.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 21 further comprising converting the voltage drops to digital voltage values; wherein the matrix of resistivity values comprises a matrix of digital resistivity values; and wherein deriving the phase current comprises deriving the phase currents using digital processing.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 21 wherein controlling comprises controlling the output stages to provide pulse width modulated multiphase switching.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 21 further comprising: measuring resistivity values of the power distribution conductor; and generating the matrix of resistivity values based upon baseline resistivity values and the measured resistivity values.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 24 wherein measuring comprises measuring the resistivity values using at least one Van der Pauw measurement structure.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 21 wherein each output stage comprises at least one output and an inductor connected thereto; and wherein the matrix of resistivity values is based upon resistivities from the inductors to the at least one load circuit.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-09-14 | 2008-03-15 | 2008-09-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-09-14 | 2012-03-15 | 2012-09-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-09-14 | 2016-03-15 | 2016-09-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |