System and method for robust body braking control to suppress transient voltage overshoot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10651734-B2
Application number	US-201715484745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2017
Priority date	Apr 11, 2017
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A voltage regulator includes power stages and a controller. The power stages are configured to provide power to a load in response to a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal and to provide a body braking to the load in response to a body braking signal. The body braking is provided via a body diode of the power stage. The controller is configured to provide the PWM signals to a first power stage and a second power stage based upon a power demand of the load, to provide body braking signals to the first power stage and the second power stage in response to an over-voltage condition on the load, and to suspend the first body braking signal to the first power stage and maintain the second body braking signal to the second power stage, in response to an over-temperature condition on the first power stage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage regulator, comprising:
a first power stage for a first phase of the voltage regulator, the first power stage including a first temperature sensor for the first phase, the first temperature sensor switched onto a shared bus to a controller, the first power stage configured to:
provide first power to a load in response to a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal;
switch first temperature information from the first temperature sensor onto the shared bus in response to a rising edge of the first PWM signal; and
provide a first body braking for the load in response to a first body braking signal, wherein the first body braking is provided via a first body diode of the first power stage;

a second power stage for a second phase of the voltage regulator, the second power stage including a second temperature sensor for the second phase, the second temperature sensor switched onto the shared bus to the controller, the second power stage configured to:
provide second power to the load in response to a second PWM signal;
switch second temperature information from the second temperature sensor onto the shared bus in response to a rising edge of the second PWM signal; and
provide a second body braking for the load in response to a second body braking signal, wherein the second body braking is provided via a second body diode of the second power stage; and

the controller configured to:
provide the first PWM signal to the first power stage and the second PWM signal to the second power stage based upon a power demand of the load;
provide the first body braking signal to the first power stage and the second body braking signal to the second power stage in response to an over-voltage condition on the load;
determine that an over-temperature indication is received while the first PWM signal is provided to the first power stage;
determine that the over-temperature indication is received from the first temperature sensor based upon determining that the over-temperature indication is received while the first PWM signal is provided; and
suspend the first body braking signal to the first power stage and maintain the second body braking signal to the second power stage, in response to determining that the over-temperature indication was received from the first temperature sensor.

2. The voltage regulator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
receive the first temperature information from the shared bus, the first temperature information indicating the over-temperature condition; and
determine that the first temperature information is from the first sensor.

3. The voltage regulator of claim 2 , wherein:
the first temperature information is received at a time when the first PWM signal is in a high state; and
the controller determines that the first temperature information is from the first sensor based upon the first temperature information being receive at the time.

4. The voltage regulator of claim 2 , wherein:
the controller is further configured to provide a handshake signal to the first power stage;
the first temperature information is received in response to the controller providing the handshake signal; and
the controller determines that the first temperature information is from the first sensor based upon the first temperature information being receive subsequent to the handshake signal.

5. The voltage regulator of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive the second temperature information from the shared bus, the second temperature information indicating the over-temperature condition has ended;
determine that the second temperature information is from the second sensor; and
provide the first body braking signal to the first power in response to determining that the second temperature information is from the second sensor.

6. The voltage regulator of claim 1 , wherein the first power stage includes a high-side power element and a low-side power element, the first body diode being integrated with the low-side power element.

7. The voltage regulator of claim 6 , wherein:
in response to a high state of the first PWM signal, the high-side power element is turned on to provide power to the load and the low-side power element is turned off;
in response to a low state of the first PWM signal, the high-side power element is turned off to isolate the load from a power source and the low-side power element is turned on; and
in response to the first body braking signal, the high-side power element and the low-side power element are turned off and the first body diode provides the first body braking.

8. The voltage regulator of claim 7 , wherein the first power stage further comprises a driver configured to receive the first PWM signal and the first body braking signal from the controller.

9. A method, comprising:
providing, by a first power stage of a voltage regulator, first power to a load in response to a first pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal, the first power stage for a first phase of the voltage regulator;
switching, by a first temperature sensor of the first power stage, first temperature information from the first temperature sensor onto a shared bus in response to a rising edge of the first PWM signal;
providing a first body braking to the load in response to a first body braking signal, wherein the first body braking is provided via a first body diode of the first power stage;
providing, by a second power stage of the voltage regulator, second power to the load in response to a second PWM signal, the second power stage for a second phase of the voltage regulator;
switching, by a second temperature sensor of the second power stage, second temperature information from the second temperature sensor onto the shared bus in response to a rising edge of the second PWM signal;
providing a second body braking to the load in response to a second body braking signal, wherein the second body braking is provided via a second body diode of the second power stage;
providing, by a controller of the voltage regulator, the first PWM signal to the first power stage and the second PWM signal to the second power stage based upon a power demand of the load;
providing, by the controller, the first body braking signal to the first power stage and the second body braking signal to the second power stage in response to an over-voltage condition on the load;
receiving, via a shared bus, third temperature information;
determining that the third temperature information is received while the first PWM signal is provided to the first power stage;
determining that the third temperature information is the first temperature information based upon determining that the third temperature information is received while the first PWM signal is provided;
receiving, via the shared bus, the fourth temperature information; and
determining that the fourth temperature information is received while the second PWM signal is provided to the second power stage;
determining that the fourth temperature information is the second temperature information based upon determining that the fourth temperature information is received while the second PWM signal is provided; and
suspending, by the controller, the first body braking signal to the first power stage and not suspending the second body braking signal to the second power stage, in response to an over-temperature indication from the first temperature sensor.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, by the controller, the first temperature information from the shared bus, the first temperature information indicating the over-temperature condition; and
determining, by the controller

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Zhu Guangyong
• Mirjafari Mehran
• Johnson Ralph

Classifications

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• H02M1/32

  Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection · CPC title

• H02M3/1588

  comprising at least one synchronous rectifier element (H02M3/1582, H02M3/1584 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01K3/005

  Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature (fire detection G08B17/00) · CPC title

• H02M3/158 Primary

  including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load · CPC title