Dual loop digital low drop regulator and current sharing control apparatus for distributable voltage regulators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10698432-B2
Application number	US-201313801777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Described is an apparatus which comprises: a plurality of transistors coupled to an input power supply and to a load; a first comparator with a first node coupled to the load, and a second node coupled to a first reference; a second comparator with a first node coupled to the load, and a second node coupled to a second reference, the second reference being different from the first reference; and a logic unit to receive output of the first comparator and output of the second comparator, the logic unit to turn on or off transistors of the plurality of transistors according to outputs of the first and second comparators.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of transistors coupled to an input power supply node and to a load;
a first comparator with a first node coupled to a node associated with the load, and a second node coupled to a first reference;
a second comparator with a first node coupled to the node associated with the load, and a second node coupled to a second reference, the second reference being different from the first reference; and
a logic unit to receive an output of the first comparator and an output of the second comparator,
wherein the logic is to turn on or off transistors of the plurality of transistors according to the outputs of the first and second comparators,
wherein the first and second comparators are to receive a first clock signal and a second clock signal, respectively,
wherein the first clock signal is slower or equal in frequency than the second clock signal,
wherein the first and second comparators comprise clocked comparators, and
wherein the first and second clock signals are of same frequencies during a voltage droop event on the output node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a divider to divide frequency of the second clock signal to generate the first clock signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a first counter to turn on or off transistors from the plurality of transistors according to the output of the first comparator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprises a second counter to turn on or off transistors from the plurality of transistors according to the output of the second comparator.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a number of the plurality of transistors controlled per count step of the second counter is different than a number of the plurality of transistors controlled per count step of the first counter.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprises an adder coupled to the first and second counters.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the adder is controllable by the logic unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein an output of the adder is to control gate terminals of the plurality of transistors.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transistors are grouped as first and second sets of transistors, wherein in the first set of transistors is to be controlled by the output of the first comparator, and wherein the second set of transistors is to be controlled by the output of the second comparator.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first set of transistors is to operate during a steady state while the second set of transistors is to operate during a voltage overshoot or voltage undershoot on a node coupled to the load.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a counter coupled to the logic unit, wherein the output of the counter is to control gate terminals of the plurality of transistors.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the counter is to count up or down according to the output of the first and second comparators, and wherein a count step size of count up is different or same from a count step size of count down.

13. A voltage regulator comprising:
a first set of plurality of transistors coupled to an input power supply node and an output node, the output node coupled to a load;
a second set of plurality of transistors coupled to the input power supply node and the output node;
a first comparator with a first node coupled to the output node, and a second node coupled to a first reference;
a second comparator with a first node coupled to the output node, and a second node coupled to a second reference, the second reference being different from the first reference; and
a logic unit to receive an output of the first comparator and an output of the second comparator,
wherein the logic is to generate an output which is to control gate terminals of the first and second sets of plurality of transistors according to the outputs of the first and second comparators,
wherein the first and second comparators are to receive a first clock signal and a second clock signal, respectively,
wherein the first clock signal is slower or equal in frequency than the second clock signal,
wherein the first and second comparators comprise clocked comparators, and
wherein the first and second clock signals are of same frequencies during a voltage droop event on the output node.

14. The voltage regulator of claim 13 , further comprises a divider coupled to the first and second comparators.

15. The voltage regulator of claim 13 comprises:
a first counter to turn on or off transistors from the plurality of transistors according to the output of the first comparator;
a second counter to turn on or off transistors from the plurality of transistors according to the output of the second comparator; and
an adder coupled to the first and second counters.

16. The voltage regulator of claim 15 , wherein a number of the plurality of transistors controlled per count step of the second counter is different than a number of the plurality of transistors controlled per count step of the first counter.

17. The voltage regulator of claim 15 , wherein the adder is controllable by the logic unit.

18. The voltage regulator of claim 15 , wherein an output of the adder is to control gate terminals of the plurality of transistors.

19. A system comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor having a voltage regulator to provide power supply to one or more logics of the processor, the voltage regulator including:
a plurality of transistors coupled to an input power supply node and to a load;
a first comparator with a first node coupled to a node associated with the load, and a second node coupled to a first reference;
a second comparator with a first node coupled to the node associated with the load, and a second node coupled to a second reference, the second reference being different from the first reference; and
a logic unit to receive an output of the first comparator and an output of the second comparator, wherein the logic is to turn on or off transistors of the plurality of transistors according to the outputs of the first and second comparators, wherein the first and second comparators are to receive a first clock signal and a second clock signal, respectively,
wherein the first clock signal is slower or equal in frequency than the second clock signal,
wherein the first and second comparators comprise clocked comparators, and
wherein the first and second clock signals are of same frequencies during a voltage droop event on the output node; and

a wireless interface to allow the processor to communicate with another device.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of transistors are grouped as first and second sets of transistors, wherein in the first set of transistors is to be controlled by the output of the first comparator, and wherein the second set of transistors is to be controlled by the output of the second comparator.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprises a counter coupled to the logic unit, wherein an output of the counter is to control gate terminals of the plurality of transistors.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Shih Yi-Chun
• Mazumdar Kaushik
• Kim Stephen T
• Jain Rinkle
• Tschanz James W
• Khellah Muhammad M

Classifications

• G05F1/00

  Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and fed back to a device within the system to restore the detected quantity to its predetermined value or values, i.e. retroactive systems · CPC title

• H02M3/156

  with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators · CPC title

• G05F1/46

  wherein the variable actually regulated by the final control device is DC (G05F1/625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05F1/563 Primary

  including two stages of regulation at least one of which is output level responsive, e.g. coarse and fine regulation · CPC title