Reconfigurable inductor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11211866-B2
Application number	US-201716642268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

An adjustable inductance system includes a plurality of inductor modules coupled to a corresponding plurality of loads and a pool of at least one floating inductor module that may be coupled in parallel with any one of the plurality of inductor modules. A control circuit monitors the current drawn through the inductor module by the load. If current draw exceeds a threshold, the control circuit couples a floating inductor module to the load. Using the current drawn by the load, the control circuit determines an appropriate inductance value and determines an appropriate inductor configuration for the inductor module, the floating inductor module, or both the inductor module and the floating inductor module to achieve the determined inductance value. The control circuit causes switching elements to transition to a state or position to achieve the inductor configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power delivery system, comprising:
a plurality of power delivery circuits, each of the power delivery circuits to supply a load current to a respective one of a plurality of loads, the plurality of loads conductively coupled to the plurality of power delivery circuits;
a plurality of inductor modules, each of the plurality of inductor modules having an allowable current threshold, each of the plurality of inductor modules conductively coupled to a respective one of the power delivery circuits;
at least one floating inductor module, the at least one floating inductor module conductively couplable to any of the plurality of power delivery circuits; and
control circuitry to:
receive information indicative of the load current supplied to at least one of the plurality of power delivery circuits;
receive information indicative of the allowable current threshold of the at least one power delivery circuit; and
determine whether the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit exceeds the allowable current threshold for the inductor module conductively coupled to the at least one power delivery circuit.

2. The power delivery system of claim 1 :
wherein each of the plurality of inductor modules comprises an inductor module formed in a semiconductor package substrate;
wherein the at least one floating inductor module comprises at least one floating inductor module disposed in the semiconductor package substrate;
wherein each of a plurality of switch elements selectively conductively couples the at least one floating inductor module to a respective one of the plurality of power delivery circuits.

3. The power delivery system of claim 2 wherein the control circuitry, responsive to determining the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit exceeds the allowable current threshold, to further:
conductively couple the floating inductor module to the at least one power delivery circuit.

4. The power delivery system of claim 3 :
wherein the plurality of conductively coupled loads comprise loads disposed in one or more semiconductor dies included in the semiconductor package; and
wherein the plurality of switch elements include a plurality of semiconductor devices disposed in an interposer layer conductively coupled between the one or more semiconductor dies and the semiconductor package substrate.

5. The power delivery system of any of claim 4 :
wherein the at least one floating inductor module comprises a floating inductor module having at least one of:
a floating inductor module having a fixed inductance value; or
a variable inductance floating inductor module having a selectively variable inductance value provided by a plurality of inductive elements conductively coupled to a second plurality of switch elements, each of the second plurality of switch elements conductively coupled to the control circuitry; and
wherein each of the plurality of inductor modules comprises an inductor module having at least one of:
an inductor module having a fixed inductance value; or
a variable inductance inductor module having a selectively variable inductance value provided by a plurality of inductive elements conductively coupled to a third plurality of switches, each of the third plurality of switches conductively coupled to the control circuitry.

6. The power delivery system of claim 4 wherein the interposer layer includes at least a portion of the control circuitry.

7. The power delivery system of claim 5 :
wherein the second plurality of switch elements is disposed in the interposer layer; and
wherein the third plurality of switch elements is disposed in the interposer layer.

8. The power delivery system of claim 5 :
wherein the floating inductor module comprises a variable inductance floating inductor module; and
wherein the control circuitry, responsive to determining the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit exceeds the allowable current threshold, to further:
determine an inductance value for the variable inductance floating inductor module using the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit and the allowable current threshold for the inductor module conductively coupled to the at least one power delivery circuit;
determine an inductor element configuration in the variable inductance floating inductor module to provide the determined inductance value; and
cause the second plurality of switch elements to transition to a state to provide the inductor element configuration in the variable inductance floating inductor module.

9. The power delivery system of claim 5 :
wherein the inductor module comprises a variable inductance inductor module; and
wherein the control circuitry, responsive to determining the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit is less than the allowable current threshold, to further:
determine an inductance value for the variable inductance inductor module using the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit;
determine an inductor element configuration in the variable inductance inductor module to provide the determined inductance value; and
cause the third plurality of switch elements to transition to a state to provide the inductor element configuration in the variable inductance inductor module.

10. The power delivery system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more capacitive elements conductively coupled to the at least one power delivery circuit.

11. A voltage regulation method, comprising:
receiving, by control circuitry, at least one signal containing information indicative of a load current supplied to a load by at least one power delivery circuit, the power delivery circuit including an inductor module;
receiving, by control circuitry, at least one signal containing information indicative of an allowable current threshold of the inductor module; and
determining, by the control circuitry, whether the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit exceeds the allowable current threshold for the inductor module, wherein receiving at least one signal containing information indicative of a load current supplied to a load by at least one power delivery circuit further comprises:
receiving, by control circuitry, the at least one signal containing information indicative of the load current supplied to the load disposed on a semiconductor die by at least one power delivery circuit, the power delivery circuit including an inductor module that includes one or more inductive elements disposed in a semiconductor package substrate, the semiconductor die conductively coupled to the semiconductor package substrate by an interposer layer die that includes a plurality of switches.

12. The power delivery method of claim 11 wherein receiving at least one signal containing information indicative of a load current supplied to a load by at least one power delivery circuit further comprises:
receiving, by control circuitry disposed at least partially in the interposer layer, at least one signal containing information indicative of the load current supplied to a load by the at least one power delivery circuit.

13. The power delivery method of claim 11 , further comprising:
conductively coupling, by the control circuitry, a floating inductor module to the at least one power delivery circuit, responsive to determining the load current supplied by the at least one power delivery circuit exceeds the allowable current threshold of the inductor module.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein conductively coupling a floating induc

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Lambert William J
• Radhakrishnan Kaladhar
• Choi Beomseok
• Bharath Krishna
• Hill Michael J

Classifications

• H02M1/008

  Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators · CPC title

• H02M1/0032

  Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode · CPC title

• H02M3/158

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

• G05F1/465

  Internal voltage generators for integrated circuits, e.g. step down generators · CPC title

• H02M3/1566

  with means for compensating against rapid load changes, e.g. with auxiliary current source, with dual mode control or with inductance variation · CPC title