Voltage supply circuitry with charge pump mode and boost converter mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11223278-B2
Application number	US-202016809350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2020
Priority date	Mar 4, 2020
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

Voltage supply circuitry includes a high-side pin and a low-side pin configured to couple to a storage element and an output pin. The voltage supply further includes a high-side switching element configured to electrically couple the positive supply pin and the low-side pin based on a high-side control signal and a low-side switching element configured to electrically couple the reference supply pin and the low-side pin based on a low-side control signal. The voltage supply further including driver circuitry configured to generate the high-side control signal and the low-side control signal for operating in a charge pump mode when the storage element is arranged in a charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry and to generate the high-side control signal and the low-side control signal for operating in a boost converter mode when the storage element is arranged in a boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Voltage supply circuitry comprising:
a positive supply pin and a reference supply pin configured to couple to a supply;
a high-side pin and a low-side pin configured to couple to a storage element;
an output pin;
a high-side switching element configured to electrically couple the positive supply pin and the low-side pin based on a high-side control signal;
a low-side switching element configured to electrically couple the reference supply pin and the low-side pin based on a low-side control signal;
a first switching element configured to electrically couple the positive supply pin and the high-side pin;
a second switching element configured to electrically couple the high-side pin and the output pin;
a third switching element configured to electrically couple the output pin and the low-side pin;
driver circuitry configured to generate the high-side control signal and the low-side control signal for operating in a charge pump mode when the storage element is arranged in a charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry and to generate the high-side control signal and the low-side control signal for operating in a boost converter mode when the storage element is arranged in a boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry; and
wherein the third switching element is configured to switch-in when operating in one or more phases of the boost converter mode and to switch-out when operating in the charge pump mode.

2. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 1 , wherein, in the charge pump configuration, the storage element comprises a capacitor including a first node coupled to the high-side pin and a second node coupled to the low-side pin.

3. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 2 , wherein, when operating in a first phase of the charge pump mode, the driver circuitry is configured to switch-out the high-side switching element and switch-in the low-side switching element such that the capacitor is charged by the supply.

4. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 3 ,
wherein the capacitor is a first capacitor; and
wherein, when operating in a second phase of the charge pump mode, the driver circuitry is configured to switch-in the high-side switching element and switch-out the low-side switching element such that the first capacitor charges a second capacitor.

5. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 4 ,
wherein the second capacitor comprises a first node coupled to the positive supply pin and a second node coupled to the output pin; or
wherein the second capacitor comprises a first node coupled to the output pin and a second node coupled to the reference supply pin.

6. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 1 , wherein, in the boost converter configuration, the storage element comprises an inductor.

7. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 6 , wherein, when operating in a first phase of the boost converter mode, the driver circuitry is configured to switch-out the high-side switching element and switch-in the low-side switching element such that the inductor is charged by the supply.

8. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 7 , wherein, when operating in a second phase of the boost converter mode, the driver circuitry is configured to switch-out the high-side switching element and switch-out the low-side switching element such that the inductor charges a capacitor.

9. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 6 ,
wherein the inductor comprises a first node coupled to the positive supply pin and a second node coupled to the low-side pin; or
wherein the inductor comprises a first node coupled to the high-side pin and a second node coupled to the low-side pin.

10. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 1 , comprising one or more of:
first current limiting circuitry configured to regulate current from the positive supply pin into high-side switching element; and
second current limiting circuitry configured to regulate current output to the reference supply pin from the voltage supply circuitry.

11. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 1 , comprising:
current sensing circuitry configured to sense current output to the reference supply pin from the voltage supply circuitry, wherein the driver circuitry is configured to generate the low-side control signal based on the current output to the reference supply pin.

12. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 1 , comprising:
mode detection circuitry configured to determine when the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry and when the storage element is arranged in the boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry and output an indication to the driver circuitry indicating whether the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration or the boost converter configuration.

13. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the mode detection circuitry comprises:
a rate of change module configured to determine a rate of change of current output to the reference supply pin from the voltage supply circuitry, wherein the mode detection circuitry is configured to determine that the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry when the rate of change is less than or equal to zero and that the storage element is arranged in the boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry when the rate of change is greater than zero.

14. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the mode detection circuitry comprises:
a comparator module configured to compare a magnitude of current output to the reference supply pin from the voltage supply circuitry and a threshold value, wherein the mode detection circuitry is configured to determine that the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry in response to the comparator module outputting an indication that the magnitude of current is greater than the threshold value and that the storage element is arranged in the boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry in response to the comparator module outputting an indication that the magnitude of current is less than the threshold value.

15. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the mode detection circuitry comprises:
a rate of change module configured to determine a rate of change of current at the low-side switching element, wherein the mode detection circuitry is configured to determine that the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry when the rate of change is less than or equal to zero and that the storage element is arranged in the boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry when the rate of change is greater than zero.

16. The voltage supply circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the mode detection circuitry comprises:
a comparator module configured to compare a magnitude of current at the low-side switching element and a threshold value, wherein the mode detection circuitry is configured to determine that the storage element is arranged in the charge pump configuration with the voltage supply circuitry in response to the comparator module outputting an indication that the magnitude of current is greater than the threshold value and that the storage element is arranged in the boost converter configuration with the voltage supply circuitry in response to the comparator module outputting an indication that the magnitude of current is less than the threshold value.

17. The voltage supply ci

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Asam Michael
• Ionescu Mihai-Alexandru
• Tabaku Ardit

Classifications

• H02M3/07 Primary

  using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps} · CPC title

• H02M1/0009

  Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter · CPC title

• H02M3/158

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

• H02M1/0095

  Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck · CPC title