Devices and methods for voltage regulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11757465-B2
Application number	US-202117325409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2021
Priority date	May 20, 2020
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

A converter includes a switched capacitor circuit that includes at least one capacitor and a plurality of main switches to provide an output current in response to an input voltage applied to the switched capacitor circuit. The converter further includes one or more bypass transistor switches to selectively provide an additional output current. The converter includes a common controller that controls the plurality of main switches and the one or more bypass transistor switches.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A converter, comprising:
a switched capacitor circuit including:
one or more capacitors; and
a plurality of main switches to provide an output current in response to an input voltage applied to the switched capacitor circuit;

one or more bypass transistor switches configured to selectively provide an additional output current, wherein a total current output of the converter is a sum of the output current provided by the switched capacitor circuit and any additional output current provided the one or more bypass transistor switches; and
a common controller to control the plurality of main switches of the switched capacitor circuit and the one or more bypass transistor switches based on a current required by a load.

2. The converter of claim 1 , wherein the common controller is configured to control the one or more bypass transistor switches to selectively provide the additional output current.

3. The converter of claim 2 , wherein the common controller is configured to cause the one or more bypass transistor switches to provide the additional output current when the output current of the switched capacitor circuit reaches or exceeds a maximum current capability of the switched capacitor circuit.

4. The converter of claim 2 , wherein the common controller is configured to cause the one or more bypass transistor switches to selectively provide the additional output current to provide a substantially constant voltage to the load.

5. The converter of claim 4 , wherein the common controller is configured to sense a voltage at the load.

6. The converter of claim 5 , wherein the common controller is configured to detect a voltage at the load and further configured to control an amount of an additional current provided by the one or more bypass transistor switches based on the detected voltage at the load.

7. The converter of claim 1 , wherein the common controller is configured to digitally control an amount of current provided by the switched capacitor circuit and an amount of additional current provided by the one or more bypass transistors.

8. The converter of claim 7 , further comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to provide values corresponding to a voltage at the load to the common controller,
wherein the common controller is configured to control the switched capacitor circuit and the one or more bypass switches based on the values provided by the ADC.

9. The converter of claim 8 ,
wherein the common controller is configured to digitally control the one or more bypass transistor switches to provide the additional output current in response to determining that the values provided by the ADC exceed a maximum threshold value.

10. The converter of claim 1 , wherein the common controller is configured to selectively close at least one of the bypass transistor switches to cause the one or more bypass transistor switches to provide the additional output current.

11. A method for voltage regulation comprising:
determining, by a controller, a total current value to be provided to an output load by a converter, the converter comprising a switched capacitor circuit and one or more bypass transistor switches;
determining, by a controller, a first current value to be provided by the switched capacitor circuit of the converter, wherein the first current value to be provided by the switched capacitor circuit is less than a maximum current value;
determining, by a controller, a second current value to be provided by the one or more bypass transistor switches of the converter, wherein the second current value is a difference of the total current value and the first current value;
providing a current having the first current value to the output load from the switched capacitor circuit; and
providing a current having the second current value to the output load from the one or more bypass transistor switches.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the total current value is a value of the current to maintain a substantially constant voltage at the output load.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein maximum current value is a maximum output current capability of the switched capacitor circuit.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein providing the current to the output load from the switched capacitor circuit comprises, by the controller, causing the switched capacitor circuit to output the current with the first current value, and wherein providing the current to the output load from the one or more bypass transistor switches comprises, by the controller, causing the one or more bypass transistor switches to output the current with the second current value.

15. A converter comprising:
a switched capacitor DC to DC (SC-DCDC) converter circuit;
a low-dropout voltage regulator (LDO) including one or more bypass transistors coupled in parallel to each other across an input and an output of the SC-DCDC converter circuit; and
a controller common to the SC-DCDC and the LDO and configured to control the SC-DCDC converter circuit to provide a current to an output load of the converter and further configured to control the LDO to provide a supplemental current to supplement the current from the SC-DCDC converter circuit in response to the SC-DCDC converter circuit operating at a maximum output capability.

16. The converter of claim 15 , wherein the LDO includes a plurality of bypass transistor switches comprising base transistor switch configured to output a first current with a first current value, and at least one second transistor switch configured to output a second current with a second current value, wherein the second current value is a multiple of the first current value, wherein the current provided by the LDO is a sum of respective currents of the plurality of bypass transistor switches.

17. The converter of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to selectively control one or more of the plurality of bypass transistor switches by selectively causing the one or more of the plurality of bypass transistor switches to close with a respective switching frequency.

18. The converter of claim 17 , wherein the SC-DCDC converter circuit operating at a maximum output capability comprises the SC-DCDC converter circuit outputting a maximum capable output current.

19. The converter of claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to control the SC-DCDC converter circuit and the LDO so that the converter maintains a substantially voltage at the output load.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Cherniak Kyrylo
• Hoellinger Werner
• Marsili Stefano
• Subotskaya Volha

Classifications

• H02M3/072 Primary

  adapted to generate an output voltage whose value is lower than the input voltage · CPC title

• H03M1/403 Primary

  using switched capacitors · CPC title

• H02M3/157

  with digital control · CPC title

• H02M1/14

  Arrangements for reducing ripples from DC input or output · CPC title

• H02M1/00

  Details of apparatus for conversion · CPC title