Power loss control method for metal-oxide-semiconductor unit and associated apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9350340-B2
Application number	US-201213571142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2012
Priority date	Aug 9, 2011
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A power loss control method comprises detecting a load condition of the MOS unit, and adjusting driving loss of the MOS unit based on the load condition. The driving loss of the MOS unit is configured to decrease when the MOS unit is at light load condition.

First claim

I claim:

1. A power loss control method for a MOS unit, wherein the MOS unit comprises a plurality of MOS devices coupled in parallel, the power loss control method comprising:
detecting a load condition of the MOS unit and designating the load condition as either a light load condition or a heavy load condition; and
adjusting driving loss of the MOS unit based on the load condition designation via controlling the MOS unit; and wherein
the driving loss of the MOS unit is configured to decrease via controlling the MOS unit when the load condition of the MOS unit is designated as a light load condition; and wherein the power loss control method further comprising
providing a driving signal to the MOS unit, wherein controlling the MOS unit under a designated light load condition comprises decreasing voltage of the driving signal.

2. The power loss control method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the MOS unit under a designated light load condition comprises shielding one or more MOS devices of the MOS unit.

3. The power loss control method of claim 2 , further comprising releasing the shielded one or more MOS devices when the MOS unit transits from the designated light load condition to a designated heavy load condition.

4. The power loss control method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a plurality of driving signals to the plurality of MOS devices, wherein controlling the MOS unit under a designated light load condition comprises deactivating one or more of the plurality of driving signals.

5. The power loss control method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing voltage of the driving signal when the MOS unit transits from a designated light load condition to a designated heavy load condition.

6. The power loss control method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the MOS unit under a designated heavy load condition comprises maintaining or resuming an initial configuration of the MOS unit.

7. The power loss control method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the load condition comprises monitoring working state of a major device, wherein the major device comprising the MOS unit.

8. The power loss control method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the load condition comprises monitoring an electrical parameter of the MOS unit.

9. A power loss control apparatus for a MOS unit, wherein the MOS unit comprises a plurality of MOS devices coupled in parallel, the power loss control apparatus comprising:
a load condition detecting device, configured to detect a load condition of the MOS unit and designate the load condition as either a light load condition or a heavy load condition; and
a power loss controlling device, configured to adjust a driving loss of the MOS unit based on the load condition designation; and wherein the driving loss of the MOS unit is configured to decrease when the MOS unit is under a designated light load condition; wherein
the power loss controlling device comprises a driving voltage controlling device, wherein the driving voltage controlling device is configured to decrease voltage of a driving signal of the MOS unit under the designated light load condition.

10. The power loss control apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the power loss controlling device comprises a shielding device, wherein the shielding device is configured to shield one or more MOS devices of the MOS unit under the designated light load condition.

11. The power loss control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the shielding device is configured to release the shielded one or more MOS devices when the MOS unit transits from the designated light load condition to a designated heavy load condition.

12. The power loss control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the shielding device is configured to shield the one or more MOS devices via providing one or more deactivated driving signals to the one or more MOS devices.

13. The power loss control apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the driving voltage controlling device is configured to increase voltage of the driving signal of the MOS unit when the MOS unit transits from the designated light load condition to a designated heavy load condition.

14. The power loss control apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the load condition detecting device is configured to detect the load condition via monitoring an electrical parameter of the MOS unit.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
a MOS unit, comprising a plurality of MOS devices coupled in parallel, wherein each MOS device having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, wherein the first terminals of the plurality of MOS devices are coupled together, and wherein the second terminals of the plurality of MOS devices are coupled with each other; and
a control circuit, having an output configured to provide a control signal, wherein the control signal is configured to adjust a driving loss of the MOS unit based on a load condition of the apparatus; wherein
the apparatus further comprises a first driving circuit, the first driving circuit having a first input, a second input, and an output, wherein the first input is coupled to the output of the control circuit to receive the control signal, wherein the second input is configured to receive a pulse signal, wherein the output is coupled to the control terminals of the plurality of MOS devices to provide a first driving signal, and wherein voltage of the first driving signal is configured to decrease when the apparatus operates under a light load condition.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the control circuit is configured to decrease the driving loss of the MOS unit when the apparatus operates under a light load condition.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus further comprises
a second driving circuit, having an input and an output, wherein the input is configured to receive a pulse signal, and the output is coupled to the control terminal of one or more MOS devices to provide a second driving signal; and
a third driving circuit, having a first input, a second input and an output, wherein the first input is coupled to the output of the control circuit to receive the control signal, the second input is configured to receive the pulse signal, and the output is coupled to the control terminal of one or more MOS devices to provide a third driving signal; and wherein
the third driving signal is deactivated when the apparatus operates under a light load condition, and the third driving signal is activated when the apparatus operates under a heavy load condition.

Assignees

• Ouyang Qian
• Chengdu Monolithic Power Sys

Inventors

• Ouyang Qian

Classifications

• H03K17/063

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• Y02B70/16

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H02M2001/0048

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H03K2217/0036

  Means reducing energy consumption · CPC title

• H03K17/122 Primary

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title