Current synthesizer correction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9419627-B2
Application number	US-201514598418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

An adjustable current-synthesizer may generate synthesized current representative of an actual current, according to a model of a circuit that produces the actual current. The current synthesizer may under-sample a current sense signal derived from the actual current to obtain a few samples of the actual current, which are then used to adjust the synthesized current, thereby ensuring accuracy of the synthesized current. Sample values of the actual current are compared with corresponding generated values of the synthesized current to obtain offset values. In order to maintain monotonicity in the synthesizer results, the offset values are used to make adjustments to the slope of the synthesized current. The slope of the synthesized current may also be adjusted according to the slope of the actual current. Sub-Nyquist sampling of the actual current may be performed on the down-slope, with up-slope adjustments made based on the offset adjustment and down-slope adjustment.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for adjusting a synthesized current representative of an actual current, the method comprising:
generating a synthesized current representative of an actual current according to a model of an actual circuit, wherein the actual circuit produces the actual current;
obtaining a first sample value of the actual current, comprising sampling a current sense signal derived from the actual current at a first point in time;
obtaining a first offset value from the first sample value and a corresponding first generated value representative of a value of the synthesized current at the first point in time; and
adjusting the synthesized current according to the first offset value.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining a second sample value of the actual current, comprising sampling the current sense signal at a second point in time occurring subsequent to the first point in time;
obtaining a second offset value from the second sample value and a corresponding second generated value representative of a value of the synthesized current at the second point in time; and
adjusting the synthesized current according to the first offset value and the second offset value.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising adjusting a slope of the synthesized current according to:
(i) a difference between the first sample value and the second sample value; and
(ii) a difference between the first generated value and the second generated value.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said adjusting the slope of the synthesized current comprises adjusting the slope of the synthesized current according to a slope offset obtained by subtracting (ii) from (i).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adjusting the synthesized current according to the first offset value comprises:
adjusting a slope of the synthesized current by a specified amount.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said adjusting the slope of the synthesized current comprises:
dividing the slope if the offset value indicates that the first sample value is greater than the first generated value;
multiplying the slope if the offset value indicates that the first sample value is lower than the first generated value; and
keeping the slope unchanged if the offset value is less than a specified minimum value.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining one or more additional sample values of the actual current, comprising sampling the current sense signal at subsequent respective additional points in time; and
obtaining one or more additional offset values from the one or more additional sample values and corresponding one or more respective generated values representative of corresponding respective values of the synthesized current at the subsequent respective additional points in time;
wherein said adjusting the synthesized current comprises adjusting a slope of the synthesized current according to the first offset value and the one or more additional offset values.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said obtaining the first sample value and the one or more additional sample values comprises under-sampling the actual current.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said adjusting the synthesized current comprises adjusting the slope of the synthesized current until one of the first offset value and the additional one or more offset values is less than a specified minimum value.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sampling the actual current is performed on a first down-slope segment of the actual current.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
obtaining a second sample value of the actual current, comprising sampling the current sense signal on a second down-slope segment of the actual current at a second point in time occurring subsequent to the first point in time, wherein the actual current includes an up-slope segment between the first down-slope segment of the actual current and the second down-slope segment of the actual current;
obtaining a second generated value representative of a value of the synthesized current at the second point in time; and
adjusting an up-slope error of the synthesized current according to the first sample value, the second sample value, the first generated value, and the second generated value.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said adjusting the up-slope error of the synthesized current comprises:
obtaining a first difference value representative of a difference between the first sample value and the second sample value;
obtaining a second difference value representative of a difference between the first generated value and the second generated value; and
adjusting a slope of the synthesized current according to a difference between the first difference value and the second difference value.

13. An electronic system comprising:
a memory configured to store programming instructions;
a processing element configured to execute the programming instructions; and
power supply circuitry for powering at least one of the memory and the processing element, the power supply circuitry configured to:
generate a synthesized current representative of an actual current according to a model of an actual circuit within the power supply circuitry, wherein the actual circuit produces the actual current;
obtain a first sample value of the actual current by sampling a current sense signal derived from the actual current at a first point in time;
obtain a first offset value from the first sample value and a corresponding first generated value representative of a value of the synthesized current at the first point in time; and
adjust the synthesized current according to the first offset value.

14. The electronic system of claim 13 , wherein the power supply circuitry is further configured to:
obtain one or more additional sample values of the actual current by sampling the current sense signal at subsequent respective additional points in time; and
obtain one or more additional offset values from the additional one or more sample values and corresponding one or more respective generated values representative of corresponding respective values of the synthesized current at the subsequent respective additional points in time;
wherein to adjust the synthesized current, the power supply circuitry is further configured to adjust a slope of the synthesized current according to the first offset value and the one or more additional offset values.

15. The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein the power supply circuitry is configured to under-sample the actual current by obtaining the first sample value and the one or more additional sample values.

16. The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein to adjust the synthesized current, the power supply circuitry is configured to adjust the slope of the synthesized current until one of the first offset value and the additional one or more offset values is less than a specified minimum value.

17. The electronic system of claim 14 , wherein the power supply circuitry is configured to adjust the slope of the synthesized current according to a slope offset obtained from:
(i) a difference between the first sample value and a second sample value of the one or more additional sample values; and
(ii) a difference between the first generated value and a second generated value of the one or more additional generated values.

18. A current synthesizer comprising:
first circuitry configured to generate a synthesized current representative of an actual current according to a model of an

Assignees

• Intersil Americas LLC

Inventors

• Guthrie Travis J
• Toker James R
• Kayathi Narendra B
• Harris Brannon C

Classifications

• G01R31/40

  Testing power supplies (testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10) · CPC title

• H02M3/1584

  with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel · CPC title

• G01R19/25

  using digital measurement techniques · CPC title

• G01R19/0023

  Measuring currents or voltages from sources with high internal resistance by means of measuring circuits with high input impedance, e.g. OP-amplifiers (electrostatic instruments G01R5/28; measuring electrostatic potential G01R15/165; measuring electrostatic fields G01R29/12; amplifiers per se H03F) · CPC title

• H03L5/00 Primary

  Automatic control of voltage, current, or power · CPC title