Pulse modulation control in a DC-DC converter circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515642-B2
Application number	US-201414165564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2014
Priority date	Feb 27, 2010
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

In a device, a pulse modulation switching logic is provided to generate switching signals of a pulse modulator so as to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter and a second pulse modulation control parameter. The first pulse modulation control parameter is controlled on the basis of a first control signal, and the second pulse modulation control parameter is controlled on the basis of a second control signal. A first control loop is provided to generate the first control signal from an output signal derived from the pulse modulated signal. A second control loop is provided to generate the second control signal on the basis of the output signal. The first and second control signals are applied to concurrently control the first and second pulse modulation control parameters.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
generating a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter and a second pulse modulation control parameter;
filtering the pulse modulated signal to generate an output signal;
generating a first control signal on a basis of the output signal;
generating a second control signal on the basis of the output signal; and
applying the first control signal and the second control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter and the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein the first pulse modulation control parameter is a duty cycle of a next pulse period of the pulse modulated signal, and wherein the second pulse control modulation parameter is a duration of an ongoing pulse of the pulse modulated signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:
detecting a transient in the output signal;
generating the second control signal to indicate a detected transient; and
adjusting the duration of the ongoing pulse by an adjustment value in response to the second control signal indicating the detected transient.

3. A method, comprising:
generating a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter and a second pulse modulation control parameter;
filtering the pulse modulated signal to generate an output signal;
generating a first control signal on a basis of the output signal;
generating a second control signal on the basis of the output signal; and
applying the first control signal and the second control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter and the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein the first pulse modulation control parameter is a pulsed duration of the pulse modulated signal, and wherein the second pulse modulation control parameter is a frequency of the pulse modulated signal.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising increasing or decreasing the frequency of the pulse modulated signal from a nominal value.

5. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulation switching logic configured to generate switching signals of a pulse modulator so as to generate a pulse modulated signal with a duty cycle of a next pulse period of the pulse modulated signal being controlled on a basis of a duty cycle control signal and a duration of an ongoing pulse of the pulse modulated signal being controlled on a basis of an interrupt signal;
a first control loop configured to generate the duty cycle control signal on a basis of an output signal; and
a second control loop configured to generate the interrupt signal in response to detecting a transient in the output signal.

6. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulator to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on a basis of a first control signal and a second pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on the basis of a second control signal;
a first control loop configured to generate the first control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter; and
a second control loop configured to generate the second control signal to control the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein the first pulse modulation control parameter is a duty cycle of a next pulse period of the pulse modulated signal, and wherein the second pulse modulation control parameter is a duration of an ongoing pulse of the pulse modulated signal.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the duration of the ongoing pulse is controlled by selectively delaying a switching operation of the pulse modulator.

8. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the second control loop is configured to detect a transient in an output signal derived from the pulse modulated signal.

9. The device according to claim 6 , wherein a control response time of the second control loop is shorter than a control response time of the first control loop.

10. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulator to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on a basis of a first control signal and a second pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on the basis of a second control signal;
a first control loop configured to generate the first control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter; and
a second control loop configured to generate the second control signal to control the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein the first pulse modulation control parameter is a pulsed duration of the pulse modulated signal, and wherein the second pulse modulation control parameter is a frequency of the pulse modulated signal.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the second control loop is configured to increase or decrease the frequency of the pulse modulated signal from a nominal frequency.

12. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulator to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on a basis of a first control signal and a second pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on the basis of a second control signal;
a first control loop configured to generate the first control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter; and
a second control loop configured to generate the second control signal to control the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein the second control loop is configured to detect a transient in an output signal derived from the pulse modulated signal, and wherein the second control loop comprises:
a register configured to store a first sample derived from the output signal, and
a comparator configured to detect the transient on the basis of a deviation between a stored first sample and a second sample derived from the output signal.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the transient is detected in response to the deviation between the first sample and the second sample exceeding a threshold value.

14. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the first sample is generated at a beginning of a pulse of the pulse modulated signal and the second sample is generated during the pulse of the pulse modulated signal.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the second sample is generated a predefined time interval before an intended end of the pulse of the pulse modulated signal.

16. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulator to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on a basis of a first control signal and a second pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on the basis of a second control signal;
a first control loop configured to generate the first control signal to control the first pulse modulation control parameter; and
a second control loop configured to generate the second control signal to control the second pulse modulation control parameter, wherein a pulse modulation switching logic is configured to adjust the second pulse modulation control parameter by an adjustment value in response to the second control signal indicating a detected transient.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein the adjustment value depends on a magnitude of the detected transient.

18. A device, comprising:
a pulse modulator to generate a pulse modulated signal with a first pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on a basis of a first control signal and a second pulse modulation control parameter being controlled on the basis of a second contro

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Marsili Stefano
• Straeussnigg Dietmar
• Bizjak Luca
• Priewasser Robert
• Agostinelli Matteo

Classifications

• H03K7/08 Primary

  Duration or width modulation {; Duty cycle modulation} · CPC title

• H02M3/158

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

• G05F1/00

  Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and fed back to a device within the system to restore the detected quantity to its predetermined value or values, i.e. retroactive systems · CPC title