Switching power converter controller
View Patent ↗A control system and method for simultaneously regulating the operation of a plurality of different types of switching power converters. The system utilizes in regulating the power converters sampled data and nonlinear feedback control loops.
1. A switching power converter controller, wherein the switching power converter controller controls a plurality of pulse-width-modulated switching power converters, each switching power converter being controlled to regulate power supplied to its own load, comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter configured to provide, for each switching power converter, a corresponding digital version of an analog feedback signal; and
a processor configured to control the pulse widths for each switching power converter so as to independently regulate the power supplied from each switching power converter to the switching power converter's own load, wherein the pulse widths for the switching power converters are defined with respect to a single period; and wherein the processor is further configured to control the pulse widths for each switching power converter by processing the corresponding digital version to determine a desired pulse width and commanding the switching power converter to pulse according to the desired pulse width, the controller being configured to operate in a pipelined fashion such that while the analog-to-digital converter is providing the digital version for a given one of the switching power converters, the processor is determining the desired pulse width for a remaining one of the switching power converters.
2. The switching power converter controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to operate in the pipelined fashion such that while the processor is determining the desired pulse width for another given one of the switching power converters, the processor is commanding a remaining one of the switching power converters to pulse according to its desired pulse width.
3. The switching power converter controller of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to require the switch on times for each switching power converter within a given period to be different.
4. The switching power converter controller of claim 2 , wherein each period is divided into a predetermined number of counts, and wherein the processor is further configured to command the switch on and off times for each switching power converter to occur only at the times specified by the counts.
5. The switching power converter controller of claim 4 , wherein the number of counts is approximately 1024.
6. The switching power converter controller of claim 5 , wherein the number of counts is 1024.
7. The switching power converter controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to control the pulse widths for each for each switching power converter in a given period using feedback information from each power converter from a period immediately preceding the given period.
8. The switching power converter controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is a very long instruction word (VLIW) processor.
9. The switching power converter controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to command the switch on and off times for each switching power converter to satisfy simultaneous switching output requirements.
10. A switching power converter controller, wherein the switching power converter controller controls a plurality of pulse-width-modulated switching power converters, each switching power converter being controlled to regulate power supplied to its own load, comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter configured to provide, for each switching power converter, a digital version of a load voltage; and
a programmable controller configured to control the pulse widths for each switching power converter so as to independently regulate the power supplied from each switching power converter to the switching power converter's own load, wherein the pulse widths for the switching power converters are defined with respect to a single period; and wherein the programmable controller is further configured to control the pulse widths for each switching power converter by processing the corresponding digital version to determine a desired pulse width and commanding the switching power converter to pulse according to the desired pulse width, the switching power converter controller being configured to operate in a pipelined fashion such that while the analog-to-digital converter is providing the digital version for a given one of the switching power converters, the programmable controller is determining the desired pulse width for a remaining one of the switching power converters.
11. The switching power converter controller of claim 10 , wherein the switching power converter controller is further configured to operate in the pipelined fashion such that while the programmable controller is determining the desired pulse width for another given one of the switching power converters, the programmable controller is commanding the corresponding switch of a remaining one of the switching power converters to pulse according to its desired pulse width.
12. The switching power converter controller of claim 11 , wherein the programmable controller is further configured to require the switch on times for each switching power converter within a given period to be different.
13. The switching power converter controller of claim 10 , wherein each period is divided into a predetermined number of counts, and wherein the programmable controller is further configured to command the switch on and off times for each switching power converter to occur only at the times specified by the counts.