IP Library Granted Patent US 10,141,937
Granted Patent B2
US 10,141,937 · App. 15/673,142 · Granted Nov 27, 2018

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) control loop for power application

Inventors: Kapil Shankar (Saratoga, CA); Herman Cheung (Cupertino, CA); John Birkner (Woodside, CA); Patrick J. Crotty (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: ANDAPT, INC.
H03K19/17728H02M3/157H03K7/08H03K19/17744H02M3/1588H05K999/99
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,141,937
App. No.
15/673,142
Granted
Nov 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method includes: receiving error signals from a signal wrapper of a programmable fabric, wherein the programmable fabric and the signal wrapper are integrated in a programmable logic device (PLD); looking up one or more lookup tables storing rows of pre-calculated data and obtaining a matching pre-calculated data corresponding to the error signals; and generating a compensated output signal using the matching pre-calculated data to drive a switch of the power regulator. The pre-populated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are programmably changed by programming a plurality of parameters of the programmable fabric and loading the pre-populated data to the one or more lookup tables via the signal wrapper.

Claims (35)

1. A method comprising:

receiving error signals from a signal wrapper of a programmable fabric, wherein the programmable fabric and the signal wrapper are integrated in a programmable logic device (PLD);

looking up one or more lookup tables storing rows of pre-calculated data and obtaining a matching pre-calculated data corresponding to the error signals; and

generating a compensated output signal using the matching pre-calculated data to drive a switch of a power regulator,

wherein the pre-populated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are programmably changed by programming a plurality of parameters of the programmable fabric and loading the pre-populated data to the one or more lookup tables via the signal wrapper, and

wherein the PLD comprises a high voltage power transistor, and the PLD is configured as the power regulator by configuring the high voltage power transistor, and wherein the compensated output signal is a pulse width of a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal of a digital filter for driving a switch of the high voltage power transistor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more lookup tables are included in a memory block integrated in the PLD.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the error signals are digital signals that are converted from analog error signals using an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-calculated data stored in the one or more lookup tables is a product of an error signal multiplied by a constant.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power regulator is one of a buck regulator, a boost regulator, a multiphase buck regulator, a buck-boost regulator, a source side regulator, a drain-side regulator, a push-pull DDR regulator, a load switch, and a battery charger.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compensated output signal is fed to the switch of the high voltage power transistor via a digital fabric of the programmable fabric.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing an interactive user interface to adjust one or more gains of the digital filter.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a phase margin and a crossover frequency are interactively adjusted by adjusting the one or more gains of the digital filter.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing the compensated output signal to a current-sensing comparator block of the PLD to drive the switch of the high voltage power transistor.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: turning off the switch of the high voltage power transistor using the current-sensing comparator block when a sensed current reaches a programmable threshold value.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the programmable threshold value is modifiable using a programmable slope compensation ramp.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-calculated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are non-linear data corresponding to the error signals.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the error signals are positive error signals, and the compensated output signal corresponding to negative error signals is generated by obtaining 2's complement of the pre-calculated data.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: shifting the pre-calculated data by a shifting bit to cover a broader range of the error signals using the one or more lookup tables.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: clipping the compensated output signal between a minimum value and a maximum value using a register.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein a data width of the pre-calculated data stored in the one or more lookup tables is adjustable to change precision and accuracy of the compensated output signal.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: cascading one or more compensation memory blocks that store the one or more lookup tables to generate the compensated output signal of a higher order.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-calculated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are output data corresponding to a selectable response.

19. A method comprising:

receiving error signals from a signal wrapper of a programmable fabric, wherein the programmable fabric and the signal wrapper are integrated in a programmable logic device (PLD);

looking up one or more lookup tables storing rows of pre-calculated data and obtaining a matching pre-calculated data corresponding to the error signals;

generating a compensated output signal using the matching pre-calculated data to drive a switch of a power regulator; and

providing a dynamic clocking system to reduce a delay between the error signals and the compensated output signal using a flip-flop that contains a last-stage computed value,

wherein the pre-populated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are programmably changed by programming a plurality of parameters of the programmable fabric and loading the pre-populated data to the one or more lookup tables via the signal wrapper.

20. A method comprising:

receiving error signals from a signal wrapper of a programmable fabric, wherein the programmable fabric and the signal wrapper are integrated in a programmable logic device (PLD);

looking up one or more lookup tables storing rows of pre-calculated data and obtaining a matching pre-calculated data corresponding to the error signals; and

generating a compensated output signal using the matching pre-calculated data to drive a switch of a power regulator,

wherein the pre-populated data stored in the one or more lookup tables are programmably changed by programming a plurality of parameters of the programmable fabric and loading the pre-populated data to the one or more lookup tables via the signal wrapper, and

wherein the one or more lookup tables include a first lookup table corresponding to a first range of the error signals and a second lookup table corresponding to a second range of the error signals, wherein the first range is narrower than the second range.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2025
From: ANDAPT HOLDINGS LTD.
To: XMOS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 072322/0982 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 28, 2022
From: ANDAPT, INC.
To: ANDAPT HOLDINGS LTD.
Reel/Frame 061894/0483 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 8, 2018
From: SHANKAR, KAPIL; CHEUNG, HERMAN; BIRKNER, JOHN; CROTTY, PATRICK J.
To: ANDAPT, INC.
Reel/Frame 047094/0200 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62372738 · Aug 9, 2016
Related Publication 20180048318A1 · Feb 15, 2018