Power supply configurations and non-linear control, switching period adjustment and current control based on error signal

1. An apparatus comprising:

a power supply controller operative to:

produce an output voltage via supply of output current from at least one power supply phase of a power supply to power a load;

generate a switching period adjustment signal based on an error voltage indicating a difference between the output voltage and a setpoint voltage;

derive a current control signal from the error voltage; and

generate a pulse width modulation signal of a first power supply phase based on the switching period adjustment signal and the current control signal.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is operative further to:

generate a current adjustment signal based on the error voltage; and

derive the current control signal from the error voltage and the current adjustment signal.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to generate the switching period adjustment signal and the current adjustment signal based on a magnitude of the error voltage.

4. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to generate the current adjustment signal and the switching period adjustment signal in response to detection of a change in the output current.

5. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to generate the current adjustment signal and the switching period adjustment signal in response to the error voltage being greater than a threshold value.

6. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller includes:

a first PD (Proportional-Derivative) controller function operative to convert the error voltage into the switching period adjustment signal; and

a second PD (Proportional-Derivative) controller function operative to convert the error voltage into the current adjustment signal.

7. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller includes:

a first controller function operative to produce the switching period adjustment signal from the error voltage; and

a second controller function operative to produce the current adjustment signal from the error voltage.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7 , wherein the power supply controller further includes:

a summer operative to produce an error current signal based on a difference between the current control signal and a current consumption signal, the current consumption signal representing a magnitude of the output current supplied by the first power supply phase to power the load.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8 , wherein the power supply controller includes:

a third controller function operative to convert the error current signal into a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal; and

a pulse width modulation generator operative to produce the pulse width modulation signal based on the switching period adjustment signal and the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising:

producing a nominal switching period; and

applying the switching period adjustment signal to the nominal switching period to control a switching period of the pulse width modulation signal.

11. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to generate the switching period adjustment signal and the current adjustment signal based on a slope of the error voltage.

12. The apparatus as in claim 2 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to generate the current adjustment signal and the switching period adjustment signal in response to detection of a change in the output current.

13. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is operative to:

produce a first phase current control signal based on: i) the current control signal, and ii) a value indicating a number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

produce a first error current signal based on a difference between the first phase current control signal and a first current consumption signal indicative of first output current supplied by the first power supply phase;

derive a first pulse width setting from the first error current signal; and

generate the pulse width modulation signal of the first power supply phase based on the first pulse width setting.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13 , wherein the power supply controller is operative to:

produce a second phase current control signal based on the current control signal and the value indicating the number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

produce a second error current signal based on a difference between the second phase current control signal and a second current consumption signal indicative of second output current supplied by the second power supply phase;

derive a second pulse width setting from the second error current signal; and

generate a pulse width modulation signal of the second power supply phase based on the second pulse width setting.

15. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is operative to:

i) produce an error current signal based on a difference between the current control signal and a current consumption signal indicative of a sum of the output current supplied by the at least one power supply phase to produce the output voltage;

ii) derive a pulse width setting from the error current signal; and

iii) apply the pulse width setting to the pulse width modulation signal.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to: i) produce a nominal pulse width ON-time signal; ii) derive a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal from the error current signal; and iii) apply the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal to the nominal pulse width ON-time signal to control a pulse width of the pulse width modulation signal.

17. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein the current control signal indicates a total target output current to be supplied by a combination of the first power supply phase and a second power supply phase to the load.

18. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to: i) produce a nominal switching period; and ii) apply the switching period adjustment signal to the nominal switching period to control a switching period of the pulse width modulation signal.

19. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is configured to operate in a non-linear variable frequency control mode of generating the pulse width modulation signal based on the error voltage.

20. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the first power supply phase supplies first output current to the load, the apparatus further comprising:

a second power supply phase controlled by the power supply controller, the second power supply phase operative to supply second output current to the load; and

a current monitor operative to: based on a magnitude of the first output current and the second output current, balance magnitudes of the first output current and the second output current via adjustment of a switching frequency of operating the first power supply phase and the second power supply phase.

21. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to derive a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal from the current control signal; and

vary the pulse width modulation signal based on the switching period adjustment signal and the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal.

22. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller is operative to:

produce a first phase current control signal based on the current control signal and a value indicating a number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

derive a first pulse width setting from the first phase current control signal; and

generate a first pulse width modulation signal of the first power supply phase based on the first pulse width setting.

23. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein generation of the pulse width modulation signal based on the current control signal is operative to reduce a magnitude of the error voltage.

24. The apparatus as in claim 23 , wherein a magnitude of the current control signal varies as a function of the magnitude of the error voltage.

25. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the current control signal represents a target magnitude of output current to supply to the load.

26. The apparatus as in claim 25 , wherein the power supply controller is further operative to:

receive an output current value indicating a magnitude of measured output current supplied to the load; and

generate an error current signal indicating a difference between the current control signal and the output current value.

27. The apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the current control signal is adjusted during transient events associated with the load to maintain a magnitude of the output voltage at the setpoint voltage.

28. A method comprising:

producing an output voltage via supply of output current from at least one power supply phase of a power supply to power a load;

generating a switching period adjustment signal based on an error voltage indicating a difference between the output voltage and a setpoint voltage;

deriving a current control signal from the error voltage; and

generating a pulse width modulation signal of a first power supply phase based on the switching period adjustment signal and the current control signal.

29. The method as in claim 28 further comprising:

generating a current adjustment signal based on the error voltage; and

deriving the current control signal from the error voltage and the current adjustment signal.

30. The method as in claim 29 further comprising:

generating the switching period adjustment signal and the current adjustment signal based on a magnitude and slope of the error voltage.

31. The method as in claim 29 further comprising:

generating the current adjustment signal and the switching period adjustment signal in response to detection of a change in the output current supplied by the output voltage to the load.

32. The method as in claim 29 further comprising:

generating the current adjustment signal and the switching period adjustment signal in response to the error voltage being greater than a threshold value.

33. The method as in claim 29 further comprising:

via a first PD (Proportional-Derivative) controller function, converting the error voltage into the switching period adjustment signal; and

via a second PD (Proportional-Derivative) controller function, converting the error voltage into the current adjustment signal.

34. The method as in claim 29 further comprising:

via a first controller function, producing the switching period adjustment signal from the error voltage; and

via a second controller function, producing the current adjustment signal from the error voltage.

35. The method as in claim 34 further comprising:

producing an error current signal based on a difference between the current control signal and a current consumption signal, the current consumption signal representing a magnitude of the output current supplied by the first power supply phase to power the load.

36. The method as in claim 35 further comprising:

via a third controller function, converting the error current signal into a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal; and

via a pulse width modulation generator, producing the pulse width modulation signal based on the switching period adjustment signal and the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal.

37. The method as in claim 28 further comprising:

producing a first phase current control signal based on the current control signal and a value indicating a number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

producing a first error current signal based on a difference between the first phase current control signal and a first current consumption signal indicative of a first output current supplied by the first power supply phase;

deriving a first pulse width setting from the first error current signal; and

generating the pulse width modulation signal of the first power supply phase based on the first pulse width setting.

38. The method as in claim 37 further comprising:

producing a second phase current control signal based on the current control signal and the value indicating the number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

producing a second error current signal based on a difference between the second phase current control signal and a second current consumption signal indicative of a second output current supplied by the second power supply phase;

deriving a second pulse width setting from the second error current signal; and

generating a pulse width modulation signal of the second power supply phase based on the second pulse width setting.

39. The method as in claim 28 further comprising:

i) producing an error current signal based on a difference between the current control signal and a current consumption signal indicative of a magnitude of the output current;

ii) deriving a pulse width setting from the error current signal; and

iii) applying the pulse width setting to the pulse width modulation signal.

40. The method as in claim 39 further comprising:

producing a nominal pulse width ON-time signal;

deriving a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal from the error current signal; and

applying the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal to the nominal pulse width ON-time signal to control a pulse width of the pulse width modulation signal.

41. The method as in claim 39 , wherein the current control signal indicates a total target output current to be supplied by a combination of the first power supply phase and the second power supply phase to the load.

42. The method as in claim 28 further comprising: operating in a non-linear variable frequency control mode of generating the pulse width modulation signal based on the error voltage.

43. The method as in claim 28 , wherein the first power supply phase supplies a first output current to the load, the method further comprising:

via a second power supply phase, supplying a second output current to the load;

based on a magnitude of the first output current and a magnitude of the second output current, balancing the magnitudes of the first output current and the second output current via adjustment of a switching frequency of operating the first power supply phase and the second power supply phase.

44. The method as in claim 28 further comprising:

deriving a pulse width ON-time adjustment signal from the current control signal; and

varying the pulse width modulation signal based on the switching period adjustment signal and the pulse width ON-time adjustment signal.

45. The method in claim 28 further comprising:

producing a first phase current control signal based on the current control signal and a value indicating a number of power supply phases present in the power supply;

deriving a first pulse width setting from the first phase current control signal; and

generating a first pulse width modulation signal of the first power supply phase based on the first pulse width setting.

46. Computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:

produce an output voltage via supply of output current from at least one power supply phase of a power supply to power a load;

generate a switching period adjustment signal based on an error voltage indicating a difference between the output voltage and a setpoint voltage;

derive a current control signal from the error voltage; and

generate a pulse width modulation signal of a first power supply phase based on the switching period adjustment signal and the current control signal.