Current information sharing of constant-on-time point-of-load converters
A multi-phase constant-on-time (COT) system includes a first point-of-load converter configured to provide a first current and a second point-of-load converter configured to provide a second current, and a bus configured to exchange information between the first point-of-load converter and the second point-of-load converter.
1. A multi-phase constant-on-time (COT) system, the system comprising:
a first point-of-load converter configured to provide a first current;
a second point-of-load converter configured to provide a second current; and
a bus configured to exchange information between the first point-of-load converter and the second point-of-load converter,
wherein the information includes a first digital data from the first point-of-load converter and a second digital data from the second point-of-load converter, the first digital data including a first value associated with the first current, the second digital data including a second value associated with the second current,
wherein the first digital data includes a third value and the second digital data includes a fourth value, and
wherein the first point-of-load converter and the second point-of-load converter alternately provide the first current and the second current based on the third value and the fourth value.
2. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first point-of-load converter is configured to fire a first pulse to provide the first current,
wherein the second point-of-load converter is configured to fire a second pulse to provide the second current, and
wherein the first pulse and the second pulse are fired alternately.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first point-of-load converter is configured to generate a first error signal based on a first difference, the first difference determined based on a difference value between an average value and the first value in the first digital data, the average value determined based on an average of the first value in the first digital data and the second value in the second digital data.
4. The system of claim 3 ,
wherein the first value is associated with the first current that was provided based on a preceding first pulse, and
wherein the second value is associated with the second current that was provided based on a preceding second pulse.
5. The system of claim 3 ,
wherein the first value is an instantaneous average current of the first current provided based on a preceding first pulse, and
wherein the second value is an instantaneous average current of the second current provided based on a preceding second pulse.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first error signal is associated with a first width of the first pulse to be used when the first point-of-load converter is in a turn to fire the first pulse.
7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the average value is determined without converting the first value and the second value into a non-binary format.
8. The system of claim 3 , wherein the average value is determined based on a binary computation.
9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first difference is determined without converting the first value and the second value into a non-binary format.
10. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first difference is determined based on a binary computation.
11. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second point-of-load converter is configured to generate a second error signal based on a second difference, the second difference determined based on a difference value between an average value and the second value in the second digital data, the average value determined based on an average of the first value in the first digital data and the second value in the second digital data.
12. The system of claim 11 ,
wherein the first value is associated with the first current that was provided based on a preceding first pulse, and
wherein the second value is associated with the second current that was provided based on a preceding second pulse.
13. The system of claim 12 ,
wherein the first value is an instantaneous average current of the first current provided based on a preceding first pulse, and
wherein the second value is an instantaneous average current of the second current provided based on a preceding second pulse.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second error signal is associated with a second width of the second pulse to be used when the second point-of-load converter is in its turn to fire.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the average value is determined without converting the first value and the second value into a non-binary format.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the average value is determined based on a binary computation.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second difference is determined without converting the first value and the second value into a non-binary format.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second difference is determined based on a binary computation.
19. A method, comprising:
generating, by a first point-of-load converter associated to a bus, first bit stream data, the first bit stream data including a first value that is associated with current generated by the first point-of-load converter;
receiving, at the first point-of-load converter, other bit stream data from other point-of-load converters associated with the bus, each of the other bit stream data including a value that is associated with current generated by a corresponding point-of-load converter;
determining, by the first point-of-load converter, an average value based on the values from all of the point-of-load converter associated with the bus;
generating, by the first point-of-load converter, an error signal based on a result from subtracting the first value from the average value;
decoding, by the first point-of-load converter, the other bit stream data from other point of load converters associated with the bus; and
determining, by the first point-of-load converter, that the other bit stream data includes an address of the first point-of-load converter.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the average value is determined based on a binary computation.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the subtraction is executed based on a binary computation.
22. The method of claim 19 , the method further comprising: generating, by the first point of load converter, a turn-on pulse based on the error signal.
23. The method of claim 19 , the method further comprising:
in response to a determination that the other bit stream data includes the address of the first point of load converter, firing, by the first point-of-load converter, a turn-one signal generated based on the error signal.