Abstract: A rectification and regulation circuit for a wireless power receiver includes a coil, a full-wave rectifier circuit and a control unit. The full-wave rectifier has a first pair of controllable rectifiers including a first transistor connected to a first terminal of the coil and a second transistor connected to a second terminal of the coil. The control unit is operable to control switching of the transistors of the full-wave rectifier so that the full-wave rectifier (a) generates a rectified output for charging a battery of the wireless power receiver by rectifying current through the coil or voltage across the coil and (b) regulates the rectified output.

Abstract: A current estimation method for a switching voltage regulator that delivers current to a load through an inductor includes measuring a voltage across a capacitor of an RC current sense network coupled in parallel with the inductor, generating an estimate of the current through the inductor based on the voltage measured across the capacitor of the RC current sense network and adjusting the estimate of the current through the inductor by a compensation filter that compensates for variation in the inductance of the inductor as a function of at least one of temperature and current.

Abstract: A method of managing system resources managing resource utilization for a system board that includes a plurality of processors, memory associated with each of the processors, a plurality of voltage regulators configured to regulate voltages applied to the processors and memories, and a board manager configured to manage resources of the system board includes communicating operating condition information from the board manager to controllers of the voltage regulators independent of the processors also communicating with the controllers, the operating condition information received by each controller indicating a computing load for the processor regulated by the voltage regulator controlled by that controller.

Abstract: A DC/DC voltage conversion system includes a first voltage converter operable to convert a first DC voltage rail to a second DC voltage rail different than the first DC voltage rail, and a second voltage converter operable to convert the second DC voltage rail to a third DC voltage rail lower than the second DC voltage rail. The second voltage converter is a multiphase converter having a plurality of power stages, each power stage providing a phase of the multiphase converter and configured to conduct current. The DC/DC voltage conversion system further comprises a single controller having a first control loop for controlling the first voltage converter and a second control loop for controlling the second voltage converter. The second control loop is a multiphase control loop configured to enable multiphase operation of the second voltage converter.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter includes a substrate having opposing first and second sides, a first discrete power stage transistor die attached to the first side of the substrate and including a high-side power transistor, and a second discrete power stage transistor die attached to the first side of the substrate and including a low-side power transistor electrically connected to the high-side power transistor to form an output phase of the DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter further includes an inductor attached to the first side of the substrate so as to electrically connect the output phase to a metal output trace on the substrate. The inductor at least partly covers at least one of the first and the second discrete power stage transistor dies.

Abstract: A multi-phase DC-DC converter includes a substrate having opposing first and second sides, a plurality of power stage packages attached to the first side of the substrate, each power stage package including active semiconductor components operable to provide an output phase of the multi-phase DC-DC converter, and a coupled inductor attached to the first side of the substrate and at least partly covering two or more of the power stage packages. The coupled inductor includes separate windings wound on the same core. Each winding of the coupled inductor electrically connects an output of one of the power stage packages at least partly covered by the coupled inductor to a metal trace on the substrate such that the outputs of the power stage packages at least partly covered by the coupled inductor are electrically connected to the same metal trace on the substrate.

Abstract: A switching voltage regulator includes a power stage for delivering output current to a load through an inductor. The power stage has a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor. The switching voltage regulator also includes a controller for setting the power stage in a PFM (pulse frequency modulation) switching mode if the output current decreases below a first threshold. Each period of the PFM switching mode includes an on-time during which the high-side transistor is on and the low-side transistor is off, an off-time during which the low-side transistor is on and the high-side transistor is off and a HiZ-time during which the high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are both off. The controller varies the on-time of the PFM switching mode responsive to a change in the output current.

Abstract: A voltage regulator includes a power stage configured to produce an output voltage from an input voltage at an input voltage terminal, a shunt resistor connected in series between the input voltage terminal and the power stage, a first level shifting resistor connected in series between a first terminal of the shunt resistor and a first sense pin of the controller, and a second level shifting resistor connected in series between a second terminal of the shunt resistor and a second sense pin of the controller. The input current of the regulator is sensed as a function of the voltage across the shunt resistor, as shifted down by the level shifting resistors and measured across the sense pins. The input voltage of the regulator is sensed as a function of the current flowing through either one of the level shifting resistors, as measured at one of the sense pins.

Abstract: An estimate of voltage regulator input power is provide by estimating output power of the voltage regulator based on output voltage and output current of the voltage regulator, estimating power loss of the voltage regulator and estimating input power of the voltage regulator based on the estimated output power and the estimated power loss.

Abstract: A DC/DC voltage converter includes a first stage operable to convert a first DC voltage rail to a second DC voltage rail different than the first DC voltage rail and a second stage operable to convert the second DC voltage rail to a third DC voltage rail lower than the second DC voltage rail and deliver current to a load at the third DC voltage rail, the amount of current delivered to the load corresponding to an operating set point of the second stage. The second stage is operable to change its operating set point responsive to a command received from the load, such that the amount of current delivered to the load is reduced. The first stage is operable to change its operating set point responsive to a command issued by the load, such that the amount of current delivered to the second stage is reduced.

Abstract: A secondary-side rectification and regulation circuit includes a secondary-side transformer winding, a full-wave rectifier circuit and a control unit. The full-wave rectifier has a first pair of controllable rectifiers including a first transistor connected to a first terminal of the secondary-side transformer winding and a second transistor connected to a second terminal of the secondary-side transformer winding. The control unit is operable to control switching of the transistors of the full-wave rectifier so that the full-wave rectifier (a) generates a rectified output for supplying a load by rectifying current through the secondary-side transformer winding or voltage across the secondary-side transformer winding and (b) regulates the rectified output.

Abstract: A switching voltage regulator includes a power stage for delivering output current to a load through an inductor. The power stage has a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor. The switching voltage regulator also includes a controller for setting the power stage in a PFM (pulse frequency modulation) switching mode if the output current decreases below a first threshold. Each period of the PFM switching mode includes an on-time during which the high-side transistor is on and the low-side transistor is off, an off-time during which the low-side transistor is on and the high-side transistor is off and a HiZ-time during which the high-side transistor and the low-side transistor are both off. The controller varies the on-time of the PFM switching mode responsive to a change in the output current.

Abstract: A current estimation method for a switching voltage regulator that delivers current to a load through an inductor includes measuring a voltage across a capacitor of an RC current sense network coupled in parallel with the inductor, generating an estimate of the current through the inductor based on the voltage measured across the capacitor of the RC current sense network and adjusting the estimate of the current through the inductor by a compensation filter that compensates for variation in the inductance of the inductor as a function of at least one of temperature and current.

Abstract: A rectification and regulation circuit for a wireless power receiver includes a coil, a full-wave rectifier circuit and a control unit. The full-wave rectifier has a first pair of controllable rectifiers including a first transistor connected to a first terminal of the coil and a second transistor connected to a second terminal of the coil. The control unit is operable to control switching of the transistors of the full-wave rectifier so that the full-wave rectifier (a) generates a rectified output for charging a battery of the wireless power receiver by rectifying current through the coil or voltage across the coil and (b) regulates the rectified output.