Patents by Inventor Jonathan F. Bolus
Jonathan F. Bolus has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11962245Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits coupled to a regulated power supply line via corresponding one of multiple inductors. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply line using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2023Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 11949334Abstract: A power converter is disclosed. The power converter includes a switching circuit configured to source current to a switch node that is coupled, via an inductor, to a regulated power supply node. A DC resistance sensing circuit includes a first filter and a second filters. The first filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a first terminal of the inductor to generate a first filtered signal, while the second filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a second terminal of the inductor to generate a second filtered signal. A control circuit is configured to adjust the operation of the switching circuit using a voltage level of the regulated power supply node, the first filtered signal, and the second filtered signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2021Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli, Fabio Gozzini, Hao Zhou
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Publication number: 20240014739Abstract: A power converter with slew rate detection is disclosed. A power converter comprises a plurality of phase circuits coupled to a regulated power supply line via corresponding ones of a plurality of inductors. A first control loop generates, using digital samples and based on comparisons of a reference voltage to a voltage on the regulated power supply line, a first plurality of control signals. A second control loop, using the digital samples, generates a second plurality of control signals based on a rate of change of the voltage of the regulated power supply line. The second control loop causes the first control loop to control the plurality of phase circuits in response to detecting that the rate of change is within a specified range, and causes the second control loop to control the plurality of phase circuits, in response to detecting that the rate of change exceeds the specified range.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang, Koushik Vaithyanathan, Alberto Puggelli
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Publication number: 20230188035Abstract: A power converter is disclosed. The power converter includes a switching circuit configured to source current to a switch node that is coupled, via an inductor, to a regulated power supply node. A DC resistance sensing circuit includes a first filter and a second filters. The first filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a first terminal of the inductor to generate a first filtered signal, while the second filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a second terminal of the inductor to generate a second filtered signal. A control circuit is configured to adjust the operation of the switching circuit using a voltage level of the regulated power supply node, the first filtered signal, and the second filtered signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2021Publication date: June 15, 2023Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli, Fabio Gozzini, Hao Zhou
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Publication number: 20230188043Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits coupled to a regulated power supply line via corresponding one of multiple inductors. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply line using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2023Publication date: June 15, 2023Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 11581813Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2022Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Publication number: 20220255436Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2022Publication date: August 11, 2022Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 11402414Abstract: A circuit and method for current sensing in DC-DC converters having coupled inductors is disclosed. A DC-DC converter includes a first and second inductors coupled to first and second switching nodes, respectively. The DC-DC converter further includes a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit includes a first current sensing circuit coupled to the first switching node and having a first sense node, and further includes a second sensing circuit coupled to the second switching node and having a second sense node. The circuit further includes a first capacitor coupled between the first sensing circuit and the second sensing circuit.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2020Date of Patent: August 2, 2022Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Jonathan F. Bolus
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Patent number: 11323033Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Publication number: 20210285989Abstract: A circuit and method for current sensing in DC-DC converters having coupled inductors is disclosed. A DC-DC converter includes a first and second inductors coupled to first and second switching nodes, respectively. The DC-DC converter further includes a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit includes a first current sensing circuit coupled to the first switching node and having a first sense node, and further includes a second sensing circuit coupled to the second switching node and having a second sense node. The circuit further includes a first capacitor coupled between the first sensing circuit and the second sensing circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2020Publication date: September 16, 2021Inventor: Jonathan F. Bolus
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Publication number: 20210273565Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2021Publication date: September 2, 2021Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 10951118Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2020Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 10862388Abstract: A power converter circuit that includes a switch node coupled to a regulated power supply node via an inductor may, during a charge cycle, source current to the regulated power supply node. In response to initiating the charge cycle, a control circuit may generate a control current using a voltage level of the regulated power supply node and a reference voltage level. The control circuit may also halt the charge cycle using results from comparisons of the compensated and uncompensated versions of the inductor current to the control current.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2019Date of Patent: December 8, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Fabio Gozzini, Jonathan F. Bolus
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Publication number: 20200350822Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2020Publication date: November 5, 2020Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 10809751Abstract: A power converter circuit that includes a switch node coupled to a regulated power supply node via an inductor may, during a charge cycle, source current to the regulated power supply node. In response to initiating the charge cycle, a control circuit may generate a control current using a voltage level of the regulated power supply node and a reference voltage level. The control circuit may also generate compensation and correction currents that are used with a sensed inductor current to determine when to halt the charge cycle.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2019Date of Patent: October 20, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Fabio Gozzini
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Patent number: 10658931Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may include multiple phase circuits each coupled to a regulated power supply node via a corresponding inductor. The phase circuits may modify a voltage level of the regulated power supply node using respective control signals generated by a digital control circuit that processes multiple data bits. An analog-to-digital converter circuit may compare the voltage level of the regulated power supply node to multiple reference voltage levels and sample the resultant comparisons to generate the multiple data bits.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 2019Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
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Patent number: 10135338Abstract: An apparatus includes an inductor coupled to a load circuit, a control circuit, and a driver circuit. The control circuit may be configured to select a first operating mode in response to a determination that a value of current flowing through the inductor is greater than a threshold, and to otherwise select a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor for a first duration, based on a comparison of a supply voltage level to a voltage level across the load circuit. In the second operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor at a number of time points. At each time point the current may be sourced for a second duration that is based on an allowable peak current flowing through the inductor.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2017Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Jitendra K. Agrawal
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Publication number: 20180115244Abstract: An apparatus includes an inductor coupled to a load circuit, a control circuit, and a driver circuit. The control circuit may be configured to select a first operating mode in response to a determination that a value of current flowing through the inductor is greater than a threshold, and to otherwise select a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor for a first duration, based on a comparison of a supply voltage level to a voltage level across the load circuit. In the second operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor at a number of time points. At each time point the current may be sourced for a second duration that is based on an allowable peak current flowing through the inductor.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2017Publication date: April 26, 2018Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Jitendra K. Agrawal
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Patent number: 9876429Abstract: An apparatus including an inductor coupled to a load circuit, a control circuit, and a driver circuit. The control circuit may be configured to select a first operating mode in response to a determination that a value of current flowing through the inductor is greater than a threshold, and to otherwise select a second operating mode. In the first operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor for a first duration, based on a comparison of a supply voltage level to a voltage level across the load circuit. In the second operating mode, the driver circuit may be configured to source current to the load circuit through the inductor at a number of time points. At each time point the current may be sourced for a second duration that is based on an allowable peak current flowing through the inductor.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2016Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Jitendra K. Agrawal