Patents by Inventor Sanjay Pant

Sanjay Pant 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).

  • Publication number: 20250076912
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system having a power supply circuit, a first regulator circuit, a second regulator circuit, and a load circuit. The power supply circuit outputs a power supply voltage. The first regulator circuit receives the power supply voltage and outputs a first regulated voltage based on the power supply voltage. The second regulator circuit receives the first regulated voltage and outputs a second regulated voltage based on the first regulated voltage. The load circuit receives the second regulated voltage and sends power requirement information (e.g., load current information) to one or more of the power supply circuit, the first regulator circuit, and the second regulator circuit. Based on the power requirement information, one or more of the power supply voltage, the first regulated voltage, and the second regulated voltage is adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2023
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jay B. FLETCHER, Shawn SEARLES, Hao ZHOU, Sanjay PANT
  • Patent number: 12216515
    Abstract: A power converter circuit included in a computer system may include a phase circuit and a sample circuit. The phase circuit compares a voltage level of the regulated power supply node to a reference voltage to generate a demand current that is used to adjust the voltage level of the regulated power supply node. The phase circuit also digitizes the demand current and stores the resultant bit stream in a memory circuit. The sample circuit generates timestamp information that points to particular storage locations in the memory circuit that correspond to trigger events, allowing the operation of the power converter circuit to be analyzed during different circumstances as well as to adjust operating parameters of the power converter circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Fabio Gozzini, Sanjay Pant, Inder M. Sodhi
  • Publication number: 20240396452
    Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may employ a control circuit and a switch array that includes multiple switch circuits. Different groups of switch circuits that include respective groups of switch devices are coupled between an input power supply node and corresponding regulated power supply nodes. To maintain desired respective voltages on the regulated power supply nodes, the control circuit compares the voltages of the regulated power supply nodes to corresponding reference voltages and, based on results of the comparisons, opens and closes various ones of the switch devices included in the different groups of switch circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Inventors: Jay B. Fletcher, Nathan F. Hanagami, Sanjay Pant, Hao Zhou, Shawn Searles
  • Publication number: 20240313646
    Abstract: A power management circuit included in a computer system regulates a voltage level of a power supply node used by other circuits in the computer system. The power management circuit includes a control circuit and multiple phase circuits coupled to the regulated power supply node via corresponding inductors. The control circuit selectively activates particular ones of the multiple phase circuits allowing them source respective currents to the regulated power supply node. The control circuit also selectively activates particular ones of other phase circuits that are external to the power management circuit and coupled to the regulated power supply node via their own corresponding inductors. Once activated, the external phase circuits source respective currents to the regulated power supply node via their corresponding inductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Hao Zhou, Sarfraz Shaikh, Jay B. Fletcher, Sanjay Pant, Mark A. Yoshimoto, Vincenzo Bisogno, Shawn Searles
  • Patent number: 12081124
    Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may employ a control circuit and a switch array that includes multiple switch circuits. Different groups of switch circuits that include respective groups of switch devices are coupled between an input power supply node and corresponding regulated power supply nodes. To maintain desired respective voltages on the regulated power supply nodes, the control circuit compares the voltages of the regulated power supply nodes to corresponding reference voltages and, based on results of the comparisons, opens and closes various ones of the switch devices included in the different groups of switch circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jay B. Fletcher, Nathan F. Hanagami, Sanjay Pant, Hao Zhou, Shawn Searles
  • Publication number: 20240241571
    Abstract: A power delivery system included in a computer system uses multiple power converter circuits to generate respective voltage levels on multiple power supply nodes. An embodiment of the power delivery system includes an input power converter circuit that generates a voltage level for use by host and follower power converter circuits. The host power converter circuit generates an external demand current that is shared by multiple follower power converter circuits to regulate the voltage level on the multiple power supply nodes. The power delivery system can be scaled to different platforms of the computer system by adjusting the number of follower power converter circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2024
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Sanjay Pant, Ludmil N. Nikolov, Tiago Filipe Galhoz Patrao, Enrico Zanetti, Hao Zhou, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Patent number: 11983063
    Abstract: A power delivery system included in a computer system using multiple power converter circuits to generate respective voltage levels on multiple power supply nodes. The power delivery system includes a step-down power converter circuit that generates a voltage level for use by host and follower power converter circuits. The host power converter circuit generates an external demand current that is shared by multiple follower power converter circuits to regulate the voltage level on the multiple power supply nodes. The power delivery system can be scaled to different platforms of the computer system by adjusting the number of follower power converter circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Sanjay Pant, Ludmil N. Nikolov, Tiago Filipe Galhoz Patrao, Enrico Zanetti, Hao Zhou, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Publication number: 20240126353
    Abstract: A power converter circuit included in a computer system may include a phase circuit and a sample circuit. The phase circuit compares a voltage level of the regulated power supply node to a reference voltage to generate a demand current that is used to adjust the voltage level of the regulated power supply node. The phase circuit also digitizes the demand current and stores the resultant bit stream in a memory circuit. The sample circuit generates timestamp information that points to particular storage locations in the memory circuit that correspond to trigger events, allowing the operation of the power converter circuit to be analyzed during different circumstances as well as to adjust operating parameters of the power converter circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Fabio Gozzini, Sanjay Pant, Inder M. Sodhi
  • Patent number: 11962245
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
  • Publication number: 20240077932
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system with a power management device, a wakeup circuit, a battery management device, and a connector. During a powered down mode of operation, the battery management device can provide, via the connector, a bias voltage to the wakeup circuit. In response to a wakeup switch being activated, the battery management device can provide a power supply (e.g., from a battery) to the power management device. Benefits of the wakeup circuit include (1) a reduction of battery consumption—and thus improving battery lifetime—when the electronic system is in a powered down mode of operation because the wakeup circuit has lower number of active components compared to other designs and (2) a non-complex wakeup circuit design because one or more existing connector interconnects between the power management device and the battery management device can be re-used during electronic system's powered down mode of operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Talbott M. Houk, Wenxun Huang, Nikola Jovanovic, Floyd L. Dankert, Sanjay Pant, Alessandro Molari, Siarhei Meliukh, Nicola Florio, Ludmil N. Nikolov, Nathan F. Hanagami, Hartmut Sturm, Di Zhao, Chad L. Olson, John J. Sullivan, Seyedeh Maryam Mortazavi Zanjani, Tristan R. Hudson, Jay B. Fletcher, Jonathan A. Dutra
  • Publication number: 20240069621
    Abstract: A power delivery system included in a computer system using multiple power converter circuits to generate respective voltage levels on multiple power supply nodes. The power delivery system includes a step-down power converter circuit that generates a voltage level for use by host and follower power converter circuits. The host power converter circuit generates an external demand current that is shared by multiple follower power converter circuits to regulate the voltage level on the multiple power supply nodes. The power delivery system can be scaled to different platforms of the computer system by adjusting the number of follower power converter circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Sanjay Pant, Ludmil N. Nikolov, Tiago Filipe Galhoz Patrao, Enrico Zanetti, Hao Zhou, Vincenzo Bisogno
  • Publication number: 20240014739
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang, Koushik Vaithyanathan, Alberto Puggelli
  • Publication number: 20230369972
    Abstract: A power management circuit included in a computer system regulates a voltage level of a power supply node used by other circuits in the computer system. The power management circuit includes a control circuit and multiple phase circuits coupled to the regulated power supply node via corresponding inductors. The control circuit selectively activates particular ones of the multiple phase circuits allowing them source respective currents to the regulated power supply node. The control circuit also selectively activates particular ones of other phase circuits that are external to the power management circuit and coupled to the regulated power supply node via their own corresponding inductors. Once activated, the external phase circuits source respective currents to the regulated power supply node via their corresponding inductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Hao Zhou, Sarfraz Shaikh, Jay B. Fletcher, Sanjay Pant, Mark A. Yoshimoto, Vincenzo Bisogno, Shawn Searles
  • Publication number: 20230353048
    Abstract: A voltage regulator circuit included in a computer system may employ a control circuit and a switch array that includes multiple switch circuits. Different groups of switch circuits that include respective groups of switch devices are coupled between an input power supply node and corresponding regulated power supply nodes. To maintain desired respective voltages on the regulated power supply nodes, the control circuit compares the voltages of the regulated power supply nodes to corresponding reference voltages and, based on results of the comparisons, opens and closes various ones of the switch devices included in the different groups of switch circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Jay B. Fletcher, Nathan F. Hanagami, Sanjay Pant, Hao Zhou, Shawn Searles
  • Patent number: 11803219
    Abstract: A power converter circuit included in a computer system may include a phase circuit and a sample circuit. The phase circuit compares a voltage level of the regulated power supply node to a reference voltage to generate a demand current that is used to adjust the voltage level of the regulated power supply node. The phase circuit also digitizes the demand current and stores the resultant bit stream in a memory circuit. The sample circuit generates timestamp information that points to particular storage locations in the memory circuit that correspond to trigger events, allowing the operation of the power converter circuit to be analyzed during different circumstances as well as to adjust operating parameters of the power converter circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Searles, Fabio Gozzini, Sanjay Pant, Inder M. Sodhi
  • Patent number: 11736111
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to detecting supply voltage events and performing corrective actions. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes sensor circuitry and control circuitry. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry is configured to monitor supply voltage from a power supply and detect a load release event that includes an increase in the supply voltage that meets one or more pre-determined threshold parameters. In some embodiments, the control circuitry is configured to increase clock cycle time for operations performed by circuitry powered by the supply voltage during a time interval, wherein the time interval corresponds to ringing of the supply voltage that reduces the supply voltage and results from the load release event. In some embodiments, the disclosed techniques may reduce transients in supply voltage (which may avoid equipment damage and computing errors) and may allow for reduced voltage margins (which may reduce overall power consumption).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jared L. Zerbe, Brian S. Leibowitz, Sanjay Pant
  • Patent number: 11695336
    Abstract: A power management circuit included in a computer system regulates a voltage level of a power supply node used by other circuits in the computer system. The power management circuit includes a control circuit and multiple phase circuits coupled to the regulated power supply node via corresponding inductors. The control circuit selectively activates particular ones of the multiple phase circuits allowing them source respective currents to the regulated power supply node. The control circuit also selectively activates particular ones of other phase circuits that are external to the power management circuit and coupled to the regulated power supply node via their own corresponding inductors. Once activated, the external phase circuits source respective currents to the regulated power supply node via their corresponding inductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Zhou, Sarfraz Shaikh, Jay B. Fletcher, Sanjay Pant, Mark A. Yoshimoto, Vincenzo Bisogno, Shawn Searles
  • Publication number: 20230188043
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
  • Patent number: 11581813
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjay Pant, Fabio Gozzini, Hubert Attah, Jonathan F. Bolus, Wenxun Huang
  • Publication number: 20220399810
    Abstract: A power management circuit included in a computer system regulates a voltage level of a power supply node used by other circuits in the computer system. The power management circuit includes a control circuit and multiple phase circuits coupled to the regulated power supply node via corresponding inductors. The control circuit selectively activates particular ones of the multiple phase circuits allowing them source respective currents to the regulated power supply node. The control circuit also selectively activates particular ones of other phase circuits that are external to the power management circuit and coupled to the regulated power supply node via their own corresponding inductors. Once activated, the external phase circuits source respective currents to the regulated power supply node via their corresponding inductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2021
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Hao Zhou, Sarfraz Shaikh, Jay B. Fletcher, Sanjay Pant, Mark A. Yoshimoto, Vincenzo Bisogno, Shawn Searles