Circuit for Hybrid Switched Capacitor Converter

Abstract

A circuit for a hybrid switched capacitor converter is disclosed, the circuit being connected to a first capacitor, a second capacitor and an inductor, comprising: an inductor having a first side connected to V IN a first switch whose first side is connected to the second side of the inductor and whose second side is not connected to the second side of the inductor; a second switch whose first side is connected to V IN a first capacitor having a first side connected to the second side of the second switch; a third switch having a first side connected to the second side of the first switch; a fourth switch having a first side connected to the second side of the third switch; a fifth switch having a first side connected to the second side of the first capacitor and the second side of the fourth switch and a second side coupled to a voltage source; and a second capacitor having a first side connected to the first side of the fourth switch and a second side connected to the second side of the fifth switch.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application with application number 201880070698.0, application date September 5, 2018, and invention name “Circuit for hybrid switched capacitor converter”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 695,955, filed September 5, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for providing a reconfigurable Dickson Star switched capacitor voltage regulator and / or providing a hybrid (eg, two-stage) voltage regulator. Background Art

[0005] There is a strong demand to reduce the size of electronic systems. Size reduction is particularly desirable in mobile electronic products where space is at a premium, but also in servers located in big data centers where it is important to squeeze as many servers as possible into a fixed size space asset.

[0006] Some of the largest components in electronic systems are voltage regulators (also known as power regulators). Voltage regulators typically include a large number of bulky off-chip components and are used to deliver voltage to circuits such as integrated chips, including: processors, memory devices (e.g., dynamic read access memory (DRAM)), radio frequency (RF) chips, WiFi combo chips, and power amplifiers.

[0007] In order to efficiently deliver power, a voltage regulator may use a "buck" topology. Such a regulator is called a buck regulator. A buck regulator uses an inductor to transfer charge from a power source to an output load. A buck regulator may use power switches (each at different points in time) to connect or disconnect the inductor to different voltages, thereby providing an output voltage that is a weighted average of the different voltages. A buck regulator may adjust the output voltage by controlling the amount of time that the inductor is coupled to the different voltages.

[0008] Unfortunately, buck regulators are not well suited for highly integrated electronic systems. The conversion efficiency of a buck regulator depends on the size of the inductor, especially when the power conversion ratio is high and when the amount of current consumed by the output load is high. Because inductors can occupy a large area and are too large to be integrated on a chip or package, existing buck regulators typically use a large number of off-chip inductor components. This strategy typically requires a large area on a printed circuit board, which in turn increases the size of the electronic device. The challenge intensifies as mobile systems on chip (SoCs) become more complex and require an increasing number of voltage domains to be delivered by the voltage regulator.

[0009] Therefore, new voltage regulator circuits are desired. Summary of the invention

[0010] A circuit for a hybrid switched capacitor converter is provided. In some embodiments, a circuit is provided, the circuit comprising: an inductor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to an input voltage; a first switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor and the second side is not connected to the second side of the inductor; a second switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the input voltage; a first capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the second switch; a third switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the first switch; a fourth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the third switch; a fifth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the first capacitor and the second side of the fourth switch, and wherein the second side is coupled to a voltage source; a second capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the first side of the fourth switch, and wherein the second side is connected to the second side of the fifth switch.

[0011] In some of these embodiments, at least one of the following is a transistor: the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch.

[0012] In some of these embodiments, at least one of the following is a MOSFET: the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch.

[0013] In some of these embodiments, at least one of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch is a transistor; and at least one of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch is controlled by a controller.

[0014] In some of these embodiments, when the circuit is in a first state: the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; the fifth switch is open; and when the circuit is in a second state, the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; and the fifth switch is closed.

[0015] In some of these embodiments, when the circuit is in a first state: the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; and the fifth switch is open; when the circuit is in a second state: the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; and the fifth switch is closed; when the circuit is in a third state: the first switch is open; the second switch is closed; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; and the fifth switch is open; when the circuit is in a fourth state, the first switch is open; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; and the fifth switch is closed.

[0016] In some of these embodiments, the circuit further includes: a sixth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor; a seventh switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the input voltage; a third capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the seventh switch; an eighth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the sixth switch; a ninth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the eighth switch; and a tenth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the third capacitor and the second side of the ninth, and wherein the second side is coupled to the voltage source.

[0017] In some of these embodiments, the circuit further comprises: a sixth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor; a seventh switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the input voltage; a third capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the seventh switch; an eighth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the sixth switch; a ninth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the eighth switch; a tenth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the third capacitor and the second side of the ninth, and wherein the second side is coupled to the voltage source, wherein when the circuit is in a first state: the first switch is open; the second switch is closed; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; the fifth switch is open; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is closed; the ninth switch is open; and the tenth switch is closed; And when the circuit is in the second state: the first switch is open; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; the fifth switch is closed; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is closed; the eighth switch is open; the ninth switch is closed; and the tenth switch is open.

[0018] In some of these embodiments, the circuit further comprises: a sixth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor; a seventh switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the input voltage; a third capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the seventh switch; an eighth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the sixth switch; a ninth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the eighth switch; a tenth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the third capacitor and the second side of the ninth, and wherein the second side is coupled to the voltage source, wherein When the circuit is in the first state: the first switch is open; the second switch is closed; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; the fifth switch is open; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is closed; the ninth switch is open; and the tenth switch is closed; when the circuit is in the second state: the first switch is open; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; the fifth switch is closed; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is closed; the eighth switch is open; the ninth switch is closed; and the tenth switch is open; when the circuit is in the third state: the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is open; the fourth switch is closed; the fifth switch is open; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is closed; the ninth switch is open; and the tenth switch is closed; when the circuit is in the fourth state: the first switch is open; the second switch is open; the third switch is open; The fourth switch is closed; the fifth switch is open; the sixth switch is closed; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is closed; the ninth switch is open; and the tenth switch is closed; when the circuit is in the fifth state: the first switch is open; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; the fifth switch is closed; the sixth switch is closed; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is open; the ninth switch is closed; and the tenth switch is open; and when the circuit is in the sixth state: the first switch is closed; the second switch is open; the third switch is closed; the fourth switch is open; the fifth switch is closed; the sixth switch is open; the seventh switch is open; the eighth switch is open; the ninth switch is closed; and the tenth switch is open.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Various objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter may be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements.

[0021] Figure 1A to Figure 1B An example of a buck regulator and its operation as known in the prior art is shown.

[0022] Figure 2 An example of a 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator known in the art is shown.

[0023] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C An example of the operation of a 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator known in the art is shown.

[0024] Figure 4 An example of a reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator that can be reconfigured to support multiple conversion ratios in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0025] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C shows a 3:1 conversion ratio according to some embodiments. Figure 4 An example of the operation of the reconfigurable regulator in

[0026] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C shows a 2:1 conversion ratio according to some embodiments. Figure 4 An example of the operation of the reconfigurable regulator in FIG.

[0027] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C shows a 1:1 conversion ratio according to some embodiments. Figure 4 An example of the operation of the reconfigurable regulator in FIG.

[0028] Figure 8 An example of a fixed conversion ratio 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0029] 9A to 9C An example of the operation of a 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0030] Fig.10 An example of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0031] FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 4:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 3:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0033] FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 2:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 1:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0035] FIG. 15A to FIG. 15B An example of an N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0036] Fig.16 An example of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0037] 17A to 17C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 4:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0038] 18A to 18C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 3:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0039] FIG. 19A to FIG. 19C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 2:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0040] FIG. 20A to FIG. 20C An example of operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 1:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0041] FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B An example of an N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0042] Figure 22 to Figure 24 An example of a step-up reconfigurable Dickson StarSC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0043] Fig.25 An example of a two-stage voltage regulation system is shown in which an SC regulator provides a first stage of voltage regulation in accordance with some embodiments.

[0044] FIG. 26A to FIG. 26B FIG. 1 shows an example of a buck converter in which the second stage regulator is a buck converter according to some embodiments. Fig.25 Examples of embodiments in FIG.

[0045] Fig. 27 An example of a two-stage voltage regulation system in which an SC regulator provides a second stage of voltage regulation is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0046] FIG. 28A to FIG. 28B An example of a two-stage voltage regulator is shown in which the first stage regulator consists of an inductor according to some embodiments.

[0047] FIG. 29A to FIG. 29B An example of the operation of the two-stage regulator in FIG. 28 is shown where the SC regulator is a 4:1 Dickson Star switched capacitor (SC) regulator in accordance with some embodiments.

[0048] Fig.30 shows the duty-cycling and V of the second stage regulator according to some embodiments. TMP Example of a voltage swing.

[0049] Fig.31 An example of a two-stage voltage regulation system in which the second stage regulator is a multi-phase voltage regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0050] Fig.32 According to some embodiments Fig.31 Example of the phase relationship between the switched capacitors in FIG.

[0051] Fig.33 An example of a control sequence of switches that allows the duty cycle of the first stage regulator to be maintained is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0052] Fig.34 is an example of a block diagram of a computing device including a voltage regulation system according to some embodiments.

[0053] FIG. 35A to FIG. 35C An example of operation of an N:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator in N:1 conversion mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0054] FIG. 36A to FIG. 36C An example of a hybrid converter (including an inductor and a 2:1 switched capacitor regulator) and its operation when in H21 mode according to some embodiments is shown.

[0055] FIG. 37A to FIG. 37C An example of a hybrid converter (including an inductor and a 2:1 switched capacitor regulator) and its operation when in 2:1 SC mode is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0056] FIG. 38A to FIG. 38B An example of a multi-phase hybrid converter (including an inductor and a 2:1 switched capacitor regulator) and its operation when in 2:1 SC mode according to some embodiments is shown.

[0057] FIG. 39A to FIG. 39E An example of a multi-phase hybrid converter (including an inductor and a 2:1 switched capacitor regulator) and its operation when in H21 mode according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In the following description, many specific details about the devices, systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter and the environments in which such devices, systems and methods can operate are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed subject matter can be practiced without such specific details, and certain features well known in the art are not described in detail to avoid complicating the disclosed subject matter. In addition, it should be understood that the examples provided below are for illustrative purposes, and it is contemplated that there are other devices, systems and methods within the scope of the disclosed subject matter.

[0059] Modern electronic systems have been tightly integrated into systems on a chip (SoCs), which contain multiple processors and heterogeneous components (e.g., memory controllers, hardware accelerators) within a single chip. The popularity of SoCs combined with tighter power budgets has prompted the control of voltage and frequency with block-specific granularity. Block-specific voltage control can allow an electronic system to increase the voltage only for the core(s) where higher performance is desired. Such block-specific voltage control can improve power and / or performance.

[0060] However, due to the cost and size limitations of off-chip voltage regulators, traditional methods of dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) have been performed at a coarse-grained level. In addition, due to the slow speed of off-chip voltage regulators, traditional DVFS schemes are limited to slow voltage / frequency scaling at microsecond time scales. Faster DVFS at nanosecond time scales can significantly save more power consumed by the SoC by closely tracking the SoC voltage to rapidly changing computing demands.

[0061] Given these drawbacks of off-chip voltage regulators, there has been increasing interest in building integrated voltage regulators (IVRs) to reduce board size and achieve per-core DVFS in nanosecond timescales. IVRs can include a variety of voltage regulators, including switching regulators and low-dropout linear regulators. IVR that can reduce circuit board size and achieve per-core DVFS on a nanosecond time scale is disclosed in the following articles written by the inventors of this application, including: a document entitled “System Level Analysis of Fast, Per-Core DVFS using On-Chip Switching Regulators”, published by Wonyoung Kim et al. in the IEEE International Symposium on High Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA) in February 2008; a document entitled “Design Techniques for Fully Integrated Switched-Capacitor DC-DC Converters”, published by Hanh-Phuc Le et al. in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC) in September 2011; and a document entitled “A Fully-Integrated 3-Level DC / DC Converter forNanosecond-Scale DVFS”, published by Wonyoung Kim et al. in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC) in January 2012; each of the documents is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0062] One example of a switching regulator is a buck regulator. Figure 1A to Figure 1B An example of a buck regulator and its operation known in the prior art is shown. Figure 1A As shown in FIG. 1 , the buck regulator 100 may include an inductor 108 and two switches 114, 116. The buck regulator 100 may connect the inductor 108 to a first voltage source V via a set of power switches 114, 116. IN 104 and a second voltage source 118. In some cases, the second voltage source 118 may be a ground voltage source. An external control may be used to turn the power switches 114, 116 on and off. In some cases, the power switches 114, 116 may be controlled so that the two switches are not turned on at the same time.

[0063] In some embodiments, power switches 114, 116 may be formed by any suitable transistors. For example, these transistors may be implemented using MOSFET transistors. More specifically, for example, in some embodiments switch 114 may be implemented using a P-channel MOSFET transistor, and switch 116 may be implemented using an N-channel MOSFET transistor.

[0064] like Figure 1B As shown in FIG. 1 , when the power switches 114 and 116 are turned on and off with a period T, the input V × 102 can be switched from 0 to V with a period T IN Inductor 108 and capacitor 120 operate as a low-pass filter that modulates V × 102 is averaged, so that the regulator output V OUT A signal with a small voltage ripple is created at 110. The output voltage V OUT 110 may depend on the inductor 108 being coupled to the first voltage source V IN 104 and the amount of time that the inductor 108 is coupled to the second voltage source 118 (which is 0V for illustration purposes). For example, the buck regulator 100 may OUT The level of 510 is adjusted to V IN D+(0V)(1-D), where D (a number between 0 and 1) is V × is coupled to V IN The time portion of the D is also called V × The duty cycle of 102. The output load consuming current 106 can be any type of electronic device, including a processor, memory (DRAM, NAND flash), RF chip, WiFi combo chip, power amplifier, etc.

[0065] The efficiency of the buck regulator 100 can be calculated as:

[0066]

[0067] Where P L indicates the power delivered to the output load, and P O Indicates the output power of the buck regulator 108. L It can be calculated as follows: L =P O -P LOSS , where P LOSS Includes the amount of power lost during the voltage regulation process.

[0068] The main power loss associated with the buck regulator 100 is P LOSSOne of the two includes the resistance loss P caused by the parasitic resistance of the inductor 108. R . When the buck regulator 100 delivers power to the output load by providing current 112, ideally, the buck regulator 100 provides all of its output power to the output load 106. However, in practical scenarios, the buck regulator 100 dissipates some of its output power internally at the inductor 108. Ideally, the inductor has zero resistance. Therefore, the current passing through the inductor 108 will not dissipate any power. However, in practical scenarios, the inductor is associated with a finite resistance, primarily due to the resistance of the material forming the inductor. This undesirable finite resistance of the inductor is called a parasitic resistance. Parasitic resistance may cause resistive power losses, because the parasitic resistance may cause the current passing through the inductor to dissipate energy. Therefore, the resistive power losses can reduce the power conversion efficiency of the buck regulator 100.

[0069] When the current is AC, the resistor power loss can be calculated as P R =I L，RMS 2 R L , where R L is the parasitic resistance value of the inductor 108, and I L,RMS is the RMS current through inductor 108. The inductor current (I L,PP 120) to reduce the peak-to-peak ripple of I L,RMS Therefore, the buck regulator 100 can reduce the inductor current I L,PP 120 Ω peak-to-peak ripple to reduce resistive losses P R .

[0070] There are two methods to reduce the inductor current I L,PP First, the buck regulator 100 can switch at a high frequency and reduce the period T of the switching regulator. However, this solution may increase the power consumed to charge and discharge the parasitic capacitance at the junction 122 between the switches 114, 116. This capacitive power loss may be significant because the size of the switches 114, 116 may be large (which increases the parasitic capacitance) and because the V × The voltage swing across 102 is large. This capacitive power loss can be calculated as follows: P C =fCV 2, where C is the parasitic capacitance at junction 122, f is the frequency at which buck regulator 100 switches, and V is the voltage swing at junction 122. This power loss can be significant because of the large size of switches 114, 116 (which increases the parasitic capacitance) and because of the large voltage swing across V×102.

[0071] Second, the buck regulator 100 can use an inductor 108 with a high inductance value, thereby reducing the parasitic resistance R L However, this approach makes the inductor 108 large, which makes integration difficult.

[0072] Another example of a switching voltage regulator is a switched capacitor (SC) regulator. An SC regulator may use one or more capacitors (instead of an inductor) to transfer charge from a power source to an output load. An SC regulator may use a power switch to connect / disconnect one or more capacitors to different voltages (where each different voltage is connected at a different point in time) to provide an output voltage that is a weighted average of the different voltages. An SC regulator may control the output voltage by changing the configuration, sequence, and duty cycle by which the capacitors are coupled to each other. Since capacitors are easier to integrate on a chip or package than inductors, it is easier to implement SC IVRs with small size.

[0073] One type of SC regulator is the Dickson Star SC regulator. An example of a 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator (a step-down Dickson Star SC regulator configured to divide the input voltage level by 1 / 3) is shown in FIG. Figure 2 The Dickson Star SC regulator has several advantages over other SC regulator topologies. First, it uses fewer capacitors than other SC regulator topologies such as the ladder SC regulator. Second, it uses transistors with lower voltage ratings as switches than other SC regulator topologies such as the series-to-parallel SC voltage regulator. Third, it can be more easily scaled to higher input voltages than other SC regulator topologies such as the series-to-parallel SC regulator.

[0074] The Dickson Star SC regulator 200 may include: a switched capacitor C1 FLY 204 and C2 FLY 206; and a switch matrix including a plurality of switches 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 and 228, wherein the plurality of switches 216-228 are configured to switch capacitor C1 FLY 204 and C2FLY 206 is electrically coupled to the input voltage node V IN 202. Output voltage node V OUT 208 and ground node GND 210. Output node V OUT 208 is coupled to the output load I OUT 212 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214.

[0075] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C The basic operation of the Dickson Star SC regulator 200 is shown. Figure 3C As shown in FIG. , the Dickson Star SC regulator 200 is in state 0 ( Figure 3A ) and state 1 ( Figure 3B The duty cycle (D) is performed over time with a duty cycle D between 0 and 1, and is preferably between 0.25 and 0.75.

[0076] When the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204 and C2 FLY 206 is large enough, the voltage V across these switched capacitors C1FLY 、V C2FLY remains approximately constant between state 0 and state 1, respectively. In addition, a large decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is always coupled to the output V OUT 208 to reduce the noise on the output. Therefore, the output voltage V OUT 208 remains approximately constant in state 0 and state 1. Based on these characteristics, the following voltage relationship can be derived:

[0077] State 0: V OUT 208+V C1FLY =V C2FLY

[0078] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0079] State 1: V OUT 208+V C2FLY =V IN 202

[0080] By eliminating V from these relationships C1FLY and V C2FLY , the following relationship can be derived:

[0081] V OUT =(1 / 3)×V IN

[0082] This shows that alternation between state 0 and state 1 provides 3:1 step-down voltage regulation. This 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator design can be expanded to an N:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator, where N is a number greater than three.

[0083] FIG. 35A to FIG. 35B The topology and operation of an N:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator are shown. The N:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator may include a capacitor matrix (also referred to as a capacitor bank). The capacitor matrix may include a first capacitor sub-matrix and a second capacitor sub-matrix. The capacitors in the first capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(1,j), where the first index "1" refers to the "first" capacitor matrix, and the second index "j" refers to the jth capacitor in the first capacitor sub-matrix. Similarly, the capacitors in the second capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(2,j). FIG. 35A to FIG. 35B , the first capacitor sub-matrix includes M capacitors; and the second capacitor sub-matrix includes K capacitors. M may be equal to floor(N / 2), and K may be equal to floor((N-1) / 2).

[0084] The N:1 step-down Dickson-Star SC regulator includes a plurality of switch matrices. The switches in the first switch submatrix include the bottom four switches SW1 216, SW2 218, SW3 220, SW4 222. The switches in the second switch submatrix are referred to as SW(2,j), where the index "j" refers to the jth switch in the switch matrix.

[0085] exist FIG. 35A to FIG. 35B In the embodiment, the number of switches and the connections of the switches in the first switch sub-matrix SW1 216, SW2 218, SW3 220, SW4 222 do not change regardless of the value of "N". The second switch sub-matrix includes F number of switches, and the value F may be equal to M+K+1.

[0086] SW1 216 is connected between one terminal of SW2 218 and GND 210. The other terminal of SW2 218 is connected to V OUT 208 and one terminal of SW3 220. SW4 222 is connected between the other terminal of SW3 220 and GND 210. SW(2,1) is connected between one terminal of C(1,1) and V OUT208. The remaining switches in the second switch sub-matrix are connected between capacitors in the first capacitor sub-matrix and capacitors in the second capacitor sub-matrix. For example, SW(2,j) (where j>=2) is connected between one terminal of C(1,p) and one terminal of C(2,q), where p equals ceiling(j / 2) and the value q equals floor(j / 2). The connection between SW1 216 and SW2 218 is connected to the other terminal of C(1,p), while the connection between SW3 220 and SW4 222 is connected to the other terminal of C(2,q).

[0087] The N:1 step-down Dickson-Star SC regulator can be switched on and off in the switch matrix to Fig.35A and Fig.35B The duty cycle cycles between state 0 and state 1 shown in FIG.

[0088] FIG. 35A to FIG. 35B The operation of an N:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator in an N:1 conversion mode is shown. In state 0, in the first switch sub-matrix, SW1 216 and SW3 220 are disconnected (i.e., open), while SW2 218 and SW4 222 are connected (i.e., closed). In the second switch sub-matrix, all odd-indexed switches are disconnected (i.e., open), while all even-indexed switches are connected (i.e., closed). Subsequently, in state 1, all switch states are reversed compared to state 0.

[0089] The advantage of this switch configuration is that no matter how large N is, all switches only have a maximum of V applied across them. OUT 208. One disadvantage is that some capacitors have a high voltage applied across them, which requires high voltage rated capacitors, which can be bulky and expensive. In some embodiments, the voltage V across the capacitor is C(1，p) and V C(2，q) =((p-1)×2+1)×V OUT 208 and q×2×V OUT 208. Therefore, this Dickson Star configuration is useful when low voltage switches and high voltage capacitors are available.

[0090] Although a Dickson Star SC regulator can be useful, such a design would still be limited to a single conversion ratio (input voltage V IN 202 and output voltage V OUT 208 has a ratio of N:1 and cannot effectively adjust the voltage to provide other conversion ratios.

[0091] One disadvantage of using a single conversion ratio SC regulator is the limited range of output voltages. Typically, the efficiency of an SC regulator may decrease at an output voltage that is not a predetermined fraction (e.g., 1 / N) of the input voltage. SC regulators are typically optimized to achieve high efficiency at a single conversion ratio. For example, when an SC regulator is coupled to a battery that provides 3.3V, the SC regulator may be optimized to receive 3.3V and provide a fixed output voltage of 1.1V. In this case, the efficiency of the SC regulator is optimized to provide an output voltage of 1.1V—when the output voltage deviates from 1.1V, the conversion rate of the SC regulator will decrease. In other words, the SC regulator may be optimized to provide high efficiency at a conversion ratio of 3:1, and the efficiency of the SC regulator may decrease as the conversion ratio deviates from 3:1. This reduction in efficiency is unfortunate because a system on a chip (SoC) can operate at many voltage levels, and it would be desirable to use a single SC regulator to accommodate all of those voltage levels in the SoC.

[0092] One way to support multiple conversion ratios is to provide multiple regulators, each dedicated to a specific conversion ratio, and enable only one of these regulators depending on which conversion ratio needs to be supported. However, this requires many redundant capacitors and switches. For example, when a 3:1 regulator is being used, all switches and capacitors of the 2:1 and 1:1 regulators remain idle and unused. Redundant capacitors and switches require space assets on the integrated circuit chip and increase costs, both of which are undesirable.

[0093] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a single SC regulator that can achieve high efficiency at multiple conversion ratios. In other words, it is desirable to provide a single SC regulator that can be reconfigured for one of many conversion ratios (e.g., 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 2 / 3, 2 / 5, 3 / 5, 4 / 5) so that the single SC regulator can efficiently adapt to one of many output voltage levels.

[0094] The present disclosure shows a reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator that can support multiple conversion ratios by reconfiguring between various modes. The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is designed to reduce the number of redundant capacitors by reusing capacitors and switches across multiple operating modes (across multiple conversion ratios).

[0095] In some embodiments, a reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator includes a regular Dickson Star SC regulator and a mode switch matrix. The mode switch matrix includes a plurality of switches coupled to the regular Dickson Star SC regulator. Depending on the desired conversion ratio, one or more switches in the mode switch matrix can be enabled to reconfigure the arrangement of capacitors in the regular Dickson Star SC regulator. In this way, the mode switch matrix can reconfigure the conversion ratio of the regular fixed conversion mode Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0096] In some embodiments, depending on the reconfigured conversion ratio of the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator, switches in a regular fixed conversion mode Dickson Star SC regulator may be controlled differently (compared to its regular fixed conversion mode operation) to account for the reconfigured arrangement of capacitors.

[0097] In the foregoing discussion, an N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator refers to a reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator that can be reconfigured to provide any of an M:1 conversion ratio, where M is a value between 1 and N.

[0098] Figure 4 An example of a reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator that can be reconfigured to support multiple conversion ratios in accordance with some embodiments is shown. Figure 4 A 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 is shown, which can be reconfigured to have one of the following conversion ratios: 3:1, 2:1, 1:1. The 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 includes: Figure 2 The fixed 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 200 in FIG. 1 and the mode switch matrix 406 including a single mode switch SW8 402. This additional mode switch 402 can be selectively operated to switch Figure 2 The fixed 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator in the converter is converted to a 3:1 reconfigurable DicksonStar SC regulator.

[0099] 5 to 7 respectively show a schematic diagram of a method according to some embodiments. Figure 4 The reconfigurable regulator in the 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1 conversion ratios are designed for operation. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5CAs shown in FIG. 3 , to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 in a 3:1 conversion mode, the mode switch SW8 402 can be simply opened (in the “on” position) and the fixed 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 404 in the reconfigurable regulator 400 can be operated in the same manner as in FIG. 3 (multiple switches can be duty cycled to switch the regulator between state 0 and state 1).

[0100] like FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C As shown in FIG. 1 , to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 in the 2:1 conversion mode, the switch SW8 402 may be turned on (i.e., closed) during state 0, and the switch SW8 402 may be turned off (i.e., open) during state 1, while the fixed 3:1 regulator 404 is duty cycled between state 0 and state 1. In a sense, the 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is operated in the 2:1 conversion mode because the mode switch SW8 402 connects the switch capacitor C1 in parallel with the fixed 3:1 regulator 404. FLY 204 and C2 FLY 206 are connected together and operate collectively as a single large capacitor in state 0, just as in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator. For example, in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator, a switched capacitor or multiple switched capacitors connected in parallel acting as a switched capacitor are connected between the input and output voltages in one state and between the output voltage and ground in another state. By switching between these two states, the output voltage becomes half of the input voltage. FIGS. 6A to 6B show a schematic diagram of a conventional 2:1 SC regulator. Figure 6B The switches in are switched on and off accordingly as shown in the figure, so that this switched capacitor behaves as in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator.

[0101] like FIG. 7A to FIG. 7CAs shown in , to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 in 1:1 conversion mode, when the regulator is duty cycled between state 0 and state 1, switch SW8 402 can be turned on (i.e., closed) during state 0, and switch SW8 402 can be turned off (i.e., opened) during state 1. The remaining switches are turned on and off accordingly so that the switched capacitor behaves as in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator. For example, in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator, a switched capacitor or a plurality of switched capacitors connected in parallel acting as a switched capacitor is connected between an input voltage and ground in one state, and is connected between an output voltage and ground in another state. By switching between these two states, the output voltage becomes similar to the input voltage. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B The switches in are turned on and off as shown in the figure, so that the switched capacitor behaves as in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator.

[0102] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator can be a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator. In other words, the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator can be configured to provide one of the following conversion ratios: 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1. To facilitate the discussion of the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator, Figure 8 A fixed conversion ratio 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 800 is shown. Figure 2 Compared with the 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 200 in FIG. 1 , the 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 800 has an additional switched capacitor C3. FLY 802 and one more switch SW9 804.

[0103] Similar to the 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 200, the 4:1 regulator 800 duty cycles between state 0 and state 1 to provide voltage regulation. Figures 9A-9C FIG. 8 shows the duty cycle of the 4:1 regulator 800 between state 0 and state 1. Assuming that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0104] State 0: V IN 202=V C3FLY +VOUT 208

[0105] State 0: V C2FLY =V C1FLY +V OUT 208

[0106] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0107] State 1: V C3FLY =V OUT 208+V C2FLY

[0108] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY The voltage across 206, V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0109] V C2FLY =2×V OUT

[0110] V C3FLY =3×V OUT

[0111] V OUT =(1 / 4)×V IN

[0112] Therefore, in Figure 8 The Dickson Star SC regulator is shown operating as a 4:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0113] In some embodiments, a fixed switching mode 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator may be enhanced with a mode switch matrix to provide a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator. Fig.10A 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1000 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1000 includes a fixed transition mode 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator and a mode switch matrix having two mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004. The mode switch matrix is ​​designed to reconfigure the arrangement of capacitors in the fixed transition mode 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator to enable reconfiguration between 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1 conversion ratios.

[0114] FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 4:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. In this mode of operation, when the Dickson Star SC regulator is in a Fig. 11C When duty cycling between state 0 and state 1 as shown in FIG, the mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004 are also duty cycled to provide a 4:1 conversion ratio, thereby behaving similarly to SW1 21 and SW2 218. For example, in state 0, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is disconnected (“open”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is connected (“closed”); and in state 1, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is connected (“closed”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is disconnected (“open”).

[0115] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0116] State 0: V IN 202=V C3FLY +V OUT 208

[0117] State 0: VC2 FLY =V C1FLY +V OUT 208

[0118] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0119] State 1: V C3FLY =V OUT 208+V C2FLY

[0120] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0121] V C2FLY =2×V OUT

[0122] V C3FLY =3×V OUT

[0123] V OUT =(1 / 4)×V IN

[0124] Therefore, in FIG. 11A to FIG. 11B The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 4:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0125] FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 3:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. In this mode of operation, when the regulator is in a Fig. 12C When duty cycling between state 0 and state 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , the mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004 are also duty cycled to provide a 3:1 conversion ratio. For example, in state 0, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is turned on (“closed”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is turned off (“open”); and in state 1, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is turned off (“open”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is turned on (“closed”).

[0126] In a sense, the operation of this 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator operating in 3:1 conversion mode is similar to Figure 2 The fixed switching mode 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 200 operates in FIG. 2. For example, the switched capacitor C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 are connected together in parallel to provide a larger single capacitor which together as Figure 2 C2 FLY206 to operate. As another example, FIG. 12A to FIG. 12B The switched capacitor C1 FLY 204 Figure 2 C1 FLY 204 to operate. Therefore, although the number of capacitors in the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is different Figure 2 The number of fixed transition mode 3:1 Dickson Star SC regulators shown in FIG, however, the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator can be operated in 3:1 transition mode by reconfiguring the capacitor arrangement using multiple switches.

[0127] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0128] State 0: V C2FLY =V C3FLY

[0129] State 0: V C2FLY =V C1FLY +V OUT 208

[0130] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0131] State 1: V IN 202=V OUT 208+V C2FLY

[0132] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0133] V C2FLY =2×V OUT 208

[0134] V C3FLY =2×V OUT 208

[0135] V OUT =(1 / 3)×V IN

[0136] Therefore, in FIG. 12A to FIG. 12C The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0137] FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 2:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. In this mode of operation, when the Dickson Star SC regulator is in a Fig. 13C When duty cycling between state 0 and state 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , the mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004 are also duty cycled to provide a 2:1 conversion ratio. For example, in state 0, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is disconnected (“open”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is connected (“closed”); and in state 1, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is connected (“closed”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is disconnected (“open”).

[0138] In a sense, the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator operates in a 2:1 conversion mode because the regulator switches all three switched capacitors C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected together in parallel and operate collectively as a single large capacitor, just as in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator. For example, in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator, a switched capacitor or multiple switched capacitors connected in parallel acting as a switched capacitor are connected between the input voltage and the output voltage in one state and between the output voltage and ground in another state. By switching between these two states, the output voltage becomes half of the input voltage. FIG. 13A to FIG. 13B The switches in are turned on and off accordingly so that the switched capacitor behaves as in a conventional 2:1 SC regulator.

[0139] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be obtained for the two states:

[0140] State 0: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V IN 202-V OUT 208

[0141] State 1: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V OUT 208

[0142] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0143] V C1FLY =V OUT

[0144] V C2FLY =V OUT

[0145] V C3FLY =V OUT

[0146] V OUT =(1 / 2)×V IN

[0147] Therefore, in FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 2:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0148] FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 1:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. In this mode of operation, when the Dickson Star SC regulator is in a Fig. 14C When duty cycling between state 0 and state 1 as shown in FIG, mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004 are not duty cycled. For example, in both state 0 and state 1, the first mode switch SW10 1002 is turned on (“closed”) and the second mode switch SW11 1004 is turned off (“open”).

[0149] In a sense, the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator operates in 1:1 conversion mode because the regulator switches all three switched capacitors C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected together in parallel and operate collectively as a single large capacitor, just as in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator. For example, in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator, a switched capacitor or multiple switched capacitors connected in parallel acting as a switched capacitor are connected between the input voltage and ground in one state and between the output voltage and ground in another state. By switching between these two states, the output voltage becomes similar to the input voltage. FIG. 14A to FIG. 14B The switches in are turned on and off as shown in the figure so that the switched capacitor behaves as in a conventional 1:1 SC regulator.

[0150] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is larger, the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0151] State 0: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V IN 202

[0152] State 1: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V OUT 208

[0153] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0154] V C1FLY =V OUT

[0155] V C2FLY =V OUT

[0156] VC3FLY =V OUT

[0157] V OUT =V IN

[0158] Therefore, in FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 1:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0159] In some embodiments, Figure 4 The 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 400 shown in FIG. Fig.10 The 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1000 shown in FIG. 1 can be expanded to an N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator, where N can be any number greater than one.

[0160] FIG. 15A to FIG. 15B An N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0161] In some embodiments, the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1500 may include a capacitor matrix (also referred to as a capacitor bank). The capacitor matrix may include a first capacitor sub-matrix and a second capacitor sub-matrix. The capacitors in the first capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(1,j), where the first index "1" refers to the "first" capacitor matrix, and the second index "j" refers to the jth capacitor in the first capacitor sub-matrix. Similarly, the capacitors in the second capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(2,j). Fig.15A to Fig. 15B In some embodiments, the first capacitor sub-matrix includes M capacitors; and the second capacitor sub-matrix includes K capacitors. In some embodiments, M is equal to floor(N / 2), and K is equal to floor((N-1) / 2).

[0162] In some embodiments, the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 1500 includes a switch matrix having a first switch sub-matrix, a second switch sub-matrix, a third switch sub-matrix, a fourth switch sub-matrix, and a fifth switch sub-matrix.

[0163] The switches in the first switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(1,j), where the first index "1" refers to the "first" switch matrix, and the second index "j" refers to the jth switch in the first switch sub-matrix. Similarly, the switches in the second switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(2,j); the switches in the third switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(3,j); the switches in the fourth switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(4,j); and the switches in the fifth switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(5,j).

[0164] exist FIG. 15A to FIG. 15B In some embodiments, the first switch sub-matrix and the second switch sub-matrix each include M switches; the third switch sub-matrix and the fourth switch sub-matrix each include K switches; and the fifth switch sub-matrix includes L switches. In some embodiments, M is equal to floor(N / 2); K is equal to floor((N-1) / 2); and L is equal to N.

[0165] In some embodiments, the regulator 1500 may duty cycle between state 0 and state 1 by turning on and off switches in a switch matrix of the regulator 1500 .

[0166] FIG. 15A to FIG. 15B The operation of the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1500 in N:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments is shown. In state 0, all switches in the first switch submatrix at the bottom left are turned on, and all switches in the second switch submatrix are turned off. In addition, all switches in the third switch submatrix are turned off, and all switches in the fourth switch submatrix are turned on. In the fifth switch submatrix, all odd-indexed switches are turned off, and all even-indexed switches are turned on. Subsequently, in state 1, all switch states are reversed compared to state 0. Although there are additional switches, including SW(j,1), SW(j,2), SW(j,3), SW(j,4), where j is greater than 1, the capacitor topology is similar to the N:1 buck Dickson Star in Figure 35.

[0167] In order to operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 1500 in the (N-1):1 transition mode, the capacitor with the highest index in the first capacitor sub-matrix (C(1,M)) and the capacitor with the highest index in the second capacitor sub-matrix (C(2,K)) can be connected together in parallel to operate as a single capacitor. This "single" capacitor can operate similar to C(1,M) in the (N-1):1 fixed transition mode Dickson-Star SC regulator - which is a Dickson-Star SC regulator that is equivalent to operating without C(2,K) (which is connected to V via switch SW(5,L) IN 202), the top switch in the fifth switch matrix (which is SW(5,L)), and SW(3,K) and SW(4,K) (which are the two switches connected to C(2,K)).

[0168] To operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator in the (N-2):1 switching mode, the minimum number of switches in the fifth switch sub-matrix is ​​connected to V IN The three capacitors of 202 can be connected in parallel to operate as a single capacitor. The three capacitors include, for example, one capacitor C(1,M) with the highest index in the first capacitor sub-matrix C(1,M), and two capacitors (C(2,K), C(2,K-1)) with the highest index in the second capacitor sub-matrix. The "single" capacitor can operate similar to C(2,K-1) in a (N-2):1 fixed transition mode Dickson-Star SC regulator, which is a Dickson-Star SC regulator that is equivalent to an N:1 fixed transition mode Dickson-Star SC regulator without C(1,M) and C(2,K), the top two switches in the fifth switch matrix (which are SW(5,L) and SW(5,L-1)), and SW(1,M), SW(2,M), SW(3,K), SW(4, K) (which are switches connected to C(1,M) and C(2,K)).

[0169] More generally, to operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator in the (NR):1 switching mode, the minimum number of switches in the fifth switch sub-matrix connected to V INThe "R+1" capacitors of 202 may be connected together in parallel to operate as a single capacitor, and the remaining switches operated as if operating a (NR):1 fixed transition mode Dickson-StarSC regulator.

[0170] In some embodiments, another topology of the Dickson Star SC regulator may enable reconfiguration between switching modes. Fig.16 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1600 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 8 Compared to the fixed switching mode 4:1 Dickson Star SC regulator 800, Fig.10 The 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 1000 in FIG. 14 has two additional mode switches SW10 1002 and SW11 1004 . Fig.16 A different type of 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown using two additional mode switches SW12 1602 and SW 13 1604 in different positions.

[0171] 17A to 17C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in 4:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. Although the position of the mode switch is slightly different, the capacitor topology in state 0 and state 1 is the same. FIG. 11A to FIG. 11B The capacitor topology of the regulator 1000 is the same as that of the regulator 1000. FIG. 17A to FIG. 17B The relationship between the voltage across the capacitor in state 0 and state 1 is similar to that in FIG. 11A to FIG. Fig. 11B The relationship between the voltages across the capacitor in state 0 and state 1 is the same as shown in FIG11A to FIG11B . Fig. 11B As shown in Figure 2, it is assumed that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0172] State 0: V IN 202=VC3 FLY +V OUT 208

[0173] State 0: VC2 FLY =VC1 FLY +V OUT 208

[0174] State 1: V OUT 208=VC1 FLY

[0175] State 1: VC3 FLY =V OUT 208+VC2 FLY

[0176] Among them, VC1 FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, VC2 FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY The voltage across 206, and VC3 FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0177] V C2FLY =2×V OUT

[0178] V C3FLY =3×V OUT

[0179] V OUT =(1 / 4)×V IN

[0180] Therefore, in FIG. 17A to FIG. 17B The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 4:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0181] 18A to 18C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in 3:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments. The operating principle in 3:1 conversion mode is similar to that in Figure 2 The operating principle of the 3:1SC regulator is shown in FIG. FLY 204 and C3 FLY 802 are connected together in parallel to operate as a single large capacitor, similar to Figure 2 Capacitor C1 in FLY 204. Fig.18A To the switched capacitor C2 in FIG. 18B FLY 206 and Figure 2 C2 FLY 206 in a similar manner.

[0182] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0183] State 0: V C2FLY =V C3FLY

[0184] State 0: V C2FLY =V C1FLY +V OUT 208

[0185] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0186] State 1: V IN 202=V OUT 208+V C2FLY

[0187] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0188] V C2FLY =2×V OUT 208

[0189] V C3FLY =2×V OUT 208

[0190] V OUT =(1 / 3)×V IN

[0191] Therefore, in 18A to 18C The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 3:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0192] Figures 19A-19C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator when it operates in 2:1 mode according to some embodiments. The basic principle is similar to that in FIG. 13A to FIG. 13B The basic principle of the 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator is shown in FIG.FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected in parallel to act like a single large capacitor, just like capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected in parallel as FIG. 13A to FIG. 13B It works like a single large capacitor in a

[0193] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0194] State 0: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V IN 202-V OUT 208

[0195] State 1: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V OUT 208

[0196] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0197] V C1FLY =V OUT

[0198] V C2FLY =V OUT

[0199] V C3FLY =V OUT

[0200] V OUT =(1 / 2)×V IN

[0201] Therefore, in FIG. 19A to FIG. 19CThe reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 2:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0202] Figures 20A-20C FIG. 4 shows the operation of a 4:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator when it operates in 1:1 mode according to some embodiments. FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected in parallel to act like a single large capacitor, just like capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206, C3 FLY 802 are connected in parallel as FIG. 14A to FIG. 14B It works like a single large capacitor in a

[0203] Assume that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0204] State 0: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V IN 202

[0205] State 1: V C1FLY =V C2FLY =V C3FLY =V OUT 208

[0206] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0207] V C1FLY =V OUT

[0208] V C2FLY =V OUT

[0209] V C3FLY =VOUT

[0210] V OUT =V IN

[0211] Therefore, in FIG. 14A to FIG. 14C The reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator shown in FIG. 1 is operated as a 1:1 step-down Dickson Star SC regulator.

[0212] exist Fig.10 to the regulator in Figure 14 and Figure 16 to Figure 2 The regulator in FIG. 0 uses a mode switch matrix with switch matrices located in different positions, but the final capacitor arrangement is the same. Therefore, the reconfigurable regulator 1000 is functionally identical to the reconfigurable regulator 1600.

[0213] In some embodiments, the 4:1 reconfigurable regulator 1600 may be generalized to provide an N:1 reconfigurable regulator, where N is greater than 1. FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B An N:1 reconfigurable DicksonStar SC regulator 2100 is shown operating in accordance with some embodiments.

[0214] The N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2100 may also include a capacitor matrix. The capacitor matrix may include a first capacitor sub-matrix and a second capacitor sub-matrix. The capacitors in the first capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(1,j), where the first index "1" refers to the "first" capacitor matrix, and the second index "j" refers to the jth capacitor in the first capacitor sub-matrix. Similarly, the capacitors in the second capacitor sub-matrix are referred to as C(2,j). FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B In some embodiments, the first capacitor sub-matrix includes M capacitors; and the second capacitor sub-matrix includes K capacitors. In some embodiments, M is equal to floor(N / 2), and K is equal to floor((N-1) / 2).

[0215] In some embodiments, the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2100 includes a switch matrix having a first switch sub-matrix, a second switch sub-matrix, and a third switch sub-matrix.

[0216] The switches in the first switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(1,j), where the first index "1" refers to the "first" switch matrix, and the second index "j" refers to the jth switch in the first switch sub-matrix. Similarly, the switches in the second switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(2,j), and the switches in the third switch sub-matrix are referred to as SW(3,j). FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B In some embodiments, the first switch sub-matrix includes E switches; the second switch sub-matrix includes D switches; and the third switch sub-matrix includes F switches. In some embodiments, E equals 2×ceiling(N / 2)−1; D equals floor(N / 2); and F equals N.

[0217] In some embodiments, switches in the first switch submatrix connect two capacitors in the first capacitor submatrix. For example, C(1, p) and C(1, p+1) are connected via SW(1, p). Similarly, switches in the second switch submatrix connect two capacitors in the second capacitor submatrix. For example, C(2, p) and C(2, p+1) are connected via SW(2, p). Switches in the third switch submatrix connect capacitors in the first capacitor submatrix to capacitors in the second capacitor submatrix. For example, C(1, p) and C(1, p+1) are connected via SW(3, 2× p), and C(1, p+1) and C(2, p) are connected via SW(3, 2× p+1).

[0218] In some embodiments, by Fig.21A and Fig. 21B Turning on and off the switches in the switch matrix of the regulator 2100 as shown in FIG. 2 can cause the regulator 2100 to perform duty cycling between state 0 and state 1.

[0219] FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B The operation of the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator 2100 under N:1 conversion mode according to some embodiments is shown. In state 0, in the third switch sub-matrix, all switches of odd indexes are disconnected (i.e., open), and all switches of even indexes are connected (i.e., closed). Subsequently, in state 1, all switch states in the third switch sub-matrix are reversed compared to state 0. In both state 0 and state 1, all switches in the first switch sub-matrix and all switches on the second switch sub-matrix side are disconnected. Although there are additional switches including the first switch matrix and the second switch matrix, Since all those switches are disconnected, the topology of the capacitor is similar to the N:1 buck Dickson Star in Figure 35.

[0220] To operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2100 in the (N-1):1 switching mode, the switch connected to V IN 202 capacitor (which is FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B C(2,K) in ) and a capacitor in the same matrix but with a one-bit lower index (which is FIG. 21A to FIG. 21B C(2,K-1) in can be connected together in parallel to operate as a single capacitor. In order to keep the two capacitors connected as a "single" capacitor, SW(2,D) is always turned on in state 0 and state 1. This "single" capacitor can operate similar to C(1,M) in a (N-1):1 fixed transition mode Dickson-Star SC regulator - which is a Dickson-Star SC regulator that is equivalent to a Dickson-Star SC regulator in N:1 fixed transition mode without C(2,K) and SW(3,F). Since C(2,K) is no longer independent in this mode (but works with C(2,K-1)), SW(3,F-1) is disconnected in both state 0 and state 1. C(1,M) acts as the top capacitor, so SW(1,E) acts as the top switch, and SW(3,F) is disconnected in both state 0 and state 1. In summary, SW(2,D) is always on in state 0 and state 1, SW(3,F-1) and SW(3,F) are always off in state 0 and state 1, and SW(1,E) switch is on and off in state 0 and state 1, respectively.

[0221] To operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator in (N-2):1 conversion mode, the minimum number of switches connected to V IN The three capacitors of 202 can be connected together in parallel to operate as a single capacitor. FIG. 21A to FIG. 21BIn , the three capacitors are C(2,K), C(1,M), and C(2,K-1). This "single" capacitor can operate similar to C(2,K-1) in an (N-2):1 fixed-switching-mode Dickson-Star SC regulator - which is a Dickson-Star SC regulator that is equivalent to an N:1 fixed-switching-mode Dickson-Star SC regulator without C(2,K), C(1,M), SW(3,F), SW(F-1). In order to keep the three capacitors connected as a "single" capacitor, SW(2,D) and SW(3,E-1) are always on in state 0 and state 1. Since C(2,K) and C(1,M) no longer exist independently, SW(3, F-1) and SW(3,F-2) are disconnected in both state 0 and state 1. C(2,K-1) acts as the top capacitor, so SW(3,F) acts as the top switch, and SW(1,E) is turned off in both state 0 and state 1. In summary, SW(2,D) and SW(1,E-1) are always turned on in state 0 and state 1; SW(3,F-1), SW(3,F-2), SW(1,E) are always turned off in state 0 and state 1; and SW(3,F) switch is turned off and on in state 0 and state 1, respectively.

[0222] More generally, to operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator in the (NR):1 switching mode, the V IN The "R+1" capacitors of 202 may be connected together in parallel to operate as a single capacitor, and the remaining switches operated like a (NR):1 fixed transition mode Dickson-StarSC regulator.

[0223] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to perform the following switching operations to operate the N:1 reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator in the (NR):1 conversion mode. The control module is configured to turn on the top "R" switches in the first and second matrices (e.g., the R switches closest to the input voltage terminal, or in other words, the R switches with the least number of switches between them and the input voltage terminal), excluding the top switch SW(1,E) in the first switch sub-matrix that is directly connected to the input voltage terminal. When the first switch in the first switch sub-matrix and the second switch in the second switch sub-matrix have the same number of switches between them and the input voltage terminal and only one of them can be included in the set of R switches, the second switch in the second switch sub-matrix will be selected. For example, if R is equal to 3, SW(2,D), SW(1,E-1), SW(2,D-1) are selected as the "3" switches closest to the input voltage terminal. The control module is configured to keep the R switches turned on in state 0 and state 1 to connect the top 3 capacitors in parallel.

[0224] In addition, the control module is configured to open the top "R" switches in the third switch matrix (e.g., the R switches closest to the input voltage terminal, or in other words, the R switches with the least number of switches between them and the input voltage terminal), excluding the top switch SW(3,F) in the third switch sub-matrix connected to the input voltage terminal. For example, if R is equal to 3, SW(3,F-1), SW(3,F-2), SW(3,F-3) are always open in state 0 and state 1.

[0225] In addition, when R is an odd number, the control module is configured to disconnect the top switch SW(3,F) in the third switch sub-matrix and operate the top switch SW(1,E) in the first switch sub-matrix as if the top switch SW(1,E) in the first switch sub-matrix is ​​the top switch of the third switch sub-matrix.

[0226] In some embodiments, when R is an even number, the control module is configured to disconnect the top switch SW(1,E) in the first switch sub-matrix and operate the top switch SW(3,F) in the third switch sub-matrix as if the top switch SW(3,F) in the third switch sub-matrix is ​​the top switch of the first switch sub-matrix.

[0227] In some embodiments, the state of the top switch is inverted compared to the top most switches in the third switch matrix that are not always disconnected. For example, if R is equal to 3, then SW(3,F) is disconnected because R is an odd number. In addition, SW(3,F-1), SW(3,F-2), and SW(3,F-3) are always disconnected. Therefore, the top switch (which is SW(1,E)) is in an inverted state compared to SW(3,F-4), which is the top most switch of the third switch matrix that is not always disconnected.

[0228] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be operated as part of a voltage regulator system. The voltage regulator system can operate with multiple staggered phases (e.g., in a time-staggered manner within a single cycle), and the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be used to provide an output voltage in one of the staggered phases. For example, the voltage regulator system can include three reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulators that each operate 0 degrees, 120 degrees, and 240 degrees out of phase, respectively.

[0229] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be used in various applications including power management integrated circuits (PMICs), battery chargers, LED drivers, envelope tracking power amplifiers.

[0230] In some embodiments, the switched capacitor (eg, C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY The capacitance of the switched capacitor 802 can be set to be proportional to the output current of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator. For example, the capacitance of the switched capacitor can be in the range of 0.1nF / mA and 100nF / mA, depending on the target power efficiency. In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can improve its efficiency by using a larger capacitance value.

[0231] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can operate in an inverted configuration (e.g., the input node and the output node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator are switched). The operating direction of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be flexibly modified to accommodate various types of input voltage sources and output loads coupled to the input node and the output node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator.

[0232] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be operated in reverse direction to operate it as a boost regulator. For example, the input node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be coupled to a target load (e.g., a chip), and the output node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be coupled to an input voltage source (e.g., a battery).

[0233] Figure 22 to Figure 24 Boost reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulators 2200, 2300, and 2400 are shown, respectively, according to some embodiments. Regulator 2200 is a boost reconfigurable 1:3 Dickson-Star SC regulator; regulator 2300 is a boost reconfigurable 1:4 Dickson-Star SC regulator; regulator 2400 is a boost reconfigurable 1:4 Dickson-Star SC regulator. Figure 22 to Figure 24 The boost reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulators in FIG. 6 and FIG. Fig.10 and Fig.16 In the buck regulator, in addition to V IN 202 and V OUT 208 positions are swapped and V IN 202 is lower than V OUT Outside 208.

[0234] In some embodiments, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be operated in the reverse direction to operate it as a battery charger. For example, the input node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be coupled to a power source, such as a power line of a universal serial bus (USB), and the output node of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be coupled to a battery so that the output voltage and output current of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator are used to charge the battery.

[0235] In some embodiments, a reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be particularly useful in charging batteries in handheld devices. Handheld devices (such as smart phones) can use lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries that are configured to provide a voltage output in the range of approximately 2.8V to 4.3V, depending on whether the battery is charged (e.g., 4.3V when fully charged and 2.8V when fully discharged). Lithium-ion batteries in handheld devices can be charged using a universal serial bus (USB). Current versions of the USB power line use 5V (and future versions of the USB may use even higher voltages), which is higher than the voltage output of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, the voltage from the USB power line should be reduced in a step-down manner before it can be used to charge the lithium-ion battery. To this end, a reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be configured to receive a power line voltage (and current) from the USB and step down a stepped-down version of the power line voltage (and current) to the lithium-ion battery so that the lithium-ion battery can be charged based on the voltage and current from the USB.

[0236] In some embodiments, the above configuration for charging a battery using a USB power line can be reversed for use as USB On-The-Go (OTG), where a battery in a first device can deliver power to a second device via USB to charge the second device. In this scenario, the battery in the first device is configured to deliver current to a battery in the second device via USB. Although the output voltage of the battery in the first device may be lower than the USB power line voltage, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator can be operated in a boost configuration to step up the output voltage of the battery to the voltage of the USB power line. In this way, the battery in the first device can charge the battery in the second device via the USB power line.

[0237] In some embodiments, an SC regulator such as a reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator may operate in conjunction with another voltage regulator to provide two levels of voltage regulation. Fig.25 A two-stage voltage regulation system is shown in which an SC regulator provides a first stage of voltage regulation in accordance with some embodiments. Fig.25 The embodiment of the present invention includes a regulator 2502 and a second-stage voltage regulator 2504. The SC regulator 2502 can be any type of SC regulator, including, for example, one of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulators disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the second-stage voltage regulator 2504 can include one or more of the following: a buck regulator, an SC regulator, a linear regulator, and / or any type of voltage regulator capable of providing voltage regulation.

[0238] In some embodiments, the SC regulator 2502 may be operated to provide an output voltage at which the SC regulator 2502 may provide high efficiency and then regulate the output voltage of the SC regulator 2502 using the second stage regulator 2504 .

[0239] For example, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2502 can convert the input voltage 202 to V TMP 2506,V TMP 2506 is a portion of the input voltage 202 at which a reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2502 can provide high efficiency. For example, V TMP 2506 can be V IN / N, where N is the step-down ratio. Then, the second stage voltage regulator 2504 can receive V TMP 2506 and regulates it to provide V OUT 208.

[0240] Fig.26A 1 shows an example in which the second stage regulator is a buck converter 100 according to some embodiments. Fig.25 Here, V TMP 2506 is regulated by the buck converter 100 using the plurality of power switches 114 , 116 and the one or more inductors 108 in fine steps. Fig.26B A timing diagram of the signals in the regulator is shown.

[0241] exist Figure 25 to Figure 2 The two-stage regulator (also called a hybrid regulator) shown in FIG6 relies on the fact that an SC regulator is good at dividing the voltage across a predetermined fractional value, and a second regulator (such as a buck regulator) can be good at regulating across a wide range of output voltages in fine steps. For example, in a 12V-to-1V buck regulator, the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator 2502 can be used at V IN 202 receives 12V and provides 1 / 6 voltage reduction, so that V TMP 2V is provided at 2506. Subsequently, the buck regulator 100 can provide subsequent regulation to adjust the 2V to 1V. Since this two-stage regulator adjusts the internal node V x The voltage swing at TMP 2506 (which may be substantially less than V IN 202), so this topology can reduce the capacitive power loss in the buck regulator 100 caused by the parasitic capacitance at the junction 122.

[0242] Fig. 27 A two-stage voltage regulation system is shown in which an SC regulator provides a second stage of voltage regulation in accordance with some embodiments. Fig. 27 The first stage voltage regulator 2702 and the SC regulator 2704 are included. The SC regulator 2704 can be any type of SC regulator, including, for example, one of the reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulators disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the first stage voltage regulator 2702 can include one or more of the following: a buck regulator, an SC regulator, a linear regulator, and / or any type of voltage regulator capable of providing voltage regulation.

[0243] exist Fig. 27 In the first stage regulator 2702, the input voltage V IN 202 and use it as output V TMP 2706 is provided to the SC regulator 2704. The SC regulator 2704 can then TMP 2706 is reduced to the desired output voltage 208 in a step-down manner.

[0244] When the first stage regulator 2702 is a switching inductor regulator, Fig. 27 The two-stage voltage regulation system can reduce the inductor resistive losses of the switched inductor regulator by operating the switched inductor regulator at a high switching frequency and taking advantage of the small amount of current flowing through the inductor. This approach can reduce the resistive losses of the switched inductor regulator even when using a small inductor with low inductance. In addition, this topology can also reduce the capacitive losses (CV) of the switched inductor regulator by limiting the voltage swing across the switch. 2 f loss).

[0245] In some embodiments, the first stage regulator 2702 may include only an inductor. Fig.28A A two-stage voltage regulator is shown in which the first stage regulator consists of an inductor according to some embodiments. Fig.28B According to some embodiments Fig.28A 2802 is a timing diagram of the signals in a two-stage voltage regulator in FIG. Here, the first stage regulator is a single inductor 2802. One terminal of the inductor 2802 is coupled to the input voltage V IN 202, and the other terminal of the inductor 2802 is coupled to the input of the SC regulator 2704. The input voltage of the SC regulator 2704 is referred to as V TMP 2706.

[0246] In some embodiments, the input voltage V of the SC regulator 2704 is TMP2706 is connected to the switched capacitor C in the SC regulator 2704 FLY 2804. When the SC regulator 2704 switches between state 0 and state 1 (see e.g. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B ), switched capacitor C FLY The voltage potential V on the top plate of 2804 TMP 2706 switches between two voltages V1 and V2. Based on this operation, the following relationship can be derived:

[0247] V IN 202=V1D+V2(1-D)

[0248] The values ​​of V1 and V2 are controlled by SC regulator 2704 and V OUT Therefore, V can be finely controlled based on the duty cycle D and the conversion ratio of the SC regulator 2704. IN 202 and V OUT 208. An advantage of the two-stage regulator in FIG28 is that a single-stage SC regulator 2704 that can only provide an integer ratio conversion mode can be converted into a two-stage regulator capable of providing a non-integer ratio conversion mode by simply adding a single inductor 2802.

[0249] In some embodiments, the two-stage regulator may have a bypass switch SWI 2806 configured to short the inductor 2802 in the first stage regulator. The bypass switch SWI 2806 allows the first stage regulator to be disconnected when its operation is not required.

[0250] FIG. 29A to FIG. 29B A switched capacitor (SC) regulator 800 (similar to Figure 8 28 of the regulator 800).

[0251] In some embodiments, the second stage 4:1 regulator 800 is duty cycled between state 0 and state 1 to provide voltage regulation, which is also described in detail below. FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B As shown in FIG. Assuming that the switched capacitor C1 FLY 204, C2 FLY 206 and C3 FLY 802 and decoupling capacitor C OUT 214 is very large, then the following relationship can be derived for the two states:

[0252] State 0: V TMP 2706=V C3FLY +VOUT 208

[0253] State 0: V C2FLY =V C1FLY +V OUT 208

[0254] State 1: V OUT 208 = V C1FLY

[0255] State 1: V C3FLY =V OUT 208+V C2FLY

[0256] Among them, V C1FLY is the first switched capacitor C1 FLY The voltage across 204, V C2FLY is the second switched capacitor C2 FLY 206, and V C3FLY is the third switched capacitor C3 FLY The voltage across 802. These relationships can be reorganized as follows:

[0257] V C2FLY =2×V OUT

[0258] V C3FLY =3×V OUT

[0259] V OUT =(1 / 4)×V TMP

[0260] Therefore, the second stage SC regulator operates as a 4:1 buck regulator, and V TMP 2706 in state 0 and state 1 at 3×V OUT and 4×V OUT The duty cycle of the second stage regulator and V TMP The voltage swing of 2706 is shown at Fig.30 middle.

[0261] Since V TMP 2706 at 3×V OUT With 4×V OUT Therefore, the voltage swing is adjusted by inductor 2802 to provide the following relationship:

[0262] V IN 202=(3×V OUT )D+(4×V OUT )(1-D)=(4-D)×V OUT

[0263] Where D is a value between 0 and 1, and preferably between 0.25 and 0.75. In other words, the two-stage regulator in Figure 29 allows the following voltage relationship:

[0264] V OUT =(1 / (4-D))V IN

[0265] Therefore, the voltage regulator control system can control the duty cycle D between 0 and 1 to fine-tune V beyond the integer conversion ratio. IN 202 and V OUT 208. In a sense, the first stage regulator and the second stage regulator in FIG28 have the same duty cycle D.

[0266] Fig.31 A two-stage voltage regulation system is shown in which the second stage regulator is a multi-phase voltage regulator according to some embodiments. The multi-phase voltage regulator in the second stage regulator allows the first stage regulator and the second stage regulator to use independent duty cycles. This can be beneficial in some cases because the efficiency of the SC regulator may decrease when the duty cycle of the SC regulator deviates from 0.5. By allowing the first stage regulator and the second stage regulator to have independent duty cycles, the second stage regulator can operate at a high efficiency level (e.g., a duty cycle close to 0.5) regardless of the desired output voltage of the voltage regulation system.

[0267] like Fig.31 As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the second stage SC regulator has two 4:1 SC regulator modules SC_ph0 3102 and SC_ph1 3104, where SC_ph0 3102 and SC_ph1 3104 operate in their own phase. In some embodiments, the two SC regulator modules are 180 degrees out of phase. According to some embodiments, the phase relationship between SC_ph0 3102 and SC_ph1 3104 is shown in FIG. Fig.32 In. Fig.32 In the MOSFET, two 4:1 SC regulator modules are operated at a duty cycle of 0.5 to achieve high efficiency.

[0268] Although the two 4:1SC regulator modules operate at a duty cycle of 0.5, the duty cycle of the switched inductor regulator in the first stage regulator can be independently controlled. In particular, regardless of the duty cycle of the two 4:1SC regulator modules, the switched inductor regulator can have its own duty cycle D by switching switches SW9 804 and SW17 3126 out of phase at a duty cycle D.

[0269] For example, when both modules SC_ph0 3102 and SC_ph1 3104 operate at a duty cycle of 0.5, C3 FLY 802 and C6 FLY The voltages V1 3130 and V2 3132 on the top plate of 3110 are 3×V at a duty cycle of 0.5. OUT 208 and 4×V OUT 208, such as Fig.32 As shown in the waveform. FLY 802 and C6 FLY The voltages V1 3130 and V2 3132 at the top plate of 3110 are at 3×V at any given moment. OUT 208 and 4 × V OUT 208, so switches SW9 804 and SW173126 can be turned on and off (out of phase) with a duty cycle D, thereby switching V TMP 2706 connected to 3×V OUT 208 or 4×V OUT 208, such as Fig.32 This allows the first stage regulator to operate at a duty cycle of D, while the second stage regulator (comprising two 4:1 SC regulator modules SC_ph0 3102 and SC_ph1 3104) operates at a duty cycle of 0.5, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the second stage regulator.

[0270] When switches SW9 804 and SW17 3126 are duty cycled at a duty cycle D, the amount of time a particular SC module is used may depend on the duty cycle D. For example, in Fig.32 , the duty cycle D is less than 0.5. Therefore, the first SC module 3102 is used less than 50% of the time, while the second SC module 3104 is used more than 50% of the time. In the extreme case, one SC module may be used 100% of the time, while the other SC module is used 0% of the time. To accommodate this extreme case, the size of all switches and capacitors in the two SC modules 3102, 3104 may need to be large enough so that a single SC module can deliver the maximum required output power - as if the other SC module did not exist.

[0271] In some embodiments, switches SW9 804 and SW17 3126 can be controlled so that each switch SW9 804 and SW17 3126 is turned on for the same amount of time while maintaining the duty cycle of the first stage regulator. In this way, the SC modules in the multiphase regulator (second stage regulator) are used for the same amount of time regardless of the duty cycle of the first stage regulator. This allows the size of the switches and capacitors in the SC modules to be approximately half compared to the case where a single SC module needs to be able to deliver the maximum required power.

[0272] Fig.33 804 and SW17 3126 are turned on for the same amount of time while maintaining the duty cycle of the first stage regulator. In a given period, the first switch SW9 804 is turned on for 50% of the time while the second switch SW17 3126 is kept off, and the second switch SW17 3126 is turned on for 50% of the time while the first switch SW9 804 is kept off. However, the time instance at which the period begins is determined so that the voltage V TMP 2706 with duty cycle D at 3×V OUT With 4×V OUT Swing between.

[0273] For example, when SW9 804 is turned on and SW17 is turned off, the voltage V TMP 2706 is coupled to V1 3130, and when SW9 804 is disconnected and SW17 is connected, the voltage V TMP 2706 is coupled to V2 3132. Thus, by shifting the time instance 3302, the period during which V TMP 2706 at 4× V OUT For example, when the time instance 3302 is shifted to the right, the duty cycle D will increase proportionally; when the time instance 3302 is shifted to the left, the duty cycle D will decrease proportionally. An additional benefit of this configuration is that: V TMP 2706 switches at twice the frequency of the switched inductor regulator and the switched capacitor regulator. This feature can enable the use of a smaller inductor 3302 without incurring additional switching losses.

[0274] Although a reconfigurable Dickson Star regulator is used to illustrate the second stage regulator, other SC regulators of this type can also be used Figure 27 to Figure 2 9 and Fig.31For example, the second stage regulator may include a stepped SC regulator, a reconfigurable ladder SC regulator, a series-to-shunt SC regulator, a reconfigurable series-to-shunt regulator, and / or any other type of SC regulator.

[0275] In some embodiments, the two-stage regulator can be used in various applications including power management integrated circuits (PMICs), battery chargers, LED drivers, and envelope tracking power amplifiers.

[0276] In some embodiments, the capacitance of the switched capacitor regulator can be set to be proportional to the output current of the two-stage regulator. For example, depending on the target power efficiency, the capacitance of the switched capacitor regulator can be in the range of 0.1nF / mA and 100nF / mA. The efficiency of the two-stage regulator can be improved by using a larger capacitance value.

[0277] In some embodiments, the two-stage regulator can be operated in the reverse direction to operate it as a boost regulator. For example, the input node of the two-stage regulator can be coupled to a target load (e.g., a chip), and the output node of the two-stage regulator can be coupled to an input voltage source (e.g., a battery).

[0278] In some embodiments, the two-stage regulator can be operated in the reverse direction to operate it as a battery charger. For example, the input node of the two-stage regulator can be coupled to a power source (e.g., a power line of a universal serial bus (USB)), and the output node of the two-stage regulator can be coupled to a battery.

[0279] The disclosed embodiments of the two-stage regulator can be used as a battery charger in a battery-operated device. For example, the output node of the two-stage regulator can be coupled to a battery so that the output voltage and output current of the two-stage regulator are used to charge the battery.

[0280] The two-stage regulator can be particularly useful in charging batteries in handheld devices. Handheld devices (such as smart phones) can use lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries that are configured to provide a voltage output in the range of approximately 2.8V to 4.3V depending on whether the battery is charged (e.g., 4.3V when fully charged and 2.8V when fully discharged). Lithium-ion batteries in handheld devices can be charged using a universal serial bus (USB). Current versions of the USB power line use 5V (and future versions of the USB may use even higher voltages), which is higher than the voltage output of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, the voltage from the USB power line should be reduced in a step-down manner before it is used to charge the lithium-ion battery. To this end, the two-stage regulator can be configured to receive the power line voltage and current from the USB and provide a stepped-down version of the power line voltage and current to the lithium-ion battery so that the lithium-ion battery can be charged based on the voltage and current from the USB.

[0281] In some embodiments, the above configuration in which the USB power line is used to charge the battery can be reversed for use as USB On-The-Go (OTG), where the battery in the first device can deliver power to the second device via USB to charge the second device. In this scenario, the battery in the first device is configured to deliver current to the battery in the second device via USB. Although the output voltage of the battery in the first device may be lower than the power line voltage of the USB, the two-stage regulator can be operated in a boost configuration to increase the output voltage of the battery to the voltage of the USB power line in a step-up manner. In this way, the battery in the first device can charge the battery in the second device via the USB power line.

[0282] Fig.34 is a block diagram of a computing device including a voltage regulation system according to some embodiments. Computing device 3400 includes: a processor 3402, a memory 3404, one or more interfaces 3406, an accelerator 3408, and a voltage regulator system 3410. Computing device 3400 may include: additional modules, fewer modules, or any other suitable combination of modules that perform any suitable operation or combination of operations.

[0283] In some embodiments, the accelerator 3408 may be implemented in hardware using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The accelerator 3408 may be part of a system on a chip (SOC). In other embodiments, the accelerator 3408 may be implemented in hardware using a logic circuit, a programmable logic array (PLA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other integrated circuit. In some cases, the accelerator 3408 may be packaged in the same package as other integrated circuits.

[0284] In some embodiments, the voltage regulator system 3410 can be configured to provide a supply voltage to one or more of the following: the processor 3402, the memory 3404, and / or the accelerator 3408. The voltage regulator system 3410 may include one or more voltage regulator (VR) modules 3412-1 ... 3412-N. In some embodiments, one or more of the VR modules 3412-1 ... 3412-N may be, for example, a reconfigurable Dickson-Star SC regulator, such as Figure 4 , Fig.10 , Fig.16 In some embodiments, one or more of the VR modules 3412-1 ... 3412-N may be, for example, a two-stage regulator, such as Figure 27 to Figure 2 9. Fig.31 As disclosed in . One or more VR modules 3412-1 ... 3412-N can operate in multiple interleaved phases.

[0285] In some embodiments, the voltage regulator system 3410 may include a switch control module configured to control the switch configuration in one or more VR modules 3412-1 ... 3412-N. For example, when the switch control module receives an instruction to operate a 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator (as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C ) in a 3:1 conversion mode, the switch control module may be configured to control switches 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228 and mode switch SW8402 to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 3:1 conversion mode. As another example, when the switch control module receives an instruction to operate a 3:1 reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator (as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C ) in a 2:1 conversion mode, the switch control module may be configured to control switches 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228 and mode switch SW8402 to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 3:1 conversion mode. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C ), the switch control module can be configured to control switches 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228 and mode switch SW8 402 to operate the reconfigurable Dickson Star SC regulator in a 2:1 conversion mode. In some embodiments, the switch control module can be synthesized using a hardware programming language. The hardware programming language can include Verilog, VHDL, Bluespec, or any other suitable hardware programming language. In other embodiments, the switch control module can be manually designed and can be manually arranged on the chip.

[0286] Computing device 3400 may communicate with other computing devices (not shown) via interface 3406. Interface 3406 may be implemented in hardware to send and receive signals in various media (such as optical, copper, and wireless) and many different protocols (some of which may be non-transitory).

[0287] In some embodiments, computing device 3400 may include user equipment. User equipment may communicate with one or more radio access networks and with a wired communication network. User equipment may be a cellular phone with telephone communication capabilities. User equipment may also be a smart phone that provides services such as word processing, web browsing, games, e-book functions, operating systems, and full keyboards. User equipment may also be a tablet computer that provides network access and most services provided by smart phones. User equipment operates using operating systems such as Symbian OS, iPhone OS, RIM's Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Linux, HP WebOS, Tizen, Android, or any other appropriate operating system. The screen may be a touch screen that is used to input data to a mobile device, in which case the screen may be used to replace the full keyboard. User equipment may also save global positioning coordinates, profile information, or other location information. User equipment may also be a wearable electronic device.

[0288] The computing device 3400 may also include any platform capable of computing and communicating. Non-limiting examples include: televisions (TVs), video projectors, set-top boxes or set-top units, digital video recorders (DVRs), computers, netbooks, notebook computers, and any other audio / video devices with computing capabilities. The computing device 3400 may be configured with one or more processors that process instructions and run software that may be stored in a memory. The processor also communicates with the memory and with an interface that communicates with other devices. The processor may be any applicable processor, such as a system on a chip that combines a CPU, an application processor, and flash memory. The computing device 3400 may also provide various user interfaces, such as a keyboard, a touch screen, a trackball, a touchpad, and / or a mouse. In some embodiments, the computing device 3400 may also include a speaker and a display device. The computing device 3400 may also include a biomedical electronic device.

[0289] Go to FIG. 36A to FIG. 36C , shows a hybrid converter 3600 incorporating a 2:1 SC regulator and an inductor according to some embodiments. Fig.36A36 , converter 3600 may include: inductor 3602, capacitors 3604 and 3606, and switches 3608, 3610, 3612, 3614, and 3616. Also as shown in FIG. 36 , load 3618, shown as a current, may be coupled to the output of converter 3600.

[0290] In some embodiments, inductor 3602 may be any suitable inductor formed using any suitable technique and having any suitable dimensions. For example, in some embodiments, inductor 3602 may be a discrete inductor formed from wound wire having dimensions of 2×1.2 mm in some embodiments.

[0291] Capacitors 3604 and 3606 may be any suitable capacitors formed using one or more suitable technologies, and in some embodiments may have any suitable size. For example, in some embodiments, these capacitors (and all other capacitors described herein) may be on-chip capacitors, such as: metal-to-metal (MoM) capacitors, metal-insulator-metal (MiM) capacitors, MOSFET capacitors (capacitors using the gate oxide capacitance of a MOSFET), discrete capacitors implemented on a chip or circuit board (such as multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs)), tantalum capacitors, aluminum electrolytic capacitors, or film capacitors, or any other suitable capacitors. As another example, in some embodiments, capacitors 3604 and 3606 may have dimensions of 2×1.2 mm and 1.6×1 mm, respectively.

[0292] In some embodiments, switches 3608, 3610, 3612, 3614, and 3616 can be any suitable switch formed using any suitable technology. For example, in some embodiments, the switches can be formed by transistors such as MOSFET transistors. More particularly, for example, in some embodiments, some of the switches can be implemented using P-channel MOSFET transistors, while others of the switches can be implemented using N-channel MOSFET transistors. In some embodiments, the size of the transistors can be determined to maximize efficiency. For example, larger transistors increase switching losses, while smaller transistors increase conduction losses. Therefore, in some embodiments, the size can be selected to maximize the efficiency of a given specific application.

[0293] Load 3618 may be any suitable load. For example, in some embodiments, load 3618 may be a battery for a mobile device.

[0294] Converter 3600 has two operating "modes": 2:1 switched capacitor (SC) mode, which uses 2:1 SC components 3620; and hybrid 2:1 (H21) mode, which uses inductor 3602 and switch 3610 in conjunction with the 2:1 SC components. The converter can regulate the positive input voltage (V IN ) of the wall adapter (or other power source) to achieve the 2:1SC mode (in which the converter input voltage (V IN ) and output voltage (V OUT ) maintains a 2:1 ratio). However, there are conventional wall adapters (and other power sources) that cannot continuously adjust their output voltage to maintain a 2:1 ratio. For example, many wall adapters have a fixed 5V output. Since the output of converter 3600 can be directly connected to a battery that can have a voltage of 3V to 4.5V, the input-to-output voltage of the converter is higher than when it is connected to a 5V V IN The ratio can be 5:3 (or about 1.66:1) to 5:4.5 (or about 1.11:1) instead of the desired 2: 1. To address the mismatch, the converter can be operated in H21 mode, which in some embodiments can support any ratio between 1:1 and 2:1.

[0295] Using 2:1SC mode and H21 mode, the hybrid converter can be connected to V IN The adapter can continuously regulate its output voltage to maintain a V IN With V OUT ratio in 2:1SC mode (similar to a standalone 2:1SC charger) and can be achieved by entering H21 mode when the V IN With V OUT The hybrid converter also reduces solution size and cost by reusing multiple switches in 2:1SC mode and H21 mode compared to using a 2:1SC charger and a separate buck charger in parallel.

[0296] Fig.36A and Fig.36B The hybrid converter 3600 is shown when in H21 mode and in state 0 and in state 1, respectively. Fig.36C Shows V xHow 102 changes as the converter changes between state 0 and state 1. By adjusting the duty cycle (how much time is spent in state 0 versus state 1), the hybrid converter can adjust the ratio of input voltage to output voltage. The following formula sets the duty cycle (D) of the regulator based on the desired input voltage and output voltage:

[0297] D=T0 / (T0+T1)

[0298] (V x 102 average value) = V IN (This is because the average voltage V at the two nodes on the inductor IN and V x need to be equal in steady state)

[0299] (V x 102 average value) = 2*V OUT *D+V OUT *(1-D)(Based on Fig.36B )

[0300] →2*V OUT *D+V OUT *(1-D)=V IN

[0301] →V OUT *D+V OUT =V IN

[0302] →V OUT (1+D)=V IN

[0303] →D=V IN / V OUT -1

[0304] FIG. 37A to FIG. 37C The following table shows the state of the SC mode in 2:1SC mode and in state 0 ( Fig.37A ) and hybrid converter 3600 in state 1 (FIG. 37B). As shown in these figures, because switch 3610 is open in both state 0 and state 1 when in 2:1 SC mode, no inductor is used.

[0305] When the hybrid converter 3600 is operating in H21 mode (e.g. FIG. 36A to FIG. 36C ), the duty cycle of the SC component of the hybrid regulator and the inductor component of the regulator need to be equal. The problem with this arrangement is that the SC component may be most efficient at, for example, a 50% duty cycle, but it may be forced to operate at, for example, a 10% duty cycle due to the required input voltage to output voltage ratio.

[0306] To overcome this problem, in some embodiments, the duty cycle of the SC components and the inductor can be adjusted using FIG. 38A to FIG. 38B as well as FIG. 39A to FIG. 39E For example, in some embodiments, the inductor duty cycle can be set according to the desired input and output voltage values ​​(following the equations above), while the duty cycle of the SC component can be set to achieve maximum efficiency (which is typically a 50% duty cycle).

[0307] FIG. 38A to FIG. 38B and FIG. 39A to FIG. 39E Similar components of the converter 3800 in some embodiments may be combined with the above FIG. 36A to FIG. 36B Similar components are described the same.

[0308] FIG. 38A to FIG. 38B The two-phase hybrid converter 3800 is shown when configured to operate in a 2:1 SC mode. As shown, no inductor is used in this mode because switches 310 and 320 are open at the following positions: state 0, SC_ph0; state 0, SC_ph1; state 1, SC_ph0; and state 1, SC_ph1. Therefore, in this mode, the converter 3800 operates as a two-phase 2:1 SC regulator. That is, the switches are open at FIG. 38A to FIG. 38B 3800. In some embodiments, the switches in the 1-phase portion of converter 3800 may be switched at any suitable point relative to the switches in the 0-phase portion of converter 3800. For example, in some embodiments, the switches in the 1-phase portion of converter 3800 may be switched 180 degrees out of phase with the switches in the 0-phase portion of converter 3800.

[0309] FIG. 39A to FIG. 39E The hybrid converter 3800 is shown when configured to operate in H21 mode. FIG. 39A to FIG. 39D310 and SW6 320 are inductor switches, and switches SW2 312, SW3 314, SW4 316, SW5 318, SW7 322, SW8 324, SW9 326, and SW10 328 are SC switches. During operation of converter 3800 in H21 mode, both the inductor switch and the SC switch have two different states and they iterate between the two states. The two states of the inductor switch are referred to herein as L_state0 and L_state1, and the two states of the SC switch are referred to herein as SC_state0 and SC_state1. For example, the following may be the switch configuration for each of the four states:

[0310] L_state0: SW1 is on, SW6 is off

[0311] L_state1: SW1 is off, SW6 is on

[0312] SC_state0: (SW4, SW8, SW10) are on, (SW3, SW5, SW9) are off

[0313] SC_state1: (SW4, SW8, SW10) off, (SW3, SW5, SW9) on SW2 and SW7 are always off. The time spent in L_state0 relative to L_state1 determines the duty cycle of the inductor. The time spent in SC_state0 relative to SC_state1 determines the duty cycle of the SC. In some embodiments, the inductor switch can iterate between L_state0 and L_state1 at one duty cycle, and the SC switch can iterate between SC_state0 and SC_state1 at different duty cycles.

[0314] Fig.39E A timing diagram of a hybrid converter 3800 is shown according to which in some embodiments, it can iterate between state 0 to state 3. The operation of each of these states is as follows:

[0315] State 0: L_state0, SC_state0

[0316] State 1: L_state1, SC_state0

[0317] State 2: L_state1, SC_state1

[0318] State 3: L_state0, SC_state1

[0319] In such Fig.39EIn this particular example shown in FIG, the duty cycle of the SC component is fixed at 50%, but it can be any suitable value, and the duty cycle of the inductor switch is D. The inductor switch can adjust D independently of the duty cycle of the SC component by adjusting the time spent in each state 0 to state 3. If the efficiency of the SC component is maximized with a 50% duty cycle, the SC duty cycle can be fixed at 50%, while the inductor duty cycle D can be adjusted to support various input to output voltage ratios.

[0320] In some cases, specific switches can be removed to reduce the area allocated for transistors in the exchange-limited operating mode. For example, if the converter is good when operating only in H21 and disabling 2:1SC mode, then the Fig.36A Switch 3608 and FIG. 39A to FIG. 39D SW2 312 and SW7 322 in.

[0321] exist Fig.36A , Fig.36B , Fig.37A , Fig.37B , Fig.38A , Fig.38B and FIG. 39A to FIG. 39D The switches in the MOSFET can be controlled by any appropriate controller. For example, when these switches are implemented as MOSFETs, these switches can be controlled by the controller applying appropriate voltages to the gate of the MOSFET so as to provide an open or closed connection between the source and drain of the MOSFET. The controller can be any appropriate device or circuit. For example, the controller can be a hardware processor that executes software loaded from a memory into the hardware processor. As another example, the controller can be a dedicated logic circuit, a field programmable gate array, and / or any other appropriate device or circuit for providing appropriate control signals.

[0322] It should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited in its application to the construction details and arrangements of components set forth in the following description or shown in the accompanying drawings. The disclosed subject matter can have other embodiments and can be practiced and executed in various ways. In addition, it should be understood that the words and terms used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting.

[0323] Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concepts upon which the present disclosure is based can be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, devices, systems and methods for implementing the multiple purposes of the disclosed subject matter. It is therefore important that the claims be deemed to include such equivalent constructions as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter.

[0324] While the disclosed subject matter has been described and illustrated in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes may be made in the details of the implementations of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter, which is limited only by the following claims.

Claims

1. A circuit for connecting to a first capacitor, a second capacitor and an inductor, the inductor having a first side connected to an input voltage, the circuit include: a first switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor; a second switch having a first side and a second side, wherein its first side is connected to the input voltage and its second side is connected to the first side of the first capacitor, wherein its second side is connected to the second side of the first switch; a third switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side thereof is connected to the second side of the first switch; a fourth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the third switch and the first side of the second capacitor; and A fifth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein its first side is connected to the second side of the first capacitor and the second side of the fourth switch, and wherein its second side is coupled to a voltage source and the second side of the second capacitor.

2. The circuit according to claim 1, in, At least one of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch is a transistor.

3. The circuit according to claim 2, in, At least one of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch is a MOSFET.

4. The circuit according to claim 2, in, At least one of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, the fourth switch, and the fifth switch is controlled by a controller.

5. The circuit according to claim 1, in: When the circuit is in the first state: The first switch is closed; The second switch is open; The third switch is turned on; The fourth switch is closed; and The fifth switch is turned on; as well as When the circuit is in the second state: The first switch is closed; The second switch is open; The third switch is closed; The fourth switch is open; and The fifth switch is closed.

6. The circuit according to claim 5, in: When the circuit is in the third state: The first switch is open; The second switch is closed; The third switch is turned on; The fourth switch is closed; and The fifth switch is turned on; as well as When the circuit is in the fourth state: The first switch is open; The second switch is open; The third switch is closed; The fourth switch is open; and The fifth switch is closed.

7. The circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: include: a sixth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the inductor; a seventh switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side thereof is connected to the input voltage, and wherein the second side thereof is connected to the second side of the sixth switch; a third capacitor having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side thereof is connected to the second side of the seventh switch; an eighth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side thereof is connected to the second side of the sixth switch; a ninth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is connected to the second side of the eighth switch; and A tenth switch having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side thereof is connected to the second side of the third capacitor and the second side of the ninth switch, and wherein the second side thereof is coupled to the voltage source.

8. The circuit according to claim 7, wherein When the circuit is in the first state: The first switch is open; The second switch is closed; The third switch is turned on; The fourth switch is closed; The fifth switch is turned on; The sixth switch is turned on; The seventh switch is turned on; The eighth switch is closed; The ninth switch is open; and The tenth switch is closed ； as well as When the circuit is in the second state: The first switch is open; The second switch is open; The third switch is closed; The fourth switch is turned on; The fifth switch is closed; The sixth switch is turned on; The seventh switch is closed; The eighth switch is turned on; The ninth switch is closed; and The tenth switch is open.

9. The circuit according to claim 8, in: When the circuit is in the third state: The first switch is closed; The second switch is open; The third switch is turned on; The fourth switch is closed; The fifth switch is turned on; The sixth switch is turned on; The seventh switch is turned on; The eighth switch is closed; The ninth switch is open; and The tenth switch is closed; When the circuit is in the fourth state: The first switch is open; The second switch is open; The third switch is turned on; The fourth switch is closed; The fifth switch is turned on; The sixth switch is closed; The seventh switch is turned on; The eighth switch is closed; The ninth switch is open; and The tenth switch is closed; When the circuit is in the fifth state: The first switch is open; The second switch is open; The third switch is closed; The fourth switch is turned on; The fifth switch is closed; The sixth switch is closed; The seventh switch is turned on; The eighth switch is turned on; The ninth switch is closed; and The tenth switch is turned on; as well as When the circuit is in the sixth state: The first switch is closed; The second switch is open; The third switch is closed; The fourth switch is turned on; The fifth switch is closed; The sixth switch is turned on; The seventh switch is turned on; The eighth switch is turned on; The ninth switch is closed; and The tenth switch is open.

10. The circuit according to claim 1, in, The circuit is implemented in an integrated circuit.

11. The circuit according to claim 1, in, The circuit includes at least one of the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the inductor.

12. The circuit according to claim 11, in, The circuit is implemented in an integrated circuit.

13. The circuit according to claim 1, in, The circuit includes at least two of the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the inductor.

14. The circuit according to claim 13, in, The circuit is implemented in an integrated circuit.

15. The circuit according to claim 1, in, The circuit includes the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the inductor.

16. The circuit according to claim 15, in, The circuit is implemented in an integrated circuit.

Images