Control Method, Control Circuit and Polyphase Power Supply of a Polyphase Power Supply

Abstract

The present application provides a control method, a control circuit and a multiphase power supply for a multiphase power supply. The control method includes: obtaining y target parameter groups from x*y parameter groups according to a real-time input voltage and a first relationship; obtaining y reference current thresholds according to a real-time command voltage and the y target parameter groups; obtaining a target number of working phases m according to a real-time output current and the y reference current thresholds; and outputting a control signal to n voltage conversion circuits, where the control signal is used to control m voltage conversion circuits to operate. Thus, the control method, the control circuit and the multiphase power supply for a multiphase power supply provided by the present application can establish a relationship between multiple parameters of the multiphase power supply and multiple reference current thresholds, thereby improving the control accuracy of the number of working phases of the multiphase power supply and reducing the power efficiency loss of the multiphase power supply before and after switching between multiple different numbers of working phases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of power supply, and in particular to a control method, a control circuit and a multi-phase power supply. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) need to have more powerful computing performance. Therefore, the power supply used to power the CPU and / or GPU needs to have higher power efficiency and power density, while also meeting higher transient response requirements.

[0003] The power supply for the CPU and / or GPU is usually a multi-phase power supply. The multi-phase power supply receives a command voltage and adjusts its output voltage according to the command voltage. The multi-phase power supply can adaptively control the number of working phases to improve power efficiency. Therefore, how to adaptively control the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a control method, a control circuit and a multi-phase power supply.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a control method for a multi-phase power supply, the multi-phase power supply comprising a control circuit and n voltage conversion circuits connected to the control circuit, the method comprising: obtaining y target parameter groups in x*y parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and a pre-stored first relationship. Wherein, the first relationship is a correspondence between x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x*y parameter groups, one reference input voltage and one phase-cut state together correspond to one parameter group, each phase-cut state comprises a state in which the multi-phase power supply switches between two different working phase numbers, and the working phase number indicates the number of working voltage conversion circuits. According to the received real-time command voltage and y target parameter groups, y reference current thresholds are obtained, each reference current threshold corresponding to a phase-cut state. According to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and the y reference current thresholds, a target number of working phases m is obtained. Output control signals to the n voltage conversion circuits, and the control signals are used to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits. The control method of the multi-phase power supply provided in the present application can improve the control accuracy of the working phases of the multi-phase power supply and reduce the power efficiency loss of the multi-phase power supply before and after switching between multiple different working phases by establishing the relationship between multiple parameters of the multi-phase power supply and multiple reference current thresholds.

[0006] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, each parameter group corresponds to a linear relationship and includes a first parameter and a second parameter. The first parameter is the slope in the linear relationship, and the second parameter is the intercept in the linear relationship. The present application uses the slope and intercept in the linear relationship as parameters of each parameter group, and then can obtain the reference current threshold corresponding to each parameter group according to the first parameter and the second parameter of each parameter group, as well as the real-time command voltage.

[0007] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: fitting x*y first preset point sets into x*y linear relationship equations respectively. Each first preset point set corresponds to a reference input voltage and a phase-cut state, and each first preset point set includes a preset instruction voltage and a corresponding preset phase-cut threshold value. The present application obtains the first relationship by fitting the corresponding number of first preset point sets into linear relationship equations with the same corresponding relationship according to their corresponding relationship with the reference input voltage and the phase-cut state.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: using a preset a relationship formula Fcd and a preset a relationship formula Fc (d + 1) of a intersection point as a first preset point set P1cd. Wherein, each relationship formula Fcd, each relationship formula Fc (d + 1), and each intersection point correspond to a preset command voltage, the relationship formula Fcd is a relationship between a preset output current corresponding to a reference input voltage of c and a working phase number of d and the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply, the first preset point set P1cd is a first preset point set corresponding to a reference input voltage of c and a phase cutting state of d, the phase cutting state of d indicates that the multi-phase power supply switches between the working phase numbers of d and d + 1, and the a preset phase cutting thresholds in the first preset point set P1cd are a preset output currents corresponding to a intersection points. The present application determines a reference input voltage, a phase-cut state, and a preset output current corresponding to a preset instruction voltage through the intersection of two preset relationship equations, and then obtains a preset output current corresponding to each reference input voltage and each phase-cut state, and a preset instruction voltage, thereby obtaining a first preset point set.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: fitting a second preset point sets P2cd into a corresponding relationship Fcd. Each second preset point set P2cd corresponds to a preset instruction voltage, and the second preset point set P2cd includes b preset output currents corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the number of working phases d, and b corresponding power supply efficiencies. Similarly, x*(y+1)*a second preset point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y+1 working phases are determined to determine x*(y+1)*a relationship formulas. The present application obtains the relationship formula corresponding to each reference input voltage, each phase cutting state, and each preset instruction voltage by fitting the second preset point set.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: taking the b preset output currents corresponding to the first test condition and the b corresponding power supply efficiencies as the second preset point set corresponding to the first test condition. The first test condition includes that the input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits is one of the x reference input voltages, the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply is one of the y+1 working phases, and the received command voltage is one of the a preset command voltages. By analogy, x*(y+1)*a second preset point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, y+1 working phases, and a preset command voltages are determined. The present application determines the second preset point set corresponding to each reference input voltage, each phase cutting state, and each preset command voltage by taking the b preset output currents corresponding to the first test condition and the b corresponding power supply efficiencies as the second preset point set corresponding to the first test condition.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, according to the real-time input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship, y target parameter groups in the x*y parameter groups are obtained, including: comparing the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages one by one, obtaining a reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage as the target input voltage. The y parameter groups corresponding to the target input voltage and the y switching states are taken as y target parameter groups. The present application obtains a reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage by matching the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages in the first relationship, and then takes the y parameter groups corresponding to the target input voltage and the y switching states as y target parameter groups.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, a target number of working phases m is obtained according to the real-time output current of n voltage conversion circuits and y reference current thresholds, including: determining a target current threshold that matches the real-time output current. Determine the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold. The present application obtains the target current threshold by matching the real-time output current with y reference current thresholds, and then determines the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, determining a target current threshold that matches the real-time output current includes: determining the target current threshold as the smallest reference current threshold among y reference current thresholds that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current. Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m based on the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: determining the target number of working phases m as the smaller of two different numbers of working phases indicated by the phase-cut state. The present application uses a reference current threshold that meets specific conditions as the target current threshold, and based on the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold, specifically selects one of the working phases in the phase-cut state as the target number of working phases m.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, determining a target current threshold that matches the real-time output current includes: determining the target current threshold as the largest reference current threshold among y reference current thresholds that is less than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current. Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m based on the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: determining the target number of working phases m as the larger of two different numbers of working phases indicated by the phase-cut state. The present application uses a reference current threshold that meets specific conditions as the target current threshold, and according to the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold, specifically selects one of the working phases in the phase-cut state as the target number of working phases m.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the working state of the multi-phase power supply includes a first state, a second state, a third state and a fourth state, the first state and the second state both include a working state with a working phase number of 1, the third state includes a working state with a working phase number of 2 to y+1, and the fourth state includes a working state with a working phase number of 0. The present application can reduce the power efficiency loss when switching between different phase numbers of the multi-phase power supply by subdividing the second state of the multi-phase power supply into working states with working phase numbers of 2 to y+1, and can improve the refinement of the phase cutting function of the multi-phase power supply.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a control circuit of a multi-phase power supply, wherein the control circuit is connected to n voltage conversion circuits, and the control circuit is used to obtain y target parameter groups among x*y parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship. The first relationship is the correspondence between x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x*y parameter groups, wherein one reference input voltage and one phase-cut state correspond to one parameter group, and each phase-cut state includes a state in which the multi-phase power supply switches between two different working phase numbers, and the working phase number indicates the number of working voltage conversion circuits. According to the received real-time instruction voltage and y target parameter groups, y reference current thresholds are obtained, and each reference current threshold corresponds to a phase-cut state. According to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and the y reference current thresholds, the target number of working phases m is obtained. A control signal is output to the n voltage conversion circuits, and the control signal is used to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits.

[0017] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, each parameter group corresponds to a linear relationship and includes a first parameter and a second parameter, wherein the first parameter is the slope in the linear relationship and the second parameter is the intercept in the linear relationship.

[0018] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the control circuit is further used to: fit x*y first preset point sets into x*y linear relationship equations respectively. Each first preset point set corresponds to a reference input voltage and a phase cutting state, and each first preset point set includes a preset command voltages and a corresponding preset phase cutting thresholds.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the control circuit is further used to: use the preset a relationship formulas Fcd and the preset a relationship formulas Fc (d+1) of a number of intersections as the first preset point set P1cd. Each relationship formula Fcd, each relationship formula Fc (d+1), and each intersection point correspond to a preset command voltage, the relationship formula Fcd is a relationship between the preset output current corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the working phase number d and the power supply efficiency of the multi-phase power supply, the first preset point set P1cd is the first preset point set corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase cutting state d, the phase cutting state d indicates the state of the multi-phase power supply switching between the working phase number d and d+1, and the a preset phase cutting thresholds in the first preset point set P1cd are the a preset output currents corresponding to the a intersection points. By analogy, x*y first preset point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y phase cutting states are determined.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the control circuit is further used to: fit a second preset point sets P2cd into a corresponding relationship Fcd. Each second preset point set P2cd corresponds to a preset instruction voltage, and the second preset point set P2cd includes b preset output currents corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the number of working phases d, and b corresponding power supply efficiencies. Similarly, x*(y+1)*a second preset point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y+1 working phases are determined to determine x*(y+1)*a relationship formulas.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the control circuit is further used to: use the b preset output currents corresponding to the first test condition and the b power supply efficiencies corresponding thereto as the second preset point set corresponding to the first test condition. The first test condition includes that the input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits is one of the x reference input voltages, and the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply is one of the y+1 working phases, and the received command voltage is one of the a preset command voltages. By analogy, determine the x*(y+1)*a second preset point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, the y+1 working phases, and the a preset command voltages.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship, y target parameter groups among the x*y parameter groups are obtained, including: the control circuit is used to: compare the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages one by one, obtain a reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage, and use it as the target input voltage. The y parameter groups corresponding to the target input voltage and the y switching states are used as the y target parameter groups.

[0023] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, a target number of working phases m is obtained according to the real-time output currents of n voltage conversion circuits and y reference current thresholds, including: a control circuit is used to: determine a target current threshold that matches the real-time output current. Determine the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold.

[0024] In a third aspect, the present application provides a multi-phase power supply, comprising n voltage conversion circuits and a control circuit provided by any possible implementation method in the second aspect.

[0025] In addition, the beneficial effects obtained by each possible implementation method in the second and third aspects can refer to the beneficial effects obtained by the corresponding implementation method in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is an application scenario diagram of the multi-phase power supply provided in this application.

[0027] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a multi-phase power supply provided for this application.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the multi-phase power supply provided in this application.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the multi-phase power supply provided in this application.

[0030] Figure 5 Another structural diagram of the multi-phase power supply provided in this application.

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of multiple relationship equations corresponding to different working phase numbers when the reference input voltage is c and the preset command voltage is a.

[0032] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the command voltage-output current point set.

[0033] Figure 8 It is the linear relationship corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase cutting state d.

[0034] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x*y parameter groups.

[0035] Fig.10 This is a flow chart of a multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application.

[0036] Fig.11 This is a flow chart of a method for obtaining a first relationship in a method for controlling a multi-phase power supply provided in the present application.

[0037] Fig.12 This is a flowchart of a method for acquiring a first preset point set in a method for acquiring a first relationship provided in the present application.

[0038] Fig.13 This is a flow chart of a method for obtaining y+1 efficiency relationships under y+1 different numbers of working phases corresponding to the method for obtaining the first preset point set provided in the present application.

[0039] Fig.14 This is a flowchart of step S101 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application.

[0040] Fig.15 This is a flowchart of step S103 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application.

[0041] Fig.16This is a flow chart of step S1501 and step S1502 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in this application.

[0042] Fig.17 Another flow chart of step S1501 and step S1502 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application.

[0043] Fig.18 This is a flowchart of step S1401 and step S1402 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0045] It is understandable that the connection relationship described in this application refers to direct or indirect connection. For example, the connection between A and B can be either a direct connection between A and B or an indirect connection between A and B through one or more other electrical components. For example, A and C can be directly connected, and C and B can be directly connected, so that A and B are connected through C. It is also understandable that the "A connects B" described in this application can be a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through one or more other electrical components.

[0046] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is only a way to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0047] In the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish different objects, and do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0048] With the development of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) need to have more powerful computing performance. Therefore, the power supply used to power the CPU and / or GPU needs to have higher power efficiency and power density, while also meeting higher transient response requirements.

[0049] The power supply for the CPU and / or GPU is usually a multi-phase power supply. The multi-phase power supply receives a command voltage and adjusts its output voltage according to the command voltage. The multi-phase power supply can adaptively control the number of working phases to improve power efficiency. Therefore, how to adaptively control the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0050] Therefore, the present application provides a control method, a control circuit and a multi-phase power supply for a multi-phase power supply, which can improve the control accuracy of the working phases of the multi-phase power supply and reduce the power efficiency loss of the multi-phase power supply before and after switching between multiple different working phases by establishing a relationship between multiple parameters of the multi-phase power supply and multiple reference current thresholds.

[0051] Specifically, see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is an application scenario diagram of the multi-phase power supply 10 provided in the present application. The multi-phase power supply 10 is electrically connected to a controller 11 and a load 12.

[0052] The controller 11 may output a command voltage to the multi-phase power supply 10. The command voltage is used to indicate an output parameter of the multi-phase power supply 10. The output parameter may include at least one of voltage, current, power, and the like.

[0053] In some embodiments, the controller 11 can be a chip or integrated circuit such as a CPU, a GPU, a data processing unit (DPU), a neural network processor (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0054] The multi-phase power supply 10 is used to receive an input voltage and convert the input voltage into an output voltage to supply power to a load 12. Specifically, the multi-phase power supply 10 can adjust its output parameters according to the command voltage. For example, the multi-phase power supply 10 can adjust its output voltage to a target voltage indicated by the command voltage according to the command voltage. For another example, the multi-phase power supply 10 can adjust its output current to a target current indicated by the command voltage according to the command voltage.

[0055] In some embodiments, the input voltage may be provided by other power sources, such as a voltage regulator (VR), an adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) power supply, a tertiary power supply, a DC-DC converter, an AC-DC converter, a rectifier, etc. The input voltage may be configured according to the specific input voltage requirements of the multi-phase power supply 10, for example, the input voltage may be 12V, 3.6V, etc.

[0056] In some embodiments, the load 12 may be a chip, an integrated circuit, a processor, etc. applied in the fields of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, etc., such as a CPU, a GPU, a data processing unit (DPU), a neural network processor (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

[0057] Since the load 12 has high computing performance and power consumption, high operating frequency, and rapid and drastic changes in the power supply current and / or voltage required for operation, the power supply for the load 12 needs to have high power efficiency, power density, and transient response speed. Due to the load 12's demand for its power supply, the multi-phase power supply 10 is widely used as the power supply for the load 12 because of its high power efficiency.

[0058] For the reasons, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a multi-phase power supply 10 provided in the present application. The multi-phase power supply 10 includes a control circuit 101 and n voltage conversion circuits 102. The control circuit 101 is electrically connected to the n voltage conversion circuits 102.

[0059] The control circuit 101 is used to output control signals to n voltage conversion circuits 102 to control the working state of each voltage conversion circuit 102. For example, the control circuit 101 can output control signals to the corresponding voltage conversion circuit 102, so as to control the corresponding voltage conversion circuit 102 to be in a startup state, a shutdown state, a standby state, etc. For another example, the control circuit 101 can output control signals to the corresponding voltage conversion circuit 102, so as to control the output current, output voltage, output power and other parameters of the voltage conversion circuit 102.

[0060] In some embodiments, the control circuit 101 may be a voltage regulator (VR) controller.

[0061] In some embodiments, the control circuit 101 receives the command voltage and outputs corresponding control signals to the n voltage conversion circuits 102 according to the command voltage, so that the total voltage or total current output by the n voltage conversion circuits 102 meets the instruction of the command voltage.

[0062] In some embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 102 includes at least one switching element. The switching element may include one or more of various types such as a relay, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a silicon carbide (SiC) power tube, etc. Correspondingly, the voltage conversion circuit 102 may be one or more of various types such as a Buck circuit, a Boost circuit, a Buck-Boost circuit, a power stage IC, a driver transistor (drMOS) circuit, a voltage regulator module (VRM), etc. The type of each voltage conversion circuit 102 may be the same or different, and the present application does not impose any limitation on the type of the switching element and the type of the voltage conversion circuit 102.

[0063] In some embodiments, corresponding to the switching element in the voltage conversion circuit 102, the control signal output by the control circuit 101 may be a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, so that the control circuit 101 may adjust the output voltage and / or current of the corresponding voltage conversion circuit 102 by changing the duty cycle of the corresponding PWM signal, or the control circuit 101 may adjust the switching frequency of the switching element in the corresponding voltage conversion circuit 102 by changing the frequency of the corresponding PWM signal.

[0064] The following will be combined Figure 3 The working principle of the multi-phase power supply 10 is described in detail.

[0065] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of a structure of a multi-phase power supply 10 provided in the present application. Here, the control circuit 101 is a VR controller 1011, the number of voltage conversion circuits 102 is 4, and each voltage conversion circuit 102 includes a DrMOS circuit 1021 as an example for description, but the present application does not impose any restrictions on the types of the control circuit 101 and the voltage conversion circuit 102. The VR controller 1011 includes a PWM control unit 1011a. Each DrMOS circuit 1021 includes a DrMOS tube 1021a and an inductor 1021b.

[0066] The PWM control unit 1011a is used to generate and output a corresponding control signal to the control end of each DrMOS transistor 1021a, such as the gate of each DrMOS transistor 1021a, according to the command voltage. The DrMOS transistor 1021a can be turned on or off according to the control signal so that its output current and / or output voltage conforms to the command voltage.

[0067] Each DrMOS circuit 1021 is connected in parallel between the VR controller 1011 and the load 12. In this way, the four DrMOS circuits 1021 constitute a multi-path staggered parallel synchronous Buck circuit, and the PWM control unit 1011a can control each DrMOS circuit 1021 to work alternately in sequence, so that the voltage conversion amplitude range of the multi-phase power supply 10 is large, with high compatibility and a wide range of application scenarios. For example, the four DrMOS circuits 1021 can cooperate with each other to convert the input voltage of 12V into an output voltage of 0.5V-2V to meet the smaller power supply voltage required by the load 12.

[0068] At the same time, the PWM control unit 1011a can control the switching frequency and conduction duty cycle of each DrMOS tube 1021a, so that the multi-phase power supply 10 can support a wider load range, and within the full load range of the multi-phase power supply 10, the multi-phase power supply 10 can have a higher power efficiency.

[0069] Specifically, the PWM control unit 1011a can control the switching frequency and the on-duty cycle of each DrMOS transistor 1021a, thereby controlling the working state of each DrMOS circuit 1021, wherein the working state of the DrMOS circuit 1021 may include a working state and a closed state. For example, under light load conditions, that is, when the output power of the multi-phase power supply 10 is small, the PWM control unit 1011a can control one of the four DrMOS circuits 1021 to work, and the other three DrMOS circuits 1021 are in a closed or standby state, thereby reducing the output current and output power of the multi-phase power supply 10. At this time, the power loss of the multi-phase power supply 10 mainly comes from the switching loss of the DrMOS transistor 1021a of the working DrMOS circuit 1021. Since the switching frequency of the DrMOS transistor 1021a is high, the switching loss of the DrMOS transistor 1021a is also large. Therefore, under light load conditions, the PWM control unit 1011a can output a corresponding control signal to the DrMOS tube 1021a, so that the switching frequency of the DrMOS tube 1021a is lower, thereby reducing the power loss of the multi-phase power supply 10 under light load conditions, and further improving the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 under light load conditions.

[0070] For another example, under heavy load conditions, that is, when the output power of the multi-phase power supply 10 is relatively large, the PWM control unit 1011a can control the four DrMOS circuits 1021 to be in an on or working state, thereby increasing the output current and output power of the multi-phase power supply 10. At this time, the power loss of the multi-phase power supply 10 mainly comes from the conduction loss of the DrMOS transistor 1021a of the working DrMOS circuit 1021, wherein the conduction loss is proportional to the square of the current flowing through the DrMOS transistor 1021a, and therefore when the four DrMOS circuits 1021 are all in an on or working state, the total output current of the multi-phase power supply 10 is shunted to the four DrMOS transistors 1021a, thereby making the sum of the conduction losses of the four DrMOS transistors 1021a smaller, thereby reducing the power loss of the multi-phase power supply 10 under heavy load conditions, and thereby improving the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 under heavy load conditions.

[0071] By analogy, the multi-phase power supply 10 can determine the number of DrMOS circuits 1021 that need to work according to the load conditions. That is, the multi-phase power supply 10 can adaptively adjust its working phase number according to the load conditions, and has an automatic phase increase and decrease (Auto-PhaseManaging, APM) function. It can also be called an automatic phase switching (Auto-Phase Shedding, APS) function. Among them, the working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10 is the number of voltage conversion circuits 102 in the working state among the n voltage conversion circuits 102.

[0072] Specifically, the control circuit 101 can detect the real-time output current of the n voltage conversion circuits 102 and match the real-time output current with the phase-cutting threshold table to determine the target number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10 corresponding to the real-time output current of the current n voltage conversion circuits 102, and then output the corresponding control signal to the n voltage conversion circuits 102 through the PWM control unit 1011a, so that the number of the n voltage conversion circuits 102 in working state corresponds to the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10.

[0073] The phase-cut threshold table is shown in Table 1 below:

[0074] Table 1 Phase-cut threshold table

[0075]

[0076] As shown in Table 1, the working state is the working state of the multi-phase power supply 10. The working state can be divided into four types, and each working state corresponds to a working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10. The working phase number is the number of voltage conversion circuits 102 in the working state. 1 phase means that 1 voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the working state, all phases mean that all voltage conversion circuits 102 are in the working state, and 0 phase means that no voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the working state. 1 phase (DCM) means that 1 voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the working state, and the switch element in the voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the DCM mode, that is, the intermittent conduction mode. 1 phase (FCCM) means that 1 voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the working state, and the switch element in the voltage conversion circuit 102 is in the FCCM mode. The DCM mode and the FCCM mode can be controlled and realized by corresponding control signals. Each phase-cutting current threshold represents the output current of the n voltage conversion circuits 102 corresponding to when switching between two adjacent working phases is required. Two adjacent working phases can be 0 phase and 1 phase (DCM), 1 phase (DCM) and 1 phase (FCCM), 1 phase (FCCM) and all phases. I_DCM is the corresponding phase-cutting current threshold when 0 phase and 1 phase (DCM) switch with each other, I_CCM is the corresponding phase-cutting current threshold when 1 phase (DCM) and 1 phase (FCCM) switch with each other, and I_all is the corresponding phase-cutting current threshold when 1 phase (FCCM) and all phases switch with each other.

[0077] Specifically, the control circuit 101 matches the real-time output current with the phase-cut threshold table to determine the target number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10 corresponding to the real-time output currents of the current n voltage conversion circuits 102, which may include: the control circuit 101 matches the real-time output current Ip with multiple phase-cut current thresholds in the phase-cut threshold table, and determines the target number of working phases of the current multi-phase power supply 10 according to the phase-cut current threshold matched with the real-time output current Ip. Wherein, the control circuit 101 matches the real-time output current Ip with multiple phase-cut current thresholds in the phase-cut threshold table, which may include: the control circuit 101 compares the real-time output current Ip with multiple phase-cut current thresholds in the phase-cut threshold table one by one, determines the minimum value Imin of one or more phase-cut current thresholds greater than or equal to the real-time output current Ip or the maximum value Imax of one or more phase-cut current thresholds less than the real-time output current Ip, and then determines the smaller of the two working phase numbers corresponding to Imin, or the larger of the two working phase numbers corresponding to Imax as the target number of working phases of the current multi-phase power supply 10. For example, when Imax is I_DCM and Imin is I_CCM, since I_DCM is the phase-cutting current threshold corresponding to the switching between 0-phase and 1-phase (DCM), that is, the two working phases corresponding to I_DCM are 0-phase and 1-phase, at this time, the larger of the two working phases corresponding to Imax is 1-phase (DCM), and the target working phase number of the current multi-phase power supply 10 is 1-phase (DCM). Alternatively, since I_CCM is the phase-cutting current threshold corresponding to the switching between 1-phase (DCM) and 1-phase (FCCM), at this time, the smaller of the two working phases corresponding to Imin is 1-phase (DCM), and the target working phase number of the current multi-phase power supply 10 is 1-phase (DCM).

[0078] As shown in Table 1, the current threshold can be obtained according to the preset command voltage-phase current threshold relationship. Specifically, the command voltage received by the control circuit 101 is linearly related to each phase current threshold, so the command voltage-phase current threshold relationship can include formula (1):

[0079]

[0080] Among them, I N k is the corresponding phase-cutting current threshold when the working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10 are switched between N and N+1, and N+1 is less than or equal to n. N and N+1 can form a working phase array. n and b n is a preset relation parameter corresponding to a working phase array consisting of N and N+1 working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10 , and VID is a command voltage received by the control circuit 101 .

[0081] Combine the following Figure 4The specific process of the multi-phase power supply 10 provided in the present application controlling the number of working phases according to the current threshold value corresponding to each working phase is described in detail.

[0082] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of a multi-phase power supply 10 provided in the present application. The control circuit 101 in the multi-phase power supply 10 is electrically connected to the controller 11 .

[0083] The controller 11 is used to output the command voltage and the y switching current thresholds included in the phase-cutting threshold table corresponding to the command voltage to the control circuit 101. Each switching current threshold corresponds to a working phase array of the multi-phase power supply 10, and each working phase array includes two adjacent working phases. The y switching current thresholds respectively represent the switching current thresholds corresponding to the mutual switching between two adjacent working phases in the y working phase arrays of the multi-phase power supply 10. Specifically, the y working phase arrays can be obtained by forming every two adjacent working phases in the y+1 working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10. For example, the working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10 include 1 phase, 2 phases, ..., y+1 phases, then the y working phase arrays can be {1 phase, 2 phases}, {2 phases, 3 phases}, ..., {y phases, y+1 phases} respectively.

[0084] The controller 11 can calculate the switching current thresholds corresponding to the y working phase arrays of the multi-phase power supply 10 according to formula (1), wherein k in formula (1) is n and b n The registers in the controller 11 can be pre-written through the Basic Input Output System (BIOS). When the controller 11 needs to call formula (1), the k pre-stored in the register can be called. n and b n Substitute the command voltage into formula (1) for calculation. The controller 11 can substitute the command voltage into formula (1) and call the preset k corresponding to the working phase array of each multi-phase power supply 10 from the register. n and b n , thereby calculating the switching current thresholds corresponding to the y working phase arrays of the multi-phase power supply 10.

[0085] After receiving the command voltage and the phase-cut threshold table corresponding to the command voltage, the control circuit 101 can pre-store the phase-cut threshold table corresponding to the command voltage in the corresponding register in the control circuit 101, collect the real-time output currents of n voltage conversion circuits 102, and match the real-time output currents with y phase-cut current thresholds in the phase-cut threshold table. After the matching is successful, the control circuit 101 outputs the corresponding control signal to the multiple voltage conversion circuits 102 through the PWM control unit 1011a, so that the number of voltage conversion circuits 102 in the working state among the multiple voltage conversion circuits 102 corresponds to the corresponding number of working phases in the working phase array corresponding to the successfully matched phase-cut current threshold. Specifically, when the successfully matched phase-cut current threshold is greater than the minimum value Imin of one or more phase-cut current thresholds of the real-time output current Ip, the corresponding number of working phases in the working phase array corresponding to the phase-cut current threshold is the smaller one; when the successfully matched phase-cut current threshold is less than the maximum value Imax of one or more phase-cut current thresholds of the real-time output current Ip, the corresponding number of working phases in the working phase array corresponding to the phase-cut current threshold is the larger one.

[0086] However, as shown in formula (1), each switching current threshold is only related to the command voltage. In fact, each switching current threshold is also related to the input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits 102. If the influence of the input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits 102 on each switching current threshold is ignored, the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 may be reduced by about 0.2%-0.5% before and after switching between different working phases.

[0087] In addition, as shown in Table 1, the multi-phase power supply 10 includes a total of four working states, among which in the third state, the working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10 is fixed to full phase, that is, all the voltage conversion circuits 102 are in working state, which makes the phase switching flexibility of the multi-phase power supply 10 not high, and may also cause the power supply efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 to be reduced by about 0.2%-0.5% before and after switching between different working phases.

[0088] Therefore, in order to improve the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 before and after switching between different working phases, and to improve the phase switching flexibility of the multi-phase power supply 10, the present application provides a multi-phase power supply 10a. Figure 5 , Figure 5 The structure diagram of the multi-phase power supply 10a provided in the present application. The multi-phase power supply 10a includes a control circuit 101a and n voltage conversion circuits 102a. The control circuit 101a includes a PWM control unit 1011b and a working phase number control unit 1012b.

[0089] The working phase control unit 1012b is used to use the b preset output currents corresponding to a test condition and the b corresponding power supply efficiencies as the current-efficiency point set corresponding to the test condition. Among them, a test condition includes that the input voltage of the n voltage conversion circuits is one of the x reference input voltages, and the working phase number of the multi-phase power supply is one of the y+1 working phase numbers, and the received command voltage is one of the a preset command voltages. By analogy, x*(y+1)*a second preset point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, y+1 working phase numbers, and a preset command voltages are determined.

[0090] Specifically, a variety of different test conditions of the multi-phase power supply 10 can be set according to the test condition table, and each test condition includes a reference input voltage, a working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10a, and a preset command voltage. Each test condition corresponds to b preset output currents, and the working phase number control unit 1012b can obtain b preset output currents and their corresponding b power supply efficiencies under each test condition as the current-efficiency point set corresponding to the test condition. Among them, the test condition table corresponding to the reference input voltage VINx is shown in Table 2 below, and VINx is one of the x reference input voltages.

[0091] Table 2 Test conditions corresponding to reference input voltage VINx

[0092]

[0093] As shown in Table 2, a reference input voltage VINx corresponds to 1, ..., y+1, a total of y+1 working phases, each working phase corresponds to VID1, ..., VIDa, a total of a preset command voltage, and each preset command voltage corresponds to Iout1, ..., Ioutb, a total of b reference current thresholds. Here, a test condition including a reference input voltage of VINx, a working phase of 1, and a preset command voltage of VID1 is used as an example for explanation. Among them, since the working phase of the multi-phase power supply 10a is 1 phase, it can correspond to the first state or the second state of the multi-phase power supply 10a. Here and below, the first state of the multi-phase power supply 10a is used as an example for explanation, and the second state can be inferred by analogy with the description of the first state, so it is not repeated.

[0094] Under this test condition, the working phase number control unit 1012b obtains b power efficiencies corresponding to b preset output currents respectively. The power efficiency of the corresponding multi-phase power supply 10a can be obtained by obtaining the output current and output voltage of the multi-phase power supply 10a to obtain the output power of the multi-phase power supply 10a, and by obtaining the input current of the multi-phase power supply 10a, combined with the reference input voltage VINx, to obtain the input power of the multi-phase power supply 10a under the test condition. The power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10a is the ratio of the output power of the multi-phase power supply 10a to the input power.

[0095] In this way, by subdividing the third state into working states with working phases from 2 to y+1, the power efficiency loss when switching between different phases of the multi-phase power supply 10a can be reduced, and the refinement of the multi-phase power supply phase cutting function can be improved.

[0096] After the working phase control unit 1012b obtains the b power supply efficiencies corresponding to the b preset output currents, it obtains the current-efficiency point set corresponding to the test condition. Similarly, the working phase control unit 1012b can determine the x*(y+1)*a current-efficiency point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, y+1 working phases, and a preset command voltage.

[0097] The working phase control unit 1012b is also used to fit a current-efficiency point sets P2cd into a corresponding relationship Fcd. Each current-efficiency point set P2cd corresponds to a preset instruction voltage, and the current-efficiency point set P2cd includes b preset output currents corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the working phase number d, and b corresponding power supply efficiencies. By analogy, x*(y+1)*a relationship formulas are determined. That is, the working phase control unit 1012b is used to obtain b preset power supply efficiencies of a multi-phase power supply corresponding to b preset output currents under y+1 different working phase numbers according to each reference input voltage and each preset instruction voltage, and fit each output current and its corresponding power supply efficiency in turn to obtain y+1 efficiency relationships.

[0098] Specifically, a current-efficiency point set P2cd is a current-efficiency point set corresponding to a reference input voltage of c and a working phase number of d in the x*(y+1)*a current-efficiency point set, and the a current-efficiency point set corresponds to a preset instruction voltage. The relational expression Fcd is the relational expression between the output current corresponding to the reference input voltage of c and the working phase number of d and the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply. Among them, the fitting method used when fitting a current-efficiency point set P2cd to a relational expression Fcd can be exponential fitting, logarithmic fitting, linear fitting, polynomial fitting, power function fitting, etc. This application does not impose any limitation on the fitting method used when fitting a current-efficiency point set P2cd to a relational expression Fcd.

[0099] The working phase control unit 1012b is also used to use the preset a relationship formulas Fcd and the preset a intersection points of the a relationship formulas Fc (d+1) as a command voltage-output current point set P1cd. Among them, each relationship formula Fcd, each relationship formula Fc (d+1), and each intersection point correspond to a preset command voltage, and the relationship formula Fc (d+1) is the relationship between the output current corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the working phase number d+1 and the power supply efficiency of the multi-phase power supply. The command voltage-output current point set P1cd is a command voltage-output current point set corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase cutting state d. The phase cutting state d indicates that the multi-phase power supply 10a switches between the working phase number d and d+1. The command voltage-output current point set P1cd includes a preset command voltage corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase cutting state d and the corresponding a preset phase cutting thresholds. Here, the a preset phase cutting thresholds are the output currents corresponding to the a intersections. By analogy, x*y command voltage-output current point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y phase-cut states are determined. Thereafter, the working phase number control unit 1012b can obtain the intersection of the corresponding efficiency relationship under two different working phase numbers indicated by the corresponding phase-cut state, and use the a output currents corresponding to the obtained a intersections as the corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds. That is, the working phase number control unit 1012b is used to obtain the intersection of the corresponding efficiency relationship under two different working phase numbers indicated by the corresponding phase-cut state, and use the a output currents corresponding to the obtained a intersections as the corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds.

[0100] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6It is a schematic diagram of multiple relationship equations corresponding to different working phase numbers when the reference input voltage is c and the preset instruction voltage is a, wherein the relationship equation Fc1a represents the relationship between the output current corresponding to the reference input voltage c, the working phase number 1, and the preset instruction voltage a and the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply, and so on, the relationship equation corresponding to each two adjacent working phase numbers has an intersection, and the intersection indicates that the two power efficiencies corresponding to the same output current at the two adjacent working phase numbers are equal. In this way, using the output current as the switching current threshold when the multi-phase power supply 10a switches between two adjacent working phases can reduce the power efficiency loss of the multi-phase power supply 10a when switching between two adjacent working phases, thereby improving the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10a as a whole.

[0101] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 Schematic diagram of command voltage-output current point set P1cd. Command voltage-output current point set P1cd includes a preset command voltages and a corresponding preset phase-cut thresholds. The a preset phase-cut thresholds are the output currents corresponding to the a intersections.

[0102] The working phase number control unit 1012b is also used to fit the x*y command voltage-output current point sets into x*y linear relationship equations respectively. Each command voltage-output current point set corresponds to a reference input voltage and a phase-cut state, and each command voltage-output current point set includes a preset command voltage and a corresponding a preset phase-cut threshold value. The linear relationship equation represents the linear relationship between the command voltage and the phase-cut current threshold value. That is, the working phase number control unit 1012b is used to obtain x*y first preset point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y phase-cut states, and sequentially fit the a preset command voltages and the corresponding a preset phase-cut threshold values ​​of each first preset point set to obtain x*y linear relationship equations.

[0103] See also Figure 8 , Figure 8 is the linear relationship corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase-cut state d. After obtaining the x*y command voltage-output current point sets, the x*y linear relationship corresponding to the x*y command voltage-output current point sets can be fitted according to the linear relationship between the a preset command voltages and the corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds in each command voltage-output current point set. Among them, the linear relationship corresponding to the reference input voltage c and the phase-cut state d can be expressed as the following formula (2).

[0104]

[0105] Among them, I cd Indicates the corresponding phase-cutting current threshold when the reference input voltage is c and the phase-cutting state is d, kcd 、b cd is the relation parameter of the linear relationship, k cd is the slope, b cd is the intercept.

[0106] After obtaining x*y linear relationship equations, the working phase number control unit 1012b can further obtain the corresponding relationship between x reference input voltages, y phase cutting states, and x*y parameter groups. Among them, one reference input voltage and one phase cutting state together correspond to one parameter group, and each parameter group corresponds to one linear relationship equation, that is, according to the x*y linear relationship equations, x*y parameter groups can be obtained correspondingly, thereby obtaining the above corresponding relationship.

[0107] In some embodiments, each parameter group may include a first parameter and a second parameter. The first parameter is the slope in the corresponding linear relationship, and the second parameter is the intercept in the corresponding linear relationship. The working phase control unit 1012b may store the first parameter and the second parameter in each parameter group in the register of the control circuit 101.

[0108] Please refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the correspondence between x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x*y parameter groups. Here, parameter group P11 is taken as an example for explanation. Parameter group P11 is a parameter group corresponding to the reference input voltage VIN1 and the phase-cut state 1, wherein the phase-cut state 1 indicates that the number of working phases of the multi-phase power supply 10a is switched between 1 phase and 2 phases. 11 , b 11 ) are the first parameter and the second parameter of the parameter group P11. Similarly, the working phase number control unit 1012b can store x*y parameter groups in the register of the control circuit 101.

[0109] Therefore, the present application can improve the power efficiency of the multi-phase power supply 10 before and after switching between different working phases by establishing the relationship between the input voltage of the multi-phase power supply 10a, the received command voltage, the phase cutting state and the phase cutting current threshold, and improve the phase cutting flexibility and accuracy of the multi-phase power supply 10.

[0110] After establishing the correspondence between x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x*y parameter groups, the working phase number control unit 1012b can determine the target working phase number m of the multi-phase power supply 10a according to the real-time input voltage, real-time command voltage, and real-time output current of the multi-phase power supply 10a, and then the PWM control unit 1011b can output corresponding control signals to n voltage conversion circuits according to the target working phase number to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits, that is, to make the multi-phase power supply 10a operate at the target working phase number.

[0111] Specifically, the working phase number control unit 1012b is used to obtain y target parameter groups among the x*y parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits 102 and the pre-stored first relationship.

[0112] The pre-stored first relationship is the correspondence between the x reference input voltages, the y phase-cut states, and the x*y parameter groups previously established by the working phase control unit 1012b. The working phase control unit 1012b can compare the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages in the first relationship one by one, obtain a reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage, as the target input voltage, and use the y parameter groups corresponding to the target input voltage and the y switching states as y target parameter groups.

[0113] The working phase number control unit 1012b is further used to obtain y reference current thresholds according to the received real-time command voltage and y target parameter groups, each reference current threshold corresponding to a phase cutting state.

[0114] Specifically, the working phase number control unit 1012b can call the first parameter and the second parameter in each target parameter group to obtain the linear relationship corresponding to each target parameter group, and substitute the received real-time command voltage into the linear relationship corresponding to each target parameter group, thereby obtaining the y phase-cutting current thresholds corresponding to the y phase-cutting states corresponding to the real-time command voltage, as y reference current thresholds.

[0115] The working phase number control unit 1012b is further used to obtain the target working phase number m according to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and y reference current thresholds.

[0116] Specifically, the working phase number control unit 1012b can determine a target current threshold that matches the real-time output current, and determine the target working phase number m according to the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold. Among them, the target current threshold can be the smallest reference current threshold among y reference current thresholds that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current. Correspondingly, the target working phase number m is the smaller of the two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase-cut state corresponding to the reference current threshold. Alternatively, the target current threshold can also be the largest reference current threshold among y reference current thresholds that is less than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current. Correspondingly, the target working phase number m is the larger of the two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase-cut state corresponding to the reference current threshold.

[0117] Due to the increasing phase-cut state, for example, the phase-cut state is 1, 2, 3, ..., y, and the corresponding phase-cut current thresholds are also in an increasing relationship. Therefore, when the real-time output current is less than any one of the y reference current thresholds, at this time, the smallest reference current threshold among the y reference current thresholds that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current, that is, the reference current threshold corresponding to the phase-cut state is 1, can be used as the target current threshold. At this time, since the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold is 1, it indicates that the multi-phase power supply 10a switches between working phases 1 and 2, and the smaller one between 1 and 2 is taken, it can be obtained that the target working phase number m of the multi-phase power supply 10a is 1 at this time. When the real-time output current is greater than the sum of any one of the y reference current thresholds and the preset hysteresis current, at this time, the largest reference current threshold among the y reference current thresholds that is less than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current, that is, the reference current threshold corresponding to the phase-cut state is y, can be used as the target current threshold. At this time, since the phase-cut state corresponding to the target current threshold is y, it indicates that the multi-phase power supply 10a switches between working phases y and y+1. The larger one between y and y+1 is taken, and the target working phase number m of the multi-phase power supply 10a at this time is y+1.

[0118] In some embodiments, the working phase number control unit 1012b can convert the real-time output current I p and y reference current thresholds one by one, and output current I p The target current threshold is determined by comparing the real-time output current with the y reference current thresholds, and then the target number of working phases m is determined. Specifically, the working phase number control unit 1012b can determine the comparison result between the real-time output current and the y reference current thresholds according to Table 3. Table 3 is a relationship table between the comparison between the real-time output current and the y reference current thresholds, the target current threshold determined thereby, and the target number of working phases m.

[0119] Table 3 Relationship between comparison results, target current threshold and target number of working phases m

[0120]

[0121] Among them, I hys is the preset hysteresis current, which can be preset according to actual needs. p With the preset hysteresis current I hys The difference between the two as a comparison basis with y reference current thresholds can enhance the comparison stability. When the output current of the multi-phase power supply 10a fluctuates, the influence of the output current of the multi-phase power supply 10a on the comparison result can be reduced.

[0122] Take I (y-1) + I hys p ≤ I y For example, I y That is, among the y reference current thresholds, the one that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current I p The minimum reference current threshold Imin, and I (y-1) That is, among the y reference current thresholds, the one that is less than the real-time output current I p With the preset hysteresis current I hys The maximum reference current threshold Imax is the difference between the working phase number control unit 1012b and I y or I (y-1) As the target current threshold. y The phase-cutting state is indicated as y, that is, the state in which the multiphase power supply 10a switches between the working phases y and y+1, so I y The two working phase numbers indicated are y and y+1. At this time, the working phase number control unit 1012b uses the smaller of y and y+1, that is, y, as the target working phase number m. (y-1) The phase-cutting state is indicated as y-1, that is, the state in which the multi-phase power supply 10a switches between the working phases y-1 and y, so I (y-1) The two indicated working phase numbers are y-1 and y. At this time, the working phase number control unit 1012b uses the larger one of y-1 and y, that is, y, as the target working phase number m.

[0123] In some embodiments, the reference current threshold may also include I c , where I c Indicates the state of the multi-phase power supply 10a switching between the working phase number of 1 phase (DCM) and 1 phase (FCCM), I 1 Indicates the state of the multi-phase power supply 10a switching between the working phase number of 1 phase (FCCM) and 2, correspondingly, I p ≤ I 1 There are two comparison results: c ​+ I hys p ≤ I 1 When the target working phase number is 1 phase (FCCM), when I p ≤ I c When , the target operating phase number is 1 phase (DCM).

[0124] In some embodiments, the reference current threshold may also include a light load and heavy load switching current threshold I L , when I p ≤ I L , the target number of operating phases is the number of operating phases of the multi-phase power supply 10a under light load, for example, 1 phase (DCM). L + I hys p The target working phase number is the working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10a under the heavy load state, for example, y+1 phase. The working phase number of the multi-phase power supply 10a under the light load state and the working phase number under the heavy load state can be preset according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0125] After obtaining the target working phase number m, the PWM control unit 1011b can output corresponding control signals to n voltage conversion circuits according to the target working phase number to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits, that is, to make the multi-phase power supply 10a operate at the target working phase number.

[0126] See also Fig.10 , Fig.10 This is a flow chart of a control method for a multi-phase power supply provided in the present application. The control method for a multi-phase power supply can be executed by a control circuit 101 of a multi-phase power supply 10a. The control method for a multi-phase power supply provided in the present application includes the following steps:

[0127] S101, obtaining y target parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of n voltage conversion circuits and a pre-stored first relationship.

[0128] S102, obtaining y reference current thresholds according to the received real-time command voltage and y target parameter groups, each reference current threshold corresponding to a phase cutting state.

[0129] S103, obtaining a target number of working phases m according to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and y reference current thresholds.

[0130] S104, outputting a control signal to the n voltage conversion circuits, where the control signal is used to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits.

[0131] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b and the PWM control unit 1011b above, which will not be repeated here.​​

[0132] See also Fig.11 , Fig.11 This is a flow chart of a method for obtaining a first relationship in a multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application. The method for obtaining the first relationship comprises the following steps:

[0133] S1101, obtaining x*y first preset point sets corresponding to x reference input voltages and y phase-cut states.

[0134] S1102, sequentially fitting a preset command voltages of each first preset point set and their corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds to obtain x*y linear relationship equations.

[0135] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b above, which will not be repeated here.

[0136] See also Fig.12 , Fig.12 This is a flow chart of a method for obtaining a first preset point set in a method for obtaining a first relationship provided in the present application. The method for obtaining a first preset point set comprises the following steps:

[0137] S1201, according to each reference input voltage and each preset command voltage, sequentially obtain y+1 efficiency relationships corresponding to y+1 different numbers of working phases;

[0138] S1202, obtaining the intersection point of the corresponding efficiency relationship under two different working phase numbers indicated by the corresponding phase cutting state.

[0139] S1203, using the a output currents corresponding to the a intersection points obtained as corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds.

[0140] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b above, which will not be repeated here.

[0141] See also Fig.13 , Fig.13 This is a flow chart of a method for obtaining y+1 efficiency relationships under y+1 different numbers of working phases corresponding to the method for obtaining the first preset point set provided in this application. The method for obtaining the efficiency relationship includes the following steps:

[0142] S1301, according to each reference input voltage and each preset command voltage, sequentially obtain b preset power supply efficiencies of the multi-phase power supply corresponding to b preset output currents under y+1 different numbers of working phases.

[0143] S1302, fitting each output current and its corresponding power supply efficiency in sequence to obtain y+1 efficiency relationships.

[0144] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b above, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] See also Fig.14 , Fig.14 This is a flow chart of step S101 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application. Step S101 may specifically include the following steps:

[0146] S1401, compare the real-time input voltage with x reference input voltages one by one.

[0147] S1402 , taking y parameter groups corresponding to the reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage as y target parameter groups.

[0148] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b above, which will not be repeated here.

[0149] See also Fig.15 , Fig.15 This is a flow chart of step S103 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in this application. Step S103 may specifically include the following steps:

[0150] S1501: Determine a reference current threshold value among y reference current threshold values ​​that matches the real-time output current as a target current threshold value.

[0151] S1502, determining a target number of working phases m according to a phase cutting state corresponding to a target current threshold.

[0152] The detailed description of each step can be found in the specific description of the working phase control unit 1012b above, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] In some embodiments, Fig.16 As shown, step S1501 and step S1502 may specifically include the following steps:

[0154] S1601: Determine the smallest reference current threshold value among y reference current threshold values ​​that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current as the target current threshold value.

[0155] S1602: Determine the smaller of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase cutting state as the target working phase number m.

[0156] In other embodiments, Fig.17 As shown, step S1501 and step S1502 may specifically include the following steps:

[0157] S1701: Determine the largest reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that is smaller than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current as the target current threshold value.

[0158] S1702: Determine the larger of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase cutting state as the target working phase number m.

[0159] See also Fig.18 , Fig.18 This is a flow chart of step S1401 and step S1402 in the multi-phase power supply control method provided in the present application. Step S1401 and step S1402 may specifically include the following steps:

[0160] S1801, determine whether the real-time input voltage VIN is equal to the reference input voltage VIN1, if so, execute step S1802, otherwise execute step S1803.

[0161] S1802, the y parameter groups P corresponding to the reference input voltage VIN1 are 11 ,……,P 1y as y target parameter groups.

[0162] S1803, determining whether the real-time input voltage VIN is equal to the reference input voltage VIN2, if so, executing step S1804, otherwise executing subsequent steps.

[0163] In this way, the real-time input voltage is compared with the x reference input voltages one by one until a reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage is obtained as the target input voltage.

[0164] Therefore, the control method, control circuit and multi-phase power supply provided by the present application can establish a relationship between multiple parameters of the multi-phase power supply and multiple reference current thresholds, thereby improving the control accuracy of the working phase number of the multi-phase power supply and reducing the power efficiency loss of the multi-phase power supply before and after switching between multiple different working phase numbers.

[0165] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application and are not intended to be limiting of the present application. As long as they are within the spirit and scope of the present application, appropriate changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of protection claimed in the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a multi-phase power supply, the multi-phase power supply comprising a control circuit and n voltage conversion circuits connected to the control circuit, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining y target parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship; The first relationship includes x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x parameter sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, each parameter set includes y parameter groups corresponding to the y phase-cut states, each of the reference input voltages corresponds to the y phase-cut states, each of the phase-cut states is used to indicate that the multi-phase power supply switches between two different numbers of working phases, and the number of working phases is used to indicate the number of the voltage conversion circuits working in the n voltage conversion circuits; According to the received real-time command voltage and the y target parameter groups, y reference current thresholds are obtained, each of the reference current thresholds corresponds to one of the phase cutting states; According to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and the y reference current thresholds, a reference current threshold among the y reference current thresholds that matches the real-time output current is determined as a target current threshold, and according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold, a target number of working phases m is obtained; Output a control signal to the n voltage conversion circuits, wherein the control signal is used to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits, wherein m is less than or equal to n, and x, y, n, and m are all positive integers.

2. The control method of a multi-phase power supply according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the parameter groups corresponds to a linear relationship and includes a first parameter and a second parameter; The first parameter is the slope in the linear relationship, and the second parameter is the intercept in the linear relationship.

3. The control method of a multi-phase power supply according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Acquire x*y first preset point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages and the y phase-cut states; The a preset command voltages and their corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds of each of the first preset point sets are sequentially fitted to obtain x*y linear relationship equations.

4. The control method of a multi-phase power supply according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: According to each of the reference input voltages and each of the preset command voltages, y+1 efficiency relationships corresponding to y+1 different numbers of working phases are sequentially obtained; Obtaining the intersection of the corresponding efficiency relationship under two different working phase numbers indicated by the corresponding phase shedding state; The obtained a output currents corresponding to the a intersection points are used as the corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds.

5. The control method of a multi-phase power supply according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: According to each of the reference input voltages and each of the preset command voltages, sequentially obtaining b preset power supply efficiencies of the multi-phase power supply corresponding to b preset output currents under y+1 different numbers of working phases; Each of the output currents and its corresponding power supply efficiency are fitted in sequence to obtain y+1 efficiency relationships.

6. The method for controlling a multi-phase power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The step of obtaining y target parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship includes: Compare the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages one by one; The y parameter groups corresponding to the reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage are used as the y target parameter groups.

7. The method for controlling a multi-phase power supply according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining a reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that matches the real-time output current as a target current threshold value comprises: Determine the smallest reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current as the target current threshold value; Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: The smaller one of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase shedding state is determined as the target working phase number m.

8. The method for controlling a multi-phase power supply according to claim 1, wherein: The step of determining a reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that matches the real-time output current as a target current threshold value comprises: Determine the largest reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that is smaller than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current as the target current threshold value; Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: The larger one of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase shedding state is determined as the target working phase number m.

9. The method for controlling a multi-phase power supply according to claim 1, wherein: The multi-phase power supply includes a first state, a second state, a third state and a fourth state; The first state and the second state are both used to indicate that the working phase number is 1, the third state is used to indicate that the working phase number is 2 to y+1, and the fourth state is used to indicate that the working phase number is 0.

10. A control circuit of a multi-phase power supply, the multi-phase power supply further comprising n voltage conversion circuits connected to the control circuit, characterized in that: The control circuit is used for: Obtaining y target parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship; The first relationship includes x reference input voltages, y phase-cut states, and x parameter sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages, each parameter set includes y parameter groups corresponding to the y phase-cut states, each of the reference input voltages corresponds to the y phase-cut states, each of the phase-cut states is used to indicate that the multi-phase power supply switches between two different numbers of working phases, and the number of working phases is used to indicate the number of the voltage conversion circuits working in the n voltage conversion circuits; According to the received real-time command voltage and the y target parameter groups, y reference current thresholds are obtained, each of the reference current thresholds corresponds to one of the phase cutting states; According to the real-time output currents of the n voltage conversion circuits and the y reference current thresholds, a reference current threshold among the y reference current thresholds that matches the real-time output current is determined as a target current threshold, and according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold, a target number of working phases m is obtained; Output a control signal to the n voltage conversion circuits, wherein the control signal is used to control the operation of the m voltage conversion circuits, wherein m is less than or equal to n, and x, y, n, and m are all positive integers.

11. The control circuit according to claim 10, characterized in that: Each of the parameter groups corresponds to a linear relationship and includes a first parameter and a second parameter; The first parameter is the slope in the linear relationship, and the second parameter is the intercept in the linear relationship.

12. The control circuit according to claim 11, characterized in that: The control circuit is also used for: Acquire x*y first preset point sets corresponding to the x reference input voltages and the y phase-cut states; The a preset command voltages and their corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds of each of the first preset point sets are sequentially fitted to obtain x*y linear relationship equations.

13. The control circuit according to claim 12, characterized in that: The control circuit is also used for: According to each of the reference input voltages and each of the preset command voltages, y+1 efficiency relationships corresponding to y+1 different numbers of working phases are sequentially obtained; Obtaining the intersection of the corresponding efficiency relationship under two different working phase numbers indicated by the corresponding phase shedding state; The obtained a output currents corresponding to the a intersection points are used as the corresponding a preset phase-cut thresholds.

14. The control circuit according to claim 13, characterized in that: The control circuit is also used for: According to each of the reference input voltages and each of the preset command voltages, sequentially obtaining b preset power supply efficiencies of the multi-phase power supply corresponding to b preset output currents under y+1 different numbers of working phases; Each of the output currents and its corresponding power supply efficiency are fitted in sequence to obtain y+1 efficiency relationships.

15. The control circuit according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that: The method of obtaining y target parameter groups according to the real-time input voltages of the n voltage conversion circuits and the pre-stored first relationship includes: the control circuit is used to: Compare the real-time input voltage with the x reference input voltages one by one; The y parameter groups corresponding to the reference input voltage equal to the real-time input voltage are used as the y target parameter groups.

16. The control circuit according to claim 10, characterized in that: The step of determining the reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that matches the real-time output current as the target current threshold value comprises: the control circuit is used to: Determine the smallest reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that is greater than or equal to the real-time output current as the target current threshold value; Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: The smaller one of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase shedding state is determined as the target working phase number m.

17. The control circuit according to claim 10, characterized in that: The step of determining the reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that matches the real-time output current as the target current threshold value comprises: the control circuit is used to: Determine the largest reference current threshold value among the y reference current threshold values ​​that is smaller than the difference between the real-time output current and the preset hysteresis current as the target current threshold value; Correspondingly, determining the target number of working phases m according to the phase cutting state corresponding to the target current threshold includes: The larger one of two different working phase numbers indicated by the phase shedding state is determined as the target working phase number m.

18. A multi-phase power supply, characterized in that: The invention comprises n voltage conversion circuits and a control circuit as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 17.

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