Electronic device and operating method of power management device

Abstract

An electronic device and an operating method of a power management device are provided, the electronic device including: a first power management device configured to receive an input voltage and output a first voltage based on the input voltage, and at least one consumer configured to receive the first voltage from the first power management device and operate based on the first voltage. The first power management device includes: a switching regulator configured to generate a conversion voltage according to an input voltage; a first LDO regulator configured to generate a first output voltage from a first droop voltage generated by the conversion voltage through the first PDN; a second LDO regulator; and a switching regulator controller configured to estimate a first voltage drop voltage of the first LDO regulator, calculate a voltage drop caused by the first PDN, and dynamically control the conversion voltage based on the estimated voltage drop voltage and the calculated voltage drop caused by the PDN.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and an operation method of a power management device. Background Art

[0002] Electronic circuits and electronic devices may include a power management device that converts an input voltage received from the outside to provide a power supply voltage. In a typical portable electronic device, the power management device receives an input voltage from a battery and provides various power supply voltages suitable for internal operations according to the input voltage. Various regulators for adjusting the amplitude of the input voltage received from the outside may be included inside the power management device or inside the electronic device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an electronic device including a power management device having improved power efficiency and a corresponding method. The above and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains by referring to the detailed description of the present disclosure given below.

[0004] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a first power management device configured to receive an input voltage and output a plurality of first voltages based on the input voltage; and at least one consumer configured to receive the plurality of first voltages from the first power management device and operate based on the plurality of first voltages. Wherein, the first power management device includes: a switching regulator configured to generate a conversion voltage according to the input voltage; a first low-dropout (LDO) regulator configured to generate a first output voltage according to a first dropout voltage, the first dropout voltage being generated by the conversion voltage through a first power distribution network (PDN); a second LDO regulator configured to generate a second output voltage according to a second dropout voltage, the second dropout voltage being generated by the conversion voltage through a second PDN; a switching regulator controller configured to estimate a first dropout voltage of the first LDO regulator based on a first output current of the first LDO regulator, estimate a second dropout voltage of the second LDO regulator based on a second output current of the second LDO regulator, calculate a voltage drop caused by the first PDN based on a first input current and a first input voltage of the first LDO regulator, calculate a voltage drop caused by the second PDN based on a second input current and a second input voltage of the second LDO regulator, and dynamically control the conversion voltage based on the estimated first and second dropout voltages and the calculated voltage drops caused by the first and second PDNs.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a first power management device configured to receive an input voltage and output a plurality of first voltages suitable for driving a system-on-chip according to the input voltage; and a power management device controller configured to control the operation of the first power management device, generate commands regarding an operation scenario of the system-on-chip, and transmit the commands to the first power management device. Wherein, the first power management device includes: a switching regulator configured to generate a converted voltage according to the input voltage; a plurality of low-dropout (LDO) regulators, each of the plurality of LDO regulators being configured to generate a plurality of output voltages according to the converted voltage; a first register configured to store the plurality of output voltages generated by each of the plurality of LDO regulators; a first voltage drop voltage register configured to store a plurality of voltage drop voltages corresponding to each of the plurality of LDO regulators, the plurality of voltage drop voltages corresponding to the operation scenario of the system-on-chip; and a switching regulator controller configured to receive the plurality of output voltages from the first register, receive the voltage drop voltage corresponding to the operation scenario of the system-on-chip among the plurality of voltage drop voltages from the first voltage drop voltage register, and in response to receiving the command from the power management device controller, dynamically control the converted voltage based on the received plurality of output voltages and the voltage drop voltage.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for operating a power management device is provided. The power management device includes a switching regulator and a switching regulator controller. The switching regulator is configured to generate a converted voltage according to an input voltage, and the switching regulator controller is configured to dynamically control the converted voltage. The operation method includes: receiving, from a power management device controller, a plurality of voltage drop voltages corresponding to each of a plurality of low-dropout (LDO) regulators, the plurality of voltage drop voltages corresponding to an operation scenario of a system-on-chip; storing the plurality of voltage drop voltages in a voltage drop voltage register; receiving, from the power management device controller, a command regarding the operation scenario of the system-on-chip; storing the plurality of output voltages generated by each of the plurality of LDO regulators in a first register; in response to receiving the command, receiving the voltage drop voltage corresponding to the operation scenario of the system-on-chip among the plurality of voltage drop voltages stored in the voltage drop voltage register, and receiving, by the switching regulator, the plurality of output voltages from the first register; generating, by the switching regulator controller, a voltage control signal for controlling the switching regulator based on the received voltage drop voltage and output voltage; and providing the generated voltage control signal to the switching regulator.

[0007] Aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above aspects, and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing examples of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the output current and the dropout voltage of an LDO regulator according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the change in the output current of an LDO regulator over time according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of power management devices.

[0013] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 7 and Figure 8 are a system diagram and a cross-sectional diagram respectively showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 9 and Figure 10 are a system diagram and a cross-sectional diagram respectively showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 11 and Figure 12 are a system diagram and a cross-sectional diagram respectively showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 13 is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0019] Figure 14 is a diagram showing the dropout voltage stored in Figure 13 the dropout voltage register.

[0020] Figure 15It is a flowchart showing an operation method of a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 16 It is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 17 It is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 18 It is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 19 It is a diagram showing an electronic device according to some embodiments. Detailed Embodiments

[0025] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 1 , the electronic device 1000 may include a battery 100, a power management device 200-1, and a consumer group 300. However, the components are not limited thereto, and in addition to the shown components, the electronic device 1000 may further include other components.

[0026] The battery 100 may generate an input voltage V_IN and supply it to the power management device 200-1. The battery 100 may be charged by receiving power from an external voltage source of the electronic device 1000. In some embodiments, the battery 100 may generate an input voltage V_IN of about 4V in a fully charged state.

[0027] The consumer group 300 may include a plurality of consumers 310-1 to 310-N (where N is an integer of 2 or greater). The consumers 310-1 to 310-N are components included in the electronic device 1000 that operate during the operation of the electronic device 1000. For example, the consumers 310-1 to 310-N may include various chips or modules included in the electronic device 1000, such as a modem, an application processor, a memory, a display, and / or a radio frequency (RF) chip. In addition, the consumers 310-1 to 310-N may be operation blocks, function blocks, or IP (intellectual property) blocks included in the electronic device 1000, function blocks in a system on chip (SoC), or a memory controller, a multimedia block or a memory controller in an application processor, etc.

[0028] Consumers 310-1 to 310-N can be referred to as "consumers" because they consume electric power. Consumers 310-1 to 310-N can be referred to as a consumer block or a load. That is, a voltage can be provided from the battery 100 to each of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N via the power management device 200-1, and the operation can be performed based on the provided voltage.

[0029] The power management device 200-1 can receive an input voltage V_IN from the battery 100, appropriately distribute the received input voltage V_IN, and can output a plurality of voltages V1 and V2 suitable for driving each of the plurality of consumers 310-1 to 310-N. Each of the plurality of consumers 310-1 to 310-N can receive at least one of the plurality of voltages V1 and V2 output from the power management device 200-1, and the operation can be performed based on the received voltage. For example, consumers corresponding to some of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N belonging to the consumer group 300 can each be assigned the voltage V1 from the power management device 200-1, while consumers corresponding to some of the other consumers can each be assigned the voltage V2 from the power management device 200-1. In some embodiments, the power management device 200-1 can be a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0030] As described below, the voltage V1 provided to the consumer group 300 by the power management device 200-1 can be the output voltage V1_OUT output by the LDO regulator 220-1 included in the power management device 200-1. In addition, the voltage V2 provided to the consumer group 300 by the power management device 200-1 can be the output voltage V2_OUT output by the LDO regulator 220-2 included in the power management device 200-1.

[0031] The power management device 200-1 can include a switching regulator 210-1, low drop-out (LDO) regulators 220-1 and 220-2, a switching regulator controller 230-1, current sensors 240-1 and 240-2, voltage sensors 250-1 and 250-2, registers 260-1, 260-2, and 260-3, and multiplexers 270-1 and 270-2.

[0032] Although Figure 1 it is shown that the power management device 200-1 includes one switching regulator, according to some embodiments, the power management device 200-1 can include two or more switching regulators. In addition, although Figure 1FIG. 0 shows two LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 connected to a switching regulator 210-1 of a power management device 200-1 in a multi-stage structure, but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the number of LDO regulators connected to a switching regulator 210-1 in a multi-stage structure to receive the converted voltage V1_C from the switching regulator 210-1 can vary. For example, the power management device 200-1 may include a structure in which at least two or more LDO regulators are connected to at least one switching regulator in a multi-stage manner. Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the power management device 200-1 includes a switching regulator 210-1 and two LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 connected to the switching regulator 210-1 in a group for description.

[0033] The switching regulator 210-1 can generate a converted voltage V1_C based on the input voltage V_IN received from the battery 100. The switching regulator 210-1 can use energy storage components (e.g., an inductor and a capacitor) and an output stage to generate the converted voltage V1_C. For example, the switching regulator 210-1 can be a DC-DC converter. The switching regulator 210-1 can be a step-up converter (e.g., a boost converter) that converts a low input voltage V_IN into a high converted voltage V1_C, or a step-down converter (e.g., a buck converter) that converts a high input voltage V_IN into a low converted voltage V1_C.

[0034] The switching regulator 210-1 can dynamically change the converted voltage V1_C in response to a voltage control signal VCS1. For example, the converted voltage V1_C can vary dynamically according to the output currents I1_OUT and I2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, the operating states of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, and / or the degree of voltage drop caused by each of the power distribution networks (PDNs) 400-1 and 400-2.

[0035] The LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can be commonly connected to the switching regulator 210-1. The switching regulator 210-1 and the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can be connected in a multi-stage structure. The LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can be linear regulators.

[0036] The LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can receive voltages from the switching regulator 210-1 and generate output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT respectively. The converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-1 via the power distribution network (PDN) 400-1. For example, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can pass through the PDN 400-1 and then can be input to the LDO regulator 220-1 as V1_D. Similarly, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-2 via the PDN 400-2. In other words, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can pass through the PDN 400-2 and then can be input to the LDO regulator 220-2 as V2_D. The PDNs 400-1 and 400-2 can include circuit paths connecting the switching regulator 210-1 to the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. For example, if the consumers receiving the voltage V1 or voltage V2 from the power management device 200-1 are system-on-chips, the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2 can be circuit paths (e.g., traces, vias, etc.) of a printed circuit board (PCB) equipped with the system-on-chip.

[0037] When the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 passes through the PDN 400-1, the voltage may drop due to the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1. Therefore, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be converted to the dropped voltage V1_D when passing through the PDN 400-1. Thus, the voltage input to the LDO regulator 220-1 via (or through) the PDN 400-1 can be the dropped voltage V1_D. That is to say, the dropped voltage V1_D can be the input voltage of the LDO regulator 220-1. The amplitude of the dropped voltage V1_D can be smaller than the amplitude of the converted voltage V1_C.

[0038] Similarly, when the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 passes through the PDN 400-2, the voltage may drop due to the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2. Therefore, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be converted to the dropped voltage V2_D when passing through the PDN 400-2. Thus, the voltage input to the LDO regulator 220-2 via (or through) the PDN 400-2 can be the dropped voltage V2_D. That is to say, the dropped voltage V2_D can be the input voltage of the LDO regulator 220-2. The amplitude of the dropped voltage V2_D can be smaller than the amplitude of the converted voltage V1_C.

[0039] In this way, even if the switching regulator 210-1 and the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 are provided in the same power management device 200-1, the routing between the configurations in the electronic device 1000 becomes complex. Therefore, when the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 is input to the LDO regulator 220-1 or the LDO regulator 220-2 via (or through) the PDN 400-1 or the PDN 400-2, the degree of voltage drop caused by the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1 or the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2 may be significant enough to be non-negligible.

[0040] In addition, as Figure 1 shown, the circuit path through which the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 is input to the LDO regulator 220-2 via (or through) the PDN 400-2 is longer than the circuit path through which it is input to the LDO regulator 220-1 via (or through) the PDN 400-1, such that the influence of the voltage drop caused by the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2 can be greater than the influence of the voltage drop caused by the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1. Therefore, the magnitude of the dropped voltage V2_D can be smaller than the magnitude of the dropped voltage V1_D.

[0041] Each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can generate each of the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT based on the received dropped voltage V1_D and the dropped voltage V2_D. The output voltage V1_OUT can be lower than the dropped voltage V1_D, and the output voltage V2_OUT can be lower than the dropped voltage V2_D. In addition, the output voltage V1_OUT and the output voltage V2_OUT can be different from each other.

[0042] In this way, in each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, due to the influence of its own voltage drop, the magnitude of the output voltage may be smaller than the magnitude of the input voltage. The voltage drop that occurs in the LDO regulator in this way is referred to as the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT. The dropout voltage V_DROPOUT can correspond to the minimum difference between the input and output voltages of the LDO regulator. For example, the LDO regulator can operate normally only when the input voltage of the LDO regulator is equal to or greater than the sum of the output voltage and the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT. The dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator will be described below with reference to Figure 2 etc.

[0043] The converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be stored in the register 260-1. In addition, the output voltage V1_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-1 can be stored in the register 260-2, and the output voltage V2_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-2 can be stored in the register 260-3. Although the register 260-1 is shown as being included in Figure 1 the switching regulator controller 230-1 in

[0044] Although the efficiency of the switching regulator 210-1 can be substantially constant regardless of the input / output voltage, the efficiency of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can vary according to the input / output voltage. For example, the efficiency can correspond to the ratio of each of the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT to each of the dropout voltages V1_D and V2_D. For example, the efficiency of the LDO regulator 220-1 can be the ratio of the output voltage V1_OUT to the dropout voltage V1_D (i.e., V1_OUT / V1_D), and the efficiency of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be the ratio of the output voltage V2_OUT to the dropout voltage V2_D (i.e., V2_OUT / V2_D). Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, it may be necessary to reduce the difference between the input and output voltages of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0045] If the difference between the input and output voltages of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 is large, the overall conversion efficiency of the power management device 200-1 can be improved when the switching regulator 210-1 is set at the front end of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 and the output of the switching regulator 210-1 is used as the input of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. Therefore, when the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 are different from each other, the switching regulator can be set at the front end of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 in a one-to-one arrangement, so that the overall conversion efficiency of the power management device 200-1 can be improved or maximized.

[0046] However, in some cases, to reduce manufacturing costs and increase the area efficiency of the power management device 200-1, the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can be grouped, and the switching regulator can be shared and used for each group. In this case, the difference between the input and output voltages of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 may be greater than the case where the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 and the switching regulator are arranged in a one-to-one configuration. As a result, the overall conversion efficiency of the power management device 200-1 may decrease.

[0047] However, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the switching regulator 210-1 can dynamically change the conversion voltage V1_C in response to the voltage control signal VCS1. Therefore, the overall conversion efficiency of the power management device 200-1 can be improved. The operation of the voltage control signal VCS1 and the switching regulator controller 230-1 for dynamically changing the conversion voltage V1_C output by the switching regulator 210-1 will be described below.

[0048] The switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for dynamically controlling the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1, and can provide the generated voltage control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1. In some embodiments, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate the voltage control signal VCS1 based on the currents I1_OUT and I2_OUT output from the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 (these currents can be the currents consumed by the consumers 310-1 to 310-N).

[0049] In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate the voltage control signal VCS1 based on the operating states of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate the voltage control signal VCS1 based on the operating states of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. For example, if the consumers are not operating and the LDO regulators that supply voltage to the consumers do not generate an output voltage based on the conversion voltage V1_C received from the switching regulator 210-1, then when the switching regulator 210-1 generates the conversion voltage V1_C, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for controlling the switching regulator 210-1 such that the LDO regulators are not used as a reference.

[0050] In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may generate a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the voltage drops caused by each of the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may generate a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. For example, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may identify each of the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 and the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 stored in each of the register 260-2 and the register 260-3.

[0051] The voltage sensor 250-1 may sense the dropped voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1. The voltage sensor 250-1 may transmit the value of the sensed dropped voltage V1_D to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0052] The current sensor 240-1 may sense the input current I1_IN of the LDO regulator 220-1 or the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1. For example, the input current I1_IN and the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 may be input to the multiplexer 270-1, and the multiplexer 270-1 may select the input current I1_IN or the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 and transmit it to the current sensor 240-1. The current sensor 240-1 may sense the transmitted current among the input current I1_IN and the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1, and may transmit the sensed current value to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0053] The switching regulator controller 230-1 may calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-1 by using the value of the dropped voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1 received from the voltage sensor 250-1 and the value of the input current I1_IN of the LDO regulator 220-1 received from the current sensor 240-1. For example, the magnitude ∆V1 of the voltage dropped by the PDN 400-1 may correspond to the difference between the switching voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 and the dropped voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1 (i.e., ∆V1 = V1_C − V1_D).

[0054] In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the value of the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1 by using the value of the step-down voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1 and the value of the input current I1_IN of the LDO regulator 220-1. Therefore, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-1 by using the value of the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1 and the value of the current flowing through the resistor R1 of the PDN 400-1.

[0055] The voltage sensor 250-2 can sense the value of the step-down voltage V2_D input to the LDO regulator 220-2. The voltage sensor 250-2 can transmit the sensed value of the step-down voltage V2_D to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0056] The current sensor 240-2 can sense the input current I2_IN or the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2. For example, the input current I2_IN and the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be input to the multiplexer 270-2, and the multiplexer 270-2 can select the input current I2_IN or the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 and transmit it to the current sensor 240-2. The current sensor 240-2 can sense the transmitted current among the input current I2_IN and the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2, and can transmit the sensed current value to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0057] The switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-2 by using the value of the step-down voltage V2_D input to the LDO regulator 220-2 received from the voltage sensor 250-2 and the value of the input current I2_IN of the LDO regulator 220-2 received from the current sensor 240-2. For example, the magnitude ∆V2 of the voltage dropped by the PDN 400-2 can correspond to the difference between the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 and the step-down voltage V2_D input to the LDO regulator 220-2 (i.e., ∆V2 = V1_C − V2_D).

[0058] In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the value of the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2 by using the value of the step-down voltage V2_D input to the LDO regulator 220-2 and the value of the input current I2_IN of the LDO regulator 220-2. Therefore, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-2 by using the value of the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2 and the value of the current flowing through the resistor R2 of the PDN 400-2.

[0059] The current sensor 240-1 can detect the consumption current of each of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N supplied with the output voltage V1_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-1 based on the sensed value of the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1. Similarly, the current sensor 240-2 can detect the consumption current of each of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N supplied with the output voltage V2_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-2 based on the sensed value of the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2. The current sensor 240-1 and the current sensor 240-2 can transmit information about the detected consumption current to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0060] According to some embodiments, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can dynamically control the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 based on the output currents of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, the output voltages of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, the operating states of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, and / or the voltage drops caused by the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2. As a result, even when the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 generating different output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT are commonly connected to one switching regulator 210-1, the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be controlled to the minimum voltage required for the operation of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0061] For example, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can determine the value of the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 based on Equation 1 below.

[0062] [Equation 1] V1_C = MAX(V_OUT + V_DROPOUT + V_PDN).

[0063] For each LDO regulator connected to the switching regulator 210-1 in a multi-stage structure, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the sum of the output voltage V_OUT of the LDO regulator, the voltage drop voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator, and the voltage drop caused by the PDN corresponding to the LDO regulator. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for controlling the switching regulator 210-1 such that the value of the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 is equal to the maximum value of the sums calculated for each LDO regulator, and can transmit the generated voltage control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1.

[0064] The dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator can be estimated according to the output current of the LDO regulator. An example of a method for estimating the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator according to the output current of the LDO regulator will be described below with reference to Figure 2 the following.

[0065] For example, as Figure 1 shown, when the LDO regulator 220-1 and the LDO regulator 220-2 are connected to the switching regulator 210-1, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the sum of the output voltage V1_OUT value of the LDO regulator 220-1 stored in the register 260-2, the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT value of the LDO regulator 220-1 estimated according to the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1, and the voltage drop V_PDN value caused by the PDN 400-1. Similarly, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the sum of the output voltage V2_OUT value of the LDO regulator 220-2 stored in the register 260-3, the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT value of the LDO regulator 220-2 estimated according to the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2, and the voltage drop V_PDN value caused by the PDN 400-2.

[0066] Thereafter, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can compare the sum value of the LDO regulator 220-1 with the sum value of the LDO regulator 220-2, and can determine the amplitude of the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 according to the LDO regulator based on the maximum sum value. For example, the switching regulator 210-1 can be controlled such that the maximum sum value in the sum values of each LDO regulator is the same as the value of the conversion voltage V1_C.

[0067] In this way, since the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 is determined according to the LDO regulator with the maximum sum value having the output voltage value, the dropout voltage value, and the voltage drop value caused by the PDN, there may be a large difference in the input / output voltages of other LDO regulators, which may reduce the power efficiency without dynamic adjustment of V1_C.

[0068] For example, the following situation may occur: the LDO regulator that serves as a reference for the converted voltage V1_C value, i.e., the LDO regulator having the maximum sum value of the output voltage value, the voltage drop value, and the voltage drop value caused by PDN, does not work. For example, when the power supply of the consumer that receives the output voltage (or output current) from the LDO regulator serving as a reference for the converted voltage V1_C value is turned off, the LDO regulator may not generate an output voltage. Even in such a case, when the converted voltage V1_C value is set based on the sum of the output voltage value, the voltage drop value, and the voltage drop value caused by PDN of the corresponding LDO regulator (e.g., without dynamically selecting a new reference LDO regulator), the remaining LDO regulators may unnecessarily reduce the power efficiency.

[0069] Therefore, according to some embodiments, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may dynamically control the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 based on the output voltage, the voltage drop, and the voltage drop caused by the PDN corresponding to the LDO regulator for each LDO regulator.

[0070] As a result, the efficiency of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can be improved by reducing the input / output voltage difference between the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. As a result, the overall conversion efficiency of the power management device 200-1 can be improved.

[0071] Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the output current and the voltage drop of the LDO regulator according to some embodiments. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the change in the output current of the LDO regulator over time according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 2 and Figure 3 to explain the method by which the switching regulator controller 230-1 estimates the voltage drop V_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 based on each of the output currents I1_OUT and I2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0072] First, referring to Figure 2 , the horizontal axis represents the output current I_OUT of the LDO regulator (e.g., 220-1 and 220-2), and the vertical axis represents the voltage drop V_DROPOUT.

[0073] The maximum dropout voltage Vm_DROPOUT can be a characteristic value predefined for the LDO regulator. Accordingly, the input voltage of the LDO regulator can be controlled to be equal to or greater than the sum of the output voltage and the maximum dropout voltage Vm_DROPOUT. However, when the output current I_OUT of the LDO regulator increases, the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT also increases, and when the output current I_OUT of the LDO regulator decreases, the dropout voltage V_DROPOU may also decrease.

[0074] For example, the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT corresponding to the first current information I1 can be lower than the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT corresponding to the second current information I2, and the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT corresponding to the second current information I2 can be lower than the dropout voltage Vn_DROPOUT corresponding to the nth current information In. Accordingly, the decrease in the dropout voltages V1_DROPOUT to Vn_DROPOUT can be estimated based on the first to nth current information I1 to In, thereby reducing the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1.

[0075] Next, referring to Figure 3 , the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the output current I_OUT of the LDO regulator (e.g., 220-1 or 220-2). The output current I_OUT can have a relatively high value in the first section SEC1 (first time interval), and the output current I_OUT can have a relatively low value in the second section SEC2.

[0076] The current sensors 240-1 and 240-2 can detect the output currents of the respective connected LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. The switching regulator controller 230-1 can receive the output currents I1_OUT and I2_OUT from the current sensors 240-1 and 240-2, and can estimate the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 based on the received output currents I1_OUT and I2_OUT.

[0077] For example, since the output current I_OUT in the second section SEC2 is lower than the output current in the first section SEC1, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can estimate that the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT at the second section SEC2 will be lower than that at the first section SEC1. At this time, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can estimate the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 based on the Figure 2 and Figure 3 graphs of.

[0078] Next, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the estimated voltage drop V_DROPOUT and provide the generated control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1, thereby regulating the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1. Since a value is estimated for V_DROPOUT, where the estimated value can be less than the maximum voltage drop Vm_DROPOUT, SUM(V_OUT + V_DROPOUT + V_PDN) can be correspondingly lower, and the voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be controlled to a lower, more accurate, and more efficient minimum voltage required for the operation of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0079] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a plurality of power management devices for powering a system-on-chip. Referring to Figure 4 , the electronic device 1000A may include a plurality of power management devices 200-1 and 200-2 and a system-on-chip (SoC). The system-on-chip may be divided into a plurality of power domains, and each power domain operates by providing different voltages from each other. Each of the plurality of power domains may include at least one functional block. As the structure of the system-on-chip becomes complex, the number of functional blocks included in the system-on-chip may increase, and thus the number of power domains of the system-on-chip may also increase.

[0080] At this time, when one power management device supplies power to all the power domains of the system-on-chip, the power supply circuit path becomes complex, the resistance on the path for supplying power to the power domains may increase, and the power efficiency may decrease. Therefore, in some embodiments, a plurality of power management devices that provide different voltages to one system-on-chip may be provided to improve power efficiency.

[0081] For example, the power domains PD1 and PD2 of the system-on-chip may be supplied with voltage from the power management devices 200-1 that are set adjacent to each other through the power rails PR1 and PR2, respectively. Similarly, the power domains PD3 and PD4 of the system-on-chip may be supplied with voltage from the power management devices 200-2 that are physically close to each other through the power rails PR3 and PR4, respectively. In this way, the number of power management devices included in one electronic device may vary according to the implementation. For example, in some embodiments, eight power management devices may be included in the electronic device, but the number is not limited thereto.

[0082] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Repeated explanations of the examples of Figure 1 are omitted below; the descriptions provided for the Figure 1 elements may equally apply to Figure 5the corresponding element, unless otherwise stated or suggested from the context.

[0083] Referring to Figure 5 , the electronic device 1000B may further include a second power management device 200-2. The power management device 200-2 may further include an LDO regulator 220-3, a voltage sensor 250-3, a current sensor 240-3, a multiplexer 270-3, and a register 260-4. The LDO regulator 220-3 is grouped with the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 and may be connected to the switching regulator 210-1 in a multi-stage structure. The LDO regulator 220-3 may receive the converted voltage V1_C from the switching regulator 210-1 and generate an output voltage V3_OUT. The output voltage V3_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-3 may be provided to the consumer group 300 in the form of voltage V3. For example, the power management device 200-1 may supply the voltage V3 to some of the consumers included in the consumer group 300. In addition, the output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 may be stored in the register 260-4.

[0084] The voltage input to the LDO regulator 220-3 may be a step-down voltage V3_D, which is generated when the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 is stepped down by the resistor R3 of the PDN 400-3 when passing through the PDN 400-3. The voltage sensor 250-3 may sense the step-down voltage V3_D input to the LDO regulator 220-3, and the current sensor 240-3 may selectively sense the input current I3_IN or the output current I3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 through the multiplexer 270-3.

[0085] The switching regulator controller 230-1 may receive the step-down voltage V3_D value and the input current I3_IN value input to the LDO regulator 220-3 from the voltage sensor 250-3 and the current sensor 240-3, and may calculate the voltage drop value caused by the PDN 400-3 based on this. In addition, the output voltage V3_OUT value of the LDO regulator 220-3 stored in the register 260-4 may be known. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may estimate the dropout voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 according to the output current I3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 received from the current sensor 240-3.

[0086] In this way, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the sum of the output voltage value of the LDO regulator, the voltage drop value of the LDO regulator, and the voltage drop value caused by the PDN corresponding to the LDO regulator not only on the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 provided in the same power management device 200-1, but also on the LDO regulator 220-3 provided in a different power management device 200-2. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can compare the calculated sum values of the LDO regulators 220-1, 220-2, and 220-3 and generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for controlling the switching regulator 210-1 such that the sum value of the LDO regulator with the maximum sum value is the same as the conversion voltage V1_C.

[0087] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the Figure 1 and Figure 5 elements are equally applicable to the Figure 6 corresponding elements.

[0088] Referring to Figure 6 , the electronic device 1000C may further include a power management device 200-2. The power management device 200-2 may include a switching regulator controller 230-1, a switching regulator 210-2, LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4, current sensors 240-3 and 240-4, voltage sensors 250-3 and 250-4, registers 260-5, 260-6, and 260-7, and multiplexers 270-3 and 270-4.

[0089] The power management device 200-2 may have a structure similar to that of the power management device 200-1. For example, the switching regulator 210-2 may receive an input voltage V_IN from the battery 100 and generate a conversion voltage V2_C. At this time, the amplitude of the conversion voltage V2_C may be different from the amplitude of the conversion voltage V1_C. The conversion voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 may drop when passing through the PDN 400-3 having the resistor R3. Therefore, the dropped voltage V3_D may be input to the LDO regulator 220-3. In addition, the conversion voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 may drop when passing through the PDN 400-4 having the resistor R4. Therefore, the dropped voltage V4_D may be input to the LDO regulator 220-4.

[0090] The voltage sensor 250-3 can sense the falling voltage V3_D input to the LDO regulator 220-3 and can transmit the sensed falling voltage V3_D value to the switching regulator controller 230-2. The input current I3_IN and the output current I3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 can be input to the multiplexer 270-3, and the multiplexer 270-3 can transmit any one of the currents to the current sensor 240-3. The current sensor 240-3 can sense the received current and transmit the sensed current value to the switching regulator controller 230-2.

[0091] The switching regulator controller 230-2 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-3 based on the falling voltage V3_D value received from the voltage sensor 250-3 and input to the LDO regulator 220-3 and the LDO regulator 220-3 input current I3_IN value received from the current sensor 240-3. Moreover, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can also know the output voltage V3_OUT value of the LDO regulator 220-3 stored in the register 260-5. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can estimate the voltage drop of the LDO regulator 220-3 based on the LDO regulator 220-3 output current I3_OUT value received from the current sensor 240-3. Based on this, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can calculate the sum of the output voltage value, the voltage drop value, and the voltage drop value caused by the PDN 400-3 of the LDO regulator 220-3.

[0092] Similarly, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can calculate the voltage drop value caused by the PDN 400-4 based on the falling voltage V4_D value received from the voltage sensor 250-4 and input to the LDO regulator 220-4, and the LDO regulator 220-4 input current I4_IN value received from the current sensor 240-4. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can estimate the voltage drop of the LDO regulator 220-4 based on the LDO regulator 220-4 output current I4_OUT value received from the current sensor 240-4. Based on this, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can calculate the sum of the output voltage value, the voltage drop value, and the voltage drop value caused by the PDN 400-4 of the LDO regulator 220-4.

[0093] In this way, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can obtain the conversion voltage V2_C from the switching regulator 210-2. For example, it can calculate the sum value of each output voltage value, voltage drop value, and voltage drop value caused by the PDN corresponding to the LDO regulator of the grouped LDO regulators connected to the switching regulator 210-4 in a multi-stage structure, and can generate a voltage control signal VCS2 for dynamically controlling the switching regulator 210-2 such that the maximum value of the sum value is equal to the value of the conversion voltage V2_C, and transmit VCS2 to the switching regulator 210-2.

[0094] The conversion voltage V2_C of the switching regulator 210-2 can be stored in the register 260-7, and the output voltage V4_OUT generated by the LDO regulator 220-4 can be provided to the consumer group 300 in the form of voltage V4.

[0095] In this way, when an electronic device includes multiple power management devices and each power management device includes a switching regulator, each power management device can include a switching regulator controller corresponding one-to-one to the front end of the switching regulator. In addition, the switching regulator controller can execute operations for controlling the corresponding switching regulator independently of other switching regulator controllers included in other power management devices.

[0096] Figure 7 and Figure 8 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Unless otherwise specified or suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the elements regarding Figure 1 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 also apply to the corresponding elements of Figure 7 and Figure 8 .

[0097] First, refer to Figure 7, the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 included in the electronic device 1000D can be included in each of the consumers 310-A and 310-B included in the consumer group 300, for example, instead of or in addition to being included in the power management device 200-1. For example, the LDO regulator 220-1 can be included in the consumer 310-A, and the LDO regulator 220-2 can be included in the consumer 310-B. In addition, the voltage sensor 250-1 that senses the dropped voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1, the current sensor 240-1 that senses one of the input current I1_IN and the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1, the multiplexer 270-1 that selects the input current I1_IN or the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 and transmits it to the current sensor 240-1, and the register 260-2 that stores the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 2200-1 can be included in the consumer 310-A.

[0098] The voltage sensor 250-1 provided in the consumer 310-A senses the dropped voltage V1_D input to the LDO regulator 220-1, and can transmit the sensed voltage value to the switching regulator controller 210-1. The current sensor 240-1 provided in the consumer 310-A can transmit the sensed input current I1_IN and output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 to the switching regulator controller 230-1. In addition, the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 stored in the register 260-2 can be transmitted to the switching regulator controller 230-1.

[0099] In addition, the voltage sensor 250-2 that senses the dropped voltage V2_D input to the LDO regulator 220-2, the current sensor 240-2 that senses the input current I2_IN or the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2, the multiplexer 270-2 that selects the input current I2_IN or the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 and transmits it to the current sensor 240-2, and the register 260-3 that stores the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be included in the consumer 310-B.

[0100] The voltage sensor 250-2 disposed in the consumer 310-B can transmit the sensed input step-down voltage V2_D to the LDO regulator 220-2 to the switch regulator controller 230-1, and the current sensor 240-2 disposed in the consumer 310-B can transmit the sensed input current I2_IN and output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 to the switch regulator controller 230-1. In addition, the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 stored in the register 260-3 can be transmitted to the switch regulator controller 230-1.

[0101] Therefore, the switch regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the sum of the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1, the voltage drop of the LDO regulator 220-1, and the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-1, and can calculate the sum of the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2, the voltage drop of the LDO regulator 220-2, and the voltage drop caused by the PDN 400-2.

[0102] The switch regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for controlling the switch regulator 210-1 such that the maximum value in the sum values calculated for each LDO regulator is equal to the value of the conversion voltage V1_C, and can transmit the generated voltage control signal VCS1 to the switch regulator 210-1.

[0103] Referring to Figure 8 As discussed with respect to Figure 7 the electronic device 1000D can include a power management device 200-1, a printed circuit board 10, a package substrate 20, LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, an integrated circuit die 30, and a memory die 40.

[0104] The printed circuit board 10 can include a first side UF1 and a second side LF1 that face each other in the second direction DR2. The printed circuit board 10 can also include circuit paths 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The circuit paths can electrically connect one or more components disposed on at least one of the first side UF1 and the second side LF1 to each other. The circuit paths can be formed of a conductive material. For example, the circuit paths can include a circuit path for providing an operating voltage and a circuit path for transmitting a signal.

[0105] The printed circuit board 10 can be a circuit board or a substrate that can provide a circuit path (or an electrical communication channel) between one or more components disposed on at least one of the first side UF1 and the second side LF1.

[0106] The printed circuit board 10 may include a plurality of metal layers separated from each other by one or more dielectric material layers, and the plurality of metal layers may be interconnected with each other through conductive vias.

[0107] The package substrate 20 may be attached to the first side UF1 of the printed circuit board 10 through connection materials 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D. In some embodiments, the connection materials 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D may be implemented with conductive materials. For example, the conductive materials may be implemented as, but not limited to, pads, pins, solder pads, solder balls, copper pads, and / or combinations thereof.

[0108] The connection materials described in the present disclosure may include balls and pads connected to the top and bottom of the balls. Therefore, the balls described hereinafter may refer to components including balls and pads. Although pads are shown as an example of connection means in Figure 8 、 Figure 10 and Figure 12 , the connection means is not limited to pads.

[0109] The package substrate 20 may include a first side UF2 and a second side LF2 opposite to each other in a second direction DR2. The package substrate 20 may include circuit paths 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D, such as the circuit paths 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D of the printed circuit board 10. The circuit paths 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D may electrically connect one or more components provided on at least one of the first side UF2 and the second side LF2 to each other. The circuit paths may be formed of a conductive material. For example, the circuit paths may include circuit paths for providing an operating voltage and circuit paths for transmitting signals.

[0110] Each of the printed circuit board 10 and the package substrate 20 may have a length extending in a first direction DR1 intersecting the second direction DR2 and a thickness extending in the second direction DR2. The power management device 200-1, the printed circuit board 10, the package substrate 20, the integrated circuit die 30, and the memory die 40 may be arranged along the second direction DR2.

[0111] The power management device 200-1 may be, for example, a PMIC chip. The power management device 200-1 may be attached to the second side LF1 of the printed circuit board 10 through connection materials 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D. The connection materials 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D may include conductive materials, which include pads, pins, pin pads, solder balls, and / or copper pads.

[0112] The integrated circuit die 30 can be attached to the first side UF2 of the package substrate 20 through the connection materials 50A and 50B. The connection materials 50A and 50B can include conductive materials. The integrated circuit die 30 can be at least one of a microprocessor, a graphics processor, a signal processor, a network processor, a chipset, an application processor, a modem integrated circuit, a radio frequency integrated circuit, a flash memory, and a system-on-chip (SoC).

[0113] The memory die 40 is attached to the first side UF2 of the package substrate 20 through the connection materials 50C and 50D, and can be disposed on the integrated circuit die 30. The connection materials 50C and 50D can include conductive materials. The memory die 40 can include at least one of a DRAM device and a NAND flash memory device including a controller, but the memory type is not limited thereto.

[0114] Referring together Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 of the power management device 200-1 that receives the input voltage V_IN from the battery 100 can reach the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30 via the connection materials 30B and 30C, the circuit paths 10B and 10C, the connection materials 40B and 40C, the circuit paths 20B and 20C, and the connection materials 50A and 50B. Thus, the connection materials and circuit paths until the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30 can correspond to Figure 7 the PDN 400-1, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R1 value of the PDN 400-1.

[0115] In addition, the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 of the power management device 200-1 that receives the input voltage V_IN from the battery 100 can reach the LDO regulator 220-2 in the memory die 40 via the connection materials 30A and 30D, the circuit paths 10A and 10D, the connection materials 40A and 40D, the circuit paths 20A and 20D, and the connection materials 50C and 50D. Thus, the connection materials and circuit paths until the conversion voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-2 in the memory die 40 can correspond to Figure 7 the PDN 400-2, and the total resistance value caused by the materials and circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R2 value of the PDN 400-2.

[0116] Thus, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30 or the LDO regulator 220-2 in the memory die 40 via (or through) the PDN 400-1 or the PDN 400-2. During this process, a voltage drop occurs due to the circuit paths in the printed circuit board 10 and the package substrate 20 and / or the connection materials between the substrates / boards, and the voltage reduced from the converted voltage V1_C can be input to each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0117] Because the integrated circuit die 30 includes a current sensor 240-1 that senses the input current I1_IN or the output current I1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 and a voltage sensor 250-1 that senses the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the connection materials 30B, 30C, 40B, 40C, 50A, and 50B and the circuit paths 10B, 10C, 20B, and 20C between the switching regulator 210-1 and the LDO regulator 220-1.

[0118] Similarly, because the memory die 40 includes a current sensor 240-2 that senses the input current I2_IN or the output current I2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 and a voltage sensor 250-2 that senses the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can calculate the voltage drop caused by the connection materials 30A, 30D, 40A, 40D, 50C, and 50D and the circuit paths 10A, 10D, 20A, and 20D between the switching regulator 210-1 and the LDO regulator 220-2.

[0119] Figure 9 and Figure 10 are diagrams showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or otherwise suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the elements regarding Figure 1 and Figures 5 to 8 also apply to the corresponding elements of Figure 9 and Figure 10 respectively.

[0120] First, refer to Figure 9, the electronic device 1000E may include multiple power management devices 200-1 and 200-2, and each power management device 200-1 and 200-2 may include a switching regulator 210-1 and 210-2 that receives an input voltage V_IN from a battery 100, and includes switching regulator controllers 230-1 and 230-2. The switching regulator controllers 230-1 and 230-2 generate a voltage control signal VCS1 or a voltage control signal VCS2 for controlling each switching regulator 210-1 and 210-2 and transmit it to each switching regulator 210-1 and 210-2.

[0121] The LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 connected to the switching regulator 210-1 in a multi-stage structure and receiving the converted voltage V1_C may be included in the consumer 310-A. Current sensors 240-1 and 240-2, voltage sensors 250-1 and 250-2, and multiplexers 270-1 and 270-2 corresponding to each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 may be included in the consumer 310-A. The values sensed by the current sensors 240-1 and 240-2 and the voltage sensors 250-1 and 250-2, and the output voltage V1_OUT and V2_OUT values of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 stored in each of the registers 260-2 and 260-3 may be transmitted to the switching regulator controller 230-1, and the switching regulator controller 230-1 may dynamically control the converted voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 based on the received values.

[0122] Similarly, the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 connected to the switching regulator 210-2 in a multi-stage structure and receiving the converted voltage V2_C may be included in the consumer 310-B. Current sensors 240-3 and 240-4, voltage sensors 250-3 and 250-4, and multiplexers 270-3 and 270-4 corresponding to each of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 may be included in the consumer 310-B. The values sensed by the current sensors 240-3 and 240-4 and the voltage sensors 250-3 and 250-4, and the output voltage V3_OUT and V4_OUT values of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 stored in each of the registers 260-5 and 260-6 may be transmitted to the switching regulator controller 230-2, and the switching regulator controller 230-2 may dynamically control the converted voltage V2_C generated by the switching regulator 210-2 based on the received values.

[0123] Next, refer to together Figure 9 and Figure 10, the power management device 200-1 can be attached to the second side LF1 of the printed circuit board 10 through the connection materials 30G and 30H, and the power management device 200-2 can be attached to the second side LF1 of the printed circuit board 10 through the connection members 30E and 30F.

[0124] The converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input into the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30 through the connection material 30H, the circuit path 10H, the connection material 40H, the circuit path 20G, and the connection material 50F. In this way, until the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30, the connection materials 30G, 30H, 40H, and 50F and the circuit paths 10H and 20G can correspond to Figure 9 the PDN 400-1, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R1 value of the PDN 400-1.

[0125] In addition, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input into the LDO regulator 220-2 in the integrated circuit die 30 through the connection material 30G, the circuit path 10G, the connection material 40G, the circuit path 20F, and the connection material 50E. In this way, until the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-2 in the integrated circuit die 30, the connection materials 30G, 40G, 50E and the circuit paths 10G and 20F can correspond to Figure 9 the PDN 400-2, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R2 value of the PDN 400-2.

[0126] The converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 can be input into the LDO regulator 220-3 in the memory die 40 through the connection material 30F, the circuit path 10F, the connection material 40F, the circuit path 20H, and the connection material 50H. In this way, until the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 reaches the LDO regulator 220-3 in the memory die 40, the connection materials 30F, 40F, and 50H and the circuit paths 10F and 20H can correspond to Figure 9 the PDN 400-3, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R3 value of the PDN 400-3.

[0127] In addition, the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-4 in the memory die 40 through the connection member 30E, the circuit path 10E, the connection material 40E, the circuit path 20E, and the connection material 50G. In this way, until the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 reaches the LDO regulator 220-4 in the memory die 40, the connection materials 30E, 40E, and 50G and the circuit paths 10E and 20E can correspond to Figure 9 the PDN 400-4, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R4 value of the PDN 400-4.

[0128] In this way, when each LDO regulator is included in a consumer such as the integrated circuit die 30 or the memory die 40, since the current sensors and voltage sensors for sensing the input current, output current, and input voltage of each LDO regulator are included in the corresponding consumer, the switching regulator controller can calculate the voltage drop caused by the PDN between the switching regulator and the LDO regulator.

[0129] Figure 11 and Figure 12 are diagrams showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the Figure 1 and Figures 5 to 10 elements are equally applicable to the Figure 11 and Figure 12 corresponding elements.

[0130] First, referring to Figure 11 , in this example, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-1 in the consumer 310-A via (or through) the PDN 400-1, and can be input to the LDO regulator 220-3 in the consumer 310-B via (or through) the PDN 400-3. In addition, the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-2 in the consumer 310-A via (or through) the PDN 400-2, and can be input to the LDO regulator 220-4 in the consumer 310-B via (or through) the PDN 400-4.

[0131] Referring together to Figure 11 and Figure 12, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30 through the connection material 30K, the circuit path 10K, the connection material 40K, the circuit path 20K, and the connection material 50J. In this way, until the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-1 in the integrated circuit die 30, the connection materials 30K, 40K, and 50J and the circuit paths 10K and 20K can correspond to Figure 9 of the PDN400-1, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R1 value of the PDN 400-1.

[0132] In addition, the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-3 in the memory die 40 through the connection material 30L, the circuit path 10L, the connection material 40L, the circuit path 20L, and the connection material 50L. In this way, until the converted voltage V1_C output from the switching regulator 210-1 reaches the LDO regulator 220-3 in the memory die 40, the connection materials 30L, 40L, and 50L and the circuit paths 10L and 20L can correspond to Figure 11 of the PDN 400-3, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R3 value of the PDN 400-3.

[0133] The converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-2 in the integrated circuit die 30 through the connection material 30J, the circuit path 10J, the connection material 40J, the circuit path 20J, and the connection material 50I. In this way, the connection materials 30J, 40J, and 50I and the circuit paths 10J and 20J can correspond to Figure 11 of the PDN 400-2, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R2 value of the PDN 400-2.

[0134] In addition, the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 can be input to the LDO regulator 220-4 in the memory die 40 through the connection material 30I, the circuit path 10I, the connection member 40I, the circuit path 20I, and the connection material 50K. In this way, until the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 reaches the LDO regulator 220-4 in the memory die 40, the connection materials 30I, 40I, and 50K and the circuit paths 10I and 20I can correspond to Figure 11 of the PDN 400-4, and the total resistance value caused by the connection materials and the circuit paths can correspond to the resistor R4 value of the PDN 400-4.

[0135] Thus, when the LDO regulators are provided in the consumers instead of the power management device, the LDO regulators receiving the converted voltage from the same switching regulator in the same power management device can be provided in different consumers from each other.

[0136] Figure 13 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Figure 14 is for explaining Figure 13 The voltage drop voltage in the voltage drop voltage register. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; regarding Figure 1 and Figures 5 to 12 The descriptions provided for the elements of also apply to the corresponding elements of Figure 13 unless otherwise stated or otherwise suggested from the context, and the explanations will focus on the differences.

[0137] First, referring to Figure 13 , the electronic device 1000G may include a battery 100, a power management device 200-1, a power management device controller 500, and a consumer group 300. The power management device controller 500 may control an operation in which the power management device 200-1 receives an input voltage V_IN from the battery 100 and outputs the input voltage as a plurality of voltages V1 and V2 suitable for driving consumers 310-1 to 310-N of the consumer group 300. Hereinafter, an example in the case where the consumer group 300 is an SoC and the consumers 310-1 to 310-N are functional blocks included in the SoC will be described. For example, the consumers 310-1 to 310-N may be an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), etc. included in the SoC.

[0138] The power management device controller 500 and the power management device 200-1 may send and receive signals through an interface. For example, the power management device controller 500 may send commands and / or data to the power management device 200-1 through I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) communication.

[0139] In some embodiments, the power management device controller 500 may generate commands regarding the operation scenario of the SoC and transmit them to the power management device 200-1. In addition, according to the operation scenario of the SoC, the power management device controller 500 may transmit information regarding each of the voltage drop voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 to the power management device 200-1.

[0140] For example, referring together to Figure 13 and Figure 14, when the SoC includes functional blocks such as an AP, a CP, and a GNSS, each of the dropout voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 can vary according to the operating mode of the functional blocks. For example, when only the AP is operating (Scenario 1), each of the dropout voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 and the LDO regulator 220-2 can be 50 mV. Additionally, when the CP is operating at 1CC or the GNSS is operating (Scenario 2), the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 can be 50 millivolts, and the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be 40 mV.

[0141] Furthermore, when the CP exceeds 1 CC (Scenario 3), the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 can be 100 mV, and the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can also be 90 mV. Additionally, when the AP is in the sleep mode (Scenario 4), the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 is 30 mV, and the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can also be 30 mV. Moreover, when both the AP and the CP are in the sleep mode (Scenario 5), the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 is 30 mV, and the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be 30 mV.

[0142] In this way, the power management device controller 500 can pre-store the dropout voltage of each LDO regulator in the power management device 200-1 for each operating scenario of the SoC. However, the magnitudes of the dropout voltages of the LDO regulators described with reference to Figure 14 are examples, and the magnitudes of the dropout voltages of each LDO regulator corresponding to the operating scenarios of the SoC can be different in various embodiments.

[0143] Referring again to Figure 13 , the power management device 200-1 can include a switching regulator controller 230-1, a switching regulator 210-1, LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2, registers 260-1, 260-2, and 260-3, and a dropout voltage register 280-1.

[0144] The switching regulator 210-1 generates a switching voltage V1_C that can be stored in the register 260-1. In addition, the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 can be stored in the register 260-2, and the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 can be stored in the register 260-3. The voltage drop voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 for each operation scenario of the SoC received by the power management device 200-1 from the power management device controller 500 can be stored in the voltage drop register 280-1.

[0145] The switching regulator controller 230-1 can generate a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 stored in the register 260-2, the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 stored in the register 260-3, and the voltage drop voltages of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 stored in the voltage drop register 280. In addition, by transmitting the voltage control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1, the value of the switching voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 can be dynamically controlled.

[0146] For example, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can determine the value of the switching voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 based on Equation 2 below.

[0147] [Equation 2] V1_C = MAX(V_OUT + V_DROPOUT + V_PDN_m).

[0148] In response to receiving a command regarding the operation scenario of the SoC from the power management device controller 500, the power management device 200-1 can receive each voltage drop voltage V1_DROPOUT / V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 corresponding to the operation scenario of the commanded SoC from the voltage drop register 280-1. In addition, the power management device 200-1 can receive the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 from the registers 260-2 and 260-3, respectively.

[0149] In Equation 2, the voltage margin V_PDN_m can be the voltage margin reduced by the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2. In Figure 13 some embodiments of the electronic device 1000G, related to Figure 1Unlike some embodiments of an electronic device such as, since the current sensor and the voltage sensor are not included, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may know the voltage drop values caused by the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2. The switching regulator controller 230-1 may estimate the degree to which each of the resistors R1 and R2 of the PDNs 400-1 and 400-2 reduces the conversion voltage V1_C, and calculate Equation 2.

[0150] The switching regulator controller 230-1 may calculate the sum of each of the output voltage V_OUT of the LDO regulator, the voltage drop voltage V_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator, and the voltage margin V_PDN_m caused by the PDN corresponding to the LDO regulator for each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2. The switching regulator controller 230-1 may select the maximum value among the sum values, generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for controlling the switching regulator 210-1 such that the maximum value is equal to the value of the conversion voltage V1_C, and may transmit the generated voltage control information VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1.

[0151] Figure 15 is for explaining Figure 13 a flowchart of an operation method of a power management device. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 13 and Figure 15 to describe the method.

[0152] The power management device 200-1 receives information on the voltage drop voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT corresponding to each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 from the power management device controller 500 according to the operation scenario of the SoC (S100). The power management device 200-1 stores the received voltage drop voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT in the voltage drop voltage register 280-1 (S110). The power management device 200-1 receives a command on the operation scenario of the SoC from the power management device controller 500 (e.g., after S110) (S120). The power management device 200-1 stores the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT respectively generated by the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 in the registers 260-2 and 260-3 (e.g., after S120) (S130). The output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT generated by the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 may be modified by the power management device controller 500 to be suitable for the operation scenario of the SoC to improve or maximize the power efficiency of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2.

[0153] The switching regulator controller 230-1 (e.g., after S130) receives, in response to a command regarding the operation scenario of the SoC received from the power management device controller 500, the dropout voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 corresponding to the operation scenario of the SoC from the dropout voltage register 280-1, and receives the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT generated by each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 from the registers 260-2 and 260-3 and changed to be suitable for the operation scenario of the SoC (S140). The switching regulator controller 230-1 (e.g., after S140) generates a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the received dropout voltages V1_DROPOUT and V2_DROPOUT and the output voltages V1_OUT and V2_OUT (S150). The switching regulator controller 230-1 (e.g., after S150) provides the generated voltage control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1 (S160).

[0154] The amplitude of the switching voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 dynamically controlled by the voltage control signal VCS1 can be a value that is greater than the maximum value of the sum of the output voltage and the dropout voltage of each LDO regulator calculated by Equation 2 by a voltage margin V_PND_m. For example, when the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 is 1.8V, the dropout voltage V1_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 is 0.1V, the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 is 1.9V, the dropout voltage V2_DROPOUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 is 0.2V, and the voltage margin V_PND_m is 0.3V, the switching voltage V1_C can be 2.4V (=1.9V + 0.2V + 0.3V).

[0155] In this way, the dropout voltage of each LDO regulator can be set differently according to the scenario of the SoC, and the dropout voltages set differently according to the scenario can be stored in the dropout voltage register. Therefore, the switching regulator controller 230-1 can automatically and dynamically control the switching voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1 based on the dropout voltages set differently according to the scenario.

[0156] Figure 16 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or otherwise suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the elements of Figure 1 and Figures 5 to 13 also apply to the corresponding elements of Figure 16 ​

[0157] Referring to Figure 16 Figure 16 , the electronic device 1000H may further include a power management device 200-2. The power management device 200-2 may include LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4, resistors 260-4 and 260-5, and a dropout voltage register 280-2. The LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 are grouped with the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 and may be connected to the switching regulator 210-1 in a multi-stage structure. The output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 may be stored in the register 260-4, and the output voltage V4_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-4 may be stored in the register 260-5.

[0158] The power management device controller 500 may transmit information about the respective dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 to the power management device 200-2 through an interface according to the operating scenario of the SoC. The dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 received by the power management device 200-2 from the power management device controller 500 according to the operating scenario of the SoC may be stored in the dropout voltage register 280-2.

[0159] The switching regulator controller 230-1 may generate a voltage control signal VCS1 based on the output voltage V1_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-1 stored in the register 260-2 of the power management device 200-1, the output voltage V2_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-2 stored in the register 260-3, the dropout voltage of each of the LDO regulators 220-1 and 220-2 stored in the dropout voltage register 280-1, and the output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 stored in the register 260-4 of the power management device 200-2, the output voltage V4_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-4 stored in the register 260-5, and the dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of each of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 stored in the register 280-2. In addition, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may transmit the voltage control signal VCS1 to the switching regulator 210-1 to dynamically control the value of the conversion voltage V1_C generated by the switching regulator 210-1.

[0160] For example, the switching regulator controller 230-1 may generate a voltage control signal VCS1 for dynamically controlling the switching regulator 210-1 based on the LDO regulator having the maximum sum of the output voltage and the voltage drop, such that the value obtained by adding the voltage margin V_PDN_m to the sum of the output voltage and the voltage drop of the LDO regulator is equal to the conversion voltage V1_C.

[0161] Figure 17 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of the previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the elements regarding Figure 1 , Figures 5 to 13 and Figure 16 also apply equally to the corresponding elements of Figure 17 .

[0162] Referring to Figure 17 , the voltage drop register 280-2 of the electronic device 1000I may be included in the power management device 200-1. In addition, the power management device 200-1 may further include a register 260-4A for storing the output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 and a register 260-5A for storing the output voltage V4_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-4.

[0163] In this way, the voltage drop register 280-2 for storing each of the voltage drops V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 included in the power management device 200-2 may be included in the power management device 200-1 including the switching regulator 210-1. In addition, the output voltages V3_OUT and V4_OUT of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 received from the switching regulator 210-1 and included in the power management device 200-2 (the power management device 200-2 does not include the switching regulator 210-1) are respectively stored in the existing registers 260-4 and 260-5, and may also be stored simultaneously in the registers 260-4A and 260-5A, which are included in the power management device 200-1 including the switching regulator 210-1.

[0164] Therefore, when the electronic device 1000I includes a plurality of power management devices 200-1 and 200-2, it may not be necessary to add an interface between the power management devices 200-1 and 200-2 to receive the output voltage and voltage drop information of the LDO regulator.

[0165] Figure 18FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device including a power management device according to some embodiments. Hereinafter, repeated explanations of previous examples will be omitted; unless otherwise stated or suggested from the context, the descriptions provided for the elements regarding Figure 1 and Figures 5 to 13 and Figures 16 to 17 also apply to the corresponding elements of Figure 18 .

[0166] Referring to Figure 18 , the electronic device 1000J may include a plurality of power management devices 200-1 and 200-2. Each power management device receives an input voltage V_IN from the battery 100, and each of the plurality of power management devices 200-1 and 200-2 may include a switching regulator 210-1 and 210-2 and a switching regulator controller 230-1 and 230-2. Although Figure 18 shows that the power management devices 200-1 and 200-2 are controlled by the same power management device controller 500, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, each of the power management devices 200-1 and 200-2 may be controlled by a different power management device controller from each other.

[0167] The power management device 200-2 may have a structure similar to that of the power management device 200-1. For example, the switching regulator 210-2 may receive the input voltage V_IN from the battery 100 to generate a converted voltage V2_C. The amplitude of the converted voltage V2_C may be different from the amplitude of the converted voltage V1_C.

[0168] The converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 is voltage-reduced via (or through) the PDN 400-3, converted into a step-down voltage V3_D, and may be input to the LDO regulator 220-3. The LDO regulator 220-3 may generate an output voltage V3_OUT from the step-down voltage V3_D, and the generated output voltage V3_OUT may be stored in the register 260-4 and then transmitted to the switching regulator controller 230-2.

[0169] In addition, the converted voltage V2_C output from the switching regulator 210-2 is voltage-reduced via (or through) the PDN 400-4, converted into a falling voltage V4_D, and can be input to the LDO regulator 220-4. The LDO regulator 220-4 can generate an output voltage V4_OUT based on the falling voltage V4_D, and the generated output voltage V4_OUT can be stored in the register 260-5 and then transmitted to the switching regulator controller 230-2. The output voltages V3_OUT and V4_OUT can be changed by the power management device controller 500 to suit the operating scenario of the SoC, thereby maximizing the power efficiency of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4.

[0170] The power management device controller 500 can transmit information about each of the dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 to the power management device 200-2 through an interface, and the dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT can be stored in the dropout register 280-2 in the power management device 200-2.

[0171] The switching regulator controller 230-2 can generate a voltage control signal VCS2 based on the output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-3 stored in the register 260-4, the output voltage V3_OUT of the LDO regulator 220-4 stored in the register 260-5, and the dropout voltages V3_DROPOUT and V4_DROPOUT of the respective LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 stored in the dropout voltage register 280-2.

[0172] For example, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can calculate the sum value of the output voltage and the dropout voltage of each of the LDO regulators 220-3 and 220-4 by referring to Figure 13 Formula 2 described, and can control the switching regulator 210-2 such that the sum value of the maximum value in the calculated sum values and the voltage margin V_PDN_m value is equal to the value of the converted voltage V2_C.

[0173] In this way, the switching regulator controller 230-2 can transmit the voltage control signal VCS2 for controlling the switching regulator 230-2 to the switching regulator 210-2, and can dynamically control the value of the converted voltage V2_C generated by the switching regulator 210-2.

[0174] Thus, when an electronic device includes a plurality of power management devices and each power management device includes a switching regulator, each power management device may include a switching regulator controller corresponding one-to-one to the front end of the switching regulator. In addition, the switching regulator controller may perform operations for controlling the corresponding switching regulator independently of other switching regulator controllers included in other power management devices.

[0175] Figure 19 FIG. is a diagram showing an electronic device according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 19 , the electronic device 2000 may include a power management device 2100, an AP 2200, an input device 2300, a display 2400, a memory 2500, and a battery 2600. The electronic device 2000 may be any of the electronic devices described with reference to Figures 1 to 18 . For example, the electronic device 2000 may be a smart phone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a netbook, an e-reader, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), an MP3 player, etc. In addition, the electronic device 2000 may be a wearable device such as an electronic bracelet or an electronic necklace.

[0176] The power management device 2100 may be any one of the electronic devices or power management devices described with reference to Figures 1 to 18 . The power management device 2100 is powered by the battery 2600 and may manage the power of the AP 2200, the input device 2300, the display 2400, or the memory 2500. The AP 2200, the input device 2300, the display 2400, and the memory 2500 may be any one of the consumers 310-1 to 310-N described with reference to Figures 1 to 18 . The AP 2200 controls the overall operation of the electronic device 2000. For example, the AP 2200 may display data stored in the memory 2500 through the display 2400 according to an input signal generated by the input device 2300. For example, the input device 2300 may be implemented as a pointing device such as a touchpad or a computer mouse, a keypad, or a keyboard.

[0177] Although this disclosure contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the claims. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. In addition, although the above features may be described as acting in certain combinations, in some cases, one or more features in the combination may be deleted from the combination, and the combination may refer to a sub-combination or a variant of the sub-combination.

[0178] In addition, although various examples have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples and can be implemented in various different forms. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will be able to understand that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or basic characteristics of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the above examples are not restrictive but illustrative in all respects.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a first power management device configured to receive an input voltage and output a plurality of first voltages based on the input voltage; as well as at least one consumer configured to receive the plurality of first voltages from the first power management device and to operate based on the plurality of first voltages, Wherein, the first power management device comprises: a switching regulator configured to generate a conversion voltage based on the input voltage, a first low dropout (LDO) regulator configured to generate a first output voltage based on a first dropped voltage, the first dropped voltage being generated based on the converted voltage through a first power distribution network (PDN), a second LDO regulator configured to generate a second output voltage based on a second stepped-down voltage generated based on the converted voltage through a second PDN, and A switching regulator controller configured to determining a first dropout voltage of the first LDO regulator based on a first output current of the first LDO regulator, determining a second dropout voltage of the second LDO regulator based on a second output current of the second LDO regulator, determining a first voltage drop caused by the first PDN based on a first input current and a first input voltage of the first LDO regulator, determining a second voltage drop caused by the second PDN based on a second input current and a second input voltage of the second LDO regulator, and The conversion voltage is dynamically controlled based on the first dropout voltage, the second dropout voltage, the first voltage drop, and the second voltage drop.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second power management device configured to receive the input voltage and output a plurality of second voltages based on the input voltage, wherein the second power management device comprises a third LDO regulator, the third LDO regulator being configured to generate a third output voltage based on a third dropped voltage, the third dropped voltage being generated based on the converted voltage through the third PDN, and Wherein, the at least one consumer is configured to operate based on the plurality of first voltages and the plurality of second voltages.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein: The switching regulator controller is configured to: determining a third dropout voltage of the third LDO regulator based on a third output current of the third LDO regulator; and A third voltage drop caused by the third PDN is determined based on a third input current and a third input voltage of the third LDO regulator.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The switching regulator controller is configured to dynamically control the switching voltage further based on the third dropout voltage and the third voltage drop. 5 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a first register configured to store the conversion voltage, a second register configured to store the first output voltage, and a third register configured to store the second output voltage.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: Based on a first sum of the first output voltage, the first dropout voltage, and the first voltage drop being greater than a second sum of the second output voltage, the second dropout voltage, and the second voltage drop, the switching regulator controller is configured to: generating a voltage control signal for controlling the switching regulator so that the conversion voltage matches a first sum of the first output voltage, the first dropout voltage, and the first voltage drop; as well as The generated voltage control signal is transmitted to the switching regulator.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first voltage sensor configured to sense the first input voltage of the first LDO regulator; as well as a second voltage sensor configured to sense the second input voltage of the second LDO regulator, wherein the first voltage sensor is configured to transmit a sensed first input voltage value to the switching regulator controller, and The second voltage sensor is configured to transmit a sensed second input voltage value to the switching regulator controller.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first current sensor configured to sense a first current among the first input current of the first LDO regulator and the first output current of the first LDO regulator, and transmit a value of the sensed first current to the switching regulator controller; as well as A second current sensor is configured to sense a second current among the second input current of the second LDO regulator and the second output current of the second LDO regulator, and transmit a value of the sensed second current to the switching regulator controller.

9. An electronic device, comprising: a first power management device configured to receive an input voltage and output a plurality of first voltages for driving a system on chip based on the input voltage; as well as a power management device controller configured to control the operation of the first power management device, generate a command indicative of a current operating scenario of the system on chip, and transmit the command to the first power management device, Wherein, the first power management device comprises: a switching regulator configured to generate a conversion voltage based on the input voltage; a plurality of low dropout (LDO) regulators, the plurality of LDO regulators being configured to generate a corresponding plurality of output voltages based on the converted voltage; a first register configured to store a plurality of output voltages generated by the plurality of LDO regulators; a first dropout voltage register configured to store a plurality of dropout voltages corresponding to each of the plurality of LDO regulators, the plurality of dropout voltages corresponding to an operation scenario of the system on chip; and A switching regulator controller, the switching regulator controller being configured to: receiving the plurality of output voltages from the first register, receiving a voltage drop voltage corresponding to the current operation scenario of the system on chip from the first voltage drop voltage register, among the plurality of voltage drop voltages, and In response to receiving the command from the power management device controller, the conversion voltage is dynamically controlled based on the received plurality of output voltages and a dropout voltage corresponding to the current operating scenario.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein: The switching regulator controller is configured to: generating a voltage control signal for controlling the conversion voltage based on an output voltage corresponding to a first LDO regulator among the plurality of LDO regulators and based on a dropout voltage corresponding to the first LDO regulator, wherein the first LDO regulator among the plurality of LDO regulators has a maximum sum of an output voltage and a dropout voltage; as well as The generated voltage control signal is transmitted to the switching regulator.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein: The power management device controller is configured to transmit the plurality of dropout voltages corresponding to each of the plurality of LDO regulators to the first power management device.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein: The plurality of LDO regulators include a first LDO regulator and a second LDO regulator, the first LDO regulator being configured to generate a first output voltage according to the conversion voltage, and the second LDO regulator being configured to generate a second output voltage according to the conversion voltage, The system on chip includes a first functional block and a second functional block. wherein the first functional block is configured to operate based on the first output voltage, and Wherein, the second functional block is configured to operate based on the second output voltage.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein: Based on a first sum of a first dropout voltage corresponding to the first LDO regulator and the first output voltage being greater than a second sum of a second dropout voltage corresponding to the second LDO regulator and the second output voltage, the switching regulator controller is configured to: The switching regulator is controlled to generate the conversion voltage based on a difference between a voltage output from the switching regulator and a voltage input to the first LDO regulator.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, in, A power distribution network PDN having a resistor is electrically connected between the switching regulator and the first LDO regulator, and The switching regulator controller is configured to control the switching regulator so that the conversion voltage matches the sum of the first output voltage, the first drop voltage, and a voltage drop corresponding to the resistance of the PDN.

15. The electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising: a second power management device configured to output a plurality of second voltages for driving the system on chip, the plurality of second voltages being output based on the input voltage, Wherein, the power management device controller is configured to control the operation of the second power management device.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15, in, The second power management device comprises: a third LDO regulator configured to generate a third output voltage based on the converted voltage, and a third register configured to store the third output voltage, and Wherein, the switching regulator controller is configured as: receiving the third output voltage from the third register, receiving a third dropout voltage of the third LDO regulator, the third dropout voltage corresponding to the current operating scenario of the system on chip, and The conversion voltage is further dynamically controlled based on the third output voltage and the third dropout voltage.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, in, The second power management device further includes a second dropout voltage register configured to store the third dropout voltage, and The switching regulator controller is configured to receive the third voltage drop voltage from the second voltage drop voltage register.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16, in, The first power management device further includes a second dropout voltage register configured to store the third dropout voltage, and The switching regulator controller is configured to receive the third voltage drop voltage from the second voltage drop voltage register.

19. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein: The first power management device also includes a fourth register configured to store the third output voltage.

20. A method of operating a power management device, in, The power management device includes a switching regulator and a switching regulator controller, the switching regulator is configured to generate a conversion voltage based on an input voltage, the switching regulator controller is configured to dynamically control the conversion voltage, and the operating method includes: receiving, from a power management device controller, a plurality of dropout voltages corresponding to each of a plurality of low dropout (LDO) regulators, the plurality of dropout voltages corresponding to an operating scenario of the system on chip; storing the plurality of dropout voltages in a dropout voltage register; receiving a command from the power management device controller indicating a current operating scenario of the system on chip; storing a plurality of output voltages generated by the plurality of LDO regulators in a first register; In response to the command, obtaining, at the switching regulator controller, a voltage dropout voltage corresponding to the current operating scenario from among the plurality of voltage dropout voltages stored in the voltage dropout voltage register, and obtaining the plurality of output voltages from the first register; generating, by the switching regulator controller, a voltage control signal for controlling the switching regulator based on the obtained dropout voltage and the obtained plurality of output voltages; and The generated voltage control signal is provided to the switching regulator.

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