Power conversion module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a power supply conversion module and electronic equipment, and relates to the technical field of servers, the power supply conversion module comprises a first power supply part and a second power supply part which are arranged in an up-and-down hierarchy mode, the two power supply parts are used for executing voltage conversion tasks of different phases, the arrangement mode of the power supply parts can improve the space utilization rate, and the space utilization rate is improved. The board occupation area of the power supply conversion module is reduced; the output voltage of the first power supply component is transmitted to the first load through the first inductor, the output voltage of the second power supply component is transmitted to the second load through the second inductor, the first load and the second load can be the same load or different loads, and the power supply voltage output mode can adapt to various load requirements. And the flexibility and efficiency of power supply use are improved. According to the invention, the problem of insufficient space of the PCB in the prior art can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of servers, and in particular, to a power conversion module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Some processing components, such as a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) and an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), can be integrated on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) of an electronic device (such as a server). Through these processing components, tasks such as graphic processing and data processing can be performed.

[0003] With the increase in the power of the processing components, the volume of the processing components also increases. Coupled with the continuous increase in the number of processing components, the space occupied by them on the PCB also increases accordingly. However, the space of the PCB is limited. The increase in the power and number of the processing components leads to the problem of insufficient space on the PCB. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a power conversion module and an electronic device to at least solve the problem of insufficient space on the PCB in an electronic device existing in the related art.

[0005] This application provides a power conversion module, including: a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power component and the second power component are arranged in an upper and lower layer. Among them, the first power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. Among them, the output voltage of the first power component is transmitted to a first load via the first inductor; the second power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Among them, the output voltage of the second power component is transmitted to a second load via the second inductor, where the first load and the second load are the same load or different loads.

[0006] The present application also provides an electronic device, including: a power conversion module, a main board, and a group of processing components. The power conversion module and the group of processing components are both connected to the main board. The power conversion module includes a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power component and the second power component are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner. Among them, the first power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. Among them, the output voltage of the first power component is transmitted to the first processing component in the group of processing components via the first inductor; the second power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Among them, the output voltage of the second power component is transmitted to the second processing component in the group of processing components via the second inductor. Among them, the first processing component and the second processing component are the same processing component or different processing components.

[0007] Through the present application, for the power conversion module, arranging the first power component and the second power component in an upper and lower hierarchical manner can reduce the board occupation area of the power conversion module and achieve the improvement of space utilization rate within the limited PCB space; the two power components are used to perform the voltage conversion tasks of different phases, and the output voltages of the two power components are transmitted to the same or different loads through different inductors. Through the above power voltage output method, it can adapt to various load requirements and improve the flexibility and efficiency of power use. Therefore, the problem of insufficient space on the PCB in the related art can be solved. Description of the Drawings

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0009] Figure 1 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] Figure 2 It is a top view structural schematic diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 4 It is a disassembly schematic diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 5It is a schematic structural diagram of another optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of an optional inductor layer according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of an optional inductor magnetic field line direction according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of an optional stepped solder foot according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of an optional magnetic core, signal copper bar and power copper bar according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 10 It is a schematic circuit diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 11 It is a schematic disassembled diagram of another optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of yet another optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 13 It is a schematic structural diagram of yet another optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 14 It is a schematic structural diagram of an optional server according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. The terms "first", "second", etc. in this application are used to distinguish similar objects, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0025] To enable those skilled in the art of this technology to better understand the solution of this application, the following further detailed description of this application will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] Currently, some processing components can be integrated on the PCB of an electronic device (such as a server), for example, GPU, ASIC, etc. Through these processing components, tasks such as graphics processing and data processing can be performed. Among them, a server refers to a high-performance computer that provides various services on a network, and it can provide computing or application services for other client machines (such as terminals like computers, smartphones, ATMs, etc., or even large devices). The functions of a server and an ordinary computer are similar, but compared with an ordinary computer, a server has higher requirements in terms of stability, security, data throughput capacity, scalability, and performance. Therefore, in terms of hardware such as GPU, Central Processing Unit (CPU for short), memory, disk system, and network, a server is different from an ordinary computer.

[0027] With the increase in the power of the processing components, the volume of the processing components is also increasing. Coupled with the continuous increase in the number of processing components, the space they occupy on the PCB also correspondingly increases. However, the space of the PCB board is limited, and the increase in the power and number of processing components leads to insufficient space on the PCB.

[0028] To solve the problem of insufficient PCB space, in addition to reducing the size of the processing components or reducing the number of processing components on the basis of meeting the power requirements, the space occupied by the board can be reduced by optimizing the volume of other components on the PCB. Among them, as a power supply system closely related to the processing components, a scheme of separating the Voltage Regulator (VR for short) is usually adopted, that is, components such as the input capacitor, power supply component, and output inductor in the VR are separated. The scattered layout of each component in the above VR separation scheme further exacerbates the problem of insufficient PCB space, resulting in a significant increase in the wiring difficulty, and the stability and reliability of the server are also severely affected.

[0029] To reduce the board space occupied by the power supply system in response to the increasing size and quantity of processing components, a Voltage Regulator Model (VRM) can be used to supply power to the processing components on the PCB. The VRM module features high integration, enabling effective integration of originally scattered voltage regulation components. This design not only reduces the space occupied by each component on the PCB but also optimizes the wiring structure, better coping with the space pressure on the PCB caused by the increasing size of the processing components.

[0030] The VRM module can integrate two-phase power supply together and adopt a three-layer three-dimensional (3D) stacking technology or a four-layer stacking technology to achieve the integration of power components and inductors, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the VRM module. For example, Figure 1 is a front view structural schematic diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the VRM module adopts a 3D three-dimensional stacking technology. The four-layer structure from top to bottom is as follows: the power component on the top layer, which is the core control part of the entire module, responsible for completing the output voltage regulation. The capacitors arranged on both sides of the power component are filter capacitors, used to filter the input voltage of the power component; the second layer is the upper PCB, providing a stable electrical connection and physical support for the power component, and at the same time interconnecting with the inductor on the lower layer; the third layer is the inductor layer (inductor 1 and inductor 2), which, as a magnetic device, realizes the charging and discharging process during the power conversion; the bottom layer is the lower PCB, responsible for providing the necessary electrical connection for the inductor and also responsible for connecting with the external circuit to ensure the stable and reliable electrical performance of the entire module. Figure 1 The top view of the VRM module shown in Figure 2 is as shown. Two power components (power component 1 and power component 2) are spaced apart and arranged on the upper surface of the upper PCB.

[0031] Although the VRM module has a higher space utilization rate compared to the VR separation solution. Through the integration technology, the space occupied by power conversion can be significantly reduced, with a saving amplitude close to 50%, thus optimizing the internal space layout of the device and providing more available space for the processing components. However, with the increasing size and quantity of processing components, the space occupied by the processing components on the board further increases, and the demand for the number of VRM modules also increases. Therefore, the problem of insufficient PCB space still exists.

[0032] Taking an electronic device as a server and a processing component as a GPU as an example, with the powerful graphics processing capabilities of the GPU and its wide applications in fields such as artificial intelligence, its performance is continuously improving. At the same time, the power of the GPU also shows a continuous increasing trend. As the power increases, the size of the GPU also increases correspondingly, occupying more space on the PCB, making the PCB space unable to meet the requirements. By adopting a VRM module, the problem of insufficient PCB space caused by the increase in GPU size can be effectively solved, providing guarantee for the stable operation of the entire device. At the same time, it also brings more flexibility and optimization space for the design and layout of the PCB.

[0033] Compared with the VR separation solution, the VRM module has higher space utilization. However, with the development of the GPU, the space occupied by the GPU on the board is increasing day by day. The GPU not only continuously expands in component area to accommodate more computing cores and caches, but also shows an exponential growth trend in power consumption. In addition, to meet the growing power requirements of the GPU, the number of corresponding VRM modules is also increasing rapidly. It can be seen that the above VRM module has certain limitations in meeting the growing power requirements of the GPU. When facing the dual growth pressure of GPU power and quantity, the space of the PCB is limited and cannot fully meet the continuously increasing power requirements of the GPU.

[0034] To at least partially solve the above problems, in this embodiment, by improving the structure of the power conversion module, two power components are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner, which can reduce the board area occupied by the power conversion module and improve the space utilization of the PCB. Through the above design of changing the two-phase power components in the same layer of the VRM module to be placed vertically, the VRM module is improved in terms of structure and components, and has more advantages in terms of space utilization and performance improvement. It can better cope with the challenges brought by the rapid development of processing components to the PCB space under the background of the continuous pursuit of high performance and miniaturization of electronic devices, and provides a more efficient and reliable power solution for the development of electronic devices.

[0035] It should be noted that in some examples of this embodiment, an electronic device is taken as a server and a processing component is taken as a GPU for explanation. For other electronic devices or processing components, as long as the power conversion module in this embodiment can be used for power supply, the purpose of improving the PCB space utilization can also be achieved.

[0036] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a power conversion module is provided. Optionally, the above power conversion module can be but is not limited to being applied to a server. Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an optional power conversion module according to an embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3, the power conversion module includes: a first power supply component 301 for performing the voltage conversion task of the first phase, a second power supply component 302 for performing the voltage conversion task of the second phase, a first inductor 303, and a second inductor 304. Among them, the first power supply component 301 and the second power supply component 302 are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner. The output voltage of the first power supply component 301 is transmitted to the first load via the first inductor 303, and the output voltage of the second power supply component 302 is transmitted to the second load via the second inductor 304. The first load and the second load are the same load or different loads.

[0037] It can be understood that the upper and lower hierarchy is in the direction perpendicular to the PCB. In the vertical direction (which can be the installation direction of the power conversion module) of the installation plane (such as the PCB) of the power conversion module, the first power supply component and the second power supply component are located in different hierarchies. The first power supply component is located on one layer, and the second power supply component is located on another layer. Moreover, the first power supply component and the second power supply component do not overlap in the direction perpendicular to the PCB. In addition, the projections of the first power supply component and the second power supply component on the installation plane of the power conversion module can at least partially overlap.

[0038] In this embodiment, the first power supply component and the second power supply component are the core components of the entire power conversion system, mainly responsible for the power conversion task. Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs for short) and drive units can be integrated inside both of them. The first power supply component can be used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase, and the second power supply component can be used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Here, the first phase and the second phase can be relative to the input power supply of the load. Different phases mean different parts of the input power supply. For a load, the input power supplies of all phases can jointly form the power supply system of the load. Through the above method, the requirements of the load for the input power supply can be reduced.

[0039] The output voltage of the first power supply component can be transmitted to the first load via the first inductor, while the output voltage of the second power supply component can be transmitted to the second load via the second inductor. The first inductor and the second inductor can be components for power transmission and filtering. On the one hand, the first inductor and the second inductor can transmit the output voltages of the first power supply component and the second power supply component to the corresponding loads. On the other hand, through their own energy storage and energy release characteristics, the first inductor and the second inductor can make the current output to the corresponding loads stable.

[0040] It should be noted that, as a key magnetic component in the voltage conversion process, the inductor is used to store and release energy. In the power conversion circuit, when current passes through the inductor, the inductor can store or release corresponding energy according to the change of the current. This characteristic enables the inductor to play a role in smoothing the current and stabilizing the voltage output during the voltage conversion process, effectively avoiding sudden changes and fluctuations in the voltage, thereby ensuring the integrity and reliability of the voltage conversion circuit, and ensuring that the entire power supply system can continuously and stably output the required voltage, providing a solid power guarantee for the normal operation of the subsequent circuit.

[0041] The first load and the second load can be components or devices that consume electrical energy, and the two can be the same or different. For the case where the first load and the second load are different, their types can be the same or different. Optionally, the first load and the second load can be processing components on the PCB to which the power conversion module is installed, and can be but not limited to one of the following: GPU, CPU, Data Processing Unit (abbreviated as DPU), eXtreme Processing Unit (abbreviated as XPU), etc.

[0042] It should be noted that the VRM module layout provided in this embodiment uses the method of placing two power components vertically, which can reduce the board area, optimize the space utilization of the PCB, and significantly reduce the occupied area of the VRM module on the circuit board. It can provide more abundant space for the layout of other components or assemblies within the limited board space, effectively improving the overall layout rationality of the circuit board. For the GPU, the above VRM module layout has a smaller volume, can adapt to the rapid development of GPU technology, ensure the performance and stability of the electronic device, and achieve higher space utilization and more efficient power transmission.

[0043] Through the embodiment provided by the present application, the power conversion module includes: a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power component and the second power component are arranged in a vertical hierarchy. Among them, the first power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase, and the output voltage of the first power component is transmitted to the first load via the first inductor; the second power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase, and the output voltage of the second power component is transmitted to the second load via the second inductor, where the first load and the second load are the same load or different loads, which can solve the problem of insufficient space on the PCB in the related art and improve the space utilization rate of the PCB.

[0044] In some exemplary embodiments, the first power component 301 is located on the first power layer, and the second power component 302 may be located on the second power layer. For the convenience of inductor layout, the first inductor 303 and the second inductor 304 may be located on the inductor layer. To further compress the volume of the VRM module, reduce its board occupation area, and improve the stability of the VRM module at the same time, the power conversion module may further include a first circuit board and a second circuit board, and a 5-layer 3D stacking method may be adopted, that is, the first power layer, the first circuit board, the inductor layer, the second power layer, and the second circuit board are stacked in sequence. Among them, for the first circuit board, a first power component 301 is connected to one side adjacent to the first power layer, and the input end of the first inductor 303 is connected to the other side; for the second circuit board, the output end of the first inductor 303, the output end of the second inductor 304, and the second power component 302 are connected to one side adjacent to the second power layer. Through this stacking structure, the compact arrangement of each component inside the VRM module can be realized, the space utilization can be optimized, and support can be provided for the miniaturization and high-performance development of electronic devices.

[0045] In this embodiment, the VRM module adopts a 5-layer 3D stacking structure, and the width of the VRM module can be greatly reduced from the existing 10 mm (millimeters) to 6 mm. This optimization in size greatly reduces the board occupation area of the VRM module, enabling more VRM modules to be placed in a limited board space, so as to more effectively adapt to the increasing power requirements of processing components such as GPUs and provide sufficient power support for the stable operation of the processing components.

[0046] In addition, due to the significant reduction in the width of the VRM module, it can be placed closer to the processing component. On the one hand, this optimization in layout can effectively reduce the conduction loss on the PCB and reduce unnecessary consumption of energy during transmission. On the other hand, this optimization in layout is also conducive to improving the dynamic performance of the VRM module, enabling it to respond more quickly and stably to the power changes of the processing component and ensuring the efficient operation of the entire system. At the same time, the reduction of the VRM is also conducive to high-speed signal routing, shortening the length of high-speed signal routing, and improving the quality of high-speed signals.

[0047] Optionally, the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be PCBs. For the first circuit board, components such as a first power component can be connected to one side adjacent to the first power layer (which can be the top side) by means of soldering, plugging, or connector connection, etc., and the input end of the first inductor can be connected to the other side (which can be the bottom side) by means of soldering, plugging, or connector connection, etc.; similarly, for the second circuit board, the output end of the first inductor, the output end of the second inductor, and the second power component can be connected to one side adjacent to the second power layer (which can be the top side) by means of soldering, plugging, or connector connection, etc., and the other side can be connected to an installation plane such as the main board. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, a first power component can be connected to one side of the first circuit board adjacent to the first power layer by soldering, and the output end of the first inductor, the output end of the second inductor, and the second power component can be connected to one side of the second circuit board adjacent to the second power layer by soldering.

[0048] A printed circuit board (PCB), also known as a printed wiring board or printed circuit board, is called a "printed" circuit board because it is made using electronic printing technology. A printed circuit board is a substrate for assembling electronic components. It uses an insulating board as the base material, cut into a certain size, with at least one conductive pattern attached and holes (such as component holes, fastening holes, metallized holes, etc.) arranged on it, used to replace the chassis for installing electronic components in the past. The main function of a printed circuit board is to form the connections of various electronic components into a predetermined circuit, playing a role in relay transmission, and is a key electronic interconnection component of electronic products. As a substrate for loading electronic components and a key interconnection component, any electronic device or product needs to be equipped with a printed circuit board.

[0049] For the case where the first circuit board and the second circuit board are PCBs, the layer of the PCB refers to the copper layer. The PCB can be formed by laminating the copper layer and the base material. In this embodiment, the number of layers of the first circuit board and the second circuit board is not limited. For example, the first circuit board can be a four-layer printed circuit board or a six-layer printed circuit board, and the second circuit board can also be a four-layer printed circuit board or a six-layer printed circuit board.

[0050] Optionally, classified according to the number of circuit layers of the PCB, PCBs can be divided into single-sided boards, double-sided boards, and multi-layer boards. Common multi-layer boards are generally 4-layer boards or 6-layer boards, and complex multi-layer boards can reach dozens of layers. A single-sided board is the most basic PCB, with components concentrated on one side and conductors concentrated on the other side. A printed circuit board with conductors only on one side is called a single-sided board. Both sides of a double-sided board are wired. However, to use the conductors on both sides, there must be appropriate circuit connections between the two sides. This kind of "bridge" between circuits is called a via. A via is a small hole filled or coated with metal on a printed circuit board, which can connect the conductors on both sides. Since the area of a double-sided board is twice that of a single-sided board, the double-sided board solves the difficulty of wire crossing in a single-sided board (it can be conducted to the other side through a via), and is more suitable for use in circuits more complex than single-sided boards. A multi-layer board has more wiring area. A multi-layer board can be a combination of single-layer and double-layer boards. For example, a printed circuit board with one double-sided board as the inner layer and two single-sided boards as the outer layers, which are alternately stacked together through a positioning system and insulating bonding materials and the conductive patterns are interconnected according to design requirements, becomes a four-layer printed circuit board, also known as a multi-layer printed circuit board. Another example is a printed circuit board with two double-sided boards as the inner layer and two single-sided boards as the outer layers, which are alternately stacked together through a positioning system and insulating bonding materials and the conductive patterns are interconnected according to design requirements, which is a six-layer printed circuit board.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first power supply component and the second power supply component are respectively placed on the first power supply layer and the second power supply layer, while the first inductor and the second inductor are located in the inductor layer. The first circuit board is connected to the first power supply component and the first inductor, and the first circuit board can transmit the output voltage of the first power supply component to the first inductor. The second circuit board is connected to the second power supply component and the second inductor, and the second circuit board can transmit the output voltage of the second power supply component to the second inductor. In other embodiments, the inductor layer may also include other numbers of inductors, such as a third inductor, a fourth inductor, etc., which are not specifically limited herein.

[0052] For example, the 5-layer 3D stacking structure of the VRM module can be as Figure 4 and Figure 5 , from top to bottom are the first layer to the fifth layer. Among them, the first layer is the first power supply layer, and the power supply component 3 (i.e., the first power supply component 301) is located on the first power supply layer; the second layer is the upper PCB (i.e., the first circuit board); the third layer is the inductor layer, and the inductor L1 (i.e., the first inductor 303) and the inductor L2 (i.e., the second inductor 304) are located in the inductor layer; the fourth layer is the second power supply layer, and the power supply component 4 (i.e., the second power supply component 302) is located on the second power supply layer, and the fifth layer is the lower PCB (i.e., the second circuit board).

[0053] Among them, the upper-layer PCB mainly plays the roles of interconnection and support. All components (including the power supply component 3) in the first layer are soldered on the top surface of the upper-layer PCB to achieve electrical connection between components. At the same time, the bottom surface of the upper-layer PCB is soldered to the inductor, which not only realizes the vertical interconnection of the circuit but also provides a stable support for the inductor, ensuring the stability of the inductor during the operation of the circuit, avoiding the displacement or damage of the inductor caused by external force or vibration, and guaranteeing the reliability of the entire circuit system.

[0054] The lower-layer PCB undertakes the important responsibilities of interconnection and fixation in the entire 5-layer 3D stacking structure. Its top surface is soldered with the power supply component 4, inductor, etc. to achieve electrical interconnection between the components in the third and fourth layers and the lower-layer PCB. The bottom surface of the lower-layer PCB can be soldered to the main board to establish a stable mechanical connection and reliable electrical interconnection with the main board, fix the entire 5-layer 3D stacking structure to the main board, ensure the stable operation of the circuit system in the main board environment, and facilitate the collaborative work with other main board circuits and components to achieve the function integration and performance optimization of the electronic device.

[0055] It should be noted that in addition to the first power supply component, other power supply components can also be arranged on the first power supply layer. The multiple power supply components on the first power supply layer can be arranged adjacent to each other or at a certain distance apart, and the same or different inductors can be used. For example, three power supply components are arranged side by side on the first power supply layer, and the three power supply components share one inductor. Similarly, in addition to the second power supply component, other power supply components can also be arranged on the second power supply layer. The multiple power supply components on the second power supply layer can be arranged adjacent to each other or at a certain distance apart, and the same or different inductors can be used. The increase in power supply components can perform more-phase voltage conversion tasks. Correspondingly, the structure of the power conversion module and the layout method of components will also be different, which can be designed according to needs and will not be elaborated here in this embodiment.

[0056] Through the embodiment of the present application, the VRM module adopts a 5-layer 3D stacking structure, realizing the compact arrangement of each component inside the power conversion module, which can further compress the volume of the VRM module and reduce its board occupation area.

[0057] In some exemplary embodiments, the inductor layer may further include a magnetic core. The magnetic core is the core component in an inductor used to enhance the magnetic field intensity and control the magnetic flux path, usually made of magnetic materials, such as ferrite or metal powder core. In order to effectively save space, the first inductor and the second inductor can be mutually coupled and share a magnetic core.

[0058] Here, in an inductive component, if the magnetic flux generated by each of two or more coils intersects with another coil, these coils are said to have magnetic coupling or mutual induction. Assuming these coils are stationary and ignoring the resistance in the coils and the distributed capacitance between turns, the coils with magnetic coupling can be represented as idealized coupled inductor components, simply referred to as coupled inductors.

[0059] For example, a VRM module can adopt a two-phase coupled inductor structure, such as Figure 6 shown. The two-phase coupled inductor structure includes: a first-phase winding, a second-phase winding, and a magnetic core. The first-phase winding is inductor L1, which is interconnected with the upper-layer PCB through the upper-layer pads and with the lower-layer PCB through the lower-layer pad 1. The second-phase winding is inductor L2, which is interconnected with the lower-layer PCB through the lower-layer pad 2 and the lower-layer pad 3. The magnetic core serves as the main supporting component of the entire coupled inductor structure, and the two-phase windings share the same magnetic core. This design method can effectively save space.

[0060] Through the embodiments of the present application, the first inductor and the second inductor are mutually coupled and share the magnetic core, which can effectively save the circuit board space and improve the energy conversion efficiency and electromagnetic compatibility of the inductor during the voltage conversion process.

[0061] In some exemplary embodiments, the first inductor and the second inductor can adopt a reverse-coupling design, thereby effectively reducing the inductance, which is beneficial to reducing the volume of the inductor. At the same time, it significantly improves the response speed of the power conversion and provides strong support for the efficient operation of electronic devices. In order to reverse-couple the first inductor and the second inductor, the magnetic field lines of the first inductor and the magnetic field lines of the second inductor can be in opposite directions.

[0062] Magnetic field lines are an intuitive way to describe the magnetic field distribution. Through magnetic field lines, the direction and intensity of the magnetic field can be vividly represented. Usually, they start from the north pole of a magnet and surround the magnet and return to the south pole. Reverse coupling means that the magnetic field directions of two or more inductors are opposite, so that the magnetic field effects cancel or weaken each other.

[0063] For example, Figure 7 is Figure 6 the side view of the two-phase coupled inductor shown in Figure 7 shown. As shown, the magnetic field lines formed by the first-phase winding and the magnetic field lines formed by the second-phase winding are in opposite directions. This structure with opposite magnetic field line directions can achieve the reverse coupling of the inductor.

[0064] Through the embodiments of the present application, the inductors of two-way VR share a common magnetic core and form a reverse coupling relationship. Through this reverse coupling relationship, the magnetic field interference of the inductor itself can be cancelled out, the performance of the inductor can be optimized, the inductance value of the inductor can be effectively reduced, and further the dynamic response ability of the VRM module can be improved. When facing the rapidly changing power requirements of processing components such as GPUs, it can be adjusted more quickly and accurately, providing a more stable and reliable power supply for the processing components. Moreover, the inductor can have a smaller volume on the premise of meeting the performance requirements, better adapting to the requirements of electronic devices for miniaturization and high performance.

[0065] In some exemplary embodiments, the first inductor has a Z-shaped structure in the magnetic core, and the second inductor has an n-shaped structure in the magnetic core.

[0066] The first inductor can have a Z-shaped structure in the magnetic core. It can be understood that during the winding process of the first inductor, there can be two turns. First, it extends in a first direction, then turns by a certain angle and extends in a second direction, and then turns by a certain angle again and extends in a third direction, and the third direction can be parallel to the first direction.

[0067] It should be noted that the angles of the two turns can be 90 degrees, or other angles (for example, a certain angle between 80 degrees and 100 degrees). The Z-shaped structure can be rotated by a certain angle, mirror-inverted, or undergo other deformations, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0068] The second inductor can have an n-shaped structure in the magnetic core. It can be understood that during the winding process of the second inductor, the winding first extends in one direction, then turns and bends, and then extends along a direction parallel to the initial direction (or approximately parallel to the initial direction), forming an n-shaped structure.

[0069] For example, as Figure 6 shown, the first-phase winding has a Z-shaped structure in the magnetic core, and the second-phase winding has an n-shaped structure in the magnetic core. This kind of winding structure design enables the two inductors to achieve reverse coupling, thereby improving the overall performance of the inductor. The two-phase windings share a common magnetic core, which helps to achieve reverse coupling, further optimizes the performance of the inductor, and improves its application effect in the circuit.

[0070] Through the embodiments of the present application, the first inductor and the second inductor respectively adopt Z-shaped and n-shaped winding structures, which can optimize the reverse coupling effect of the inductor, reduce the eddy current loss inside the inductor at the same time, reduce energy consumption, and improve the power conversion efficiency.

[0071] In some exemplary embodiments, the first inductor can be connected to the first circuit board through a first connection point (e.g., a solder joint), where the first connection point, as the input terminal of the first inductor, belongs to the same power network as the phase control pin of the first power component. Through the above structure, it can be ensured that the first inductor can accurately receive the voltage signal output by the first power component. The first inductor can be connected to the second circuit board through a second connection point, where the second connection point, as the output terminal of the first inductor, belongs to the same power network as the voltage output terminal of the power conversion module. Through the above structure, the output voltage of the first power component can be output to the subsequent circuit.

[0072] Here, the phase control pin (Phase pin) is used to control different phases of power conversion. In a multi-phase power conversion system, the signals of the phase control pins can coordinate the operation of each inductor to achieve higher conversion efficiency and stability. The same power network can refer to that in an electronic circuit, multiple electronic components or assemblies share the same voltage source or current source, and their electrical connections form a closed circuit path. All components within this path are subject to the same power constraints and influences. That is to say, if two or more electronic components belong to the same power network, then they will share the power voltage or current on the same line.

[0073] In this embodiment, when the phase control pin of the first power component and the first connection point are in the same power network, the phase control pin of the first power component can be directly transmitted to the first inductor through the first connection point, without the need for additional voltage regulation or conversion steps. Similarly, the second connection point, as the output terminal of the first inductor, belongs to the same power network as the voltage output terminal of the power conversion module, and the output terminal of the second inductor can be directly connected to the power supply line of the load (such as a GPU) through the second connection point.

[0074] For example, as Figure 6 shown, the upper solder pad is welded and interconnected with the upper PCB, mainly serving as the input terminal of the inductor L1, and its voltage with the Phase pin of the power component 3 is in the same power network, thus ensuring that the inductor L1 can accurately receive the voltage signal output by the power component 3. The lower solder pad 1, as the output terminal of the inductor L1, belongs to the output voltage (VOUT) power network and is responsible for outputting the voltage signal converted by the inductor L1 to the subsequent circuit.

[0075] Through this embodiment, the input end of the first inductor and the phase control pin of the first power supply component belong to the same power supply network, and the output end of the first inductor and the voltage output end of the power conversion module belong to the same power supply network, which can reduce the transmission distance of signals between multi-layer circuit boards, and reduce the signal loss and delay caused by wiring. At the same time, this direct electrical connection method enables the fast response and transmission of voltage signals, avoiding signal reflection and electromagnetic interference on the multi-layer circuit board, thereby improving the efficiency of power conversion and the stability of the entire power conversion module.

[0076] In some exemplary embodiments, the second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a third connection point, wherein the third connection point, as the input end of the second inductor, and the phase control pin of the second power supply component belong to the same power supply network. The second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a fourth connection point, wherein the fourth connection point, as the output end of the second inductor, and the voltage output end of the power conversion module belong to the same power supply network.

[0077] In this embodiment, when the phase control pin of the second power supply component and the third connection point are in the same power supply network, the phase control pin of the second power supply component is directly transmitted to the second inductor through the third connection point without going through an additional voltage regulation or conversion link. Similarly, the fourth connection point, as the output end of the second inductor, and the voltage output end of the power conversion module belong to the same power supply network, which indicates that the output end of the second inductor is directly connected to the power supply line of the load (such as GPU) through the fourth connection point.

[0078] For example, as Figure 6 shown, the lower layer pad 2, as the input end of the inductor L2, is in the same power supply network as the voltage of the Phase pin of the power supply component 4, ensuring that the inductor L2 can accurately receive the voltage signal output by the power supply component 4; the lower layer pad 3, as the output end of the inductor L2, also belongs to the output voltage (VOUT) power supply network, and outputs the voltage signal converted by the inductor L2 to the subsequent circuit, providing guarantee for the stable operation of the entire circuit system.

[0079] Through the embodiment of the present application, the second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a third connection point, and the second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a fourth connection point, which can reduce the transmission distance of signals between multi-layer circuit boards, and reduce the signal loss and delay caused by wiring. At the same time, this direct electrical connection method enables the voltage signal to be quickly responsive and transmitted, avoiding signal reflection and electromagnetic interference on the multi-layer circuit board, thereby improving the efficiency of power conversion and the stability of the entire power conversion module.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, to ensure a stable connection between the inductor and the second circuit board (e.g., the underlying PCB), effectively disperse the pressure of the inductor on the underlying components, and avoid the situation where the inductor on the third layer crushes the power supply components on the fourth layer, the structure of the underlying pad of the inductor can be improved by modifying it into a pin form. The pins can be accurately inserted into the welding holes reserved on the second circuit board, and the size of the welding holes matches the size of the pins.

[0081] Optionally, for the first inductor, the second connection point can be a pin, and the second connection point is inserted into the welding hole on the second circuit board to connect the second connection point to the second circuit board. After the second connection point is inserted into the welding hole on the second circuit board, a welding operation can be performed to connect the second connection point to the second circuit board.

[0082] Optionally, for the second inductor, the third connection point and the fourth connection point can both be pins, and the third connection point and the fourth connection point are inserted into different welding holes on the second circuit board to connect the third connection point and the fourth connection point to the second circuit board. After the third connection point and the fourth connection point are inserted into the welding holes on the second circuit board, a welding operation can be performed to connect the third connection point and the fourth connection point to the second circuit board.

[0083] Here, a pin is a way of connecting electronic components. Generally, it refers to the metal feet protruding from the bottom of an inductor, capacitor, or other electronic components, which are used to insert into the welding holes on the circuit board and are fixed by welding to form an electrical connection. The welding holes can be small holes on the circuit board, usually plated with conductive metals such as copper or nickel, to allow the pins to be inserted and connected by melting solder to achieve the electrical connection between the components and the circuit board.

[0084] Through the embodiments of the present application, by using the insertion connection between the pins and the welding holes, the stability of the electrical connection between the input end, output end, etc. of the inductor and the second circuit board can be improved, the resistance at the connection is reduced, the efficiency of power conversion is optimized, and thus the durability and reliability of the VRM module are improved.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, the pins of the inductor can adopt stepped pins (pins with a stepped structure), that is, a stepped structure (convex-shaped structure) is added to the leads of the inductor. The size of the topmost step is smaller than the size of the welding hole, so that it can be inserted into the welding hole, and the size of the next-level step is larger than the size of the welding hole, so that it can be stuck outside the welding hole. This kind of stepped pin can ensure the stability of welding, and thus a safe gap can be formed between the magnetic core and the second circuit board, facilitating the layout of the second power supply components.

[0086] It is understandable that the welding pins under the inductor adopt a stepped design. This design can effectively avoid the potential damage risk caused by the inductor directly pressing on the underlying power components, while enhancing the connection stability between the inductor and the circuit board, increasing the reliability of the entire design, and ensuring the stability and reliability of the VRM module during long-term operation.

[0087] Optionally, for the first inductor, the second connection point can be a stepped solder foot (i.e., adding a stepped structure to the lead of the first inductor). The height of the gap between the magnetic core and the second circuit board formed when the second connection point is inserted into the welding hole on the second circuit board is greater than the height of the second power component. Through the above structure, sufficient safety clearance is reserved between the first inductor and the second power component, effectively preventing the inductor from causing extrusion or collision damage to the second power component during installation or use, and ensuring the safety of the second power component and the reliability of the entire circuit system.

[0088] Optionally, for the second inductor, both the third connection point and the fourth connection point can be stepped solder feet. The height of the gap between the magnetic core and the second circuit board formed when the third connection point and the fourth connection point are inserted into the corresponding welding holes on the second circuit board is greater than the height of the second power component. Through the above structure, sufficient safety clearance is reserved between the second inductor and the second power component, effectively preventing the inductor from causing extrusion or collision damage to the second power component during installation or use, and ensuring the safety of the second power component and the reliability of the entire circuit system.

[0089] For example, as Figure 8 shown, in the VRM module, there is a safety clearance between the inductor and the power component 4, and the solder feet of the first-phase winding and the second-phase winding adopt stepped solder feet. In addition, for the power copper busbar (used for power current transmission between circuit boards), its solder feet can also adopt stepped solder feet.

[0090] Through this embodiment, the connection point between the inductor and the second circuit board adopts a stepped solder foot, and it is ensured that the height of the gap between the magnetic core and the second circuit board is greater than the height of the second power component. This can not only ensure the stable connection between the inductor and the second circuit board, but also provide necessary physical avoidance space for the second circuit board, be able to more evenly disperse the pressure of the inductor on the underlying components, effectively avoid the situation of the inductor crushing the second circuit board, and improve the safety and reliability of the entire power conversion module.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, to ensure efficient interconnection and transmission of power and signals between upper and lower circuit boards (e.g., upper and lower two-layer PCBs), a copper bar can be fixed on the inductor. By the above method, signal transmission loss and interference can be reduced, power transmission efficiency and stability can be improved, and performance improvement of the entire module can be guaranteed.

[0092] Optionally, a signal copper bar can be fixed on the surface of the magnetic core. The two ends of the signal copper bar are respectively connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, and the signal copper bar is used for signal transmission between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

[0093] The signal copper bar is used to transmit one or more signals of the first power component. For example, one or more of an input voltage (VIN) signal, a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, and a current monitoring (Imon) signal. It can also be used to transmit other signals, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0094] Optionally, a power copper bar can also be fixed on the surface of the magnetic core. The two ends of the power copper bar are respectively connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, and the power copper bar is used for power current transmission between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

[0095] The width of the signal copper bar and the width of the power copper bar can be the same or different. Considering that the power current is larger than the current required for transmitting signals, the width of the signal copper bar used can be smaller than the width of the power copper bar to reduce costs while ensuring signal transmission reliability. The number of signal copper bars and the number of power copper bars can be the same or different. The number of signal copper bars can be one or more, and the number of power copper bars can be one or more, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0096] For example, the input voltage (VIN), PWM signal, and output Imon signal required by the power component 3 need to be transmitted to the main board through the upper-layer PCB to ensure the feasibility of the VRM module. For this purpose, copper bars can be fixed on both sides of the inductor to achieve the interconnection of power and signals between the upper-layer PCB and the lower-layer PCB.

[0097] As Figure 9 shown, copper bars of different sizes can be fixed on the surface of the magnetic core of the inductor. The narrow copper bar is the signal copper bar for transmitting signals, and the wide copper bar is the power copper bar for transmitting power current. The upper pads of these copper bars are soldered to the upper-layer PCB, and the lower pads of the copper bars are soldered to the lower-layer PCB, thereby constructing a stable and reliable power and signal transmission channel to ensure that various signals and power required by the power component 3 can be accurately transmitted to the main board and guarantee the normal operation of the entire circuit system.

[0098] Through the embodiments of the present application, the signal copper bar is fixed on the surface of the magnetic core and connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, forming a direct signal transmission channel, which can reduce the length of signal transmission on the PCB, transmit signals more stably and reliably, and reduce electromagnetic interference and loss during signal transmission; the power copper bar is fixed on the surface of the magnetic core and connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, forming a direct power transmission channel, which can reduce the length of power transmission on the PCB, transmit power more stably and reliably, and reduce loss during power transmission; the width of the power copper bar is greater than that of the signal copper bar, which can not only improve the efficiency of power transmission, but also reduce the resistance loss during current transmission and improve the efficiency of power conversion during current transmission.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, for the convenience of component layout and to reduce interference between signals, the signal copper bar and the power copper bar can be located between the first inductor and the second inductor and fixed on different sides of the magnetic core.

[0100] In this embodiment, the signal copper bar transmits weak electrical signals. For example, the input voltage signal, pulse modulation signal, and current monitoring signal mentioned above; the power copper bar transmits power current (large current). Therefore, setting the signal copper bar and the power copper bar between the first inductor and the second inductor and fixing them on different sides of the magnetic core can reduce the mutual interference between the power current and the weak electricity (signals).

[0101] Through the embodiments of the present application, locating the signal copper bar and the power copper bar between the first inductor and the second inductor and fixing them on different sides of the magnetic core can improve the accuracy of signal transmission and the stability of power current transmission, and enhance the performance and reliability of the power conversion module.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, filter capacitors can be used to improve the reliability of power components. A first group of capacitors connected in parallel can also be connected to the side of the first circuit board adjacent to the first power layer. One end of the first group of capacitors is connected to the input end of the first power component and the other end is grounded, for filtering the input voltage of the first power component. A second group of capacitors connected in parallel can also be connected to the side of the second circuit board adjacent to the second power layer. One end of the second group of capacitors is connected to the input end of the second power component and the other end is grounded, for filtering the input voltage of the second power component.

[0103] It should be noted that the number of the first group of capacitors can be set to one or more, and the number of the second group of capacitors can also be set to one or more. For example, the number of the first group of capacitors is 1, 2, or 4, and the number of the second group of capacitors is 1, 2, or 4. It can be set according to the actual situation and no specific limitation is made here.

[0104] Here, the first group of capacitors and the second group of capacitors can both be filter capacitors. A filter capacitor is a kind of energy storage device installed at both ends of a rectifier circuit to reduce the AC pulsation ripple coefficient and improve the efficient smooth DC output. Since the filter circuit requires a large capacitance for the energy storage capacitor, the most commonly used one is the electrolytic capacitor with a capacitance of several hundred to several thousand microfarads. The positive terminal of the electrolytic capacitor is connected to the positive end of the rectifier output circuit, and the negative terminal of the electrolytic capacitor is connected to the negative end of the circuit. Setting the filter capacitor can make the working performance of the electronic circuit more stable, and at the same time reduce the interference of the alternating pulsation ripple to the electronic circuit.

[0105] To obtain a good filtering effect, the capacitor discharge must be slow. The slower the capacitor discharge, the smoother the output voltage and the better the filtering effect. The speed of capacitor discharge is related to the capacitance C of the capacitor and the load R. The larger C and R are, the slower the capacitor discharge. In addition, in order to be suitable for use at different frequencies, electrolytic capacitors are also divided into high-frequency capacitors and low-frequency capacitors. Among them, the so-called high frequency is relative. The low-frequency filter capacitor is mainly used for mains filtering or filtering after transformer rectification, and its working frequency can be 50 Hertz (Hz). The high-frequency filter capacitor mainly works for filtering after switching power supply rectification, and its working frequency is several thousand Hz to several tens of thousand Hz. Its sawtooth wave voltage frequency is as high as several tens of thousand Hertz, or even several tens of megahertz. The standard for measuring the quality of high-frequency aluminum electrolytic capacitors is the "impedance-frequency" characteristic, which requires a lower equivalent impedance within the working frequency of the switching power supply, and at the same time has a good filtering effect on the high-frequency spike signals generated during the operation of semiconductor devices.

[0106] In this embodiment, the first group of capacitors can filter the input voltage of the first power supply component, filter out high-frequency interference signals, ensure that the voltage input to the first power supply component is stable and reliable, and provide a higher-quality power input for the first-phase voltage conversion; the second group of capacitors can filter the input voltage of the second power supply component, filter out high-frequency interference signals, ensure that the voltage input to the second power supply component is stable and reliable, and provide a higher-quality power input for the second-phase voltage conversion, guarantee the accuracy and reliability of voltage conversion, and thus lay a foundation for the stable operation of the entire circuit system.

[0107] Through the embodiments of the present application, by setting the first group of capacitors in parallel and the second group of capacitors in parallel, the noise of the power input can be effectively filtered, the voltage fluctuation and high-frequency interference at the power input end can be suppressed, and the stability of the power conversion process can be improved.

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, for the convenience of arranging the first group of capacitors, the first group of capacitors can include two filter capacitors arranged on both sides of the first power supply component. For the convenience of arranging the second group of capacitors, the second group of capacitors can include two filter capacitors arranged on both sides of the second power supply component.

[0109] For example, the reference circuit diagram of the VRM module can be as follows Figure 10 shown in Figure 10 In Figure 10 , as the core components of the entire power conversion system, power component 3 and power component 4 are mainly responsible for the power conversion task. Its working principle is: receiving the input voltage (VIN), and then processing it inside the component (including but not limited to voltage regulation, voltage stabilization, etc.); after the processing is completed, the converted voltage is accurately output through the Phase pin. When the voltage passes through the inductor, a stable output voltage (VOUT) is further generated to provide reliable power support for the subsequent circuit. In addition, the PWM pin is responsible for receiving the pulse modulation signal from the outside, accurately regulating the rhythm and amplitude of the power conversion, ensuring the accuracy and stability of the output voltage; the Imon pin is responsible for monitoring the current information of the component, outputting the current information in real time, providing key data feedback for the system, so as to detect and handle possible current anomalies in a timely manner, and ensure the safe and reliable operation of the power system.

[0110] One end of filter capacitor C1, filter capacitor C2, filter capacitor C3 and filter capacitor C4 is connected to the input voltage (VIN), and the other end is connected to the ground (GND). The main function of these filter capacitors is to filter out the high-frequency interference signals in the input voltage (VIN), improve the power quality, provide a more pure and stable input voltage for the power conversion process, thereby enhancing the reliability of the power conversion, and reducing the conversion error or system failure caused by voltage fluctuations or interference. In terms of layout, filter capacitor C1 and filter capacitor C2 are placed close to power component 3. Such a layout design helps to quickly and effectively filter out the input voltage interference near it when power component 3 is working, ensuring the stable operation of power component 3; similarly, filter capacitor C2 and filter capacitor C3 are placed close to power component 4, providing close filtering support for power component 4, ensuring that both power components can work in a relatively pure voltage environment and cooperate to complete the power conversion task.

[0111] The 5-layer 3D stacking structure of the VRM module can be as follows Figure 11 , Figure 12 and Figure 13As shown in the figure. For the first layer, this layer is equipped with a power supply component 3, a filter capacitor C1, and a filter capacitor C2. The power supply component 3 works in cooperation with the filter capacitor C1 and the filter capacitor C2, mainly undertaking the voltage conversion task of the first phase. The power supply component 3 is responsible for the core voltage conversion process, while the filter capacitor C1 and the filter capacitor C2 filter the input voltage to remove high-frequency interference signals, ensuring that the voltage input to the power supply component 3 is stable and reliable, providing a high-quality power input for the first-phase voltage conversion, guaranteeing the accuracy and reliability of the voltage conversion, and thus laying a foundation for the stable operation of the entire circuit system. All the devices in the first layer (including the power supply component 3, the filter capacitor C1, and the filter capacitor C2) are soldered on the top surface of the upper-layer PCB (the second layer). The third layer is the inductor layer, and its structure may include a first-phase winding, a second-phase winding, and a magnetic core. Among them, a signal copper bar, a power copper bar, etc. may be fixed on the surface of the magnetic core. The fourth layer is installed with a power supply component 4, a filter capacitor C3, and a filter capacitor C4, mainly responsible for the voltage conversion work of the second phase. The power supply component 4, the filter capacitor C3, the filter capacitor C4, and the inductor are soldered on the top surface of the lower-layer PCB (the fifth layer).

[0112] Through the embodiments of the present application, by arranging the filter capacitors on both sides of the power supply component, the signal path between the capacitors and the power supply component can be reduced, further improving the filtering effect and the overall performance of the circuit.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the filter capacitors in the first group of capacitors and the filter capacitors in the second group of capacitors may both be multi-layer ceramic capacitors.

[0114] In this embodiment, when selecting the filter capacitors for the power supply component, small-size multi-layer ceramic capacitors (abbreviated as MLCC) can be selected. Such capacitors not only have the advantage of small volume, which can effectively reduce the space occupied on the circuit board, but also have excellent electrical performance. The stable filtering effect of MLCC can better suppress power supply noise, increase the reliability of the entire module design, and ensure the stability and purity of the power output.

[0115] For example, the filter capacitors C1, C2, C3, and C4 can be small-sized filter capacitors, which can perform efficient filtering functions within a limited space and meet the requirements of the compact layout of the device. Among them, the 0201-sized filter capacitor (a size of the filter capacitor) has a smaller package size, can occupy less space on the circuit board, thus providing more layout room for other components, and is conducive to realizing the highly integrated and miniaturized design of the entire circuit system. At the same time, the small-sized filter capacitor has better performance in high-frequency applications. Its parasitic inductance and parasitic resistance are relatively small, which can effectively filter out high-frequency interference signals, improve the power quality, and ensure the reliability of power conversion.

[0116] Through the embodiments of the present application, the multilayer ceramic capacitor can provide large-capacity filtering within a limited space, reduce the wiring complexity of the PCB, and at the same time ensure the filtering effect at the power input end.

[0117] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an electronic device is further provided. The electronic device can be a server or a similar device with a PCB board. Optionally, in this embodiment, the electronic device may include: a power conversion module, a main board, and a group of processing components. Among them, the power conversion module and the group of processing components are both connected to the main board, and the power conversion module can be any of the power conversion modules provided in the foregoing embodiments.

[0118] Optionally, in this embodiment, the power conversion module may include: a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power component and the second power component are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner. Among them, the first power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. The output voltage of the first power component is transmitted to the first processing component in the group of processing components through the first inductor; the second power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. The output voltage of the second power component is transmitted to the second processing component in the group of processing components through the second inductor, where the first processing component and the second processing component are the same processing component or different processing components.

[0119] Through the embodiments provided in this application, an electronic device includes: a power conversion module, a main board, and a set of processing components. The power conversion module and the set of processing components are both connected to the main board. The power conversion module includes a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power component and the second power component are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner. Among them, the first power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. Among them, the output voltage of the first power component is transmitted to the first processing component in the set of processing components through the first inductor. The second power component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Among them, the output voltage of the second power component is transmitted to the second processing component in the set of processing components through the second inductor. The first processing component and the second processing component are the same processing component or different processing components, which can solve the problem of insufficient space on the PCB in the related art and improve the space utilization rate of the PCB.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments, the electronic device can be a server. An example of a server can be as Figure 14 shown. The server can include multiple power conversion modules, a load, and a main board. Among them, the multiple power conversion modules are spaced apart on the lower surface of the main board, and the load (such as CPU, GPU, DPU, XPU, etc.) is arranged on the upper surface of the main board. The multiple power conversion modules are connected to the load through vias on the main board. As Figure 10 shown, the input ends of the multiple power conversion modules are all connected to the input voltage (VIN), and the output ends of the multiple power conversion modules are connected in parallel together to jointly form the output voltage (VOUT) to supply power to the load.

[0121] The number of power modules included in the server can be one or more. For example, the server can include 2, 3, 8, or other numbers of power conversion modules. The multiple power conversion modules can be evenly arranged (the distance between adjacent two power modules is equal) on the surface of the main board, or can be unevenly arranged (the distance between adjacent two power conversion modules is not equal) on the surface of the main board. The number of layers of the main board can be a single-layer board, a double-layer board, or a multi-layer board.

[0122] In the above-mentioned server, devices such as power supply components and inductors of a voltage inverter are integrated into a power conversion module, and multiple integrated power conversion modules are directly back-mounted on the back of the load, so that the power conversion modules, the main board and the load are stacked vertically. Compared with the power supply architecture in the related art, it can greatly shorten the power supply path, reduce the transmission impedance, reduce the copper loss of the printed circuit board path, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the server system and improving the energy efficiency ratio, thus helping users save electricity costs. At the same time, the above-mentioned power conversion module can greatly reduce the board area occupied by the power supply devices, improve the power density of the server, which is beneficial to reducing the size of the printed circuit board and the server, and reducing the processing cost of the printed circuit board and the land cost of the data center. In addition, the above-mentioned power conversion module can release more printed circuit board area for high-speed input / output interfaces and memories, promote the maximization of system resource utilization, provide an optimized space for signal wiring, which is beneficial to improving the signal quality and anti-interference ability, and enhancing the reliability of system operation.

[0123] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method.

[0124] Those skilled in the art can further realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in this article can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the composition and steps of each example have been generally described according to functions in the above description. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0125] The above provides a detailed introduction to a power conversion module and an electronic device provided by this application. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of this application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art of this technology, without departing from the principle of this application, several improvements and modifications can be made to this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A power conversion module, characterized in that, Comprising: A first power supply component, a second power supply component, a first inductor, and a second inductor. The first power supply component and the second power supply component are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner. Among them, The first power supply component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. Among them, the output voltage of the first power supply component is transmitted to the first load via the first inductor; The second power supply component is used to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Among them, the output voltage of the second power supply component is transmitted to the second load via the second inductor. Among them, the first load and the second load are the same load or different loads.

2. The power conversion module according to claim 1, wherein The first power supply component is located on the first power supply layer, the second power supply component is located on the second power supply layer, the first inductor and the second inductor are located on the inductor layer. The power conversion module further includes a first circuit board and a second circuit board. Among them, the first power supply layer, the first circuit board, the inductor layer, the second power supply layer, and the second circuit board are stacked in sequence; among them, For the first circuit board, the side adjacent to the first power supply layer is connected with the first power supply component, and the other side is connected with the input end of the first inductor; For the second circuit board, the side adjacent to the second power supply layer is connected with the output end of the first inductor, the output end of the second inductor, and the second power supply component.

3. The power conversion module according to claim 2, wherein The inductor layer further includes a magnetic core. The first inductor and the second inductor are mutually coupled and share the magnetic core.

4. The power conversion module according to claim 3, wherein The magnetic field lines of the first inductor are opposite to the magnetic field lines of the second inductor to reversely couple the first inductor and the second inductor.

5. The power conversion module according to claim 4, wherein The first inductor has a Z-shaped structure in the magnetic core, and the second inductor has an n-shaped structure in the magnetic core.

6. The power conversion module according to claim 3, wherein The first inductor is connected to the first circuit board through a first connection point. Among them, the first connection point, as the input end of the first inductor, belongs to the same power network as the phase control pin of the first power supply component; The first inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a second connection point. Among them, the second connection point, as the output end of the first inductor, belongs to the same power network as the voltage output end of the power conversion module.

7. The power conversion module according to claim 6, wherein The second connection point is a welding foot. The second connection point is inserted into the welding hole on the second circuit board to connect the second connection point to the second circuit board.

8. The power conversion module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second connection point is a stepped welding foot. The height of the gap formed between the magnetic core and the second circuit board when the second connection point is inserted into the welding hole on the second circuit board is greater than the height of the second power supply component.

9. The power conversion module according to claim 3, wherein The second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a third connection point. Among them, the third connection point, as the input end of the second inductor, belongs to the same power network as the phase control pin of the second power supply component; The second inductor is connected to the second circuit board through a fourth connection point, wherein the fourth connection point and the voltage output end of the power conversion module belong to the same power network as the output end of the second inductor.

10. The power conversion module according to claim 9, characterized in that, Both the third connection point and the fourth connection point are solder feet, and the third connection point and the fourth connection point are inserted into different soldering holes on the second circuit board to connect the third connection point and the fourth connection point to the second circuit board.

11. The power conversion module according to claim 9, wherein, Both the third connection point and the fourth connection point are stepped solder feet, and the height of the gap between the magnetic core and the second circuit board formed by inserting the third connection point and the fourth connection point into the corresponding soldering holes on the second circuit board is greater than the height of the second power component.

12. The power conversion module according to claim 3, characterized in that, A signal copper bar is fixed on the surface of the magnetic core, wherein both ends of the signal copper bar are respectively connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, and the signal copper bar is used for signal transmission between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

13. The power conversion module according to claim 12, wherein The signal copper bar is used to transmit at least one of the following signals of the first power component: input voltage signal, pulse modulation signal, current monitoring signal.

14. The power conversion module according to claim 12, wherein, A power copper bar is also fixed on the surface of the magnetic core, wherein both ends of the power copper bar are respectively connected to the first circuit board and the second circuit board, and the power copper bar is used for power current transmission between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

15. The power conversion module according to claim 14, wherein The width of the signal copper bar is smaller than the width of the power copper bar.

16. The power conversion module according to claim 14, wherein The signal copper bar and the power copper bar are located between the first inductor and the second inductor and are fixed on different sides of the magnetic core.

17. The power conversion module according to any one of claims 2 to 16, characterized in that On the surface of the first circuit board adjacent to the first power layer, a first group of capacitors connected in parallel is further connected, and on the surface of the second circuit board adjacent to the second power layer, a second group of capacitors connected in parallel is further connected; wherein, One end of the first group of capacitors is connected to the input end of the first power component and the other end is grounded, and is used for filtering the input voltage of the first power component; One end of the second group of capacitors is connected to the input end of the second power component and the other end is grounded, and is used for filtering the input voltage of the second power component.

18. The power conversion module according to claim 17, wherein The first group of capacitors includes two filter capacitors arranged on both sides of the first power component, and the second group of capacitors includes two filter capacitors arranged on both sides of the second power component.

19. The power conversion module according to claim 17, wherein, The filter capacitors in the first group of capacitors and the filter capacitors in the second group of capacitors are both multi-layer ceramic capacitors.

20. An electronic device, characterized in that, Including: A power conversion module, a main board and a group of processing components, the power conversion module and the group of processing components are both connected to the main board, the power conversion module includes a first power component, a second power component, a first inductor and a second inductor, and the first power component and the second power component are arranged in an upper and lower hierarchical manner, wherein, The first power supply component is configured to perform the voltage conversion task of the first phase. Among them, the output voltage of the first power supply component is transmitted to the first processing component in the group of processing components via the first inductor; The second power supply component is configured to perform the voltage conversion task of the second phase. Among them, the output voltage of the second power supply component is transmitted to the second processing component in the group of processing components via the second inductor, where the first processing component and the second processing component are the same processing component or different processing components.

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