Multi-phase power supply and its multi-phase controller, control method

Abstract

The application provides a multiphase power supply, a multiphase controller thereof, and a control method. The multiphase controller is configured to generate a feedback compensation signal according to an average inductance current and an output voltage of the multiphase power supply, and to control an N-phase power conversion circuit according to the feedback compensation signal and a reference voltage. During an output voltage adjustment period indicated by a dynamic voltage identification signal, the multiphase controller generates the feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and a constant first current, so that the output voltage can be adjusted based on a stable current signal when the output voltage needs to be adjusted, effectively avoiding the risk of overshoot or dip of the output voltage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of multiphase power supply technology, specifically to a multiphase power supply and its multiphase controller and control method. Background Technology

[0002] Modern electronic devices have very high energy-saving requirements. For example, when the central processing unit (CPU) needs to process large amounts of data at high speed, its supply voltage is increased to accelerate the processing speed of the digital signal processor or microprocessor; conversely, when the CPU does not need to process data at high speed or is simply in standby mode, its supply voltage is reduced to enter an energy-saving state, saving unnecessary energy consumption. Typically, the CPU provides a signal that indicates a rapid change in its supply voltage (dynamic VID change, or DVID for short) to control the power supply circuit (such as a multi-phase power supply) that provides it to quickly adjust the output voltage to meet the CPU's needs in real time.

[0003] Taking a buck topology as an example, when the output voltage of the power supply circuit is in a steady state, the average inductor current in the power supply circuit equals the load current. Therefore, the average inductor current of the power supply circuit can be used to characterize the load current. When the power supply circuit needs to boost its output voltage in response to a DVID signal, the inductor current in the power supply circuit increases and exceeds the load current to provide additional current for charging the capacitor, thus allowing the output voltage of the power supply circuit to be boosted. However, at this time, the power supply circuit will detect the increased inductor current and, according to load-line control, will cause the output voltage to drop. Conversely, when the power supply circuit needs to reduce its output voltage in response to a DVID signal, the output voltage will overshoot. Obviously, during voltage regulation, unexpected overshoot or dips occur in the output voltage. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this application is to provide a multiphase power supply and its multiphase controller and control method, wherein when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates that the output voltage of the multiphase power supply needs to be adjusted, the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply is sampled and held, so that the output voltage can be adjusted based on the stable average inductor current, effectively avoiding the risk of overshoot or undershoot of the output voltage.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, a multiphase controller for a multiphase power supply is provided, the multiphase power supply including an N-phase power conversion circuit, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, wherein the multiphase controller is configured to:

[0006] A feedback compensation signal is generated based on the average inductor current and output voltage of the multiphase power supply, and the N-phase power conversion circuit is controlled based on the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage.

[0007] During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the multiphase controller generates the feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and a constant first current.

[0008] Optionally, the multiphase controller performs sample-and-hold processing on the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply to characterize the constant first current at the start moment when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply.

[0009] Optionally, during the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the multiphase controller is further configured to adjust the reference voltage according to the changing trend indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal;

[0010] The trend of change includes rising or falling, and the reference voltage has the same trend of change as the output voltage.

[0011] Optionally, after the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates that the output voltage has been regulated, the multiphase controller generates the feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and the real-time average inductor current.

[0012] Optionally, the multiphase controller is further configured to:

[0013] A compensation voltage is generated based on the load line impedance and the real-time average inductor current, or a compensation voltage is generated based on the load line impedance and the constant first current. The output voltage and the compensation voltage are then added together to obtain the feedback compensation signal.

[0014] Optionally, the multiphase controller includes:

[0015] Sampling and averaging unit, switching unit, and sample-and-hold unit;

[0016] The sampling and averaging unit is used to sample the inductor current of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuit to obtain N sampling signals, and to perform averaging processing on the N sampling signals to obtain an average inductor current sampling signal that characterizes the average inductor current.

[0017] The switching unit is connected between the output of the sampling and averaging unit and the input of the sample-and-hold unit. The switching unit is controlled by the dynamic voltage identification signal to switch between the on and off states to connect or disconnect the transmission path of the average inductor current sampling signal to the sample-and-hold unit.

[0018] The sample-and-hold unit is used to perform sample-and-hold processing on the average inductor current sample signal when the switching unit is switched to the off state, to obtain a sample-and-hold signal;

[0019] The switching unit switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0020] Optionally, the multiphase controller includes:

[0021] Sampling unit, switching unit, and mean and sample-and-hold unit;

[0022] The sampling unit is used to sample the inductor current of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuit to obtain N sampling signals.

[0023] The switching unit is connected between the output of the sampling unit and the input of the mean and sample-and-hold unit. The switching unit is controlled by the dynamic voltage identification signal to switch between the on and off states to connect or disconnect the transmission path of the N sampling signals to the mean and sample-and-hold unit.

[0024] The mean and sample-and-hold unit is used to perform mean processing and sample-and-hold processing on the received N sample signals to obtain a sample-and-hold signal;

[0025] The switching unit switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0026] Optionally, the sampling and averaging unit includes N sampling resistors and a first capacitor. The first ends of the N sampling resistors are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits. The second ends of the N sampling resistors are all connected to the first ends of the first capacitor. The second ends of the first capacitor are connected to the reference ground.

[0027] The switching unit includes a first switch, a first end of which is connected to a first end of the first capacitor, and a second end of which is connected to the input end of the sample-and-hold unit.

[0028] Optionally, the sampling unit includes N sampling resistors, the first ends of which are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuit;

[0029] The switching unit includes N second switches, the first terminals of the N second switches are respectively connected to the second terminals of the N sampling resistors, and the second terminals of the N second switches are all connected to the input terminal of the mean and sample-and-hold unit.

[0030] Optionally, the sampling unit includes N sampling resistors, and the switching unit includes a third switch;

[0031] The first ends of the N sampling resistors are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits, the second ends of the N sampling resistors are all connected to the first end of the third switch, and the second end of the third switch is connected to the input end of the average and sample-and-hold unit.

[0032] Optionally, the multiphase controller further includes:

[0033] The switch control signal generation unit parses the dynamic voltage identification signal and generates the control signal for the switch unit based on the parsing result.

[0034] Optionally, the first current characterizes the average inductor current at the start of the dynamic voltage identification signal indicating the adjustment of the output voltage.

[0035] According to a second aspect of this application, a multiphase power supply is provided, comprising:

[0036] An N-phase parallel coupled power conversion circuit, wherein each phase power conversion circuit has an input terminal coupled to the input voltage and an output terminal coupled to the load to provide power output, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

[0037] As disclosed in any embodiment of this application, the multiphase controller is coupled to the N-phase power conversion circuit and provides control signals to the power switching transistors in the N-phase power conversion circuit according to the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0038] According to a third aspect of this application, a control method for a multiphase power supply is provided, the multiphase power supply including an N-phase power conversion circuit, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, wherein the control method includes:

[0039] A feedback compensation signal is generated based on the average inductor current and output voltage of the multiphase power supply.

[0040] The N-phase power conversion circuit is controlled according to the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage;

[0041] During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the feedback compensation signal is generated based on the output voltage and a constant first current, wherein the first current characterizes the average inductor current at the start of the adjustment of the output voltage indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0042] The beneficial effects of this application include at least the following:

[0043] The multiphase power supply, its multiphase controller, and control method provided in this application, during the period when the output voltage of the multiphase power supply is adjusted according to the dynamic voltage identification signal, set the multiphase controller to generate a feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and a constant first current, and control the N-phase power conversion circuit according to the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage. Compared with the existing solution, the solution of this application can generate a feedback compensation signal based on a stable current signal when the output voltage needs to be adjusted, so that the sudden change in the inductor current when the dynamic voltage identification signal arrives will not affect the adjustment effect of the output voltage, effectively avoiding the risk of overshoot or sag of the output voltage during the process of adjusting the output voltage based on the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0044] Furthermore, according to Load-Line control, by controlling the linear change of the reference voltage based on a constant load current, the linear change of the output voltage can be achieved through feedback control. However, in this application, it is also necessary to ensure that the output voltage does not change abruptly at the start and end of the adjustment, so the constant load current needs to meet certain requirements. During the period of adjusting the output voltage according to the dynamic voltage identification signal and before and after the adjustment period, the load size does not change, and the load current remains constant in steady state throughout the process. Only the output voltage changes after the adjustment ends, thereby realizing the increase or decrease of output power. Therefore, the first current is set as the average inductor current at the start of the output voltage adjustment indicated by the dynamic identification signal. That is, the first current during the adjustment period is the load current corresponding to steady state. Therefore, the output voltage at the start of the adjustment is the output voltage in the previous steady state, and the output voltage at the end of the adjustment is the output voltage in the subsequent steady state. That is, the output voltage rises and falls stably throughout the entire process of adjusting the output voltage and before and after the adjustment, without overshoot or dips. Therefore, at the start of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, a constant first current characterization signal is obtained by sampling and holding the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply. This achieves multiphase power supply control based on the average inductor current information while avoiding the risk of overshoot or sag in the output voltage, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the multiphase power supply.

[0045] It should be noted that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a multiphase power supply provided according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0047] Figure 2The diagram shows waveforms of some signals from a multiphase power supply in the relevant technology.

[0048] Figure 3 This diagram shows a structural schematic of the compensation control circuit provided according to the first embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 4 This diagram shows a structural schematic of the compensation control circuit provided according to the second embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 5 This diagram shows a structural schematic of the compensation control circuit provided according to the third embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 6 A waveform diagram of a portion of the signals in a multiphase power supply provided according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0052] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a control method for a multiphase power supply according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. This disclosure covers any alternatives, modifications, equivalent methods, and solutions made within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0054] In order to provide the public with a thorough understanding of this disclosure, specific details are described in detail in the following preferred embodiments of this disclosure, but those skilled in the art can fully understand this disclosure without these details.

[0055] The present disclosure is described in more detail below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are in a simplified form and use non-precise scales, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings. However, this application may be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0057] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0058] In the description of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. The term "and / or" in this document describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. "Multiple" refers to two or more. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0059] In addition, the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or similar structures, so repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. That is, the various parts in this specification are described in a combination of parallel and progressive manner. Each part focuses on the differences from other parts, and the same or similar parts between the various parts can be referred to each other.

[0060] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the multiphase power supply provided in this application is shown.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, the multiphase power supply 100 includes: N-phase parallel coupled power conversion circuits 111-11N, a multiphase power supply controller (hereinafter referred to as multiphase controller) 120, and a feedback circuit 130, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0062] Each phase of the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N has an input terminal coupled to the input voltage Vin and an output terminal coupled to the load to provide power output. Each phase power conversion circuit includes a drive unit, power switches T1 and T2, and an inductor Lx. Power switches T1 and T2 are connected between the input voltage Vin and a reference ground. The first end of the inductor Lx is connected to the midpoint between power switches T1 and T2, and the second end is connected to the first end of the output capacitor Cout. The second end of the output capacitor Cout is grounded. The drive unit in each phase power conversion circuit 111-11N receives control signals (pulse width modulation signals PWM1-PWMN) from the multi-phase controller 120, and controls the corresponding power switch to turn on and off according to the received control signals, charging the energy storage element of that phase for a corresponding duration to generate the output voltage of that phase. At the same time, the inductor current I in each phase power conversion circuit... L1 -I LN The current is combined into an average inductor current Iavg, and the output voltage Vout is generated based on the output capacitance Cout to drive the load.

[0063] It should be noted that, Figure 1 Although the power conversion circuit shown is described as having a buck topology, the technical solution of the present invention can be adopted for any type of layout design, such as boost, flyback, buck-boost, Cuk, Sepic, and Zeta.

[0064] The feedback circuit 130 is used to sample the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 to obtain the output feedback signal VFB0.

[0065] The multiphase controller 120 is coupled to the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N, and is used to generate a feedback compensation signal VFB1 based on the average inductor current Iavg and the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100. Based on the feedback compensation signal VFB1 and the reference voltage Vref, it provides control signals PWM1-PWMN to each power switch in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N, thereby controlling the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. Furthermore, the multiphase controller 120 also receives a dynamic voltage identification signal DVID to adjust the output voltage Vout according to the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID. The DVID signal includes at least instructions indicating a predetermined voltage and the direction of output voltage adjustment.

[0066] The multiphase controller 120 further includes: a compensation control circuit 121, a reference voltage generation circuit 122, an error amplifier circuit 123, and a control signal generation circuit 124.

[0067] The compensation control circuit 121 receives the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, outputs the feedback signal VFB0, and the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. L1 -I LN Used to identify the dynamic voltage signal DVID and the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit. L1 -I LN The output feedback signal VFB0 is adjusted to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1. The reference voltage generation circuit 122 receives the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID and uses it to generate a reference voltage Vref. The error amplifier circuit 123 amplifies the feedback compensation signal VFB1 and the reference voltage Vref to generate an error amplification signal Vc. The control signal generation circuit 124 obtains the control signals PWM1-PWMN for each phase power conversion circuit based on the error amplification signal Vc.

[0068] In some related technical solutions, the compensation control circuit 121 is configured to directly generate an adjustment signal based on the average inductor current Iavg of the multiphase power supply 100 to adjust the output feedback signal VFB0 when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout needs to be adjusted. However, referring to... Figure 2 , Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the waveforms of a portion of the signals from a multiphase power supply in the relevant art. Figure 2As can be seen, when the output voltage Vout needs to be adjusted, such as when the output voltage Vout needs to be reduced, the instruction (or signal) DVID_down contained in the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, which indicates that the output voltage should be adjusted downward, becomes effective. The average inductor current Iavg curve of the multiphase power supply 100 will drop rapidly in the early stage of the effective DVID_down instruction (e.g., within the time period t11-t12), and rise rapidly in the period after the DVID_down instruction becomes invalid (e.g., within the time period t13-t14). During this process, due to the existence of the load line impedance, the actual output voltage (i.e., Vout1) will overshoot and bulge in the early stage of the effective DVID_down instruction (e.g., within the time period t11-t12), and drop in the period after the DVID_down instruction becomes invalid (e.g., within the time period t13-t14) (the situation is reversed when the output voltage Vout needs to be increased), which seriously affects the output stability and reliability of the multiphase power supply 100. In this article, for example, a high-level state of a signal (or a logic 1 state of an instruction) is used as its valid state, and a low-level state of a signal (or a logic 0 state of an instruction) is used as its invalid state. Of course, in practical applications, the opposite setting can also be used.

[0069] Based on this, during the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 needs to be adjusted, the multiphase controller 120 is configured to generate a feedback compensation signal VFB1 based on the output voltage Vout and a constant first current. That is, when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout needs to be adjusted, the feedback compensation signal VFB1 is generated based on a stable current signal, so that the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit is reduced. L1 -I LN The sudden change that occurs when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID arrives will not affect the adjustment effect on the output voltage Vout, effectively avoiding the risk of overshoot or sag in the output voltage Vout. At this time, the multiphase controller 120 can, for example, generate a compensation voltage based on the load line impedance and a constant first current, and add the output voltage and the compensation voltage to obtain a feedback compensation signal VFB1. For example, the feedback compensation signal VFB0, which represents the output voltage, and the compensation voltage are added to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1. The first current represents the average inductor current at the start of the adjustment of the output voltage Vout indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID.

[0070] In some embodiments, at the start moment when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates the adjustment of the output voltage Vout, the multiphase controller 120 characterizes a constant first current by performing a sample-and-hold process on the average inductor current Iavg of the multiphase power supply. It can be understood that the sample-and-hold signal obtained by this process characterizes the stable average inductor current information in steady state before the output voltage Vout is adjusted (e.g., when the corresponding output voltage adjustment command in the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID changes from invalid to valid). In this embodiment, this stable average inductor current information is used as the constant first current.

[0071] Furthermore, after the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout has been regulated, the multiphase controller 120 generates a feedback compensation signal VFB1 based on the output voltage Vout and the real-time average inductor current Iavg. At this time, the multiphase controller 120 may, for example, generate a compensation voltage based on the load line impedance and the real-time average inductor current Iavg, and add the output voltage and the compensation voltage to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1. For example, the feedback compensation signal VFB0, which characterizes the output voltage, is added to the compensation voltage to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1.

[0072] During the adjustment of the output voltage Vout indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, the multiphase controller 120 also adjusts the reference voltage Vref according to the changing trend of the output voltage Vout indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID. The changing trend of the output voltage Vout includes rising or falling (i.e., increasing or decreasing), and the reference voltage Vref has the same changing trend as the output voltage Vout. For example, when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout needs to increase, the multiphase controller 120 increases the reference voltage Vref according to the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID; conversely, when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout needs to decrease, the multiphase controller 120 decreases the reference voltage Vref according to the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID.

[0073] In specific implementation, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 ,in, Figures 3-5 The diagrams show structural schematics of the compensation control circuits provided in different embodiments of this application.

[0074] exist Figure 3In the illustrated embodiment, the compensation control circuit 121 specifically includes: a sampling and averaging unit 310, a switching unit 320, a sample-and-hold unit 330, a compensation voltage generation circuit 340, and an adjustment circuit 350. The sampling and averaging unit 310 is used to sample and average the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. L1 -I LN N sampling signals are obtained through sampling, and these N sampling signals are averaged to obtain the average inductance current sampling signal Vavg, which characterizes the average inductance current Iavg. A switching unit 320 is connected between the output of the sampling and averaging unit 310 and the input of the sample-and-hold unit 330. This switching unit 320 is controlled by a dynamic voltage identification signal DVID to switch between an on and off state, thereby connecting or disconnecting the transmission path of the average inductance current sampling signal Vavg to the sample-and-hold unit 330. Specifically, the switching unit 320 switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage Vout is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID. The sample-and-hold unit 330 performs sample-and-hold processing on the received average inductance current sampling signal Vavg to obtain a sample-and-hold signal Vhold. The compensation voltage generation circuit 340 receives the sample-and-hold signal Vhold and generates a compensation voltage Vdroop based on the sample-and-hold signal Vhold and the load line impedance. The adjustment circuit 350 receives the compensation voltage Vdroop and the output feedback signal VFB0, respectively. It adds the output feedback signal VFB0 and the compensation voltage Vdroop according to the relevant instructions in the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicating the direction of output voltage adjustment, to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1, i.e., VFB1 = VFB0 + Vdroop. In some other embodiments, the compensation voltage generation circuit 340 can also be located inside the adjustment circuit 350, with the adjustment circuit 350 implementing the corresponding functions of the compensation voltage generation circuit 340.

[0075] Figure 3In this embodiment, the sampling and averaging unit 310 includes, for example, N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN and a capacitor C1, the switching unit 320 includes a switch S11, and the sample-and-hold unit 330 includes a capacitor C2. The first terminals of the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits, and the second terminals of the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN are all connected to the first terminal of the capacitor C1, with the second terminal of the capacitor C1 connected to reference ground. The first terminal of the switch S11 is connected to the first terminal of the capacitor C1, and the second terminal of the switch S11 is connected to the first terminal of the capacitor C2, with the second terminal of the capacitor C2 connected to reference ground. In this embodiment, the sampling and averaging unit 310 uses the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN to sample the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. L1 -I LN Sampling is performed, and the average of N sampled signals is processed based on capacitor C1. The sample-and-hold unit 330 performs sample-and-hold processing on the received average inductor current sampled signal based on capacitor C2. Switch S11 is controlled by the control signal Vhold_loadline_b and switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID.

[0076] Figure 3 During the conduction of switch S211, the sample-and-hold signal Vhold obtained by sample-and-hold unit 330 changes with the average inductor current sampling signal Vavg. At this time, the sample-and-hold signal Vhold represents the real-time average inductor current information. When the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100, switch S11 is turned off. At this time, the voltage Vhold on capacitor C2 represents the voltage signal corresponding to the constant first current, and the voltage Vhold on capacitor C2 is not affected by the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the multiphase power supply 100 during the period when switch S11 is turned off. L1 -I LN The fluctuations in voltage Vhold affect the compensation voltage Vdroop generated by the compensation voltage generation circuit 340, which in turn maintains stability.

[0077] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the compensation control circuit 121 specifically includes: a sampling unit 410, a switching unit 420, a mean and sample-and-hold unit 430, a compensation voltage generation circuit 440, and an adjustment circuit 450. The sampling unit 410 is used to sample the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. L1 -ILN N sampled signals are obtained through sampling. A switching unit 420 is connected between the output of the sampling unit 410 and the input of the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430. This switching unit 420 is controlled by a dynamic voltage identification signal DVID to switch between an on and off state, thereby connecting or disconnecting the transmission path of the N sampled signals to the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430. Specifically, the switching unit 420 switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage Vout is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID. The averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430 performs averaging and sample-and-hold processing on the received N sampled signals to obtain a sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold. The compensation voltage generation circuit 440 receives the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold and generates a compensation voltage Vdroop based on the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold and the load line impedance. The adjustment circuit 450 receives the compensation voltage Vdroop and the output feedback signal VFB0, respectively. It adds the output feedback signal VFB0 and the compensation voltage Vdroop according to the relevant instructions in the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicating the direction of output voltage adjustment, to obtain the feedback compensation signal VFB1, i.e., VFB1 = VFB0 + Vdroop. In some other embodiments, the compensation voltage generation circuit 440 can also be located inside the adjustment circuit 450, with the adjustment circuit 450 implementing the corresponding functions of the compensation voltage generation circuit 440.

[0078] Figure 4 In this embodiment, the sampling unit 410 includes, for example, N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN, the switching unit 420 includes N switches S21-S2N, and the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430 includes a capacitor C3. The first terminals of the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits. The second terminals of the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN are respectively connected to the first terminals of the N switches S21-S2N. The second terminals of the N switches S21-S2N are all connected to the input terminal of the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430 (i.e., the first terminal of capacitor C3). The second terminal of capacitor C3 is connected to a reference ground. In this embodiment, the sampling unit 410 uses the N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN to sample the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuits 111-11N. L1 -I LNThe sampling, averaging, and sample-and-hold unit 430, based on capacitor C3, simultaneously performs averaging and sample-and-hold processing on the N sampled signals. Meanwhile, the N switches S21-S2N in the switching unit 420 are controlled by the control signal Vhold_loadline_b. They switch to the off state when the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100, and switch to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 is completed, as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID.

[0079] Figure 4 During the conduction of N switches S21-S2N, the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold obtained by the average and sample-and-hold unit 430 changes with the N sampled signals. At this time, the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold represents the real-time average inductor current information. When the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 needs to be adjusted, all N switches S21-S2N are switched to the off state. At this time, the voltage Vavg_hold on capacitor C3 represents the voltage signal corresponding to the constant first current, and the voltage Vavg_hold on capacitor C3 is not affected by the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the multiphase power supply 100 during the off period of switches S21-S2N. L1 -I LN The fluctuations in voltage cause the compensation voltage Vdroop generated by the compensation voltage generation circuit 440 based on the voltage Vavg_hold to remain stable.

[0080] Figure 5 The compensation control circuit 121 shown is... Figure 4 The compensation control circuit 121 shown has a basically the same structure and working principle, and its similarities will not be repeated. The differences are as follows: Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the switching unit 420 includes a switch S3. The first terminal of the switch S3 is connected to the second terminals of N sampling resistors Rcs1-RcsN. The second terminals of all N switches S3 are connected to the input terminal (i.e., the first terminal of capacitor C3) of the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430. During the conduction period of switch S3, the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold obtained by the averaging and sample-and-hold unit 430 changes with the N sampling signals. At this time, the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold represents the real-time average inductor current information. When the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID indicates that the output voltage Vout of the multiphase power supply 100 is adjusted, the switch S3 switches to the off state. At this time, the voltage Vavg_hold on capacitor C3 represents the voltage signal corresponding to the constant first current, and the voltage Vavg_hold on capacitor C3 is not affected by the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the multiphase power supply 100 during the off period of switch S3.L1 -I LN The fluctuations in voltage cause the compensation voltage Vdroop generated by the compensation voltage generation circuit 440 based on the voltage Vavg_hold to remain stable.

[0081] Combination Figures 3-6 During the effective period of the instruction DVID_down (e.g., within time period t21-t22), the voltage curve of the compensation voltage Vdroop output by the compensation voltage generation circuit 340 / 440 disclosed in various embodiments of this application does not show a rapid change trend. The actual output voltage Vout does not experience overshoot during the entire effective period of the instruction DVID_down, nor does it experience ditching for a period of time after the instruction DVID_down becomes invalid, thereby improving the output stability and reliability of the multiphase power supply 100.

[0082] Understandable, because Figure 4 and Figure 5 The compensation control circuit 121 in the circuit only performs the averaging process of the N sampled signals after the switching unit 420 is switched to the on state. Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the average inductor current information obtained by the compensation control circuit 121 does not follow the inductor current I of each phase power conversion circuit in the multiphase power supply 100. L1 -I LN The actual average inductor current will not cause a sudden change in the sample-and-hold signal Vavg_hold received by the compensation voltage generation circuit 440, as the switching unit 420 switches from off to on after the indication adjustment is completed. This can further improve the output stability of the multiphase power supply 100.

[0083] In some embodiments, the multiphase controller 120 further includes a switch control signal generation unit (not shown), which is used to parse the dynamic voltage identification signal DVID and generate a control signal Vhold_loadline_b for the switch unit based on the parsing result.

[0084] Furthermore, this application also discloses a control method for a multiphase power supply, which can be applied to the multiphase power supply 100 shown in any of the foregoing embodiments. Specifically, as... Figure 7 As shown, the control method includes performing the following steps:

[0085] Step 710: Generate a feedback compensation signal based on the average inductor current and output voltage of the multiphase power supply. During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the feedback compensation signal is generated based on the output voltage and a constant first current, which is the average inductor current corresponding to the start time of the adjustment.

[0086] Step 720: Control the N-phase power conversion circuit according to the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage.

[0087] It should be noted that the specific implementation of each step in the control method of the multiphase power supply described above and the technical effects that can be obtained can be found in the relevant description of the multiphase power supply and its multiphase controller in any of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0088] In summary, the multiphase power supply and its control scheme disclosed in this application include setting a multiphase controller to generate a feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and a constant first current during the period when the output voltage of the multiphase power supply is adjusted according to the dynamic voltage identification signal, and controlling the N-phase power conversion circuit according to the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage. Compared with the existing scheme, the scheme of this application can generate a feedback compensation signal based on a stable current signal (e.g., a sampled signal representing a constant first current obtained by sampling and holding the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply according to the dynamic voltage identification signal) when the output voltage needs to be adjusted. This ensures that the sudden change in the inductor current when the dynamic voltage identification signal arrives will not affect the adjustment effect of the output voltage, effectively avoiding the risk of overshoot or sag of the output voltage during the process of adjusting the output voltage based on the dynamic voltage identification signal.

[0089] Furthermore, according to Load-Line control, by controlling the linear change of the reference voltage based on a constant load current, the linear change of the output voltage can be achieved through feedback control. However, in this application, it is also necessary to ensure that the output voltage does not change abruptly at the start and end of the adjustment, so the constant load current needs to meet certain requirements. During the period of adjusting the output voltage according to the dynamic voltage identification signal and before and after the adjustment period, the load size does not change, and the load current remains constant in steady state throughout the process. Only the output voltage changes after the adjustment ends, thereby realizing the increase or decrease of output power. Therefore, the first current is set as the average inductor current at the start of the output voltage adjustment indicated by the dynamic identification signal. That is, the first current during the adjustment period is the load current corresponding to steady state. Therefore, the output voltage at the start of the adjustment is the output voltage in the previous steady state, and the output voltage at the end of the adjustment is the output voltage in the subsequent steady state. That is, the output voltage rises and falls stably throughout the entire process of adjusting the output voltage and before and after the adjustment, without overshoot or dips. Therefore, at the start of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, a constant first current characterization signal is obtained by sampling and holding the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply. This achieves multiphase power supply control based on the average inductor current information while avoiding the risk of overshoot or sag in the output voltage, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the multiphase power supply.

[0090] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating this application and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A multiphase controller for a multiphase power supply, the multiphase power supply comprising an N-phase power conversion circuit, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, wherein... The multiphase controller is configured to: A feedback compensation signal is generated based on the average inductor current and output voltage of the multiphase power supply, and the N-phase power conversion circuit is controlled based on the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage. During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the multiphase controller generates the feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and a constant first current.

2. The multiphase controller according to claim 1, wherein, The multiphase controller performs sample-and-hold processing on the average inductor current of the multiphase power supply to characterize the constant first current at the start time when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply.

3. The multiphase controller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the multiphase controller is also configured to adjust the reference voltage according to the changing trend indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal; The trend of change includes rising or falling, and the reference voltage has the same trend of change as the output voltage.

4. The multiphase controller according to claim 2, wherein, After the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates that the output voltage has been adjusted, the multiphase controller generates the feedback compensation signal based on the output voltage and the real-time average inductor current.

5. The multiphase controller according to claim 1, wherein, The multiphase controller is also configured to: A compensation voltage is generated based on the load line impedance and the real-time average inductor current, or a compensation voltage is generated based on the load line impedance and the constant first current. The output voltage and the compensation voltage are then added together to obtain the feedback compensation signal.

6. The multiphase controller according to claim 2, wherein, The multiphase controller includes: Sampling and averaging unit, switching unit, and sample-and-hold unit; The sampling and averaging unit is used to sample the inductor current of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuit to obtain N sampling signals, and to perform averaging processing on the N sampling signals to obtain an average inductor current sampling signal that characterizes the average inductor current. The switching unit is connected between the output of the sampling and averaging unit and the input of the sample-and-hold unit. The switching unit is controlled by the dynamic voltage identification signal to switch between the on and off states. The sample-and-hold unit is used to perform sample-and-hold processing on the received average inductor current sample signal to obtain a sample-and-hold signal; The switching unit switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

7. The multiphase controller according to claim 2, wherein, The multiphase controller includes: Sampling unit, switching unit, and mean and sample-and-hold unit; The sampling unit is used to sample the inductor current of each phase power conversion circuit in the N-phase power conversion circuit to obtain N sampling signals. The switching unit is connected between the output of the sampling unit and the input of the mean and sample-and-hold unit. The switching unit is controlled by the dynamic voltage identification signal to switch between the on and off states. The mean and sample-and-hold unit is used to perform mean processing and sample-and-hold processing on the received N sample signals to obtain a sample-and-hold signal; The switching unit switches to the off state at the beginning of the adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal, and switches to the on state after the adjustment of the output voltage is completed as indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

8. The multiphase controller according to claim 6, wherein, The sampling and averaging unit includes N sampling resistors and a first capacitor. The first ends of the N sampling resistors are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits. The second ends of the N sampling resistors are all connected to the first ends of the first capacitor. The second ends of the first capacitor are connected to the reference ground. The switching unit includes a first switch, a first end of which is connected to a first end of the first capacitor, and a second end of which is connected to the input end of the sample-and-hold unit.

9. The multiphase controller according to claim 7, wherein, The sampling unit includes N sampling resistors, and the first ends of the N sampling resistors are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits; The switching unit includes N second switches, the first terminals of the N second switches are respectively connected to the second terminals of the N sampling resistors, and the second terminals of the N second switches are all connected to the input terminal of the mean and sample-and-hold unit.

10. The multiphase controller according to claim 7, wherein, The sampling unit includes N sampling resistors, and the switching unit includes a third switch; The first ends of the N sampling resistors are respectively connected to the inductors in the corresponding phase power conversion circuits, the second ends of the N sampling resistors are all connected to the first end of the third switch, and the second end of the third switch is connected to the input end of the average and sample-and-hold unit.

11. The multiphase controller according to any one of claims 6-10, wherein, The multiphase controller also includes: The switch control signal generation unit parses the dynamic voltage identification signal and generates the control signal for the switch unit based on the parsing result.

12. The multiphase controller according to claim 1, wherein, The first current characterizes the average inductor current at the start of the dynamic voltage identification signal indicating the adjustment of the output voltage.

13. A multiphase power supply, wherein, include: An N-phase parallel coupled power conversion circuit, wherein each phase power conversion circuit has an input terminal coupled to the input voltage and an output terminal coupled to the load to provide power output, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; The multiphase controller as described in any one of claims 1-12 is respectively coupled to the N-phase power conversion circuit and provides control signals to the power switching transistors in the N-phase power conversion circuit according to the dynamic voltage identification signal.

14. A control method for a multiphase power supply, the multiphase power supply comprising an N-phase power conversion circuit, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, wherein... The control method includes: A feedback compensation signal is generated based on the average inductor current and output voltage of the multiphase power supply. The N-phase power conversion circuit is controlled according to the feedback compensation signal and the reference voltage; During the period when the dynamic voltage identification signal indicates adjustment of the output voltage of the multiphase power supply, the feedback compensation signal is generated based on the output voltage and a constant first current, wherein the first current characterizes the average inductor current at the start of the adjustment of the output voltage indicated by the dynamic voltage identification signal.

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