Kelvin Switch PMIC for IR Drop Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Power management integrated circuits (PMICs) face challenges in maintaining high efficiency due to performance degradation caused by voltage drops in power wiring, especially as the capacity of linear regulators increases, leading to inefficiencies in mobile devices.
Innovation Solution
A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) design that includes an upper regulator circuit, a lower regulator circuit, and a Kelvin switch circuit, which connects any one of multiple upper regulators to multiple lower regulators, allowing for feedback-sensing and optimizing the output voltage to minimize IR drops and improve efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the capacity of linear regulator is increased, then power management capability is improved, but voltage drop due to power wiring increases causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The regulator is divided into multiple sub-regulators (first sub-regulator, second sub-regulator, etc.) that can independently regulate different power rails. This segmentation allows each sub-regulator to handle smaller current loads, reducing the voltage drop across power wiring while maintaining overall high capacity power management capability.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple regulators are used to increase capacity, then power management capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sub-regulators are integrated into a single PMIC chip, merging their functions while maintaining independent operation. The control logic selectively activates appropriate sub-regulators based on power rail requirements, achieving high capacity regulation without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control logic dynamically selects which sub-regulators to activate based on real-time power rail requirements. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to use only the necessary regulator capacity for each situation, avoiding the complexity of permanently configuring all sub-regulators to be active simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If power wiring is used to connect regulators, then power distribution is simplified, but voltage drop increases reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
Each sub-regulator is configured to regulate a specific power rail with localized feedback control. This local quality approach ensures that voltage regulation is optimized for each specific power rail's requirements, minimizing voltage drops by maintaining appropriate voltage differentials across each regulator independently.
Data Source
AI summary
A power management integrated circuit and a method of operating the power management integrated circuit are disclosed. The power management integrated includes an upper regulator circuit that receives a system voltage as an input and outputs a first output voltage; a lower regulator circuit having the first output voltage as an input; and a Kelvin switch circuit connected between the upper regulator circuit and the lower regulator circuit. The Kelvin switch circuit includes a plurality of switches that connect any one of a plurality of upper regulators included in the upper regulator circuit to any one of a plurality of lower regulators included in the lower regulator circuit.