Multiphase Voltage Regulator Offset Calibration Using Synthetic Current
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multiphase voltage regulating systems face challenges in accurately canceling and correcting system-level offsets due to individual residual offsets from power stages and the multiphase controller, which can lead to inaccuracies in voltage regulation.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a controller that receives feedback signals from power stages, converts them into correction signals, and adjusts synthetic currents to cancel offsets and correct gains at the system level, utilizing auto-zero and auto-gain calibration modes to achieve high accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple power stages operate in parallel to increase power capacity, then the system handles higher power loads, but individual residual offsets from each stage accumulate and degrade voltage regulation accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the calibration information from multiple parallel power stages at the controller level. By combining feedback signals from all stages and computing a unified correction strategy, the system achieves coordinated offset compensation across all parallel stages, allowing high power capacity while maintaining voltage regulation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback mechanism collects information from each parallel power stage and feeds it back to the controller for centralized processing. This enables the system to monitor and compensate for cumulative offsets from all parallel stages, maintaining regulation accuracy despite the increased power handling capability provided by multiple stages.
2Measurement precision
If the system performs continuous auto-calibration to maintain high accuracy, then voltage regulation precision is improved, but system complexity and calibration overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration through automatic detection and correction of offsets. The controller autonomously receives feedback signals, determines system-level offsets, generates correction signals, and adjusts synthetic currents without external intervention. This self-service capability maintains high voltage regulation accuracy while minimizing the need for manual calibration procedures and reducing operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for operating a voltage regulator are described. An apparatus may receive a feedback signal from a power stage. The feedback signal may be one of a sensed signal measured from an output of the power stage and a calibration signal representing a fixed voltage. The apparatus may convert the feedback signal into a correction signal. The apparatus may further adjust a synthetic current using the correction signal, the synthetic current being associated with the power stage.