TWI483091B - Voltage regulating apparatus and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Voltage regulating device and electronic device

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a voltage regulating device.

As the functions of electronic devices are diversified, electronic devices typically have multiple components (load devices) to perform corresponding functions, such as a wireless network interface, a universal serial bus interface or memory, and the like. Since each load device has its own operating power and different operating voltages, each load device must be powered by a corresponding voltage regulating device. Wherein, the voltage regulating device can regulate the output voltage and adjust the voltage to provide a stable voltage and current of the corresponding load device.

In the circuit design of a general voltage regulating device, a voltage regulating device is usually provided with a power output unit and a driving unit, wherein the power output unit is controlled by the driving unit to output a corresponding voltage and current. The driving unit correspondingly controls the output voltage and the output current of the power output unit according to the output state of the power output unit. The output characteristics of a conventional voltage regulator are determined by its internal drive unit. The external device of the conventional voltage regulating device cannot control/adjust the output characteristics (such as the output voltage level) of the conventional voltage regulating device. Therefore, in a conventional electronic device, voltage regulating devices of different specifications must be configured for load devices of different operating specifications, making standardization of the voltage regulating device difficult to implement.

The present invention provides a voltage regulating device and an electronic device that can collectively control various circuit parameters in a voltage regulating device by using a digital controller.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a voltage regulating device that is controlled by a digital controller. The voltage regulating device includes at least one voltage regulator and an instruction processing unit. The instruction processing unit is coupled to the digital controller through a bidirectional digital transmission interface. A voltage regulator coupled to the command processing unit is configured to supply power to the load device. The instruction processing unit transmits the status information of the voltage regulator to the digital controller through the bidirectional digital transmission interface. The instruction processing unit controls the operation of the voltage regulator according to a control command generated by the digital controller in response to the status information.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device. The electronic device includes a digital controller and a voltage regulating device. The voltage regulating device includes an instruction processing unit and at least one voltage regulator. The instruction processing unit is coupled to the digital controller via a bidirectional digital transmission interface. A voltage regulator is coupled to the instruction processing unit. The voltage regulator can supply power to the load device. The digital controller obtains the status information of the voltage regulator through the instruction processing unit, and generates a control instruction corresponding to the instruction processing unit according to the status information. The instruction processing unit controls the operation of the voltage regulator according to the control instruction.

Based on the above, an embodiment of the present invention provides a voltage regulating device and an electronic device, which can collectively control various circuit parameters/operation parameters of the voltage regulating device by a digital controller, thereby making the voltage adjusting device suitable for a standardized design. Moreover, in some embodiments, due to the digital controller The function can be realized by the original digital circuit components in the electronic device without additional design, so the cost of the voltage regulating device of the embodiment of the present invention can be effectively reduced.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a voltage regulating device that can collectively control various circuit parameters of a voltage regulating device by a digital controller, thereby making the voltage regulating device suitable for a standardized design. In order to make the content of the present invention easier to understand, the following specific embodiments are illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, wherever possible, the elements and/ Elements/components/steps that use the same reference numbers or use the same terms in different embodiments may refer to the related description.

1 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 can be any type of electronic product. For example, the electronic device 10 may be a personal computer, a notebook computer, an ultrabook computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and wisdom. Smart phone or other type of electronic device.

The electronic device 10 includes a digital controller 11, a voltage regulating device 12, and a load device 13. The digital controller 11 can be any type of controller. For example, system-on-chip (SOC), application processor, media processor, microprocessor, central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processing Digital signal processor or the like. For example, if the electronic device 10 is implemented as a computer system, the digital controller 11 can be a South Bridge, a central processing unit, a Platform Controller Hub (PCH), and an embedded controller (Embedded Controller). , EC), keyboard controller (KBC), baseboard management controller (BMC), power management IC (PMIC) or other digital control circuit. The digital controller 11 is coupled to the voltage regulating device 12 via a bidirectional digital transmission interface DL to control the operation and output of the voltage regulating device 12.

Depending on the control of the digital controller 11, the voltage regulating device 12 can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 10, such as the load device 13 illustrated in FIG. The load device 13 can be any circuit in the electronic device 10 for performing a specific function, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller, a regional wireless network (such as WiFi) interface circuit, and a memory (such as a next generation). Mobile memory LPDDR3) or other functional circuits.

In the present embodiment, the voltage regulating device 12 includes at least one voltage regulator (herein the voltage regulator 110 is exemplified) and an instruction processing unit 120. The voltage regulator 110 is used to supply power to the load device 13. The instruction processing unit 120 is coupled to the voltage regulator 110. The digital controller 11 is coupled to the instruction processing unit 120 through a bidirectional digital transmission interface DL, for example, an inter-integrated circuit (I ² C) transmission interface, and a universal serial communication. Row (USB) transfer interface, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) or other digital communication interface.

In this embodiment, the instruction processing unit 120 can detect the operating state of the voltage regulator 110, and thus the digital controller 11 can acquire the state information STAT of the voltage regulator 110 through the instruction processing unit 120. For example, the command processing unit 120 can detect the output current, the output voltage, or other operational state of the voltage regulator 110, or detect the load current of the load device 13. Therefore, the status information STAT acquired by the digital controller 11 through the instruction processing unit 120 includes at least one of an output current of the voltage regulator 110, an output voltage of the voltage regulator 110, and a load current of the load device 13. After obtaining the status information STAT, the digital controller 11 can generate the control command CMD to the instruction processing unit 120 according to the status information STAT, so that the instruction processing unit 120 controls the operation of the voltage regulator 110 according to the control instruction CMD. Therefore, the external device of the voltage regulating device 12 (i.e., the digital controller 11) can control/adjust the output characteristics (e.g., output voltage level) of the voltage regulating device 12.

In order to more clearly illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 can be analogized with reference to the related description of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 20 can be any type of electronic product. The electronic device 20 includes a digital controller 11, a voltage regulating device 22, and a load device 13. Depending on the control of the digital controller 11, the voltage regulating device 22 can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 20, such as the load device 13 illustrated in FIG. In the embodiment, the voltage adjusting device 22 includes a voltage regulator 210, an instruction processing unit 220, and a state detecting unit 240. In the present embodiment, the coupling relationship between the voltage regulator 210, the command processing unit 220, and the digital controller 11 is substantially the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and thus will not be described again. The state detecting unit 240 is coupled between the voltage regulator 210 and the load device 13 . According to the design requirements of different embodiments, the state detecting unit 240 may include a voltage detecting circuit, a current detecting circuit, a frequency detecting circuit, a power detecting circuit, or other electrical characteristic detecting circuit. In this embodiment, the command processing unit 220 can detect the output current i ₁ of the voltage regulator 210, the output voltage V1 of the voltage regulator 210, and the load current i _{L of the} load device 13 by the state detecting unit 240.

More particularly, the state detecting unit 240 can detect the output voltage V1, the output current i ₁ and current load information _L i, and the detection result DR in the form of analog signal 220 back to the instruction processing unit. The instruction processing unit 220 performs analog-like digital conversion on the detection result DR to obtain a detection result in a digital form, and temporarily stores the detection result in the digital form in the instruction processing unit 220. Therefore, the digital controller 11 can read the status information STAT including at least one of the output current i ₁ , the output voltage V1, and the load current i _L from the instruction processing unit 220 through the bidirectional digital transmission interface DL, and according to the status information STAT The control command CMD is issued to the instruction processing unit 220 via the bidirectional digital transmission interface DL. The instruction processing unit 220 controls the operation of the voltage regulator 210 in accordance with the control command CMD, for example, adjusting the level of the output voltage V1.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 , the voltage regulator 210 includes a driving unit 212 and a power output unit 214 . The power output unit 214 is configured to provide an output voltage V1 to the load device 13 according to the driving signal S_D of the driving unit 212. The driving unit 212 is coupled to the power output unit 214 and the instruction processing unit 220. The driving unit 212 is controlled by the instruction processing unit 220 to generate a driving signal S_D to the power output unit 214.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the instruction processing unit 220 includes a temporary storage unit 222, at least one digital-to-analog converter (DAC, here taking the digital analog converter 224 as an example), and at least An analog-to-digital converter (ADC, here an analog-to-digital converter 226 is taken as an example). The temporary storage unit 222 is coupled to the digital controller 11 through the bidirectional digital transmission interface DL. The digital analog converter 224 is coupled to the driving unit 212 and the temporary storage unit 222 of the voltage regulator 210. The analog digital converter 226 is coupled to the state detecting unit 240 and the temporary storage unit 222.

In the instruction processing unit 220, the temporary storage unit 222 is configured to temporarily store the content of the control command CMD. The digital analog converter 224 is configured to convert the content CMD' of the control command stored in the temporary storage unit 222 into the analog signal S_A to the driving unit 212 of the voltage regulator 210 to control the operation of the voltage regulator 210. The analog digital converter 226 is configured to convert the detection result DR of the state detecting unit 240 into a digital feedback signal S_DF as part of the status information STAT, wherein the digital feedback signal S_DF is recorded in the temporary storage. Unit 222. The digital controller 11 can read the digital feedback signal S_DF from the temporary storage unit 222 through the bidirectional digital transmission interface DL.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a temporary storage unit according to the embodiment of FIG. 2. FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the temporary storage unit 222 can provide a plurality of registers (such as the registers Reg1, Reg2, ..., Regp shown in FIG. 3), where p is a positive integer and can be changed according to design. Each of the registers can respectively provide a storage space of data/values corresponding to the function (here, an 8-bit storage space is taken as an example) to store the content of the corresponding control instruction CMD' or the digital feedback signal S_DF. .

Specifically, for example, in the data structure of each control command CMD from the digital controller 11, the control portion CP and the data portion DP are respectively included, and the data length of the control portion CP and the data portion CP can be changed according to the design. This is exemplified by the data length of 8 bits. When the control command CMD is transferred to the temporary storage unit 222, the temporary storage unit 222 stores the data portion DP of the different types of control commands CMD in the temporary registers Reg1~Regp according to the pointer of the control portion CP. Corresponding to the scratchpad.

For example, the temporary storage unit 222 temporarily stores the content "abcdefgh" of the data portion DP to the temporary register Reg10 based on the index of the control portion CP of the control command CMD. It is assumed here that the corresponding function of the register Reg10 is "the reference voltage (or output voltage) value of the voltage regulator 210". Therefore, the digital analog converter 224 can convert the control instruction content CMD′ (ie, “abcdefgh”) stored in the register Reg10 into a reference voltage (analog signal S_A) to the driving unit 212 of the voltage regulator 210 to control the voltage adjustment. The level of the output voltage V1 of the device 210. For example, when the register Reg10 When the stored control command content CMD' is "00000000", the digital analog converter 224 outputs a reference voltage (analog signal S_A) of 0 V to the drive unit 212 of the voltage adjuster 210. When the control command content CMD' stored in the register Reg10 is "00000001", the digital analog converter 224 outputs a reference voltage of 0.1 V to the drive unit 212. By analogy, when the control command content CMD' stored in the register Reg10 is "00100001", the digital analog converter 224 outputs a reference voltage of 3.3V to the drive unit 212. Therefore, the instruction processing unit 220 can adjust the reference voltage of the driving unit 212 according to the corresponding control command CMD to adjust/control the level of the output voltage V1 of the voltage regulator 210.

In addition, the temporary storage unit 222 can store the data/values of the outputs of the different analog-to-digital converters in the corresponding temporary registers. For example, assume that the corresponding function of the register Reg2 is "the output current value of the voltage regulator 210". The analog digital converter 226 can convert the output of the state detecting unit 240 (for example, the output current i ₁ ) into a current value (digital feedback signal S_DF), and the temporary storage unit 222 can store the current value output by the analog digital converter 226. In the register Reg2. The digital controller 11 can read the current value (status information STAT) stored in the register Reg2 to know the output current of the voltage regulator 210. Therefore, the digital analog converter 224 can convert the control command CMD stored in the specific register to the corresponding analog signal S_A to control the operation of the voltage regulator 210, and the digital controller 11 can read and store in the specific register. The digital feedback signal S_DF is used to obtain the corresponding status information STAT.

In some embodiments, the instruction processing unit 220 may not need to pass the number The analog operation of the bit analog converter controls the operation of the voltage regulator 210 directly in accordance with the contents of the temporary storage unit 222. For example, assume that the corresponding function of the register Reg1 is "enable control of the voltage regulator", wherein the first bit of the register Reg1 is the enable flag of the voltage regulator 210, and the register The other bits of Reg1 are the enabling flags of other voltage regulators (not shown in Figure 2, which can be analogized with reference to the related description of Figure 4). When the control of the digital controller 11 is commanded CMD. When the index of the control portion CP of the control command CMD points to the register Reg1, the temporary storage unit 222 stores the data portion DP of the control command CMD in the register Reg1. When the first bit of the register Reg1 is "0", the instruction processing unit 220 disables the voltage regulator 210. When the first bit of the register Reg1 is "1", the instruction processing unit 220 enables the voltage adjuster 210. Therefore, the instruction processing unit 220 can control the disable enable of the voltage regulator 210 in accordance with the corresponding control command CMD.

For example, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously, according to the index of the corresponding control portion CP in the control command CMD, the temporary storage unit 222 can execute a control command regarding the disable/enable control of the voltage adjuster 210 (for example, The data portion DP is 0 for disabling, and 1 for enabling is temporarily stored in the register Reg1. Therefore, the instruction processing unit 220 controls the disablement of the voltage regulator 210 in accordance with the corresponding control command CMD. The temporary storage unit 222 can temporarily store the output current i ₁ detected by the state detecting unit 240 (the digital feedback signal S_DF outputted by the analog-to-digital converter 226) in the register Reg2, for example, the content of the register Reg2 "00000001" It can represent 1 mA, and "00001101" can represent 13 mA. The temporary storage unit 222 can temporarily store a control command having a power supply voltage (input voltage) level of the voltage regulator 210 in the register Reg3 according to the index of the corresponding control portion CP in the control command CMD. For example, the content "00000001" of the register Reg3 can represent 0.1V, and the content "01111000" of the register Reg3 can represent 12V. Therefore, the digital analog converter 224 can convert the contents of the register Reg3 into the power supply voltage (input voltage) of the voltage regulator 210. The temporary storage unit 222 can temporarily store the output voltage V1 level detected by the state detecting unit 240 (the digital feedback signal S_DF outputted by the analog digital converter 226) in the register Reg4, for example, the content of the register Reg4. 00000001" can represent 0.1V, and the contents of the register Reg4 "00100001" can represent 3.3V. The temporary storage unit 222 can temporarily store a control command regarding the frequency of the pulse width modulation (PWM) (or the drive signal S_D) in the register Reg5 according to the index of the corresponding control portion CP in the control command CMD. For example, the content "00000001" of the register Reg5 can represent 0.1 MHz, and the content "00110010" of the register Reg5 can represent 5 MHz. Therefore, the instruction processing unit 220 can control the PWM frequency of the voltage regulator 210 in accordance with the contents of the register Reg5.

Therefore, the digital controller 11 can read the output current i _{1 of the} voltage regulator 210 and the output voltage V1 (status information STAT) from the registers Reg2 and Reg4, thereby generating a corresponding control command CMD with reference to the read status information STAT. And writing the control command CMD to the temporary storage unit 222. The instruction processing unit 220 can control the disablement of the voltage regulator 210, the level of the power supply voltage (input voltage), and the frequency of the PWM (or the driving signal S_D) according to the control command CMD temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 222. Output power, conversion efficiency, or other characteristic parameters of voltage regulator 210.

In another embodiment, when there are a plurality of voltage regulators, taking eight voltage regulators as an example, the temporary storage unit 222 must provide a register Reg1~Regp corresponding to the number of voltage regulators, respectively. Store relevant information about each voltage regulator. For example, the instruction processing unit 220 may temporarily store the output currents i ₁ corresponding to the eight voltage regulators via the analog-to-digital converters in the registers Reg2 to Reg9 for reading by the digital controller 11. The command processing unit 220 may temporarily store the output voltage V1 levels corresponding to the eight voltage regulators in the temporary registers Reg10 to Reg17 via analog-like digital converters. The control commands used by the digital controller 11 to control the power supply voltage (input voltage) of the eight voltage regulators are temporarily stored in Reg18~Reg25, respectively. The control commands used by the digital controller 11 to adjust the PWM frequency of the eight voltage regulators are temporarily stored in the registers Reg26~Reg33, respectively.

Further, when there are a plurality of voltage regulators, the digital controller 11 can generate a control command for controlling load sharing of the respective voltage regulators to the instruction processing unit 220. The instruction processing unit 220 temporarily stores the data portion DP to the corresponding temporary registers Reg34 to 41 according to the control portion CP in the control command. Therefore, the instruction processing unit 220 can control the load distribution of each voltage regulator according to the load distribution instruction temporarily stored in the registers Reg34~41. For example, if the content of the register Reg34 is "00000001", the load distribution of the first voltage regulator (for example, the voltage regulator 210) is 1%; if the content of the register Reg34 is "00100001", The load distribution of the first voltage regulator is 33%. The rest is like this.

The column size and function allocation order of each of the temporary registers Reg1~Regp in the temporary storage unit 222 is only an example, and can be changed according to the designer's needs in practical applications. For example, in other embodiments, the temporary storage unit 222 can record the frequency and duty cycle for the PWM (or drive signal S_D) in the control command CMD. The instruction processing unit 220 controls the driving unit 212 according to the control instruction recorded by the temporary storage unit 222 to adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the driving signal S_D.

In the voltage regulating device 22, since the driving unit 212 and the instruction processing unit 220 do not need to perform complicated logic processing and operations, the driving unit 212 and the instruction processing unit 220 can be realized by a simple circuit design. The drive unit has a lower cost compared to the conventional voltage regulating device. Moreover, since the digital controller 11 can be implemented by the original digital circuit components in the electronic device without additional design, the cost of the voltage regulating device 22 can be effectively reduced.

4 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 can be analogized with reference to the related descriptions of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device 30 can be any type of electronic product. The electronic device 30 includes a digital controller 11, a voltage regulating device 32, and a load device 13. Depending on the control of the digital controller 11, the voltage regulating device 32 can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 30, such as the load device 13 illustrated in FIG. In this embodiment, the voltage regulating device 32 includes at least one first voltage regulator (here, the first voltage regulator 310_1 is taken as an example), a plurality of second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n, and instructions. The processing unit 320 and the plurality of state detecting units 340_1 ～ 340_n corresponding to the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2 ～ 310_n and the power supply switches 350_1 ～ 350_n, where n is a positive integer and can be set by the designer.

In this embodiment, the output ends of the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n are coupled to the load device 13 via the corresponding power supply switches 350_1~350_n and the state detecting units 340_1~340_n. The difference between the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n is mainly due to the difference in the conversion characteristic curve. In other words, the optimal conversion efficiencies of the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n are respectively located in different output current ranges. The optimum conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator 310_1 is in the first output current range. The optimum conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n is in a second output current range that is higher than the first output current range.

According to the design requirements of different embodiments, the state detecting units 340_1~340_n may each include a voltage detecting circuit, a current detecting circuit, a frequency detecting circuit, a power detecting circuit or other electrical characteristic detecting circuit. In this embodiment, the command processing unit 320 can detect the output voltages V1 VVn, the output currents i ₁ -i _{n of the} voltage regulators 310_1~310_n, and the load current i of the load device 13 by the state detecting units 340_1~340_n. _L. The state detecting units 340_1~340_n respectively transmit the detection results DR1~DRn to the instruction processing unit 320 in analogy. Therefore, the digital controller 11 can read the status information STAT associated with the load current i _L from the instruction processing unit 320 to provide a corresponding control command CMD, so that the instruction processing unit 320 enables the first voltage regulator according to the control instruction CMD. 310_1 and at least one of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n. Therefore, the voltage regulator 32 can provide the output currents i ₁ to i _n to the load device 13 by using a voltage regulator having a better conversion efficiency, thereby increasing the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator 32 as a whole.

Taking the first voltage regulator 310_1 as an example, the first voltage regulator 310_1 includes a driving unit 312 and a power output unit 314. The implementation of the remaining voltage regulators 310_2~310_n can be analogized with reference to the related description of the voltage regulator 310_1. The power output unit 314 can be implemented by a stacked P-type transistor Mp and an N-type transistor Mn, and a filter circuit FTR composed of an inductor and a capacitor. The filter circuit FTR can switch the switching of the transistors Mp and Mn to output a stable current and voltage, thereby implementing a buck power conversion architecture. However, the architecture of the power output unit 314 is only an example. In other embodiments, the component structures in the transistor and the filter circuit can be modified according to design requirements, thereby implementing buck or boost power conversion. .

Specifically, the driving unit 312 generates a driving signal to control the transistors Mp and Mn with reference to the corresponding reference voltage VREF_1 to cause the power output unit 314 to output a corresponding voltage. For example, the driving unit 312 can drive the power output unit 314 by using a driving method such as pulse-width modulation (PWM) or pulse-frequency modulation (PFM). The command processing unit 320 can set the power voltage (input voltage) VIN_1 of the power output unit 314, the reference voltage VREF_1 of the driving unit 312, and the frequency of the driving signal generated by the driving unit 312 according to the corresponding control command CMD. S_CTL1 duty cycle of the control signal, so as to adjust the output voltage of the first voltage regulator 310_1 V1, the output current i ₁ or conversion characteristic curve.

In addition, the driving circuit 312 may include a plurality of protection circuits, such as a soft start circuit, an under voltage lockout circuit (UVLO), or a thermal shutdown circuit (TSD), etc. The invention is not limited to this.

The power supply switch 360_1 is coupled between the corresponding first voltage regulator 310_1 and the load device 13, and the power switches 360_1~360_n are coupled between the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n and the load device 13, respectively. The command processing unit 320 can set the switch signals GATE_1 GATE_n according to the corresponding control commands to control the on or off of the power supply switches 360_1~360_n, so that the first voltage adjuster 310_1 and the second voltage adjusters 310_2~310_n react to The corresponding power switches 360_1~360_n are turned on to enable the output currents i ₁ ~i _n to the load device 13, and are disabled according to the cutoff of the corresponding power switches 360_1~360_n to stop providing the output currents i ₁ ~i _n to the load device 13.

The instruction processing unit 320 includes a temporary storage unit 322, a plurality of digital analog converters 324_1~324_n, and a plurality of analog digital converters 326_1~326_n. The digital analog converters 324_1~324_n are respectively coupled to the corresponding first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n and the corresponding power supply switches 350_1~350_n. The analog digital converters 326_1~326_n are respectively coupled to the corresponding state detecting units 340_1~340_n.

In this embodiment, the digital analog converters 324_1 324 324_n can respectively convert the control commands CMD temporarily stored in the temporary registers in the temporary storage unit 322 into corresponding analog signals, such as the power supply voltages VIN_1 VIN VIN_n and the reference voltage VREF_1. ~VREF_n, control signals S_CTL1~S_CTLn, and switch signals GATE_1~GATE_n to control the operation of the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n.

The analog digital converters 326_1~326_n can respectively receive the detection results DR1~DRn of the corresponding state detecting units 340_1~340_n, and convert them into corresponding digital feedback signals S_DF1~S_DFn for recording in the temporary storage unit 322. The corresponding scratchpad in the middle. Therefore, the digital controller 11 can read the output voltage V1 associated with the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the respective second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n from the corresponding register in the temporary storage unit 322 via the bidirectional digital transmission interface DL. The digital feedback signals S_DF1 to S_DFn of Vn, the output currents i ₁ to i _n and the load current i _L are adjusted accordingly to adjust the output control command CMD.

In an embodiment, the power supply switches 360_1~360_n are integrally disposed in the corresponding first voltage adjuster 310_1 and the second voltage adjusters 310_2~310_n, thereby controlling the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second The disable of the voltage regulators 310_2~310_n. Specifically, the integrated voltage regulators 310_1~310_n at this time each have an enable control terminal for coupling the internal power supply switches 350_1~350_n. The command processing unit 320 is coupled to the enable control terminal to control the turn-on and turn-off of the power supply switches 350_1~350_n according to the control command CMD, so that the voltage adjusters 310_1~310_n are selected to react to the load current i _{L of the} load device 13 The output currents i ₁ ~i _{n are provided} .

In addition, in another embodiment, the voltage regulators 310_1~310_n can also be coupled to the same state detecting unit to detect the load current i _L without detecting the voltage regulators 310_1~310_n one by one. The output currents i ₁ ~ i _{n are} used to calculate the load current i _L .

More specifically, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a conversion characteristic curve of the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator according to the embodiment of FIG. 4. In Fig. 5, the vertical axis represents the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator, and the horizontal axis represents the output current of the voltage regulator. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 simultaneously, the conversion characteristic curve VR1C is the power conversion characteristic of the first voltage regulator 310_1, and the conversion characteristic curve VR2C is the power conversion characteristic of the second voltage regulators 310_2 to 310_n.

In the present embodiment, the conversion characteristic curve VR1C of the first voltage regulator 310_1 is set according to the operating specification when the load device 13 operates in the low power (light load) state, and the conversion characteristic curve of the second voltage regulator 310_2~310_n The VR2C is set in accordance with the operating specifications when the load device 13 operates in a high power (heavy load) state. Therefore, the optimal conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator 310_1 will be located in the smaller first output current range TR1, and the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulator 310_2~310_n will be higher than the first output current range TR1. The second output current range is TR2. In other embodiments, the circuit parameters of the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n can be controlled by the digital controller 11 to generate the corresponding control commands CMD to adjust the conversion characteristic curves VR1C and VR2C.

Specifically, the magnitude of the load current i _L that the digital controller 11 can determine by the digital feedback signals S_DF1 to S_DFn read from the temporary storage unit 322. When the digital controller 11 determines that the load current i _L is located in the set first output current range TR1, the digital controller 11 outputs a corresponding control command CMD to enable the command processing unit 320 to enable the first voltage adjustment according to the control command CMD. a second device 310_1 and disables the voltage regulator 310_2 ~ 310_n, the first voltage regulator having a better conversion efficiency by 310_ to provide an output current to the load device 13 i _1.

When the digital controller 11 determines that the load current i _{L is} higher than the first output current range TR1 and smaller than the sum of the maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n (ie, enables all of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n) When the maximum current is applied, the digital controller 11 determines the number of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n according to the magnitude of the load current i _L and provides a corresponding control command CMD, so that the command processing unit 320 according to the control command CMD Capable of at least one of the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n, and disabling the first voltage regulator 310_1 to enable the voltage regulating device 32 to provide an output by the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n having better conversion efficiency Current i ₂ ~ i _n to load device 13.

On the other hand, when the digital controller 11 determines that the load current i _{L of the} load device 13 is greater than the sum of the maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators 310_2 to 310_n, the digital controller 11 determines the load current i _{L of the} load device 13 The first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n are enabled and provide corresponding control commands CMD, so that the instruction processing unit 320 enables the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulator 310_2 according to the control command CMD. 310_n to provide output currents i ₁ ~ i _n to the load device 13.

From another control point of view, since the magnitude of the load current i _L of the load device 13 is related to the operation mode of the load device 13, the digital controller 11 can further determine the load current by determining the operation mode of the load device 13. Whether iL is in the first output current range TR1. Specifically, when the digital controller 11 determines that the load device 13 is operating in a standby mode or a connected standby mode, the digital controller 11 provides a corresponding control command CMD to the command processing unit 320. The first voltage regulator 310_1 is disabled by the control instruction processing unit 320 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n are disabled to enable the voltage regulating device 32 to be provided by the first voltage regulator 310_1 having better conversion efficiency. The current i _{1 is} output to the load device 13.

When the digital controller 11 determines that the load device 13 is not operating in the networked standby mode, the digital controller 11 further determines whether the load current i _{L of the} load device 13 is greater than the second voltage regulators VR2_1 VR2_m based on the status information STAT. The sum of the maximum output current of 1. The subsequent operations of this part are as described above, and therefore will not be described again here.

It should be noted that, although the voltage regulating device 32 is operated at the maximum power of the load device 13, it is necessary to simultaneously enable the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulator 310_2~310_n to supply power to the first voltage regulator. The conversion efficiency of 310_1 is reduced. However, in practice, the use of the load device 13 at maximum power is only a fraction of the overall usage time. Therefore, in most of the time, the voltage adjustment device Set 32 to supply power with good conversion efficiency without wasting power.

In an embodiment, the first voltage regulator of the voltage regulating device 32 may be plural, and when the digital controller 11 determines that the load current i _L is located between the first output current range TR1 and the second output current range TR2 The digital controller 11 can determine the number of enabling first voltage regulators according to the magnitude of the load current i _L and issue a corresponding control finger command CMD to control the operation of the first voltage regulator. At this time, the maximum output current of each of the first voltage regulators may be limited to the first current output range TR1 so that the overall voltage regulating device 32 can be maintained at a high conversion efficiency.

In another embodiment, the voltage regulating device 32 may further include one or more third voltage regulators (not shown). The optimal conversion efficiency of the third voltage regulator may be set in a range between the first output current range TR1 and the second output current range TR2, and when the digital controller 11 determines that the load current i _L is located in the first output current range TR1 and When the interval between the second output current ranges TR2, the controller 11 disables the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n, and enables the third voltage regulator to have a better conversion. An efficient third voltage regulator supplies power to the load device.

In addition, the conversion characteristic curves VR1C and VR2C corresponding to the first voltage regulator 310_1 and the second voltage regulators 310_2~310_n may also be designed such that the first output current range TR1 and the second output current range TR2 are adjacent to each other, and The balance between the two conversion characteristic curves VR1C and VR2C maintains good conversion efficiency. The conversion characteristic curve shown in Figure 3 The setting of the current range is only an example, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In summary, the embodiment of the present invention provides a voltage regulating device that can collectively control various circuit parameters of a voltage regulating device by a digital controller, thereby making the voltage adjusting device suitable for a standardized design. In addition, since the function of the digital controller can be realized by the original digital circuit components in the electronic device without additional design, the cost of the voltage regulating device of the embodiment of the present invention can be effectively reduced.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

10, 20, 30‧‧‧ electronic devices

11‧‧‧Digital Controller

12, 22, 32‧‧‧ voltage regulating device

13‧‧‧Loading device

110, 210, 310_1~310_n‧‧‧ voltage regulator

120, 220, 320‧‧‧ instruction processing unit

212, 312‧‧‧ drive unit

214, 314‧‧‧ power output unit

222, 322‧‧‧ temporary storage unit

224, 324_1~324_n‧‧‧Digital Analog Converter

226, 326_1~326_n‧‧‧ analog digital converter

240, 340_1~340_n‧‧‧ state detection unit

310_1‧‧‧First voltage regulator

310_2~310_n‧‧‧Second voltage regulator

350_1~350_n‧‧‧Power switch

CMD‧‧‧ control instructions

CMD’‧‧‧Control Command Content

CP‧‧‧ control section

DP‧‧‧ data section

DL‧‧‧bidirectional digital transmission interface

DR, DR1~DRn‧‧‧ detection results

FTR‧‧‧Filter circuit

GATE_1~GATE_n‧‧‧Switch signal

Reg1~Regp‧‧‧ register

STAT‧‧‧ Status Information

S_A‧‧‧ analog signal

S_CTL1~S_CTLn‧‧‧ control signal

S_D‧‧‧ drive signal

S_DF‧‧‧ digital feedback signal

TR1‧‧‧First output current range

TR2‧‧‧second output current range

V1~Vn‧‧‧ output voltage

VIN_1~VIN_n‧‧‧Power supply voltage

VREF_1~VREF_n‧‧‧reference voltage

VR1C, VR2C‧‧‧ conversion characteristic curve

i ₁ ~i _n ‧‧‧Output current

i _L ‧‧‧Load current

1 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a temporary storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing conversion characteristics of a first voltage regulator and a second voltage regulator according to the embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG.

10‧‧‧Electronic devices

11‧‧‧Digital Controller

12‧‧‧Voltage regulator

13‧‧‧Loading device

110‧‧‧Voltage regulator

120‧‧‧Instruction Processing Unit

CMD‧‧‧ control instructions

DL‧‧‧bidirectional digital transmission interface

STAT‧‧‧ Status Information

Claims (13)

A voltage regulating device is controlled by a digital controller, the voltage regulating device comprising: an instruction processing unit coupled to the digital controller through a bidirectional digital transmission interface; and at least one voltage regulator coupled to the instruction a processing unit for supplying power to a load device; wherein the command processing unit transmits a state information of the voltage regulator to the digital controller through the two-way digital transmission interface; and the command processing unit responds to the digital controller according to the digital controller The status information is controlled by a control command generated to control the operation of the voltage regulator. The voltage regulating device of claim 1, wherein the status information comprises at least one of an output current of the voltage regulator, an output voltage of the voltage regulator, and a load current of the load device. The voltage regulating device of claim 1, further comprising: at least one state detecting unit coupled to the voltage regulator and the load device, wherein the command processing unit detects by the state detecting unit At least one of an output current of the voltage regulator, an output voltage of the voltage regulator, and a load current of the load device. The voltage regulation device of claim 3, wherein the instruction processing unit comprises: a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing the control instruction; and at least one analog digital converter coupled to the state detection unit, Take Converting the detection result of the state detecting unit into a digital feedback signal as part of the status information, wherein the digital feedback signal is recorded in the temporary storage unit, and the digital controller transmits the interface through the two-way digital transmission interface The temporary storage unit reads the digital feedback signal; and the at least one digital analog converter is coupled to the voltage regulator for converting the control command in the temporary storage unit into an analog signal to the voltage regulator. To control the operation of the voltage regulator. The voltage regulator of claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator comprises: a power output unit for providing an output voltage to the load device according to a driving signal; and a driving unit coupled to the The power output unit and the instruction processing unit, wherein the driving unit is controlled by the instruction processing unit to generate the driving signal to the power output unit. The voltage regulating device of claim 1, wherein the at least one voltage regulator comprises: at least one first voltage regulator; and a plurality of second voltage regulators, wherein the first voltage regulator and the The output of the second voltage regulator is coupled to the load device; and the digital controller reads the status information of the load current associated with the load device to provide a corresponding control command to control the command processing unit. The control command enables at least one of the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulators to provide an output current to the load device. The voltage regulating device according to claim 6, wherein The optimal conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator is in a first output current range; the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators is in a second output current range higher than the first output current range; When the load current of the load device is in the first output current range, the command processing unit enables the first voltage regulator to provide an output current to the load device according to the control command, and disable the second voltage regulators . The voltage regulating device of claim 7, wherein the digital controller is when the load current of the load device is higher than the first output current range and smaller than a sum of maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators Determining the number of the second voltage regulators according to the load current of the load device and providing the corresponding control command, so that the command processing unit enables at least the second voltage regulators according to the control command. First, and disable the first voltage regulator. The voltage regulating device of claim 8, wherein when the load current of the load device is greater than a sum of maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators, the digital controller is determined according to a load current of the load device. Enabling the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulators to provide the corresponding control command, so that the command processing unit enables the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulators according to the control command, To provide an output current to the load device. The voltage regulating device of claim 9, wherein the digital controller determines whether the load device operates in a network standby mode; and when the load device operates in the networked standby mode, the digital controller provides a corresponding The control instruction is given to the instruction processing unit to control the finger Having the processing unit disable the first voltage regulator and disable the second voltage regulators; when the load device is not operating in the networked standby mode, the digital controller determines the load device according to the status information Whether the load current is greater than a sum of maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators; and when the load device is not operating in the networked standby mode, when a load current of the load device is greater than the first output current range and less than When the maximum output currents of the second voltage regulators are summed, the digital controller determines the number of the second voltage regulators to be enabled according to the load current of the load device and provides corresponding control commands, so that the command processing The unit enables at least one of the second voltage regulators according to the control command, and disables the first voltage regulator. An electronic device comprising: a digital controller; and a voltage regulating device comprising: an instruction processing unit coupled to the digital controller via a bidirectional digital transmission interface; and at least one voltage regulator coupled Connected to the command processing unit for supplying power to a load device; wherein the digital controller obtains a status information of the voltage regulator through the command processing unit, and generates a control command corresponding to the command processing unit according to the status information And the instruction processing unit controls the operation of the voltage regulator according to the control instruction. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instruction processing unit controls the voltage regulator according to the corresponding control instruction The enable level and the level of the output voltage of the voltage regulator. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein when the at least one voltage regulator is plural, the command processing unit controls load distribution of each of the voltage regulators according to the corresponding control command.