TWI522785B - Power supply apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Power supply device

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a power supply device for an electronic device.

In order to save power, computers usually have multiple power management modes, such as normal operation mode, standby mode, or connected standby mode. According to different power management modes, the computer will turn off or reduce the power supply of some load components according to the corresponding settings, thereby reducing the overall power consumption of the computer.

In general, because the computer consumes the most power in normal operating mode, the circuit design of the power supply unit is designed to match the power consumption requirements of the computer in normal operating mode. Therefore, the power supply device can supply power with the optimum power conversion efficiency in the normal operation mode of the computer to reduce the power loss of the power supply device.

However, since the optimum conversion efficiency of the conventional power supply device is set in an operating environment of a large output current (ie, heavy load), when the power supply device operates in a small output current (ie, light load) operating environment, this The conversion efficiency of a conventional power supply device is drastically reduced. Therefore, in a lightly loaded operating environment, conventional power supply devices lose a lot of power due to poor conversion efficiency. For example, on a portable computer from normal operation When the mode enters the standby mode or the connected standby mode, although the overall power consumption of the portable computer is reduced, the conventional power supply device of the portable computer consumes a large amount of power due to poor conversion efficiency in a light load operating environment. Extra power consumption. As a result, the power consumption reduction effect brought by the standby mode or the networked standby mode is greatly reduced. On the other hand, a conventional power supply device with poor conversion efficiency consumes battery power, and the standby time (battery life) of the portable computer is greatly shortened.

The present invention provides a power supply device that can selectively select voltage regulators of different conversion efficiencies according to operating conditions of the load components.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a power supply device including a plurality of first diodes, at least one first voltage regulator, and a plurality of second voltage regulators. The cathodes of the plurality of first diodes are coupled to the plurality of load elements of the electronic device in a one-to-one manner. An output of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the anodes of the first diodes, wherein an optimum conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator is in a first output current range. The outputs of the plurality of second voltage regulators are coupled to the load elements in a one-to-one manner, wherein the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators is in a second output current range that is higher than the first output current range.

Based on the above, the power supply device of the embodiment of the present invention is configured with a plurality of voltage regulators having different conversion efficiencies. Voltage regulators of different conversion efficiencies are selectively selected depending on the operating conditions of the load components. In some embodiments, the power supply device can be based on a power management module of the electronic device. Correspondingly, a voltage regulator having better conversion efficiency is enabled to provide operating power. Therefore, regardless of whether the electronic device is in the normal operation mode or the standby mode, the power supply device can use the better conversion efficiency to supply power, thereby prolonging the use time of the electronic device.

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

The term "coupled" as used throughout the specification (including the scope of the patent application) may be used in any direct or indirect connection. For example, if the first device is described as being coupled to the second device, it should be construed that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected through other devices or some kind of connection means. Connected to the second device indirectly. 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.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a power supply device of an electronic device. In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 is, for example, a personal computer, a notebook computer, an ultrabook computer, a tablet computer, and a personal digital assistant. PDA), smart phone or other electronic device. The operating power required by the electronic device 10 is provided by the power supply device 100.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the power supply device 100 includes a plurality of voltage regulators VR1 , VR2 , . . . , VRn respectively coupled to a plurality of different components in the electronic device 10 (for example, as depicted in FIG. 1 ) Load elements LD1, LD2, ..., LDn) are shown to supply operating electrical energy having various voltage levels. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the voltage regulators VR1, VR2, ..., VRn respectively supply corresponding load voltages V1 to the load elements LD1, LD2, ..., LDn, so that the respective load elements LD1 LD LDn are normal. Operation and operation, where n is a positive integer and can be changed according to the specification requirements of the electronic device 10.

Specifically, each of the load elements LD1 to LDn operates on the corresponding load voltage V1 according to the respective specifications/functions. For example, the load components LD1 LD LDn can be, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface circuit/controller, a regional wireless network (WiFi) interface circuit, and a memory (such as the next generation mobile memory LPDDR3). ) or other functional circuits. The power supply voltages required for the load components LD1 LD LDn are all V1. The aforementioned level of the power supply voltage V1 is determined according to the design requirements of the actual product. For example, the load voltage of the USB interface circuit is about 5 volts (V), the load voltage of the communication network interface circuit is about 3.3V, and the load voltage of the memory is about 1.2V.

Therefore, the voltage regulators VR1 to VRn can adjust the input voltage VIN supplied from the external voltage source, and output the rated load voltage V1 to supply the load elements LD1 to LDn, respectively. Wherein, the external voltage source may be a battery module or an alternating current power source The power adapter of the DC power supply, or other DC power supply, is not limited to this embodiment.

In addition, different load components have different operating powers in different power management modes. The voltage regulators VR1~VRn can dynamically adjust the output power according to the operating state of the load component.

In the circuit design of the voltage regulator, the voltage regulators VR1~VRn generally set the circuit parameters for the corresponding heavy-duty operating power of the load components LD1~LDn, so as to maximize the voltage regulators VR1~VRn. The good conversion efficiency is set within an output current range that corresponds to the heavy-duty operating power of the corresponding load component. Therefore, in the normal operation mode, the power supply device 100 can supply power to the electronic device 10 based on the preferred conversion efficiency to save power consumption of the voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn.

2 is a schematic diagram of a conversion characteristic curve of a voltage regulator, in which the vertical axis represents the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator, and the horizontal axis represents the output current of the voltage regulator. In FIG. 2, the three conversion characteristic curves respectively show the conditions of the input voltage VIN of the voltage regulator VR1 of FIG. 1 being 5 volts (V), 7 V, and 12 V, respectively, wherein the load voltage (output voltage) V1 is set, for example, to 3.3. V, but the invention is not limited thereto. Other voltage regulators of FIG. 1 can be analogized with reference to the related description of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, the voltage regulator VR1 adjusts the level of the input voltage VIN (for example, 7V) and outputs a load voltage V1 of 3.3V. In the case where the input voltage VIN is set to 7 V, as shown in FIG. 2, when the output current of the voltage regulator VR1 is about 0.9 ampere (A), the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator VR1 is optimum (about 90%). That is, when the load element When the LD1 operates at 2.97 watts (W), that is, when the load element LD1 is operated in a heavy load state, the voltage regulator VR1 can have an optimum conversion efficiency. In addition, the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator VR1 changes depending on the voltage value of the received input voltage VIN.

However, due to power saving considerations, the electronic device 10 enters a standby mode or a connected standby mode when the device is not operating for a long time, so that the electronic device 10 causes some or all of the load components LD1~ according to requirements. LDn operates in a low power state. When the load element LD1 is operating in a low power state, or when the load element LD1 is operating in a light load state, the load element LD1 only requires a low power power supply so that it can be quickly awakened when transitioning to the normal operating mode, Or maintain the stored data. The smaller the output current of the voltage regulator VR1, the worse the conversion efficiency. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, taking the conversion characteristic curve corresponding to the power supply voltage VIN equal to 7V as an example, it is assumed that the operating power of the load element LD1 operating in the low power state is 3.3 mW, that is, the output current of the voltage regulator VR1 is about At 1 mA, the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator VR1 is only about 70%.

In other words, since the voltage regulators VR1 to VRn in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 set the optimum conversion efficiency according to the large current (heavy load) condition, the electronic device 10 enters the standby mode or the network standby mode. When the operating power of each of the load elements LD1 to LDn becomes small, the respective voltage regulators VR1 to VRn of the power supply device 100 greatly reduce the conversion efficiency due to the operation of a small current (light load) condition, thereby causing excessive power waste. Especially for portable electronic devices, voltage conversion with poor conversion efficiency The battery consumption of the battery is such that the standby time (battery life) of the portable electronic device is greatly shortened.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a power supply device 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The power supply device 300 is adapted to be powered for use by the electronic device 30. The electronic device 30 can be any type of electronic product, such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-thin notebook, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, or other types of electronic devices. The electronic device 30 shown in FIG. 3 can be referred to the related description of the electronic device 10 in FIG. 1 and will not be described again.

Referring to FIG. 3, the power supply device 300 includes a plurality of first diodes (such as D1, D2, ..., Dn depicted in FIG. 3), at least one first voltage regulator (such as VRSB as shown in FIG. 3), and A plurality of second voltage regulators (such as VR1, VR2, ..., VRn are depicted in FIG. 3). The cathodes of the diodes D1 to Dn are coupled to the plurality of load elements LD1 LD LDn of the electronic device 30 in a one-to-one manner, as shown in FIG. The anodes of the diodes D1 to Dn are commonly coupled to the output of the first voltage regulator VRSB.

The outputs of the second voltage regulators VR1 VR VRn are coupled to the load elements LD1 LD LDn in a one-to-one manner, as shown in FIG. 3 . The optimal conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator VRSB is in the first output current range, and the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators VR1 VR VRn is in the second output current range higher than the first output current range. For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conversion characteristic curve of the first voltage regulator VRSB and the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the invention. In Fig. 4, the vertical axis represents the conversion efficiency of the voltage regulator, and the horizontal axis represents the output of the voltage regulator. Current. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 simultaneously, the conversion characteristic curve 410 is the power conversion characteristic of the first voltage regulator VRSB, and the conversion characteristic curve 420 is the power conversion characteristic of the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn. In the present embodiment, the conversion characteristic curve 410 of the first voltage regulator VRSB is set according to the operating specifications when the load elements LD1 LD LDn are operated in the low power (light load) state, for example, operating in the network standby mode. The conversion characteristic curve 420 of the second voltage regulators VR1 to VRn is set according to the operation specifications when the load elements LD1 to LDn operate in the high power (heavy load) state, for example, operating in the normal operation mode. Therefore, the optimal conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator VRSB will be located in the smaller first output current range TR1, and the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulator VR1~VRn will be higher than the first output current range TR1. The second output current range is TR2.

A controller (not shown) in the electronic device 30 can perform power management to operate the electronic device 30 in different power management modes in accordance with operational requirements. The controller can be any type of control circuit, such as a system-on-chip (SOC), an application processor, a media processor, a microprocessor, and a central processing unit. Central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor or the like. For example, if the electronic device 30 is implemented as a computer system, the controller may be a South Bridge, a central processing unit, a Platform Controller Hub (PCH), and an embedded controller (Embedded Controller). , EC), keyboard controller (Keyboard Controller, KBC), baseboard management controller (BMC), Power Management IC (PMIC) or other digital control circuit.

In some embodiments, the controller (not shown) in the electronic device 30 can control the first voltage regulator VRSB and the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn. For example, an embedded controller in a computer system can cause a computer system to enter a standby mode (eg, a networked standby mode) by outputting a standby signal (eg, a networked standby signal), wherein the first voltage regulator VRSB and the second voltage adjustment The VR1~VRn are enabled or disabled in response to the standby signal. When the electronic device 30 operates in the normal operation mode, that is, the load current of the load components LD1 LD LDn falls within the second output current range TR2, the first voltage regulator VRSB is disabled in response to the standby signal, and The two voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn are enabled in response to the standby signal to supply the load voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn. When the electronic device 30 operates in a standby mode (eg, a networked standby mode), that is, load currents of the load components LD1 LD LDn fall within the first output current range TR1, and the first voltage regulator VRSB responds to the standby signal. It is enabled to supply the load voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn, and the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn are disabled in response to the standby signal.

In other embodiments, the first voltage regulator VRSB and the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn can transmit information to each other, and determine whether to enable according to the information transmitted to each other. For example, in the initial state, the first voltage regulator VRSB is disabled, and the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn are enabled to supply the load voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn. In the second voltage adjustment When the VR1~VRn are enabled, the second voltage regulators VR1~VRn detect the amount of output current. When the output current amount of the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn is less than a threshold value (for example, exceeding the second output current range TR2 shown in FIG. 4 or less than the upper limit of the first output current range TR1), the second voltage regulator VR1 ~VRn will send an enable signal to the first voltage regulator VRSB, and then the second voltage regulator VR1~VRn will disable itself. After receiving the enable signal, the first voltage regulator VRSB is enabled to supply the load voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn. In a state where the first voltage regulator VRSB is enabled, the first voltage regulator VRSB detects the amount of output current. When the output current amount of the first voltage regulator VRSB is greater than a threshold (for example, exceeding the first output current range TR1 shown in FIG. 4 or greater than the lower limit of the second output current range TR2), the first voltage regulator VRSB will issue The enable signal is applied to the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn, and then the first voltage regulator VRSB is self-disabled. After receiving the enable signal, the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn are enabled to supply the load voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn.

Therefore, the power supply device 300 of the above embodiments can correspondingly enable a voltage regulator having a better conversion efficiency to perform power supply according to the operation mode/state of the load elements LD1 LD LDn. The electronic device 30 can supply power by using a voltage regulator with better conversion efficiency, whether in the normal operation mode or the standby mode, thereby improving the power consumption problem of the power supply device and extending the standby time of the electronic device. (Battery Life).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a power supply device 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 can be analogized with reference to the related description of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The power supply device 500 supplies power to the load elements LD1 LD LDn of the electronic device 50. The power supply device 500 includes a plurality of first diodes D1 to Dn, at least one first voltage regulator VRSB, and a plurality of second voltage regulators VR1 VRVRn. Wherein, the optimal conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator VRSB is located in the first output current range TR1, and the optimal conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators VR1 VRVR is located in the second output current higher than the first output current range TR1 Range TR2.

The implementation of the first voltage regulator VRSB of the embodiment of FIG. 3 above can be analogized with reference to the description of the first voltage regulator VRSB shown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5 , in the embodiment, the first voltage regulator VRSB includes a driving unit 510 and a power output unit 520 . The driving unit 510 is coupled to the power output unit 520. When the electronic device 50 operates in a standby mode, the driving unit 510 generates a driving signal to the power output unit 520. The power output unit 520 provides the output voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LDLDn according to the driving signal of the driving unit 510.

In some embodiments, the driving unit 510 and/or the power output unit 520 are controlled by the standby signal of the electronic device 50 (refer to the related description of the standby signal in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). According to the standby signal of the electronic device 50, when the electronic device 50 operates in the standby mode, the driving unit 510 and/or the power output unit 520 are enabled to provide the output voltage V1 to the load components LD1 LD LDn; when the electronic device 50 operates In the normal mode of operation, drive unit 510 and/or power output unit 520 are disabled to save power.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the power output unit 520 includes a P-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (PMOS) transistor Mp and an N-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (NMOS). Transistor Mn, inductor L, switch SW and capacitor C. Among them, the PMOS transistor Mp, the NMOS transistor Mn, the inductor L and the capacitor C constitute a buck power converter. However, the circuit architecture of this power output unit 520 is only an example. In other embodiments, the component architecture in the power output unit 520 can be modified according to design requirements to implement buck or boost power conversion. The switch SW is controlled by the standby signal of the electronic device 50 (refer to the related description of the standby signal in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). When the electronic device 50 operates in the standby mode, the switch SW is turned on, so the power output unit 520 can provide the output voltage V1 to the load elements LD1 LD LDn. When the electronic device 50 operates in the normal operation mode, the switch SW is turned off, and thus the power output unit 520 is disabled.

The description of the second voltage regulator VR1 illustrated in FIG. 5 can be applied to other second voltage regulators (eg, VRn) in FIG. In addition, the implementation manners of the second voltage regulators VR1 VR VRn in the embodiment of FIG. 3 can be analogized with reference to the description of the second voltage regulator VR1 illustrated in FIG. 5 . The second voltage regulator VR1 includes a driving unit 530, a power output unit 540, and a second diode 550. The driving unit 530 is coupled to the power output unit 540. When the electronic device 50 operates in the normal operation mode, the driving unit 530 generates a driving signal to the power output unit 540. The output of the power output unit 540 is coupled to the anode of the second diode 550. Second pole The cathode of body 550 is coupled to a corresponding load element (eg, load element LD1). The power output unit 540 provides the output voltage V1 to the corresponding load component (eg, the load component LD1) via the second diode 550 according to the driving signal of the driving unit 530.

In some embodiments, the driving unit 530 and/or the power output unit 540 are controlled by the standby signal of the electronic device 50 (refer to the related description of the standby signal in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). According to the standby signal of the electronic device 50, when the electronic device 50 operates in the normal operation mode, the driving unit 530 and/or the power output unit 540 are enabled to provide the output voltage V1 to the load element LD1; when the electronic device 50 is operated on standby In the mode, the driving unit 530 and/or the power output unit 540 are disabled to save power consumption.

The implementation of the power output unit 540 of the second voltage regulator VR1 can be analogized with the related description of the power output unit 520 of the first voltage regulator VRSB. Different from the power output unit 520 is the enabling timing of the power output unit 540. When the electronic device 50 is operating in the normal operating mode, the power output unit 540 is enabled to provide the output voltage V1 to the load element LD1. When the electronic device 50 operates in the standby mode, the power output unit 540 is disabled to save power consumption.

In other embodiments, when the electronic device 50 is operating in the standby mode (ie, when the second voltage regulator VR1 is disabled), the output of the power output unit 540 can provide high impedance (high-impedance, generally abbreviated as Z) The state is to prevent the output power of the first voltage regulator VRSB from flowing into the power output unit 540. Therefore, in the case where the power output unit 540 is capable of providing the Z state, the second diode 550 can be omitted. Figure 5 Other second voltage regulators (eg, VRn) can be analogized with reference to the description of the second voltage regulator VR1.

In summary, the power supply device of the embodiment of the present invention can correspondingly enable a voltage regulator with better conversion efficiency to perform power supply according to an operation mode/state of the electronic device, and disable voltage conversion for poor conversion efficiency. Device. Therefore, whether the electronic device is in the normal operation mode or the standby mode, the power supply device can use the better conversion efficiency to supply power, thereby improving the power consumption problem of the power supply device and extending the standby time of the electronic device.

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, 30, 50‧‧‧ electronic devices

100, 300, 500‧‧‧ power supply unit

410, 420‧‧‧ conversion characteristic curve

510, 530‧‧‧ drive unit

520, 540‧‧‧ power output unit

550‧‧‧second diode

C‧‧‧ capacitor

D1, D2, Dn‧‧‧ first diode

L‧‧‧Inductance

LD1, LD2, LDn‧‧‧ load components

Mp‧‧‧P channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor

Mn‧‧‧N-channel metal oxide semiconductor transistor

SW‧‧ switch

TR1‧‧‧First output current range

TR2‧‧‧second output current range

V1‧‧‧ load voltage

VIN‧‧‧ input voltage

VR1, VR2, VRn‧‧‧ second voltage regulator

VRSB‧‧‧First Voltage Regulator

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a power supply device of an electronic device.

2 is a schematic diagram of a conversion characteristic curve of a voltage regulator.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the invention.

4 is a schematic diagram showing a conversion characteristic curve of the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit of a power supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

30‧‧‧Electronic devices

300‧‧‧Power supply unit

D1, D2, Dn‧‧‧ first diode

LD1, LD2, LDn‧‧‧ load components

V1‧‧‧ load voltage

VR1, VR2, VRn‧‧‧ second voltage regulator

VRSB‧‧‧First Voltage Regulator

Claims (7)

A power supply device includes: a plurality of first diodes, wherein a cathode is coupled to a plurality of load components of an electronic device in a one-to-one manner; and at least a first voltage regulator has an output coupled to the plurality of first voltage regulators An anode of the first diode, wherein an optimum conversion efficiency of the first voltage regulator is in a first output current range; and a plurality of second voltage regulators having an output coupled to the ones in a one-to-one manner a load component, wherein an optimum conversion efficiency of the second voltage regulators is in a second output current range higher than the first output current range, wherein the first voltage is when the electronic device operates in a normal operation mode The regulator is disabled, and the second voltage regulators are enabled to supply power to the load components, and wherein the first voltage regulator is enabled to supply power to the electronic device when operating in a standby mode The load components are disabled and the second voltage regulators are disabled. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein the standby mode is a networked standby mode. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator are enabled or disabled in response to a standby signal of the electronic device. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein the first voltage regulator comprises: a power output unit for providing an output voltage to the load components according to a driving signal; and a driving unit coupled to the power output unit, wherein the driving unit is when the electronic device operates in a standby mode The drive signal is generated to the power output unit. The power supply device of claim 4, wherein the driving unit is controlled by a standby signal of the electronic device, so that when the electronic device operates in the standby mode, the driving unit is enabled, and when When the electronic device is operated in a normal operation mode, the driving unit is disabled. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein one of the second voltage regulators comprises: a second diode having a cathode coupled to a corresponding one of the load elements; a power output unit having an output coupled to the anode of the second diode, wherein the power output unit provides an output voltage to the corresponding load component according to a driving signal; and a driving unit coupled to the And a power output unit, wherein the driving unit generates the driving signal to the power output unit when the electronic device operates in a normal operation mode. The power supply device of claim 6, wherein the driving unit is controlled by a standby signal of the electronic device, so that when the electronic device operates in the normal operation mode, the driving unit is enabled, and When the electronic device is operating in a standby mode, the drive unit is disabled.