This relates generally to power converter circuitry, and, more particularly, to very high frequency switch-mode power converter circuitry incorporating permanent magnets to enhance inductivity of air-core inductors.
Electronic devices typically include electrical components such as processing circuits, input-output devices, memory devices, and other components. The electrical components are powered using different levels of direct current (DC) voltage. Voltage converter circuitry is used to convert a device power supply voltage to a suitable DC voltage for powering each of the electrical components. The voltage converter circuitry typically includes an inductor that exhibits a corresponding inductance.
In general, an inductor having a higher inductance provides more stable voltage conversion for the voltage converter circuitry than an inductor having a lower inductance. In conventional voltage converter circuitry, the inductance of the inductor is increased to a sufficient level by increasing the physical size of the inductor. However, to satisfy consumer demand for small form factor electronic devices, manufacturers are continually striving to implement device circuitry using compact structures. One approach is to increase switching frequency of the power converter circuitry, allowing for smaller components and the possibility of implementing air-core filter inductors.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide small form factor air-core inductors with improved inductivity.
An electronic device may include electrical components. Each electrical component may be powered at a different respective voltage. The device may include voltage converter circuitry. The voltage converter circuitry may convert an input voltage such as a device power supply voltage into a suitable voltage for powering a corresponding electrical component.
The converter circuitry may include magnet structures such as one or more permanent magnets. The permanent magnets may produce a corresponding magnetic field at corresponding north and south pole surfaces of the magnets. A conductive line such as an inductor (e.g., an air-core type inductor) may be placed adjacent to the permanent magnets and within the magnetic field. The permanent magnets may include hard ferromagnetic material (e.g., without any soft ferromagnetic material). The magnetic field may contribute to a total inductance of the inductor. The converter circuitry may include control circuitry that receives input voltage. The control circuitry may include power switching circuitry that controls transfer of power from an input to an output that is filtered using capacitive and/or inductive components. For example, the power switching circuitry may receive the steady input voltage and convert it a switching signal.
An inductor filters the switching signal to generate steady output voltage based on the duty-cycle of the switching signal. The output voltage may have a different magnitude than the input voltage. The inductor may provide the output voltage to the electrical component over the output path for powering the electrical component. The inductor may include, for example, a number of straight wires coupled in parallel between the power switching circuitry and the output path. The wires may extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field produced by the permanent magnets. Additional inductors may be coupled between the power switching circuitry and the output path within the magnetic field of the permanent magnets if desired.
In accordance with any of the above arrangements, the voltage converter circuitry may include first and second magnets (e.g., first and second permanent magnets) having corresponding north and south poles. The first and second magnets may be separated by a gap. The first and second magnets may be aligned such that the north pole of the first magnet is separated from the south pole of the second magnet by the gap. The south pole of the first magnet may be separated from the north pole of the second magnet by the gap. The inductor may be placed within the gap and between the north pole of the first magnet and the south pole of the second magnet. If desired, an additional inductor may be placed within the gap and between the south pole of the first magnet and the north pole of the first magnet. The inductors may be coupled to different respective power switching circuits or may be coupled to the same power switching circuit. Both of the inductors may extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the magnet field of the first and second magnets (e.g., so that magnetic fields produced by the inductors interacts with the magnetic field of the first and second magnets).
In accordance with any of the above arrangements, the electronic device may include a printed circuit or other substrate. The inductor and the power switching circuitry may be formed on a surface of the printed circuit adjacent to the powered electrical component. If desired, one or both of the inductor and the power switching circuitry may be embedded within the printed circuit. Additional voltage converter circuits may be formed on the printed circuit for powering additional electrical components at different voltage levels based on a common input voltage.
Further features will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.
An electronic device may be provided with electrical components such as integrated circuits. These components may be mounted to substrates such as one or more printed circuit boards within the device. Components in the electronic device may be powered using direct current (DC) power supply voltages. In general, different DC power supply voltages may be required by different components within the device. For example, a given component in the device may be powered by a 1.0V DC voltage whereas another component may be powered by a 2.0V DC voltage.
The electronic device may include power supply circuitry or other circuitry that provides a common DC voltage for the electronic device that is sometimes referred to herein as a device voltage or a device power supply voltage. The electronic device may include voltage converter circuitry that converts the device power supply voltage to a suitable voltage level for powering each device component. The voltage converter circuitry may, for example, convert a common 12V DC power supply voltage into a 1.0V DC voltage for some device components and may convert the 12V power supply voltage into a 2.0V DC voltage for other device components. The voltage converter circuitry may include, for example, DC/DC converter circuitry, voltage level adjustment circuitry, or any other desired power converter circuitry.
An illustrative electronic device of the type that may be provided with voltage converter circuitry is shown in
As shown in
Device 10 may include input-output devices 14. Input-output devices 14 may be used to allow data to be supplied to device 10 and to allow data to be provided from device 10 to external devices. If desired, devices 14 may allow power to be supplied to device 10 from an external source such as a wall outlet or power adapter device. Examples of input-output devices 14 that may be used in device 10 include display screens such as touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays or organic light-emitting diode displays), buttons, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, speakers and other devices for creating sound, cameras, sensors, etc. Devices 14 may include connectors or other structures for forming data ports (e.g., for attaching external equipment such as computers, accessories, peripherals, etc.) or powering ports.
Devices 14 may include power supply circuitry or other circuitry for powering components on device 10. For example, devices 14 may include circuitry that receives power from a corresponding power source. Power sources that provide power to device 10 may include, for example, charging devices such as power adapter devices, an alternating current (AC) powering input such as a wall outlet, a direct current powering input, solar power inputs, a battery on device 10, or any other desired power source. Devices 14 may include power supply circuitry that supplies a common DC device power supply voltage for powering components on device 10. If desired, the power supply circuitry may include converter circuitry that converts an AC input power to the common DC device power supply voltage (e.g., AC/DC converter circuitry) for powering the circuitry of device 10. In scenarios where device 10 is coupled to an external power adapter device, device 10 may receive the DC device power supply voltage from AC/DC converter circuitry in the power adapter device.
Device 10 may include internal structures such as printed circuits. Electrical components may be mounted on the printed circuits and may be electrically connected through conductive paths in the printed circuits and in external cables. Printed circuits in device 10 may include rigid printed circuit boards (e.g., printed circuits formed from fiberglass-filled epoxy or other rigid substrate material) and/or flexible printed circuits (e.g., printed circuit substrates formed from flexible polymer layers such as sheets of polyimide.
Electrical components within device 10 may be mounted to printed circuits. Components in device 10 that are mounted to the printed circuits may include power supply components, integrated circuits such as amplifiers, central processing unit (CPU) integrated circuits, and other integrated circuits, memory or storage devices, input/output devices, wireless circuits, sensors, connectors, and other electrical components. One or more components (e.g., integrated circuits) from storage and processing 12 and/or input-output devices 14 may be formed on printed circuits within device 10. For example, a CPU integrated circuit and a memory device from storage and processing circuitry 12 may be formed on a common printed circuit board (e.g., a motherboard or other device board) as a sound card device, a video card device, and other input-output devices from devices 14. In general, device 10 may include any desired number of printed circuits on which any desired number of electrical components are formed. The example in which electrical components in device 10 are formed on printed circuits is merely illustrative. In general, electrical components in device 10 may be formed on any desired component substrate (e.g., dielectric substrates, plastic substrates, semiconductor substrates, ceramic substrates, polymer substrates, glass substrates, combinations of these, etc.).
Power supply circuitry on device 10 may provide a DC device power supply voltage for powering each of the electrical components on device 10. In practice, different electrical components on device 10 may require different respective DC power supply voltages. Device 10 may include one or more voltage converter circuits for converting the common DC device power supply voltage to different suitable voltages for powering each of the electrical components in device 10.
Printed circuit 18 may receive a DC device power supply such as voltage VIN over power supply line 16. Device supply voltage VIN may be received from a DC power input on device 10, a DC power supply such as AC/DC converter circuitry or a battery on device 10, an external power adapter device, or any other desired DC power source on or external to device 10. Device power supply voltage VIN may be provided to a conductive power supply line (e.g., a conductive trace or other interconnect) or a conductive power supply plane within printed circuit 18. Printed circuit 18 may, for example, include a number of vertically-stacked substrate layers. Conductive traces or wiring layers may be formed on one or more of the substrate layers to route signals laterally across printed circuit 18. Vertical conductive interconnects such as solder balls, conductive pillars, conductive pins or springs, conductive through-vias, or other interconnects may electrically couple conductors on a given substrate layer to conductors on another substrate layer in printed circuity 18. In one suitable arrangement, a conductive power supply plane may be formed on one of the substrate layers in printed circuit 18. The power supply plane may extend laterally across device 18. The conductive power supply plane may convey power supply voltage VIN across printed circuit 18. Conductive vias or other vertical interconnects may be coupled to the power supply plane for providing power to circuitry formed on printed circuit 18 at one or more locations on printed circuit 18.
In one suitable example that is sometimes described herein as an example, device power supply voltage VIN is provided at 12V. In general, device power supply voltage VIN may be provided at any desired voltage. Components 20 may be powered using voltages that are different from device power supply voltage VIN. Each component 20 may be coupled to a corresponding voltage converter circuit 22 (e.g., first component 20-1 may be coupled to first voltage converter 22-1, second component 20-2 may be coupled to second voltage converter 22-2, third component 20-3 may be coupled to third voltage converter 22-3, etc.). Voltage converter circuits 22 may receive device power supply voltage VIN over a corresponding input 24 (e.g., converter 22-1 may receive voltage VIN over input 24-1, converter 22-2 may receive voltage VIN over input 24-2, etc.). Inputs 24 may include vertical conductive through via structures, wiring structures, conductive traces, or any other desired conductive interconnects that are coupled to the power supply plane of printed circuit 18.
Voltage converter circuits 22 may convert device power supply voltage VIN to a corresponding component power supply voltage VOUT suitable for powering the corresponding component 20. For example, first voltage converter 22-1 may convert voltage VIN to a first component powering voltage VOUT1 (e.g., 1.0V), second voltage converter 22-2 may convert voltage VIN to a second component powering voltage VOUT2 (e.g., 2.0V), and third voltage converter 22-3 may convert voltage VIN to a third component powering voltage VOUT3 (e.g., 0.5V). Component powering voltages VOUT may be provided for powering the components 20 over a corresponding component power input line 28 (e.g., converter 22-1 may provide voltage VOUT1 to component 20-1 over path 28-1, converter 22-2 may provide voltage VOUT2 to component 20-2 over path 28-2, etc.).
In practice, it may be desirable to form voltage converters 22 as close to the corresponding component 20 as possible in order to minimize losses associated with powering components 20. In this way, converters 22 may serve as so-called point-of-load (POL) converters for components 20. Voltage converters 22 may sometimes be referred to herein as voltage converter circuits 22, POL converters 22, DC/DC converters 22, DC/DC converter circuits 22, or power converter circuits 22.
The example of
Switching circuitry 30 may adjust the duty cycle of intermediate signals VIN′ to adjust the power transferred onto output line 28. In general, higher duty cycles may result in a greater output voltage VOUT than lower duty cycles. Power switching circuitry 30 may adjust the duty cycle of intermediate signals VIN′ so that output voltage VOUT is provided at a desired level (e.g., at 1.0V for powering component 20-1, at 2.0V for powering component 20-2, at 0.5V for powering component 20-3, etc.). Power switching circuitry 30 may, for example, include an integrated circuit or other semiconductor circuit. Output filter circuitry 32 may be formed as a part of the integrated circuit on which power switching circuitry 30 is formed or may be formed separate from the integrated circuit.
The value of the inductance of inductive components within output filter 32 may affect the voltage conversion performance of converter circuitry 22 in generating suitable output signals VOUT. Ideally, output signal VOUT is provided at a constant DC voltage. In practice, output signal VOUT may exhibit slight peak-to-peak variation over time around a given voltage level (e.g., due to the cyclic variation in signal VIN′ generated by switching circuitry 30). It may be desirable to minimize the amount of peak-to-peak variation in output signal VOUT (e.g., to approximate a constant DC voltage as precisely as possible). As an example, it may be desirable to limit the peak-to-peak variation in signal VOUT to 2% or less of the average magnitude of signal VOUT. In general, greater values of inductance in output filter 32 generate less peak-to-peak variation in output voltage VOUT than lesser values of inductance. It may therefore be desirable to provide inductors in output filter circuitry 32 with suitably high inductance values (e.g., to meet a predetermined minimum threshold requirement for peak-to-peak variations in the output signal).
In some scenarios, inductor circuitry in output filter 32 may include an air-coil inductor that includes a coil of wire without soft-magnetic core material (e.g., ferrites or powder iron). In practice, air-coil inductors may exhibit insufficient inductance to suitably limit the peak-to-peak variation in signal VOUT (e.g., air-coil inductors may not exhibit sufficient inductance to limit the peak-to-peak variation of signal VOUT to less than 2% of the average magnitude of signal VOUT).
In other scenarios, the inductor in output filter 32 is provided with a so-called “soft” ferromagnetic material core to increase the total inductance of the inductor relative to air coil inductors. The soft ferromagnetic material may be a material such as annealed iron. The soft ferromagnetic core may be wrapped in a coil of wire and may produce a magnetic field when the wire is provided with a suitable electrical current. The magnetic field produced in the core when the wire is fed with electrical current may contribute to the overall inductance of the inductor. In general, the soft ferromagnetic material becomes magnetic when the coil is provided with a current and loses its magnetism when the coil is not provided with a current. While forming the inductors with a soft ferromagnetic core material can increase the total inductance of the inductor relative to air-coil inductors, wrapping a coil of wire around a core material such as the soft ferromagnetic core material can occupy excessive space on the printed circuit. As space is at a premium within electronic devices such as device 10, it would be desirable to be able to provide voltage converter circuitry 22 with a sufficiently high inductance while also satisfying space constraints within device 10.
If desired, output filter circuitry 32 may be provided with permanent magnet structures such as one or more permanent magnets 34. Permanent magnets 34 may be include so-called “hard” ferromagnetic materials such as alnico and neodymium. Unlike soft ferromagnetic materials, permanent magnets and hard ferromagnetic materials achieve their magnetic properties during manufacture or creation of the materials and do not require application of any external electrical current to become magnetic. In addition, permanent magnets and hard ferromagnetic materials will not lose their magnetism over time (e.g., assuming the materials are not heated above a corresponding Curie temperature).
Permanent magnet structure 34 may apply a magnetic field to inductor circuitry within output filter 32. The magnetic field generated by structure 34 may interact with a magnetic field generated by passing a current through the inductor circuitry to increase the total inductance of the inductor circuitry. Output filter circuitry 32 having permanent magnet 34 may exhibit sufficient inductance such that the peak-to-peak variation in output voltage VOUT is suitably low (e.g., less than 2% of the average magnitude of voltage VOUT). In general, permanent magnet structure 34 may occupy less total space than an inductor wrapped around a soft ferromagnetic core material (e.g., while providing for a greater total inductance than when an air-core inductor is used). Permanent magnet structures 34 may include any desired number of discrete permanent magnets (e.g., one magnet, two magnets, three magnets, four magnets, more than four magnets, etc.). Power switching circuitry 30 and output filter circuitry 32 may be arranged on printed circuit substrate 18 to further reduce the area occupied by voltage converter 22 relative to scenarios where soft ferromagnetic core inductors or air-coil inductors are used.
Device component 20 and voltage converting circuit 22 may be formed on the top surface of printed circuit. Power switching circuitry 30 may receive device power supply voltage VIN from power plane 40 over powering line 24. Powering line 24 may include, for example, vertical conductive via structures extending through one or more dielectric layers of printed circuit 18, conductive trace structures, conductive wires, conductive contact pads, solder structures, or any other desired vertical conductive interconnect structures. Voltage converting circuit 22 may generate intermediate signals VIN′ based on device power supply voltage VIN. Power switching circuit 30 may transmit intermediate signals VIN′ to output filter circuitry 32 over conductive path 36. Output filter circuitry 32 may generate output voltage VOUT based on signals VIN′ and may transmit output voltage VOUT over path 28 to a power input of component 20 for powering component 20. Conductive paths 36 and 28 may include, for example, conductive traces on printed circuit 18, conductive wiring structures formed in or over printed circuit 18, solder structures, conductive spring structures, contact pad structures, or any other desired conductive interconnect structures.
Voltage converting circuit 22 having permanent magnet structures 34 may occupy less lateral area on the top surface of printed circuit 18 than when soft ferromagnetic core materials are used (e.g., because output filter 32 having permanent magnets occupies less space for a given inductance than filters having soft ferromagnetic core materials). Reducing the lateral area occupied by circuitry 22 may allow for additional device components to be formed on the surface of printed circuit 18, for example.
If desired, the lateral area occupied by converter circuitry 22 at the top surface of printed circuit 18 may be further reduced by forming some or all of circuitry 22 within printed circuit 18.
Power switching circuit 30 may convey intermediate signal VIN′ to output filter circuitry 32 over conductive path 36. Conductive path 36 in the example of
If desired, output filter circuitry 32 may be formed directly below component 20. As shown in
In another suitable arrangement, voltage converter circuitry 22 may be formed entirely beneath powered component 20. As shown in
Power switch controller 50 may generate control signals SWCTR and SWCTR′ and may provide signals SWCTR and SWCTR′ to control each respective switch 52 over paths 66. Controller 50 may control application of power to inductor 60 and may control release or transfer of stored power on inductor 60 to output path 28 by controlling switches 52. Controller 50 may control the release of power from inductor 60 to output path 28 such that a desired output voltage VOUT is produced on output path 28. For example, controller 50 may repeatedly toggle switches 52 with a desired duty cycle frequency using control signals SWCTR and SWCTR′ (e.g., so that node 64 is cyclically coupled to one of input path 24 and ground terminal 56 at a given time). By toggling switches 52 in this manner, intermediate signal VIN′ may be generated at node 64. Intermediate signal VIN′ may have a frequency given by the duty cycle imposed by controller 50. Signal VIN′ may cyclically vary between a minimum voltage (e.g., a ground voltage or 0.0V as supplied over terminal 56) and a maximum voltage given by the magnitude of input signal VIN (e.g., 12V). Intermediate signal VIN′ may be passed to output filter circuitry 32 over path 36.
Output filter circuitry 32 may include inductor structure 60 having a first terminal coupled to path 36 and a second terminal coupled to output path 28. Capacitive structures such as capacitor 62 may, if desired, be coupled between output path 28 and ground terminal 56. Capacitor 62 may, for example, smooth high frequency variations or noise in output signal VOUT. Permanent magnet structures 34 may be placed in the vicinity of inductor structure 60 (e.g., adjacent to inductor 60, on two or more sides of inductor 60, etc.). In general, permanent magnet structures 34 may be formed at a location such that inductor 60 is located within the magnetic field of permanent magnet structures 34. Inductor 60 may include one or more conductive lines. For example, inductor 60 may include one or more conductive wires adjacent to permanent magnet structures 34 (e.g., one or more straight wires without any bends or coils).
As shown in
Inductor 60 generates a corresponding magnetic field when a current is applied through inductor 60 (e.g., when intermediate signals VIN′ are provided to output filter 32). The magnetic field generated by passing a current through inductor 60 may sometimes be referred to herein as inductor magnetic field BL or wire magnetic field BL. The magnetic field BL generated by inductor 60 may interact (e.g., combine) with permanent magnetic field BP to increase the overall inductive effect of inductor 60. For example, magnetic field BL of inductor 60 may interact with permanent magnetic field BP (e.g., due to Lorenz forces) to reduce the mobility of charge carriers (e.g., electrons) conveyed over inductor 60. This may result in an increase in the inductance of inductor 60 relative to scenarios where no permanent magnets 34 are formed. In this way, the inductance of inductor 60 may be sufficiently high (e.g., such that peak-to-peak voltage variations on output signal VOUT are acceptably low) without occupying excessive space within device 10. Output signal VOUT may be conveyed to component 20 for powering component 20 over path 28. The example of
In the example of
As shown in
First power switching circuit 30-1 may include power switch controller 70. Circuit 30-1 may include a corresponding pair of power switches 74 coupled between input line 24-1 and ground terminal 78. Controller 70 may control transfer of power from input 24-1 to inductor 84 and from inductor 84 onto output path 28 by toggling switches 74. For example, controller 70 may toggle switches 74 using a desired duty cycle by providing control signals SWCTR and SWCTR′ to respective switches 74 over control paths 100. In this way, a first intermediate signal VIN1′ may be generated at node 104 between switches 74 at the desired duty cycle. Node 104 may be coupled to output filter circuitry 32 over path 36-1. Intermediate signal VIN1′ may be transmitted to output filter circuitry 32 over path 36-1.
Second power switching circuit 30-2 may include a corresponding power switch controller 72. Circuit 30-2 may include a pair of power switches 98 coupled between input line 24-2 and ground terminal 78. Controller 72 may control transfer of power from input 24-2 to inductor 90 and from inductor 90 onto output path 28 by toggling switches 98. For example, controller 72 may toggle switches 98 using a desired duty cycle (e.g., the same duty cycle as provided by controller 70 or a different duty cycle than that provided by controller 70) by providing control signals SWCTR and SWCTR′ to respective switches 98 over control paths 102. In this way, a second intermediate signal VIN2′ may be generated at node 106 between switches 98 at the desired duty cycle. Node 106 may be coupled to output filter circuitry 32 over path 36-2. Intermediate signal VIN2′ may be transmitted to output filter circuitry 32 over path 36-2.
Output filter circuit 32 may include a first inductive structure 84, a second inductive structure 90, an output node 89, capacitive structures such as capacitor 88, and permanent magnet structures 34. First inductive structure 84 may be coupled between path 36-1 and output node 86. Second inductive structure 90 may be coupled between path 36-2 and output node 86. Capacitor 88 may be coupled between output node 86 and ground 78. Output node 86 may be coupled to powered component 20 over output path 28.
Permanent magnet structures 34 may be formed adjacent to first inductor 84 and adjacent to second inductor 90. For example, magnets 34 may be formed such that inductors 84 and 90 are located within the magnetic field of magnets 34. Permanent magnet structures 34 may generate magnetic field BP such that field BP passes through inductive structures 84 (e.g., as shown by magnetic field lines 82) and through inductive structures 90 (e.g., as shown by magnetic field lines 92). Magnetic field BP may interact with the magnetic field BL generated by inductors 84 and 90 to increase the overall inductive effect (e.g., the inductance value) of the inductors. Signals VIN1′ may be provided to output terminal 86 at current level I1 whereas signals VIN2′ are provided to output terminal 86 at current level I2. The signals provided over inductor 84 may combine with the signals provided over inductor 90 to generate output voltage VOUT. Output voltage VOUT may be output at current level I=I1+I2, for example. In this way, the output current may be shared between each inductor and between each power switching circuit. Output voltage VOUT may be provided to power component 20 over line 28.
Power switching circuits 30-1 and 30-2 may be formed from separate circuits or may be formed from shared circuitry. For example, circuits 30-1 and 30-2 may be formed on two separate integrated circuit chips. In another suitable arrangement, both switching circuits 30-1 and 30-2 are formed on a single integrated circuit chip. If desired a single power switch controller may control both sets of switches 74 and 98. Switches 74 and 98 may include, for example, transistor-based switches such as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETS) or any other desired type of switching components. The example of
Inductor 84 may include one or more conductive lines. For example, inductor 84 may include a number of conductive wires (e.g., straight conductive wires without any coils or bends) extending in the direction of the z-axis of
Inductor 90 may include one or more conductive lines. For example, inductor 90 may include a number of conductive wires (e.g., straight conductive wires) extending in the direction of the z-axis of
If desired, decoupling capacitor structures 76 may be formed between permanent magnets 34 (e.g., in a portion of gap 122 that is not strongly permeated by magnetic field BP). Capacitor structures 76 may be coupled to switching circuits 30-1 and 30-2 via contact pads 120. Capacitor structures 76 may receive input voltage VIN via path 24 and may be coupled to ground terminal 78. Capacitor structures 76 may have any desired shape. For example, capacitor structures 76 may fill an entirety of the portion of gap 122 that is between magnets 34 and inductors 90 and 84.
In the example of
Power switching circuits 30-1 and 30-2 may be formed above substrate 126. Circuits 30-1 and 30-2 may, for example, be mounted to substrate 126 and may be conductively coupled to inductors 84 and 90 via any desired conductive structures (e.g., solder ball structures, ball grid array structures, wiring structures, conductive pin structures, contact pad structures, etc.). Conductive wires 84-1, 84-2, and 84-3 may extend through substrate 126 in the direction of the z-axis of
Conductive wires 90-1, 90-2, and 90-3 may extend through substrate 126 in the direction of the z-axis between path 36-2 and output path 28. Permanent magnetic field BP may be generated in the direction of the y-axis as shown by magnetic field lines 92. Magnetic field BP may interact with the magnetic field BL of inductive wires 90 while wires 90 convey signals VIN2′ to increase the inductive effect of wires 90. Inductors 90 and 84 may be coupled to output line 28 using any desired conductive interconnect structures (e.g., solder ball structures, ball grid array structures, wire structures, conductive pin structures, contact pad structures, etc.). Output signal VOUT may be generated using the output of inductors 84 and 90 and may be provided to component 20 over path 28. If desired, conversion enable signals CONEN may be provided to switching circuits 30-1 and 30-2 over respective interconnects 132-1 and 13-2. When asserted, signals CONEN may enable voltage conversion operations by converter circuit 22. When deasserted, converter circuit 22 may not perform any voltage conversion operations.
The example of
By forming a number of voltage converter circuits across printed circuit 18 in device 10, different device components 20 may be provided with different corresponding power supply voltages VOUT based on a single device power supply voltage VIN. By forming permanent magnets 34 adjacent to inductive structures in output filters 32, the inductance of the inductive structures may be increased relative to scenarios where an air-filled inductor is used. The use of hard ferromagnetic materials such as permanent magnets may allow filters 32 to be formed without any soft ferromagnetic materials (e.g., converter circuits 22 may include only hard ferromagnetic material without any soft ferromagnetic material) and without sacrificing the total inductance of the filter (e.g., so that output voltage VOUT has acceptable peak-to-peak variation). Forming filters 32 without soft ferromagnetic materials may allow the inductors to be formed without corresponding wire coils wrapped around a soft ferromagnetic core, thereby reducing the total space required to form filter 32 relative to scenarios where soft ferromagnetic cores are used. Space occupied by filter 32 and converter circuit 22 may further by reduced using the power switch and filter arrangements of
The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/234,417 filed on Sep. 29, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62234417 | Sep 2015 | US |