In described examples of a system having a proportional-integral control module, an error signal is produced that is indicative of a difference between a reference signal and an output signal. An integral control signal is produced by integrating the error signal using an integrator time constant value. During a steady state condition, a first integrator time constant value is used. When an undershoot in the output signal is detected, the integrator time constant value is increased to a second time constant value that is larger than the first integrator time constant value during the undershoot condition. The integrator time constant value is reduced to a third integrator time constant value that is less than the first integrator time constant value during a period following the undershoot condition.

An apparatus for efficiently driving visual displays via light-emitting devices may include (1) at least one light-emitting device, (2) a buck driver circuit electrically coupled to the light-emitting device, wherein the buck driver circuit includes an inductor, and (3) a boost circuit electrically coupled between the buck driver circuit and a power source, wherein the boost circuit includes an additional inductor. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

A single-mode quasi constant frequency controller apparatus for controlling output voltage deviation during one or more load transients, the controller apparatus comprising: a converter receiving one or more operational control parameters; a load tracking modulator configured to receive sensory inputs representative of a capacitor current polarity, and to control one or more power transistors of the converter such that an inductor current matches a load current cycle and reconstructs a desired inductor current ripple by splitting both an on-time for inductor charging and an off-time for inductor discharging into a current correction phase (CCP) and a ripple reconstruction phase (RRP), the load tracking modulator communicating the one or more operational control parameters for controlling the one or more power transistors.

The present disclosure describes various aspects of adaptive current control in switching power regulators for fast transient response. In some aspects, a clock of a switching power regulator is prevented, in response to detecting a transient load, from affecting application of current to an inductor of the regulator. A first switch device applies current to the inductor of the regulator until inductor current reaches a maximum current level. A second switch device then enables the current to flow through the inductor until the inductor current reaches a current control signal based on an output voltage of the switching power regulator. In some aspects, an offset is also applied to the current control signal to further increase average inductor current. These operations may be repeated without interruption from the clock to quickly increase the inductor current, and thus current provided to the regulator output in response to the transient load.

An apparatus may include a regulated power converter, a control engine configured to control the regulated power converter based upon a regulation control parameter, a period detection system and a parameter control system. The period detection system may be configured to monitor a signal to detect transient events at an output of the regulated power converter, wherein the transient events include a first transient event and a second transient event after the first transient event. The period detection system may be configured to determine, in response to the second transient event, a transient event period between the first transient event and the second transient event. The period detection system may be configured to determine transient event period information based upon the transient event period. The parameter control system may be configured to set the regulation control parameter to a value determined based upon the transient event period information.

An auxiliary circuit for reducing an output voltage ripple of a DC-DC converter includes: a capacitor configured to perform charging and discharging, a main buck converter including a first switch and a second switch connected to a voltage source, and a first inductor connected between the capacitor and a contact point of the first switch and the second switch, the first inductor having a first inductor current that flows therethrough, and an auxiliary buck converter including a third switch and a fourth switch respectively connected to the first switch and the second switch in parallel, and a second inductor connected between the capacitor and a contact point of the third switch and the fourth switch, the second inductor having a second inductor current that flows therethrough, and the auxiliary buck converter configured to control the second inductor current by generating two envelopes with different heights to compensate for a difference between the first inductor current and an output current.

An example circuit includes a loop controller having current phase inputs, a feedback input, a control loop output and a transient event output. The feedback input is adapted to be coupled to an output terminal of a multi-phase power stage. A PWM circuit has a blanking input, a control input and a PWM output, the control input coupled to the control loop output. A phase management circuit has a transient detect input, a PWM input, a blanking output and phase outputs. The transient detect input is coupled to the transient event output. The PWM input is coupled to the PWM output and the blanking output is coupled to the blanking input. Each of the phase outputs is adapted to be coupled to a respective phase of the multi-phase power stage. The phase management circuit is configured to provide a blanking control signal representative of a variable blanking time.

An apparatus comprises an emulator and a corresponding compensator. During operation, the emulator produces, at different instants of time, an emulated output current value representative of an amount of current supplied from an output voltage to a load. In general, the compensator provides selective compensation to the emulated output current value over time. For example, for a first time duration, compensation adjustments from the compensator are used to modify the emulated output current value. For a second duration of time, compensation adjustments from the compensator are not used to modify the emulated output current value. Disabling or discontinuing application of adjustments (such as based on the actual measured output current) during the second time duration (such as during a respective transient condition) provides more accurate and timely generation of a respective emulated output current value.

A system for controlling a current in a power converter may include an outer control loop configured to use an outer set of output voltage thresholds for an output voltage generated by the power converter in order to provide hysteretic control of the current, an inner control loop configured to use an inner set of output voltage thresholds for the output voltage in order to provide continuous control of the current, the inner control loop further configured to measure a time duration required for the output voltage to cross a single pair of two output voltage thresholds of the inner set of output voltage thresholds in order to determine an input-referred estimate of a current load of the power converter and set a peak current threshold and a valley current threshold for the current based on the input-referred estimate of the current load.

A method for controlling a battery-powered power supply. The method includes generating a first output from a first power supply within the battery-powered power supply. The first output is coupled to an output bus. The method further includes monitoring a voltage of the output bus, and determining, using a controller of the battery-powered power supply, whether the voltage of the output bus is less than a first predetermined level. The method further includes deactivating the first power supply in response to determining that the voltage of the output bus is below the first predetermined level, and generating a second output from a second power supply within the battery-powered power supply. The second output is configured to be coupled to the output bus. The second power supply has a higher output rating than the first power supply.