US 12,081,124 B2
Regulator switch array
Jay B. Fletcher, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Nathan F. Hanagami, San Francisco, CA (US); Sanjay Pant, Santa Clara, CA (US); Hao Zhou, San Jose, CA (US); and Shawn Searles, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/661,509.
Prior Publication US 2023/0353048 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. H02M 3/158 (2006.01); G06F 1/26 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 3/158 (2013.01) [G06F 1/263 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
15. An apparatus, comprising:
a first functional circuit block coupled to a first regulated power supply node;
a second functional circuit block coupled to a second regulated power supply node; and
a voltage regulator circuit including a plurality of switch circuits, wherein the voltage regulator circuit is configured to:
perform a first comparison of a first voltage level of the first regulated power supply node to a first reference voltage;
activate, based on a first result of the first comparison, a particular switch circuit of a first subset of the plurality of switch circuits, wherein the first subset is coupled between an input power supply node and the first regulated power supply node, and wherein a first number of switch circuits included in the first subset is based on a first magnitude of a first target load current for the first regulated power supply node;
perform a second comparison of a second voltage level of the second regulated power supply node to a second reference voltage; and
adjust, based on a second result of the second comparison, a conductance between the input power supply node and second regulated power supply node by activating a different switch circuit of a second subset of the plurality of switch circuits, wherein:
the second subset is coupled between the input power supply node and the second regulated power supply node,
a second number of switch circuits included in the second subset is based on a second magnitude of a second target current for the second regulated power supply node, and
adjust, based on the second result, the conductance between the input power supply node and the second regulated power supply node includes, in response to determining that the second voltage level of the second regulated power supply node fails to satisfy the second reference voltage by a threshold value, activating another switch circuit of the second subset of the plurality of switch circuits while the different switch circuit remains activated.