Accurate and Fast Data Rate Regulator Current Measurement

Accurate real-time power measurement is vital for designing power efficient products. The target load current varies widely, from over ten amperes at peak operation to less than one milliampere when the computing core shuts down. When switching regulators power mobile device rails, the switching ripple frequency could range from several megahertz in PWM mode to below tens of hertz in PFM mode. Thus, it is challenging to design circuitry to monitor load current of mobile platforms. This paper proposes a novel current acquisition technique that aims to improve the light load current sensing accuracy and sampling speed with minimum power consumption and implementation overhead.