Adding and dropping phases in current sharing
US8120205B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 19, 2009 |
| Grant date | Feb 21, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 25, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02M1/008
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A distributed power management system may include a digital communication bus and a plurality of POL (point-of-load) regulators coupled to the communication bus and configured in a current sharing arrangement in which each POL regulator of the plurality of POL regulators has a respective output stage coupled to a common load and configured to generate a respective output current. Each POL regulator may have a respective phase in the current sharing configuration, and each POL regulator may transmit and receive information over the bus according to a bus communication protocol corresponding to the bus. Each POL regulator may autonomously add and drop its phase as required by the system, by sequentially manipulating a pulse width of a couple of gate signals configured to respectively control a high-side field effect transistor (FET) and low-side FET in the POL regulator's output stage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.