Coupled Inductor With Improved Leakage Inductance Control

An M-phase power supply, M being an integer greater than one, the power supply comprising:

• a coupled inductor including:
• a first end magnetic element,
• a second end magnetic element,
• M connecting magnetic elements, each connecting magnetic element disposed between and connecting the first and second end magnetic elements,
• M windings, each winding wound at least partially around a respective one of the M connecting magnetic elements, each winding having a respective first end, a respective second end, and a respective leakage inductance, each first end electrically coupled to a common first node, and
• at least one top magnetic element adjacent to and extending at least partially over at least two of the M connecting magnetic elements to provide a magnetic flux path between the first and second end magnetic elements, the at least one top magnetic element forming a gap causing the leakage inductances to be greater than if the at least one top magnetic element did not form the gap;
• and
• M switching circuits, each switching circuit electrically coupled to the second end of a respective winding and configured and arranged to switch the second end between at least two different voltages.

A computing apparatus, comprising:

• a computer processor;
• and
• an M-phase power supply electrically coupled to the processor for at least partially powering the processor, M being an integer greater than one, the power supply including:
• a coupled inductor including:
• a first end magnetic element,
• a second end magnetic element,
• M connecting magnetic elements, each connecting magnetic element disposed between and connecting the first and second end magnetic elements,
• M windings, each winding wound at least partially around a respective one of the M connecting elements, each winding having a respective first end, a respective second end, and a respective leakage inductance, each first end electrically coupled to a common first node, and
• at least one top magnetic element adjacent to and extending at least partially over at least two of the M connecting magnetic elements to provide a magnetic flux path between the first and second end magnetic elements, the at least one top magnetic element forming a gap causing the leakage inductances to be greater than if the at least one top magnetic element did not form the gap;
• and
• M switching circuits, each switching circuit electrically coupled to the second end of a respective winding and configured and arranged to switch the second end between at least two different voltages.