# US 2014/0191738 A1 · Sensing a phase-path current in a coupled-inductor power supply > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191738 A1 - Document ID: US20140191738A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/203,017 - Filed: 2014-03-10 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2007-08-14 - Assignees: Intersil Americas Inc. - Applicants: Intersil Americas LLC - Inventors: Shangyang XIAO; Weihong QIU; Jun LIU - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191738A1 ## CPC - H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel} - H02M 1/0009: {Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter} - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) ## Abstract An embodiment of a power supply includes an output node, inductively coupled phase paths, and a sensor circuit. The output node is configured to provide a regulated output signal, and the inductively coupled phase paths are each configured to provide a respective phase current to the output node. And the sensor circuit is configured to generate a sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through one of the phase paths. For example, because the phase paths are inductively coupled to one another, the sensor circuit takes into account the portions of the phase currents induced by the inductive couplings to generate a sense signal that more accurately represents the phase current through a single phase path as compared to conventional sensor circuits. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power supply, comprising: a supply output node configured to carry a regulated output signal; phase paths each having a respective phase-path output node coupled to the supply output node, each having a respective phase-path non-output node, and each configured to carry a respective phase current, at least two of the phase paths inductively coupled to one another; and at least one sensor circuit each having a sensor node coupled to the phase-path non-output nodes of the at least two phase paths and configured to generate a sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a respective one of the at least two phase paths. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power supply of claim 1 wherein all of the phase paths are magnetically coupled to one another. ### Claim 3 A system, comprising: a power supply, including a supply output node configured to carry a regulated output signal, phase paths each having a respective phase-path non-output node, each having a respective phase-path output node coupled to the supply output node, and each configured to carry a respective phase current, at least two of the phase paths inductively coupled to one another, at least one sensor circuit each having a sensor node coupled to the phase-path non-output nodes of the at least two phase paths and each configured to generate a respective sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a respective one of the at least two phase paths, phase-path drivers each coupled to a phase-path non-output node of a respective one of the phase paths, and a power-supply controller coupled to the at least one sensor circuit and the phase-path drivers and configured to regulate the output signal by controlling the at least one phase-path driver coupled to the respective one of the at least two phase paths in response to the respective sense signal; and a load coupled to the supply output node of the power supply. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The power supply of claim 3 wherein the regulated output signal includes a regulated output voltage. ### Claim 5 A power supply, comprising: a supply output node configured to carry a regulated output signal; phase paths each having a respective phase-path output node coupled to the supply output node, each having a respective phase-path non-output node, and each configured to carry a respective phase current, at least two of the phase paths magnetically coupled to one another; and at least one sensor circuit each coupled to the at least two phase paths and each configured to generate a respective sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a respective one of the at least two phase paths. ### Claim 6 A method, comprising: driving first and second inductively coupled power-supply phase paths with respective first and second driving signals to generate an output signal; generating a first sense signal that represents a first phase-path current flowing through the first power-supply phase path; and regulating the output signal in response to the first sense signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: generating a second sense signal that represents a second phase-path current flowing through the second power-supply phase path; and regulating the output signal in response to the second sense signal. ### Claim 8 A power supply, comprising: a supply output node configured to carry a regulated output signal; at least two phase paths each having a respective phase-path output node coupled to the supply output node, each having a respective phase-path non-output node, and each configured to carry a respective phase current; and at least one sensor circuit each coupled to the phase-path non-output nodes of the at least two phase paths and each configured to generate a respective sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a respective one of the at least two phase paths. ### Claim 9 A method, comprising: generating a first phase-path non-output signal with a first power-supply phase path; generating a second phase-path non-output signal with a second power-supply phase path; generating an output signal with the first and second power-supply phase paths; generating a first sense signal in response to the first and second phase-path non-output signals, the first sense signal representing a first phase-path current flowing through the first power-supply phase path; and regulating the output signal in response to the first sense signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: generating a second sense signal in response to the first and second phase-path non-output signals, the second sense signal representing a second phase-path current flowing through the second power-supply phase path; and regulating the output signal in response to the second sense signal. ### Claim 11 A power supply, comprising: an output node configured to provide a regulated output signal; inductively coupled phase paths each configured to provide a respective phase current to the output node; and a first sensor circuit configured to generate a first sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a first one of the phase paths. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The power supply of claim 11 wherein the first one of the phase paths includes an inductance. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The power supply of claim 12 wherein the first sensor circuit includes a capacitance coupled across the inductance of the first one of the phase paths. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The power supply of claim 13 wherein the first sensor circuit is configured to generate the first sense signal across the capacitance. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The power supply of claim 11 wherein the first sensor circuit includes: an impedance coupled to the first one of the phase paths; and one or more other impedances each coupled to the impedance and to a respective other one of the phase paths. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The power supply of claim 15 wherein the impedance and the one or more other impedances each include a respective resistance. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The power supply of claim 13 wherein the first sensor circuit includes: an impedance coupled to the first one of the phase paths and to the capacitance; and one or more other impedances each coupled to the capacitance and to a respective other one of the phase paths. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The power supply of claim 11, further comprising a second sensor circuit configured to generate a second sense signal that represents the phase current flowing through a second one of the phase paths. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The power supply of claim 11 wherein the first sensor circuit is coupled to the phase paths. ### Claim 20 A method, comprising: generating phase currents with respective magnetically coupled phase paths; and generating a first sense signal that represents a first one of the phase currents. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 wherein generating the first sense signal includes generating the first sense signal in response to signals respectively generated by the phase paths. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 wherein generating the first sense signal includes generating the first sense signal in response to voltages each at a node of a respective one of the phase paths. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising generating a second sense signal that represents a second one of the phase currents.