# US 2014/0197810 A1 · Multi-phase dc-dc converter and controlling method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197810 A1 - Document ID: US20140197810A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/802,790 - Filed: 2013-03-14 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-14 - Assignees: uPI Semiconductor Corp. - Applicants: Upi Semiconductor Corp. - Inventors: Hua-Chiang Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197810A1 ## CPC - G05F 1/468: {characterised by reference voltage circuitry, e.g. soft start, remote shutdown} - H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel} - H02M 1/0003: {Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits} - G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES - 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 A multi-phase DC-DC converter and a controlling method thereof are provided. The multi-phase DC-DC converter includes a plurality of output units, a sensing unit, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller. Each of the output units is coupled to one corresponding output inductance of a plurality of output inductances, and each of the output units and the corresponding output inductance have a phase node therebetween. The sensing unit is coupled to the phase nodes to acquire output currents of all phases and provide a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero. The PWM controller adjusts a duty cycle of a PWM signal of the corresponding output unit according to each difference voltage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A multi-phase direct current (DC)-DC converter, coupled to a plurality of output inductances, the multi-phase DC-DC converter comprising: a plurality of output units each coupled to one corresponding output inductance of the output inductances, and each of the output units and the corresponding output inductance comprising a phase node therebetween; a sensing unit coupled to the phase nodes and acquiring an output current of each of phases and providing a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller coupled to the output units and the sensing unit, wherein the number of the output inductances and the number of the output units are both N, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, wherein the number of the difference voltages provided by the sensing unit is N, and when output voltages of the phases are respectively denoted by V1, V2 . . . , and VN; the N difference voltages are respectively denoted by Vdiff1, Vdiff2 . . . , and VdiffN; and an average voltage is denoted by Vave, Vdiff1=A×V1−B×Vave, Vdiff2=A×V2−B×Vave, and VdiffN=A×VN−B×Vave, wherein Vave (accumulation of V1 to VN)/N, and A and B are coefficients respectively, and wherein the PWM controller comprises an on-time calculating circuit coupled to the sensing unit and the output units to generate an on-time pulse to the output units according to at least one of the difference voltages. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the on-time calculating circuit comprises a comparator, and an input terminal of the comparator receives a first preset voltage associated with an input voltage and another input terminal of the comparator receives a combined signal associated with the difference voltage and a second preset voltage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the on-time calculating circuit is coupled to an identification voltage adjusting circuit generating a second preset voltage according to a voltage identification definition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the PWM controller further comprises a phase channel selector coupled between the on-time calculating circuit and the output units to adjust operations of multiple phases according to a parameter, related to a load current, of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the PWM controller further comprises a phase channel selector, a plurality of comparators, a ramp generator, and an error amplifier, wherein the error amplifier and the ramp generator are coupled to input terminals of the comparators, and the phase channel selector is coupled to the ramp generator to adjust the operations of multiple phases according to a parameter, related to the load current, of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 5, wherein an output terminal of the error amplifier is coupled to a compensation unit. ### Claim 7 A multi-phase DC-DC converter, coupled to a plurality of output inductances, the multi-phase DC-DC converter comprising: a plurality of output units each coupled to one corresponding output inductance of the output inductances, and each of the output units and the corresponding output inductance comprising a phase node therebetween; a sensing unit coupled to the phase nodes and acquiring an output current of each of phases and providing a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero; and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller coupled to the output units and the sensing unit, wherein the number of the output inductances and the number of the output units are both N, and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, wherein the number of the difference voltages provided by the sensing unit is N, and when output currents of the phases are respectively denoted by I1, I2 . . . , and IN; and the N difference voltages are respectively denoted by Vdiff1, Vdiff2 . . . , and VdiffN, Vdiff1=I1−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding I1)/(N−1), Vdiff2=I2−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding I2)/(N−1), and VdiffN=IN−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding IN)/(N−1), wherein the PWM controller comprises an on-time calculating circuit coupled to the sensing unit and the output units to generate an on-time pulse to the output units according to at least one of the difference voltages. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 7, wherein the on-time calculating circuit comprises a comparator, and an input terminal of the comparator receives a first preset voltage associated with an input voltage and another input terminal of the comparator receives a combined signal associated with the difference voltage and a second preset voltage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 7, wherein the on-time calculating circuit is coupled to an identification voltage adjusting circuit generating a second preset voltage according to a voltage identification definition. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 7, wherein the PWM controller comprises a phase channel selector coupled between the on-time calculating circuit and the output units to adjust operations of multiple phases according to a parameter, related to a load current, of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 7, wherein the PWM controller comprises a phase channel selector, a plurality of comparators, a ramp generator, and an error amplifier, wherein the error amplifier and the ramp generator are coupled to input terminals of the comparators, and the phase channel selector is coupled to the ramp generator to adjust the operations of multiple phases according to a parameter, related to the load current, of the multi-phase DC-DC converter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The multi-phase DC-DC converter according to claim 7, wherein an output terminal of the error amplifier is coupled to a compensation unit. ### Claim 13 A multi-phase DC-DC controlling method, comprising: acquiring an output current of each of phases on a plurality of output inductances; providing a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases according to the acquired output currents of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero; and adjusting a duty cycle of a PWM signal corresponding to each of the phases according to each of the difference voltages to control a channel current for power conversion of each of the phases, wherein the number of the difference voltages provided is N and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and when output voltages of the phases are respectively denoted by V1, V2 . . . , and VN; the N difference voltages are respectively denoted by Vdiff1, Vdiff2 . . . , and VdiffN; and an average voltage is denoted by Vave, Vdiff1=A×V1−B×Vave, Vdiff2=A×V2−B×Vave, and VdiffN=A×VN−B×Vave, wherein Vave=(accumulation of V1 to VN)/N, and A and B are coefficients respectively. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The multi-phase DC-DC controlling method according to claim 13, wherein when performing the step of adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM signal corresponding to each of the phases, an adjustment step for the PWM signal of each of the phases comprises: receiving a first preset voltage associated with an input voltage and receiving a combined signal of the difference voltage associated with the phase and a second preset voltage; and performing comparison on the first preset voltage and the combined signal and using a generated comparison error signal to adjust the duty cycle of the PWM signal of the phase. ### Claim 15 A multi-phase DC-DC controlling method, comprising: acquiring an output current of each of phases on a plurality of output inductances; providing a plurality of difference voltages that respectively represent current differences of the phases according to the acquired output currents of the phases, wherein a value of each of the difference voltages is not zero; and adjusting a duty cycle of a PWM signal corresponding to each of the phases according to each of the difference voltages to control a channel current for power conversion of each of the phases, wherein the number of the difference voltages provided is N and N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and when output currents of the phases are respectively denoted by I1, I2 . . . , and IN; and the N difference voltages are respectively denoted by Vdiff1, Vdiff2 . . . , and VdiffN, Vdiff1=I1−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding I1)/(N−1), Vdiff2=I2−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding I2)/(N−1), and VdiffN=IN−(accumulation of the output currents of the phases, excluding IN)/(N−1). ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The multi-phase DC-DC controlling method according to claim 15, wherein when performing the step of adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM signal corresponding to each of the phases, an adjustment step for the PWM signal of each of the phases comprises: receiving a first preset voltage associated with an input voltage and receiving a combined signal of the difference voltage associated with the phase and a second preset voltage; and performing comparison on the first preset voltage and the combined signal and using a generated comparison error signal to adjust the duty cycle of the PWM signal of the phase.