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US 6,650,556 B2Granted
Multi-phase DC—DC converter
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsJames S. Dinh, Gerald A. Budelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-phase DC—DC converter having redundant DC—DC phases or modules. If a DC—DC phase fails, such as from a short circuit, it is decoupled from the output of the DC—DC converter. In some embodiments, the other DC—DC phases bear the burden of the extra power output. In other embodiments, additional DC—DC phases are coupled in, in response to the failure.
Claims24
A DC—DC regulator comprising:
- a plurality of DC—DC phases, at least one of which includes,
- a regulator, and
- a detector shutdown switch coupled to isolate the regulator in response to the regulator having a short-circuit failure;
- a redundant DC phase;
- and
- a circuit to connect the redundant DC phase in response to the short-circuit failure in the at least one of the DC phases.
3 more elements
A synchronous multi-phase buck regulator to provide DC voltage to a load and comprising:
- a top switch;
- a switching node;
- a bottom switch coupled to the top switch at the switching node;
- an output node to be coupled to the load;
- a first shutdown switch coupled in series between the switching node and the output node, the first shutdown switch comprising a field-effect transistor (FET) having a FET body diode coupled to inhibit current flow from the output node to the switch node;
- and
- a comparator having inputs coupled across the FET and an output coupled to a gate of the FET.
4 more elements
An electronic system comprising:
- a load having an input;
- and
- a DC—DC converter including,
- a duty cycle controller, and
- a plurality of DC—DC phases, each including,
- a buck regulator having an input coupled to the duty cycle controller and having a switch node coupled to the input of the load,
- a top shutdown switch coupled to the buck regulator, and
- a bottom shutdown switch coupled to the buck regulator;
- the plurality of DC—DC phases comprising a plurality of normal operation DC—DC phases;
- and
- at least one reserve DC—DC phase.
8 more elements
An article of manufacture comprising:
- a machine-accessible medium having thereon data which, when accessed by a machine, enable the machine to create a semiconductor device including,
- a multi-phase DC—DC converter including,
- a synchronous multi-phase buck regulator, and
- a shutdown switch coupled to the buck regulator to defeat the buck regulator in response to the buck regulator suffering a short circuit.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.