Phase fault detection in switching power converters

A method of detecting a phase fault in a switching power converter, the method comprising:

• measuring a phase current delivered by a phase of a switching power converter to a load through an inductor at two or more different points of a switching cycle during which the phase is turned on over a first interval of the switching cycle and turned off over a second interval of the switching cycle, the phase current having an expected sawtooth or triangular ripple pattern, wherein the measuring yields a phase current sample for each point of the switching cycle at which the phase current is measured;
• determining the difference between two phase current samples in one or more pairs of the phase current samples, so as to yield at least one difference value;
• and
• determining whether the phase is faulty based on the at least one difference value, each difference value representing the difference between two of the phase current samples.