A method for controlling a power converter, which in particular has partial power converters connected in parallel, is provided. The method includes determining a nominal voltage for the power converter; and dividing an output voltage for the power converter into a number of, in particular equal, voltage ranges. The voltage ranges are limited by a discrete upper voltage limit and a discrete lower voltage limit and the voltage ranges can be adjusted by switching the power converter, in particular the partial power converters. The method includes allocating the nominal voltage a voltage range with a discrete upper and lower voltage limits; allocating a first switch setting to the lower voltage limit; allocating a second switch setting to the upper voltage limit; and switching between the first switch setting and the second switch setting so that the power converter generates an actual voltage corresponding to the nominal voltage.

A system may include a power converter comprising at least one stage having a dual anti-wound inductor having a first winding and a second winding constructed such that its windings generate opposing magnetic fields in its magnetic core and constructed such that a coupling coefficient between the first winding and the second winding is less than approximately 0.95 and a current control subsystem for controlling an electrical current through the dual anti-wound inductor, the current control subsystem configured to minimize a magnitude of a magnetizing electrical current of the dual anti-wound inductor to prevent core saturation of the dual anti-wound inductor and regulate an amount of output electrical current delivered by the power converter to the load in accordance with a reference input signal.

A method for operating a DC-DC voltage converter apparatus having a plurality of DC-DC voltage converter units connected in parallel in an electrical network is provided. The DC-DC voltage converter units are operated in a master/slave configuration based on current mode control in order to set a desired output voltage. Here, a reference voltage, to which the output voltage is intended to be adjusted, for the slave converters is determined by way of a preconditioning function according to a predetermined calculation specification from a master reference voltage prescribed by the master converter. Stable control can therefore be ensured even in the case of fluctuating loading at the respective DC-DC voltage converter units.

A power management circuit included in a computer system regulates a voltage level of a power supply node used by other circuits in the computer system. The power management circuit includes a control circuit and multiple phase circuits coupled to the regulated power supply node via corresponding inductors. The control circuit selectively activates particular ones of the multiple phase circuits allowing them source respective currents to the regulated power supply node. The control circuit also selectively activates particular ones of other phase circuits that are external to the power management circuit and coupled to the regulated power supply node via their own corresponding inductors. Once activated, the external phase circuits source respective currents to the regulated power supply node via their corresponding inductors.

A method and apparatus are described for controlling the phase of an interleaved boost converter using cycle ring time. In an embodiment, a cycle controller generates a first drive signal to control switching of a first converter and a second drive signal to control switching of a second converter, the controller receives a first cycle signal from the first converter and a second cycle signal from the second converter, wherein the first cycle signal and the second cycle signal have a power phase time and a ringing phase time. The cycle controller determines a master ringing phase time of the first cycle signal and applies the master ringing phase time to the second cycle signal to determine a slave ringing phase time. The cycle controller generates the second drive signal in accordance with the slave ringing phase time.

An apparatus includes a controller a current mode controller that produces an output voltage by supplying output current from at least one power supply phase of a power supply to power a load. The controller produces an error current signal based on a difference between a magnitude of the output current supplied from the power supply to a load and a phase current setpoint. Based on a magnitude of the error current signal, control a pulse width setting of a pulse width modulation signal controlling the at least one power supply phase. The controller varies a leading edge and a falling edge of a pulse width ON-time of the pulse width modulation signal over each of multiple control cycles depending on variations in the magnitude of the pulse width setting.

A multiphase switching converter has a plurality of switching circuits coupled in parallel, and a plurality of control circuits configured in a daisy chain. Each control circuit receives a phase input signal, and provides a phase output signal and a switching control signal for controlling a corresponding switching circuit. One of the control circuits is a master control circuit, if a fault is detected by the master control circuit, then the master control circuit provides the phase output signal satisfying a master transfer type, and then the master control circuit changes to a slave control circuit.

Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed that adjust transient response in a multistage system. An example apparatus includes a first filter including an input configured to be coupled to an output of a master stage, an amplifier, the first input of the amplifier coupled to the input of the first filter, the second input of the amplifier coupled to the output of the first filter, a second filter, the input of the second filter coupled to the output of the amplifier, and a comparator, the first input of the comparator coupled to the input of the first filter circuit, the second input of the comparator coupled to the output of the amplifier, the third input of the comparator coupled to the output of the second filter, and the output of the comparator adapted to be coupled to a latch.

Aspects of an efficient, wide voltage range, power converter system are described. In one example, a power converter system includes a first power converter, a second power converter, and a controller for the power converter. An input of the first power converter and an input of the second power converter are connected in series across an input voltage for the power converter system, and an output of the first power converter and an output of the second power converter are connected in parallel at an output of the power converter system. The controller is configured to regulate the second power converter and to determine whether or not to regulate the first power converter based on the input voltage for the power converter system and an output voltage of the power converter system, among other factors, for greater efficiency of the power converter system over wider input and output voltage ranges.

A power-factor corrected AC/DC converter has three half-bridge legs, electrically coupled with each other in parallel, each leg having a pair of switches. Each switch of the pair is electrically coupled to the other in series via a respective node that is electrically coupled through an inductor to an AC line. The converter has a fourth half-bridge leg electrically coupled with the other legs to form an electrically parallel circuit. The fourth leg has a pair of switches electrically coupled to each other in series via a fourth node, which is selectively electrically coupleable to a neutral or a second AC line. The converter has a controller that operates the three legs as a 3-channel interleaved AC/DC boost converter and couples the fourth node to the neutral or second AC line if the input is single-phase, and as a 3-phase AC/DC boost converter if the input is three-phase.