Multi-phase buck converter with a plurality of coupled inductors
View Patent ↗A multi-phase converter comprising 2N+1 inductors; and 2N+1 switching converters parallel connected and each including a switched node; wherein N is an even integer, a pair of said inductors are coupled and wound about a common core and each said coupled inductor is connected at one pole thereof to a respective switched node and at another pole thereof to an output node, and at least one of said inductors is uncoupled from the other inductors.
1. A multi-phase converter comprising:
2N+1 inductors; and
2N+1 switching converters parallel connected and each including a switched node;
wherein N is an even integer, a pair of said inductors are coupled and wound about a common core and each said coupled inductor is connected at one pole thereof to a respective switched node and at another pole thereof to an output node, and at least one of said inductors is uncoupled from the other inductors.
2. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein said converters are buck converters.
3. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein each converter includes a control switch connected between a power input and said switched node and a shunt switch connected between said switched node and ground.
4. The multi-phase converter of claim 3 , wherein said control switches and said shunt switches are power MOSFETs.
5. The multi-phase converter of claim 3 , wherein said control switches and said shunt switches are power IGBTs.
6. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein inductors are coupled in at least one pair and only in pairs by respective common cores.
7. The multi-phase converter of claim 6 , wherein N is at least 4.
8. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein said inductors are energized sequentially.
9. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein N is the number of pairs of coupled inductors and said coupled inductors are energized with a phase angle shift governed by the following relationship:
ϕ
(
S
2
k
-
1
,
S
2
k
)
=
360
·
N
2
·
N
+
L
k
L
2
N
+
1
wherein Ø is the phase angle and L k is the leakage inductance of the coupled inductors.
10. The multi-phase converter of claim 1 , wherein N is the number of coupled inductors and two adjacent pairs of coupled inductors are energized with a phase angle shift governed by the following relationship:
ϕ
(
S
2
k
-
1
,
S
2
k
+
1
)
=
360
2
·
N
+
L
k
L
2
N
+
1
wherein Ø is the phase angle and L k is the leakage inductance of the coupled inductors.
11. A multi-phase converter comprising:
a plurality of inductors;
a plurality of switching converters parallel connected and each including a switched node;
wherein said inductors are coupled in at least one pair and only in pairs about respective common cores and each said coupled inductor is connected at one pole thereof to a respective switched node and at another pole thereof to an output node, and at least one of said inductors is uncoupled from the other inductors.
12. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein there are 2N+1 inductors, and N is an even integer, and no more than one of said inductors is uncoupled.
13. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein said converters are buck converters.
14. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein each converter includes a control switch connected between a power input and said switched node and a shunt switch connected between said switched node and ground.
15. The multi-phase converter of claim 14 , wherein said control switches and said shunt switches are power MOSFETs.
16. The multi-phase converter of claim 14 , wherein said control switches and said shunt switches are power IGBTs.
17. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein N is at least 4.
18. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein said inductors are energized sequentially.
19. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein N is the number of pairs of coupled inductors and said coupled inductors are energized with a phase angle shift governed by the following relationship:
ϕ
(
S
2
k
-
1
,
S
2
k
)
=
360
·
N
2
·
N
+
L
k
L
2
N
+
1
wherein Ø is the phase angle and L k is the leakage inductance of the coupled inductors.
20. The multi-phase converter of claim 11 , wherein N is the number of coupled inductors and two adjacent pairs of coupled inductors are energized with a phase angle shift governed by the following relationship:
ϕ
(
S
2
k
-
1
,
S
2
k
+
1
)
=
360
2
·
N
+
L
k
L
2
N
+
1
wherein said Ø is the phase angle and Lk is the leakage inductance of the coupled inductors.