Auxiliary turn-on mechanism for reducing conduction loss in body-diode of low side MOSFET of coupled-inductor DC-DC converter

1. A DC-DC converter comprising:

a plurality of power switching stages, each of which includes a plurality of output power switches having current flow paths therethrough coupled through respective mutually-coupled output inductors to an output node; and

a controller that is operative to apply primary switching signals to power switches of at least one of said power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, said controller including logical functionality operative to monitor on/off stages of transistors comprising said power switches and to provide auxiliary switching signals that are effective to turn-on a first power switch of a first output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said first output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of a second output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said first output power switching stage.

2. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1 , wherein said logical functionality comprises OR gates.

3. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1 , wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals to power switches of each of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, said controller being further operative to provide auxiliary switching signals that are effective to turn-on a power first switch of each of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said each output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another of each of said output power switching stages, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said each output power switching stage.

4. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a multi-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, said primary switching signals comprising pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms, and wherein said controller is operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary on-time pulse width portions inserted into PWM waveforms applied to power switches of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, said auxiliary on-time pulse width portions being effective to turn-on first power switches of respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said respective ones of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through body-diodes of said first power switches of said respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages.

5. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals as discontinuous pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and wherein said controller is further operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals that are applied to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, so as to reduce conduction loss therein.

6. The DC-DC converter according to claim 1 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, continuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals as complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to respective power switches of only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said respective power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and wherein said controller is further operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals that are applied to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch of said second output power switching stage is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage.

7. In a DC-DC converter having a plurality of power switching stages, each of which includes a plurality of output power switches having current flow paths therethrough coupled through a respective output inductor to an output node, and wherein multiple ones of said output inductors are mutually coupled to one another, so that current through a first output inductor induces current in a second output inductor, and a controller that is operative to apply primary switching signals to power switches of at least one of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said power switches are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, the improvement wherein:

said controller is operative to generate auxiliary switching signals that are effective to turn-on a first power switch of a first output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said first output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of a second output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said first output power switching stages.

8. The improvement according to claim 7 , wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals to power switches of each of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and is operative to apply said auxiliary switching signals to a first power switch of each of said plurality of output power switching stages and thereby turn-on said power first switch of each of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said each output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another of each of said output power switching stages, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said each output power switching stages.

9. The improvement according to claim 7 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a multi-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, said primary switching signals comprise pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms, and wherein said controller is operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary on-time pulse width portions inserted into PWM waveforms applied to power switches of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, said auxiliary on-time pulse width portions being effective to turn-on first power switches of respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said respective ones of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through body-diodes of said first power switches of said respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages.

10. The improvement according to claim 7 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals as discontinuous pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and wherein said controller is further operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals that are applied to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage.

11. The improvement according to claim 7 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, continuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, wherein said controller is operative to apply said primary switching signals as complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to respective power switches of only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said respective power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and wherein said controller is further operative to generate said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals that are applied to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch of said second output power switching stage is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage.

12. A method of controlling the operation of a DC-DC converter having a plurality of power switching stages, each of which includes a plurality of output power switches having current flow paths therethrough coupled through a respective output inductor to an output node, and wherein multiple ones of said output inductors are mutually coupled to one another, so that current through a first output inductor induces current in a second output inductor, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) applying primary switching signals to power switches of at least one of said output power switching stages so as to control times during which said power switches are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough; and

(b) generating, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said first output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of a second output power switching stage, auxiliary switching signals that are effective to turn-on a first power switch of a first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said first output power switching stages.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein

said step (a) comprises applying said primary switching signals to power switches of each of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and

said step (b) comprises applying said auxiliary switching signals to a first power switch of each of said plurality of output power switching stages and thereby turn-on said power first switch of each of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said each output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another of each of said output power switching stages, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said each output power switching stages.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a multi-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, said primary switching signals comprise pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms, and wherein said step (b) comprises generating said auxiliary signals as auxiliary on-time pulse width portions inserted into PWM waveforms and applying the resulting PWM waveforms to power switches of said plurality of output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, said auxiliary on-time pulse width portions being effective to turn-on first power switches of respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said respective ones of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of another output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through body-diodes of said first power switches of said respective ones of said plurality of output power switching stages.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, discontinuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, said step (a) comprising applying said primary switching signals as discontinuous pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and said step (b) comprising generating said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals and applying said auxiliary PWM switching signals to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said DC-DC converter comprises a single-phase, continuous mode buck-mode DC-DC converter, said step (a) comprising applying said primary switching signals as complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) waveforms to respective power switches of only a first of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said respective power switches thereof are conductive to provide current flow paths therethrough, and said step (b) comprising generating said auxiliary signals as auxiliary PWM switching signals, and applying said auxiliary PWM switching signals to a first power switch of a second of said output power switching stages for controlling times during which said first power switch of said second output power switching stage is conductive to provide a current flow path therethrough, said auxiliary PWM switching signals being effective to turn-on said first power switch of said second output power switching stage, in association with induced current in the output inductor of said second of said output power switching stage resulting from current flow through a mutually coupled inductor of said first output power switching stage, wherein said induced current is prevented from flowing through a body-diode of said first power switch of said second output power switching stage.