Patent US6650556B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6650556B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Multi-phase DC—DC converter
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 2001-10-31
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Granted: 2003-11-18
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Expires: 2021-10-31
Abstract
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.
Inventors
- 👤 James S. Dinh
- 👤 Gerald A. Budelman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 09:01
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02J; H02J1/00; H02J1/10; H02J1/102; H02M; H02M3/00; H02M3/02; H02M3/04; H02M3/10; H02M3/145; H02M3/155; H02M3/156; H02M3/158; H02M3/1584
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
64 words
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.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
64 words
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.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch comprises: a top detector shutdown switch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch comprises: a bottom detector shutdown switch.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch comprises: a top detector shutdown switch; and a bottom detector shutdown switch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch is coupled to isolate the regulator from a load.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch is coupled to isolate the regulator from a regulator of another of the DC—DC phases.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the detector shutdown switch comprises: a field-effect transistor (FET) having a FET body diode coupled to inhibit current flow from a load back into the DC—DC regulator.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 wherein the regulator comprises: a synchronous multi-phase buck regulator; and a duty cycle controller coupled to provide duty cycle signals to the synchronous multi-phase buck regulator.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 1 further comprising: a multi-phase controller coupled to provide respective switching signals to the plurality of DC—DC phases.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
11 words
The DC—DC regulator of claim 9 further comprising: a startup controller.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
102 words
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.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
102 words
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.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The synchronous multi-phase buck regulator of claim 11 further comprising: a resistor coupled in series between the FET and an input of the comparator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The synchronous multi-phase buck regulator of claim 12 further comprising: another resistor coupled in series between the FET and another input of the comparator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The synchronous multi-phase buck regulator of claim 12 further comprising: a diode coupled between an input of the comparator and the gate of the FET.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
43 words
The synchronous multi-phase buck regulator of claim 11 to generate the DC voltage from another DC voltage, and further comprising: an input node to receive the other DC voltage; and a second shutdown switch coupled between the input node and the top switch.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
The synchronous multi-phase buck regulator of claim 11 further comprising: a phase control input to receive a switching signal; and a third switch coupled to the output node and the phase control input node to inhibit the switching signal in response to the synchronous multi-phase buck regulator achieving a normal state of operation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
89 words
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.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
89 words
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.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic system of claim 17 further comprising: an AC-DC converter coupled to the DC—DC converter.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
The electronic system of claim 18 wherein: the bottom shutdown switch comprises a field effect transistor (FET) having a FET body diode coupled to inhibit current flow from the load to the buck regulator.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
60 words
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.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
60 words
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.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
55 words
The article of manufacture of claim 20 wherein the machine-accessible medium has additional data that, when accessed by the machine, enable the machine to include in the multi-phase DC—DC converter: a field-effect transistor (FET) having a FET body diode coupled to inhibit current flow from a load back into an output of the buck regulator.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
39 words
The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein the machine-accessible medium has additional data that, when accessed by the machine, enable the machine to include in the multi-phase DC—DC converter: a reserve DC—DC phase in the multi-phase DC—DC converter.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein the machine-accessible medium comprises a recording medium.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
26 words
The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein the machine-accessible medium comprises a communication link and the data comprise a carrier wave traversing the communication link.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-11-17 | 2007-05-19 | 2007-11-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-11-17 | 2011-05-19 | 2011-11-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-11-17 | 2015-05-19 | 2015-11-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |