Controller for polyphase switching converters

Abstract

A controller is provided for a multiphase switching converter that includes multiple phase circuits. [Solution] The polyphase switching converter 302 is configured to receive an input voltage Vin, generate an output voltage Vout, and provide a load current Iload. The controller 300 includes a current threshold generator 314 configured to generate a first threshold current Ith1 that depends on the input voltage Vin and / or the output voltage Vout, a comparison system 316 configured to compare the load current Iload with the first threshold current Ith1, and a phase control system 318 configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on the comparison between the load current Iload and the first threshold current Ith1.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

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[0006]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a controller for a multiphase switching converter.

Background Art

[0002] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a multiphase switching converter 100 including a plurality of phase circuits 102, 104, 106, 108. The phase circuits 102 to 108 are coupled in parallel, and each phase circuit 102 to 108 includes a single switching converter. In this embodiment, the multiphase switching converter 100 is a four-phase multiphase buck converter such that each of the phase circuits 102 to 108 includes a buck converter.

[0003] The multiphase switching converter 100 further includes an output capacitor 110, and during operation, receives an input voltage V_IN and generates an output voltage V_OUT. A load current Iload may be provided to an electrical load provided by the output capacitor 110.

[0004] The phase circuits 102 to 108 can be enabled or disabled during operation of the converter 100 in order to optimize the operation of the multiphase switching converter 100 for different load current Iload conditions.

[0005] FIG. 1B is a graph 112 showing the operating efficiency versus the load current Iload (displayed as "output load") for one operating phase circuit (trace 114), two operating phase circuits (trace 115), and four operating phase circuits (trace 116).

[0006] At transition point 118, it was observed that it is beneficial to change the number of operating phase circuits 102-108 depending on the load current. For example, if currently operating in single phase and the load current increases beyond transition point 118, operating an additional phase circuit can improve operational efficiency. Similarly, if two phase circuits 102-108 are currently operating and the load current falls below the transition point, operating efficiency can be improved by deactivating one of the phase circuits 102-108. At transition point 120, further transition points are shown for two to four operating phase circuits 102-108.

[0007] The stopping and operating of phase circuits 102-108 may be referred to as phase shedding and phase addition, respectively. In known systems, a polyphase switching converter 100 may exhibit automatic phase shedding / addition based on the measurement of the load current and comparison with a fixed threshold condition.

[0008] For high-power applications, known polyphase step-down power converters 100 can achieve high operating efficiency under high-load conditions. To improve overall efficiency across the entire operating load range, known polyphase step-down converters automatically add or remove the number of phases depending on the load current. Unused phase circuits 102-108 can be configured as high-impedance (HiZ) outputs so as not to load the output voltage V_OUT. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] It is desirable to provide a multiphase switching converter system that has been improved across different operating conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is provided for a polyphase switching converter having a plurality of phase circuits. The polyphase switching converter is configured to receive an input voltage, generate an output voltage, and provide a load current. The controller comprises a current threshold generator configured to generate a first threshold current that depends on the input voltage and / or output voltage; a comparison system configured to compare the load current with the first threshold current; and a phase control system configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on the comparison between the load current and the first threshold current.

[0011] Optionally, the first threshold current depends on the number of currently operating phase circuits.

[0012] Optionally, the phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a first threshold current by enabling one or more phase circuits and / or disabling one or more phase circuits.

[0013] Optionally, the phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a first threshold current by enabling one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than a first threshold current, and / or by deactivating one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes less than a first threshold current.

[0014] Optionally, a current threshold generator is configured to generate a second threshold current dependent on the input voltage and / or output voltage; a comparison system is configured to compare the load current with the second threshold current; and a phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on the comparison between the load current and the second threshold current.

[0015] Optionally, the second threshold current is greater than the first threshold current.

[0016] Optionally, the first threshold current depends on the number of currently operating phase circuits, and / or the second threshold current depends on the number of currently operating phase circuits.

[0017] Optionally, the phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a first threshold current by enabling and / or disabling one or more phase circuits, and to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a second threshold current by enabling and / or disabling one or more phase circuits.

[0018] Optionally, the phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a first threshold current by enabling one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than a first threshold current, and / or by deactivating one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes less than a first threshold current; and to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison between the load current and a second threshold current by enabling one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than a second threshold current, and / or by deactivating one or more phase circuits when the load current becomes less than a second threshold current.

[0019] Optionally, a polyphase switching converter is a polyphase buck converter, a boost converter, or a buck / boost converter.

[0020] Optionally, the controller includes a voltage sensing unit configured to detect input and / or output voltages.

[0021] Optionally, the voltage sensing unit includes a resistor divider configured to detect the input voltage and provide the detected input voltage to a current threshold generator.

[0022] Optionally, the current threshold generator comprises a current regulator configured to receive the sensed input voltage and a first current mirror including one or more current sources. The first current mirror is coupled to the current regulator. The first current mirror is configured to provide a first threshold current to the comparison system.

[0023] Optionally, the first current mirror includes a gain selection transistor for setting a gain value. The first threshold current depends on the gain value.

[0024] Optionally, the one or more current sources include a trimming current source for trimming the value of the first threshold current, a hysteresis current source configured to adjust the first threshold current based on the number of phase circuits in the current operating phase, and / or a voltage-regulated current source for adjusting the first threshold current based on the output voltage.

[0025] Optionally, the multiphase switching converter is configured to generate an output voltage that depends on a reference voltage, and the voltage sensing unit includes a threshold current offset signal generator. The threshold current offset signal generator is configured to receive the reference voltage and generate a threshold current offset signal using the reference voltage. The voltage-regulated current source is configured to adjust the first threshold current based on the output voltage using the threshold current offset signal.

[0026] Optionally, the phase control system includes a debounce circuit configured to control a hysteresis current source.

[0027] Optionally, the controller includes a current measurement system. The current measurement system is configured to determine the load current by measuring the average current flow in each phase circuit, summing the measured average current flows, and providing the sum of the measured average current flows, which is the load current, to the comparison system.

[0028] Optionally, the multiphase switching converter is configured to generate an output voltage that depends on a reference voltage, and the current threshold generator is configured to generate a first threshold current that depends on the reference voltage, i.e., depends on the output voltage.

[0029] Optionally, the phase control system comprises a finite state machine.

[0030] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a multiphase switching converter comprising a plurality of phase circuits is provided. The multiphase switching converter is configured to receive an input voltage, generate an output voltage, and provide a load current. The method includes generating, using a current threshold generator, a first threshold current that depends on the input voltage and / or the output voltage; comparing, using a comparison system, the load current with the first threshold current; and changing, using a phase control system, the number of operating phase circuits based on the comparison of the load current with the first threshold current.

[0031] Note that the method according to the second aspect may include providing and / or using the features defined in the first aspect, and it should be noted that other features as described herein may be incorporated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1A] It is a schematic diagram of a multiphase switching converter. [Figure 1B] It is a graph showing the operating efficiency versus load current for one, two, and four operating phase circuits. [Figure 2] It is a graph showing the operating efficiency versus load current of the multiphase converter of FIG. 1A. [Figure 3A] It is a schematic diagram of a controller for a multiphase switching converter according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B]This graph shows an example of phase operation / stop conditions provided by the controller during the operation of a polyphase switching converter. [Figure 4A] This is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the controller according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] This is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the controller according to the third embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4C] This is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of an output voltage sensor. [Figure 4D] Figure 3A is a graph showing the operating efficiency versus load current for a practical embodiment of the controller and multiphase converter. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0033] Known polyphase converters (such as those described in relation to Figures 1A and 1B) have fixed phase transition points after trimming and configuration. These transition points are then stored in one-time programmable memory (OTP). These transition points are fixed at a defined load current and optimized for specific parameters. These parameters may be, for example, input voltage and / or output voltage.

[0034] In embodiments where the transition point is fixed and optimized based on the input voltage, the hardcoded transition point can lead to suboptimal system efficiency when the input voltage range is wide. For example, in portable devices where the input voltage source is a rechargeable battery, the operating voltage range is wide because the battery voltage decreases as the battery discharges.

[0035] Figure 2 is a graph 200 showing the operating efficiency versus load current I_load of a polyphase converter 100 having an optimized transition point for an input voltage of 3.7V. Trace 202 shows the efficiency curve when the input voltage is equal to 3.7V. Trace 204 shows the efficiency curve when the input voltage is 2.5V. Trace 206 shows the efficiency curve when the input voltage is 5.5V.

[0036] The discontinuous operational efficiency at the transition point on traces 204 and 206 indicates the suboptimal operation of converter 100 when the input voltage deviates from 3.7V. This is a result of the transition point being optimized for 3.7V, causing converter 100 to operate at input voltages outside this range.

[0037] For example, referring to trace 204 when the input voltage is 2.5V, the transition point becomes too late as the load current increases, preventing the converter 100 from operating at optimal efficiency. Similarly, referring to trace 206 when the input voltage is 5.5V, the transition point occurs too early as the load current increases, preventing the converter 100 from operating at optimal efficiency.

[0038] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a controller 300 for a polyphase switching converter 302 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The polyphase switching converter 302 comprises a plurality of phase circuits 304, 306, 308, and 310.

[0039] In certain embodiments, the polyphase switching converter 302 may be a polyphase buck converter, a boost converter, or a buck / boost converter.

[0040] In this embodiment and the following description, the polyphase converter 302 comprises four phase circuits 304-310. However, it should be noted that in further embodiments, the converter 302 may comprise more or fewer phase circuits.

[0041] The phase circuits 304 to 310 may be connected in parallel. Each phase circuit 304 to 310 may be equipped with a single switching converter. For example, the polyphase switching converter 302 may be a four-phase polyphase step-down converter such that each phase circuit 304 to 310 is equipped with a step-down converter.

[0042] During operation, the polyphase converter 302 receives an input voltage Vin, generates an output voltage Vout, and provides a load current Iload. In this embodiment, the output voltage Vout is coupled to the electrical load 312. The load current Iload is supplied to the electrical load 312.

[0043] The controller 300 includes a current threshold generator 314 configured to generate a threshold current Ith1 that depends on the input voltage Vin and / or the output voltage Vout. The threshold current Ith1 may depend on the number of currently operating phase circuits 304-310, as indicated by the signal Nphase provided to the current threshold generator 314 in Figure 3A. The number of currently used phases may be fed back into the threshold current Ith1 to generate hysteresis in the threshold Ith1 and avoid phase switching transition jitter.

[0044] The controller 300 further comprises a comparison system 316 configured to compare a load current Iload with a threshold current Ith1. The controller 300 further comprises a phase control system 318 configured to change the number of operating phase circuits 304-310 based on the comparison performed by the comparison system 316. The phase control system 318 may include logic circuits.

[0045] The controller 300 may include a current measuring system 317. The current measuring system 317 is configured, for example, to determine the load current Iload to be provided to the comparison system 316 by measuring the average current flow in each phase circuit 304-310 and summing the average current flows. The load current Iload provided to the comparison system 316 is the sum of the average current flows.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the polyphase converter 302 may generate an output voltage Vout that depends on a reference voltage. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the current threshold generator 314 may be configured to generate a threshold current Ith1 that depends on a reference voltage, i.e., on the output voltage Vout.

[0047] The number of operating phase circuits 304-310 performed by the phase control system 318 may be changed, for example, by enabling one or more phase circuits 304-310 and / or by disabling one or more phase circuits 304-310. In certain embodiments, during operation, the phase control system 318 may enable one or more phase circuits 304-310 when the load current Iload becomes greater than the threshold current Ith1, and disabling one or more phase circuits 304-310 when the load current Iload becomes less than the threshold current Ith1.

[0048] Figure 3B is a graph 320 showing an example of phase operation / stop conditions provided by the controller 300 during the operation of the polyphase converter 302. In this embodiment, the threshold current Ith1 is the transition point between one operating phase circuit and two operating phase circuits.

[0049] The current threshold generator 314 may be further configured to generate a threshold current Ith2 that depends on the input voltage Vin and / or output voltage Vout. The comparison system 316 may be further configured to compare the load current Iload with the threshold current Ith2, and the phase control system 318 may be further configured to change the number of operating phase circuits 304-310 based on the comparison. The threshold current Ith2 may depend on the current number of operating phase circuits. The number of operating phase circuits 304-310 may be changed, for example, by enabling one or more phase circuits when the load current Iload becomes greater than the threshold current Ith2, and / or by deactivating phase circuits when the load current Iload becomes less than the threshold current Ith2.

[0050] In this embodiment, the threshold current Ith2 is greater than the threshold current Ith1. Furthermore, the threshold current Ith2 is the transition point between the two operating phase circuits and the four operating phase circuits.

[0051] It should be noted that in further embodiments, the current threshold generator 314 may be configured to generate additional threshold current values. Here, the additional threshold current values ​​may have one or more characteristics as described in relation to the threshold currents Ith1 and Ith2, as understood by those skilled in the art. The controller 300 may also function substantially in relation to the additional threshold current values, as described in relation to the current thresholds Ith1 and Ith2, as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0052] For example, in a further embodiment of the polyphase converter 302 having five or more phase circuits, the value of the additional threshold current may be greater than the current threshold Ith2 and may function as a transition point for enabling / disabling the phase at load currents higher than those provided by the current threshold Ith2.

[0053] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the controller 300 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the phase control system 318 comprises a finite state machine (FSM), and the comparison system 316 comprises comparators 400 and 402.

[0054] In this embodiment, the controller 300 includes a voltage sensing unit 404 for detecting one or both of the input voltage Vin and the output voltage Vout. In this embodiment, the voltage sensing unit 400 includes an input voltage sensor 406 and an output voltage sensor 408. Output voltage detection may be provided by a digital setpoint rather than by a specific voltage measurement.

[0055] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the controller 300 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The input voltage sensor 406 may include a resistor divider 410. The resistor divider 410 is configured to detect an input voltage Vin (VDD in Figure 4B) and provide the detected input voltage Vin to a current threshold generator 314. In this embodiment, the resistor divider 410 includes resistors 412 and 414, switches 416 and 418, and a capacitor 420.

[0056] Switches 416 and 418 may be used to return the current threshold to a fixed value, as in known systems. Note that in further embodiments, switches 416 and 418 may be omitted. In embodiments in which switches 416 and 418 are omitted, the output of the resistor divider 410 may be provided directly to, for example, the current threshold generator 314.

[0057] In this embodiment, the current threshold generator 314 includes a current regulator 422 configured to receive the detected input voltage from the input voltage sensor 406. The current regulator 422 may also include an amplifier 424, a transistor 426, and a variable resistor 428.

[0058] During operation, amplifier 424 references the divided input voltage Vin and adjusts the unit gain current to introduce information about the input voltage Vin into the threshold current Ith1.

[0059] It should be noted that in further embodiments in which switches 416 and 418 are omitted, the output of the resistor divider 410 may be provided directly to the input of the amplifier 424.

[0060] The current threshold generator 314 may further include a current mirror 430 containing one or more current sources. The current mirror 430 is coupled to a current regulator 422 and configured to provide a threshold current Ith1 to the comparison system 316.

[0061] The current mirror may include a transistor 438 and a gain-selection transistor 440 for setting the gain value. The threshold current Ith1 may depend on the gain value.

[0062] In this embodiment, the current mirror 430 comprises a trimming current source 432, a hysteresis current source 434, and a voltage regulating current source 436. The trimming current source 432 may be used to adjust the threshold current value Ith1. The hysteresis current source 434 is configured to adjust the threshold current Ith1 based on the number of currently operating phase circuits. The voltage regulating current source 436 is provided to adjust the threshold current Ith1 based on the output voltage Vout.

[0063] Note that in this embodiment, the voltage-regulating current source 436 may be omitted. As a result, the threshold current Ith1 will depend on the input voltage Vin, rather than the output voltage Vout.

[0064] In this embodiment, the phase control system 318 further includes a debounce circuit 439 configured to control the hysteresis current source 434. During operation, the debounce circuit 439 returns the output of the comparator system 316 to the comparator system 316 to enable hysteresis of the current threshold Ith1. This reduces the probability of continuous phase switching at the current transition point.

[0065] In this embodiment, the comparison system 316 comprises an inverter 441 and transistors 443 and 445. The comparison system 316 may be referred to as a phase shedding comparator (PSCOMP).

[0066] During operation, the average current of each phase circuit 304-310 is measured and summed to provide the sum of the average current "i_avg_ph#" which provides the load current Iload used by the comparison system 316. The comparison system 316 compares the load current with the threshold current Ith1 to determine whether the load current is higher or lower than the threshold.

[0067] In known systems, the threshold current is fixed by trimming and stored in the OTP. In this embodiment, the threshold current Ith1 is proportional to the power supply voltage VDD and has, for example, a constant gain. The gain differs depending on the number of phases. For example, the transition from one phase to two phases has a smaller gain than the transition from two phases to four phases. The target gain for each case may be determined by silicon evaluation.

[0068] First, the unit gain (minimum gain) may be trimmed. Next, the gain of the comparison system 316 may be trimmed for different phase transitions (e.g., phase 1-phase, phase 2-phase). Finally, the transition point may be adjusted to the expected load state by offset trimming.

[0069] The outputs of the comparison system 316 ("Dout_iavg_cmp1" and "Dout_iavg_cmp2") are transmitted to a digital core which may be provided by the phase control system 318 and used as transition conditions for a step-down finite state machine for phase shedding or addition.

[0070] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of a particular embodiment of an output voltage sensor 408 for detecting an output voltage Vout, which may be used in conjunction with any of the embodiments of the controller 300 described herein, as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0071] The optimal phase transition point exhibits less dependence on the output voltage compared to its dependence on the input voltage. However, logic circuits, such as those provided in this embodiment and which can be implemented within a digital core, may be used to adjust the threshold current value when the output voltage is higher or lower than a certain threshold voltage value.

[0072] The polyphase converter 302 may generate an output voltage Vout that depends on a reference voltage Vref. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a threshold current that depends on the output voltage Vout may be generated using the reference voltage Vref. The polyphase switching converter 302 may include, for example, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for providing the reference voltage Vref as a target for the output voltage Vout. The digital core may provide the reference voltage Vref.

[0073] In this embodiment, the output voltage sensor 408 is configured to receive a reference voltage Vref and use the reference voltage Vref to generate a threshold current offset signal 440. The voltage regulating current source 436 is configured to use the threshold current offset signal 440 to adjust the threshold current Ith1 based on the output voltage Vout. This adjusts the threshold current Ith1 based on the output voltage Vout. The reference voltage Vref may be provided by a DAC code. In this case, the DAC code is equal to the target output voltage of the polyphase switching converter 302.

[0074] In this embodiment, the output voltage sensor 408 comprises a multiplexer 405, comparators 407 and 409, a summing circuit 411, voltage threshold generators 413 and 415, and signal adjustment circuits 417 and 419. During operation, the summing circuit 411 sums the initial current offset signal 421 and the output of the multiplexer 405 to generate a threshold current offset signal 440.

[0075] It should be noted that while Figures 4A to 4C primarily describe the case in relation to the threshold current Ith1, further embodiments may include one or more of the features defined in relation to Figures 4A to 4C for generating the threshold current Ith2 (or any further threshold current value) and for controlling the polyphase converter 300 using these threshold currents, as understood by those skilled in the art.

[0076] Figure 4D is a graph 442 showing the operating efficiency versus load current Iload ("I_load") for a practical embodiment of the controller 300 and polyphase converter 302 of Figure 3A. In this embodiment, the threshold currents Ith1 and Ith2 vary with respect to the input voltage Vin, as indicated by the different transition points on graph 442 for different input voltages. In this embodiment, optimal operating efficiency can be ensured across the entire output load range by adjusting the thresholds in response to changes in the input voltage. Trace 444 shows the optimized transition point when the input voltage is 3.7V. Trace 446 shows the optimized transition point when the input voltage is 2.5V. Trace 448 shows the optimized transition point when the input voltage is 5.5V. Compared with Figure 2, it has been observed that the embodiments of this disclosure can provide optimized operation regardless of the input voltage Vin due to the dependence of the threshold currents Ith1 and Ith2, and consequently the transition points, on the input voltage Vin.

[0077] In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure measure the input voltage and / or output voltage and adjust current thresholds related to determining where to add or shed phase.

[0078] In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure enable adaptive and automatic adjustment of the phase transition points at which the phase circuit of a polyphase converter is enabled / disabled depending on input voltage and / or output voltage conditions. In summary, embodiments of the present disclosure implement adaptive phase transition (additional / shading) thresholds that respond not only to output load conditions but also to input voltage conditions and / or output voltage conditions.

[0079] Without such dependencies, the user must monitor input / output voltage conditions and manually adjust the thresholds themselves. Even if the input / output voltage conditions are not wide-ranging, it is necessary to find the optimal phase transition point and develop a dedicated automated test equipment (ATE) test program (TP) and configuration (written to OTP). Embodiments of this disclosure provide a simplified system design with improved efficiency compared to known systems. Embodiments of this disclosure can reduce the effort required for evaluation and modification of test programs compared to known systems.

[0080] Common reference numerals in the diagram represent common features.

[0081] Furthermore, various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A controller for a polyphase switching converter including multiple phase circuits, The aforementioned multiphase switching converter is Receives input voltage, Generate an output voltage, Configured to provide load current, The aforementioned controller, A current threshold generator configured to generate a first threshold current that depends on the input voltage and / or the output voltage, A comparison system configured to compare the load current with the first threshold current, A phase control system is provided, which is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison of the load current and the first threshold current. controller.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold current depends on the current operating phase circuit.

3. The phase control system is - By enabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, and / or - By disabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the first threshold current. The controller according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The phase control system is - By enabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than the first threshold current, and / or - By disabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes smaller than the first threshold current, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the first threshold current. The controller according to claim 3.

5. The current threshold generator is configured to generate a second threshold current that depends on the input voltage and / or the output voltage. The comparison system is configured to compare the load current with the second threshold current. The phase control system is configured to change the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison of the load current and the second threshold current. The controller according to claim 1.

6. The second threshold current is greater than the first threshold current, and / or The first threshold current depends on the current number of the operating phase circuits, and / or The second threshold current depends on the number of currently operating phase circuits. The controller according to claim 5.

7. The phase control system is - By enabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, and / or - By disabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the first threshold current. - By enabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, and / or - By disabling one or more of the aforementioned phase circuits, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the second threshold current. The controller according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The phase control system is - By enabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than the first threshold current, and / or - By disabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes smaller than the first threshold current, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the first threshold current. - By enabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes greater than the second threshold current, and / or - By disabling one or more of the phase circuits when the load current becomes smaller than the second threshold current, The number of the operating phase circuits is changed based on a comparison between the load current and the second threshold current. The controller according to claim 7.

9. The controller according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage sensing unit configured to detect the input voltage and / or the output voltage.

10. The controller according to claim 9, wherein the voltage detection unit comprises a resistor divider, the resistor divider is configured to detect the input voltage and provide the detected input voltage to the current threshold generator.

11. The current threshold generator is, A current regulator configured to receive the detected input voltage, A first current mirror including one or more current sources, Equipped with, The first current mirror is coupled to the current regulator, The first current mirror is configured to provide the first threshold current to the comparison system. The controller according to claim 10.

12. A method for controlling a polyphase switching converter comprising multiple phase circuits and configured to receive an input voltage, generate an output voltage, and supply a load current, A step of using a current threshold generator to generate a first threshold current that depends on the input voltage and / or the output voltage, A step of comparing the load current and the first threshold current using a comparison system, A step of changing the number of operating phase circuits based on a comparison of the load current and the first threshold current using a phase control system, A method that includes this.

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