Multiphase DC/DC Converter Phase Overlap Control

The patent implements preliminary action by allowing phases to be pre-triggered before the previous phase completes. The overlapping phase architecture enables the next phase to start its on-time period before the current phase finishes, eliminating the blanking period wait time and significantly improving transient response without adding complex control logic.

The patent applies dynamics by making the phase timing flexible rather than fixed. The overlapping architecture allows phase durations and start times to be dynamically adjusted based on load conditions, enabling more than three phases to operate effectively without being constrained by the rigid 1/Nph duty cycle limitation of conventional nonoverlapping designs.

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the control function into separate on-time generators for different phases. This allows each phase to have its own independent on-time generation capability, enabling overlapping operation where Phase 2 can start its on-time before Phase 1 completes, thereby eliminating the off-time delay restriction that plagues single-generator designs.

The patent applies merging by combining the error amplification function across all phases while maintaining separate on-time generation. Instead of using multiple independent error amplifiers for each phase, the system uses a shared error amplifier architecture that drives multiple phases, reducing component count while preserving transient response performance through the overlapping phase operation.