Patent ID: 8638081
Filing Date: 2014-01-28
Classification: G06F,H02J,H02M

Abstract:
1. A method for managing current sharing between a plurality of POL regulators coupled to a communication bus, the method comprising: selecting one of the plurality of POL regulators to operate as a master POL regulator; selecting remaining ones of the plurality of POL regulators to operate as slave POL regulators; the master POL regulator and the slave POL regulators each providing a regulated output voltage to a common load to provide a respective portion of a total current conducted by the common load; the master POL regulator transmitting in a packet, over the communication bus, a first digital value representative of a present value of the respective portion of the total current provided by the master POL regulator; each slave POL regulator receiving the first digital value over the bus; and the plurality of POL regulators balancing a current loading of each POL regulator of the plurality of POL regulators, comprising each slave POL regulator adjusting a duty cycle of a respective control signal of a high-side field effect transistor (FET) of an output stage of the slave POL regulator according to a difference between the received first digital value and a digital value representative of the respective portion of the total current provided by the slave POL regulator.