Patent ID: 8067924

Claim:
A multi-phase electrical converter comprising: an electrical input; an electrical output; a converter having a plurality of converter phases coupled with the electrical input and the electrical output, each of the converter phases including a high side switch; and a controller to ramp operation of one or more of the converter phases as a load demand increases, wherein a converter phase being turned on has a duty cycle of its high side switch increased over a time period simultaneously with a phase offset being introduced over the time period to the remaining converter phases, and wherein the time period over which the duty cycle is increased and the phase offset is introduced is selected such that an average current associated with the converter phase being turned on is increased over the time period while the remaining converter phases shift over the time period such that an output ripple voltage at the electrical output is reduced relative to a ripple voltage that would be produced in response to an abrupt turn-on of the converter phase.