Patent ID: 8159837

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first switching regulator stage that receives an input voltage and provides as an output an intermediate regulated output voltage, wherein the first switching regulator stage comprises at least one inductor and at least one first switch controller that provides one or more signals to one or more switches in the first switching regulator stage to regulate the intermediate regulated output voltage; a second switching regulator stage that receives as input the intermediate regulated output voltage from the first switching regulator stage and outputs a regulated main output voltage, the second switching regulator stage comprising at least one second switch controller that provides one or more signals to one or more switches in the second switching regulator stage to regulate the main output voltage of the second regulator stage; a primary bias module that utilizes a first secondary winding coupled with the inductor of the first regulator stage to provide a primary bias output voltage to the first switch controller of the first switching regulator stage; and a secondary bias module that utilizes a second secondary winding coupled with the inductor of the first regulator stage to provide a secondary bias output voltage to the second switch controller of the second switching regulator stage, the secondary bias module configured to provide the secondary output bias voltage to the second switch controller while the second switching regulator is one of in an operational state and an off state, the secondary bias output voltage referenced to the main output voltage of the second switching regulator stage.