Patent ID: 7548046

Claim:
A multiphase voltage converter, comprising: N inductors, each inductor having a first and a second terminal, at least two of the N inductors being magnetically coupled to each other, N being an integer greater than one; a filter connected to the second terminal of each of the N inductors, the filter including at least one capacitor; N high-side switches, each of the high-side switches being connected between a power source and the first terminal of a respective one of the N inductors; N low-side switches, each of the low-side switches being connected between the first terminal of a respective one of the N inductors and ground; and a converter controller for controlling operation of the voltage converter, the converter controller operating the voltage converter in a first discontinuous conduction mode when an output load value is within a first range of output load values, the converter controller operating the voltage converter in a second discontinuous conduction mode when the output load value is within a second range of output load values, at least part of the second range of output load values being greater than the first range of output load values; X of the N high-side switches remaining quiescent and the remaining N-X of the high-side switches conducting current pulses in the first discontinuous conduction mode, X being an integer greater than zero, Y of the N high-side switches remaining quiescent and the remaining N-Y of the high-side switches conducting current pulses in the second discontinuous conduction mode, Y being a positive integer or zero, and X being greater than Y.