Patent ID: 7999519

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 decreases, wherein a converter phase being shed has a duty cycle of its high side switch reduced 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 reduced and the phase offset is introduced is selected such that an average current associated with the converter phase being shed is reduced 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 shut-off of the converter phase.