Patent ID: 8044644

Claim:
An apparatus for converting a first voltage input at an input node to a second voltage that is output at an output node, the apparatus comprising: a first switch that is coupled to the input node; a second switch that is coupled to the first switch; an inductor that is coupled to a node between the first and second switches and that is coupled to the output node; and a controller including: a pulse width modulation (PWM) logic that is coupled to the first and the second switches and that generates actuation signals for the first and second switches; a sample-and-hold circuit that is coupled to the node between the first and second switches and that is coupled to the PWM logic, wherein the sample-and-hold circuit receives the actuation signals for the first and second switches; and a comparator that is coupled to the sample-and-hold circuit and that is coupled to the PWM logic, wherein the comparator compares an output from the sample-and-hold circuit to a predetermined threshold to determine whether the apparatus has reached an over-current condition, and wherein the comparator outputs an over-current signal to the PWM if the over-current condition has been reached.