Patent ID: 6882552

Claim:
A power converter for delivering power from a source to a load, comprising: a switch; pulse generation circuitry producing one or more drive signals for cycling the switch ON and OFF to transfer power from the source to the load, the pulse generation circuitry including: a first pulse generator for producing a first drive signal for cycling the switch ON and OFF, wherein if the switch is cycled ON and OFF according to a cycle of the first drive signal, a power pulse is transferred from the source to the load, and a second pulse generator for producing a second drive signal for cycling the switch ON and OFF, wherein if the switch is cycled ON and OFF according to a cycle of the second drive signal, a sense pulse is transferred from the source to the load, the power transferred to the load by the sense pulse being substantially less than the power transferred to the load by the power pulse; a comparator for comparing an output voltage feedback signal to a reference; and a controller coupled to the pulse generation circuitry for controlling whether a cycle of one of the drive signal cycles the switch in response to an output of the comparator, wherein the controller enables cycling of the switch by a cycle of the power pulse, the sense pulse, or neither, in response to the comparator output.