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Design Comparison of Different Coupled Inductor Concepts for Voltage Regulators
Year: 2023 | Author: Feiyang Zhu | Paper: H2.1
Fig. 1. A multiphase buck converter with a coupled inductor.
Fig. 2. Two different coupled inductor structures: (a) an indirect-coupled inductor, and (b) an hybrid-coupled inductor.
However, a detailed analysis of an HCL and the performance difference between an ICL and an HCL are lacking so far.
To resolve these issues, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of an HCL to evaluate its performance. Then, a design comparison between an ICL and an HCL is illustrated to quantify their differences. This comparison shows that an HCL could have a smaller inductor size with the help of the flux-cancellation effect, as compared with an ICL. However, this benefit becomes smaller as the circuit requirement becomes more stringent. A four-phase buck converter platform is experimentally tested to verify the analysis.
In summary, this paper presents a methodology to quantify the benefits and limitations of two different coupled inductor structures and provides guidance for selecting the proper inductor structure. The analysis in this paper also functions as a powerful design tool for these two coupled inductor structures.
