For this reason, in some applications multiple converters are used to deliver power. In such applications, only one converter may be configured to deliver power at any given time, while the other converters sit idle. This may allow the idle converters more time to cool down between pulsing activity, causing the converters to maintain a temperature closer to the temperature at which the converters operate most efficiently. Further, if the pulses of converters are allowed to overlap, the overall current supplied by the system is greater during the overlap. This allows delivery of higher current when needed. However, if the frequency of converter pulses is sufficiently high and sufficiently smoothed by, for example, an inductor and an capacitor, a device accepting power from the system may perceive the power delivery as one continuous pulsing pattern, as if from 1 converter. For example, a voltage regulation module may contain 10 converters that all deliver power out of phase from each other. In this example, if each controller pulsing for only 5% of each cycle, current will be delivered to the load device for 50% of the each cycle, even though each converter may be resting for 95% of the total power cycle.

A power controller manages the cyclic pattern in which the converters pulse current. This cyclic pattern is sometimes referred to as the PWM cyclic pattern, or cyclic PWM pattern. One repetition of the pattern (e.g., one converter pulsing, resting, and beginning to pulse again) is referred to as one PWM cycle. The length of time that passes during a PWM cycle is referred to as the PWM period. The length of time during the PWM cycle that a converter is actually providing power (also referred to as pulsing) is referred to as a duty cycle.