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EFFECTS OF LOAD CHANGES ON THE CONTROL-TO-OUTPUT TRANSFER

FUNCTION OF A BUCK-BOOST CONVERTER IN CCM
Julie J. Lee and Marian K. Kazmeiriczuk
Wright State University M D

Abstract: The effects of load changes in a Buck-boost

Converter operating in CCM on the Control to !
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Output transfer function are presented. In this I
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paper, a small-signal model of the Buck-boost is used,
and the control to output transfer function with load
changes are presented. Equations and small signal
circuit of the buck-boost in CCM are derived. A
existing design is selected to study the effects of load /% *0& !
Figure 1. Buck-boost converter circuit.
changes. Different load changes including the worst (%%&
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case scenario in the Buck-boost and its effect on the
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control to output transfer function is discussed. The '
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converter is simulated in PSpice to validate the / + ( " +)
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Key Words: Buck-boost, PWM Converter, Small Signal ' -.
Model, and Load Changes Z1
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I. INTRODUCTION
12

Voltage regulators can be classified into linear regulators Figure 2 Small-signal model of a buck-boost converter.
and switching-mode regulators. Some drawbacks of
linear regulators are poor efficiency, which also leads to control-to-output transfer function, and study the effects
excess heat dissipation and it is impossible to generate of load change on the control-to-output transfer function.
voltages higher than the supply voltage. Switching-mode In Section II, the small signal model of a buck-boost
regulators can be separated into the following categories: converter in CCM is presented. A derivation of the
Pulse-Width Modulated (PWM) dc-dc regulators, control-to-output transfer function is provided. Also,
Resonant dc-dc converters, and Switched-capacitor with the control-to-output transfer function the effects or
voltage regulators. The PWM dc-dc regulators can be load changes were studied. Also, the resultant Bode plot
divided into three important topologies: buck converter, response waveforms of the control-to-output transfer
boost converter, and buck-boost converter [1]-[7]. The functions in both MatLab and PSpice simulations are
buck-boost converter is chosen for analysis. presented in Section III. In Section VI, the conclusions
and future work are discussed.
The dc-dc buck-boost converter reduces and increases
dc voltage from one level to another. A buck-boost II. CONTROL-TO-OUTPUT TRANSFER FUNCTION
converter can operate in both continuous conduction
mode (CCM), A. Small-Signal Model of Buck-boost in CCM
and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) depending
on the inductor current waveform. In CCM the inductor A buck-boost converter is shown in figure 1 and a small
current flows continuously for the entire period. signal model for a buck-boost converter is shown in
Therefore a small signal model for the buck boost figure 2.
converter is significant. The equations for the control-to-
output transfer function are presented. Also the effects Converting the buck-boost converter to a small signal
or load change on the control-to-output transfer function model of the buck-boost is accomplished by replacing
is explored. the MOSFET and diode with a switching network
(dependent voltage and current sources), the inductor is
The objective of this paper is to create a small signal replaced by a short and the capacitor is replaced by an
model of a buck boost converter in CCM, derive the open circuit. Also parasitic components are added to
allow for losses in the Buck-boost Converter. The
existing design includes the values of the circuit are:
Contents Print

This leads to the final equation for the input control to

output transfer function

. (6)

where
The dependent sources are related to duty cycle. Setting
the other two inputs to zero relates the control input to
the output. This transfer function due to duty cycle
affecting the output is Tp. The derivation using figure 2
of Tp is below starting from first principles of KCL and
KVL.
Using KCL first find the current at the inductor node:
. (1)
Use KVL find an equation for inductor current in terms
of output voltage and duty cycle.

. .

The input control to output voltage transfer function is a

second-order low-pass filter. It is a non-minimum phase
Now substitute equation into the previous equation using
system due to the right hand plane zero. When duty cycle
KCL.
D is increased from 0 to 1, the zero moves from infinity
. (2) to the jw=0 axis and then back toward infinity. The
complex pole of the system is also dependent on duty
Use algebra and rearrange values to separate into output cycle D. The duty cycle D should be kept a distance
voltage and duty cycle. away from one to keep efficiency of the Buck-boost at a
high level.

B. Effects of Load Changes on Control-to-Output

Transfer Function.

Load fluctuations occur for a variety of reasons which

affects the output voltage of the system. Three different
Now dividing output by duty cycle give the transfer loads were chosen to experiment with the effects of load
function fluctuation on the output-to-control transfer function.
The values of the different loads are chosen to show a
range of the different results on voltage due to the load
fluctuation. The chosen values are the original load of
. (3)
14 ohms, double the calculated load, and the worst case
scenario of ten times the load.

The values for and are DC therefore the The effects of the output to input control transfer
function was demonstrated by the transient response and
Buck-boost was converted to a DC model and
frequency response. The theoretical transient response
expressions for these values were found with know
of the input control to output voltage with only the
values. These values were substituted into the input
normal calculated load is shown in figure 3. Figure 4
control to output voltage transfer function.
shows the simulated results including load fluctuation
(4) from the normal load to the worst case scenario. The
peak voltage
and

. (5)
Contents Print

! linearized circuits. Therefore, a sinusoidal source was

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Figure 3. Output Voltage of buck-boost with regular f'()*+
load.
Figure 5. Magnitude Bode plot with load of 14, 28 and
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Figure 4. Output voltage of buck-boost when load is f*+,-.
regular then worst case senerio.
Figure 6. Phase Bode plot with load of 14, 28 and 140 Ω.
was -34.2 V and the setting time for the output was close the magnitude of ripple in the voltages are used to
to 5 ms. The voltage is greatly increased from the determine the magnitude of the function. Phase of the
needed -28 V to a voltage of -31V at steady state. The function was found my determining the time difference
same effect on the output occurred in a less severe between the two signals of interest. The results found in
manner when the fluctuation of the load was only PSpice simulated results match the theoretical results
double. found in MatLab.

A Bode plot of theoretical results is shown in figures 5 III. CONCLUSIONS

and 6. The magnitude of the input control to output
voltage is the same shape but the bandwidth of the A small signal model for the Buck-boost converter in
system is decreased. The peak of the function is CCM is given. Also an equation for the input control to
increased from 45 to 49 dB V from normal to worst case output transfer function. The affects of load fluctuation
load. The gain cross-over frequency drops 9.6 kHz to are demonstrated in this paper shown through the
7.5 kHz. The phase plot shows a significant drop in the transient and frequency response both theoretical and
phase from -60 degrees to 0 degrees with the shift in simulated. There was a distinctive voltage fluctuation
load. when the load changed to the worst case scenario. Also
The Bode plots for Tp is also found using discrete points the phase shift was dramatically shifted upward when the
Discrete points were used rather than sweeping the load was changed. This large of a shift will cause
circuit because PSpice sweeps are only accurate for problems with controlling the system unless the possible
Contents Print

&" '
RL0!%!
%" #1!
!%"! 1. M. K. Kazimierczuk, (2008). Pulse Width
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Modulated DC-DC Power Converters. New Yourk:
#" John Wiley & Sons.
,Tp','(-.'/+

!" 2. R. D. Middlebrook and S. Cuk, Advances in

"
Switched-Mode Power Conversion, vols. I, II, and
III. Pasadena, CA: TESLAco, 1981.
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3. N. Mohan, T. M. Undeland, and W. P. Robbins,
!#"
Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and
!$" Design, 3rd Ed.,New York: John Wiley \& Sons,
2004.
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f'()*+ 4. M. K. Kazimierczuk, N. Sathappan, and D.
Czarkowski, "Voltage-mode controlled PWM buck
Figure 7. Magnitude Bode plot with load of 14, 28 and
dc-dc converters," Proc. of the IEEE National
140 Ω.
!)"
RL/!%"
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Aerospace Conf. (NAECON'93), Dayton, OH, May
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24-28, 1993, vol. 1, pp. 1253-1256.
!%""
!#" 5. D. Czarkowski and M.K.Kazimierczuk, “ A new and
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systematic method of modeling PWM dc-dc
converters,” Proc. Of the IEEE International Conf.
(" on Industrial Electronics, Control, Instrumentation,
!T *+!.

and Automation. (IECON’92), Sam Diego, CA,

p

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November 9-14, 1992, vol. I, pp. 488-493.
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6. www.irf.com.
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!(" Julie J. Lee holds a BS and MS in Electrical

Engineering from Wright State University. She is
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f*+,-. from Wright State University, and working as a Research
Assistant and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the
Figure 8. Phase Bode plot with load of 14, 28 and 140 Ω. Department of Electrical Engineering at WSU. He
research interests are in power electronics, PWM dc-dc
fluctuations of load are taken into account and the converters, and power semiconductors. Ms. Lee is a
controller is designed for those specifications. The member of Tau Beta Pi and an IEEE student member.
simulated PSpice are equivocal in shape and theoretical
expected results found in MATLAB as shown in figures Marian K. Kazimierczuk received the M.S., and Ph.D.,
3 and 4 for the transient response and figures 4 and 5 to and D.Sci. degrees in electronics engineering from the
figures 6 and 7 for the Bode plots. Department of Electronics, Technical University of
Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, in 1971, and 1978, and 1984,
respectively. He is currently a Professor of Electrical
Improving the response time, efficiency and reducing
Engineering at Wright State University, Dayton, OH. His
losses is a major challenge because of the practical
areas of research are in high-frequency high-efficiency
limitations of a buck-boost converter. Distinguish the RF power amplifiers, resonant and PWM dc/dc power
characteristics of finding a Bode plot without using converters, high-frequency rectifiers, modeling and
discrete points. Find a design methodology for exactly control of converters, high-frequency magnetics, power
the characteristics of a small-signal model. Other future semiconductor devices, electronic ballasts, RF
work could include finding a method to remove the right transmitters, sensors, and superconductivity. He is a
hand zero from the input control to output voltage Fellow of IEEE and has published more than 230 papers.
transfer function. Current mode control of the PWM dc-
dc buck-boost is another avenue for future work.

REFERENCES