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The document discusses buck converters, which are DC-DC converters that step down voltage from a power source to a lower output voltage. It explains how a buck converter works by using a switching transistor to rapidly switch between charging and discharging an inductor, and includes diagrams. The summary also discusses designing a buck converter, including calculating input/output power and voltage, switching frequency, inductance, and other parameters.

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50 views3 pages

Activity 1

The document discusses buck converters, which are DC-DC converters that step down voltage from a power source to a lower output voltage. It explains how a buck converter works by using a switching transistor to rapidly switch between charging and discharging an inductor, and includes diagrams. The summary also discusses designing a buck converter, including calculating input/output power and voltage, switching frequency, inductance, and other parameters.

Uploaded by

f789sgacanon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cuarez, Junner C.

BSEE-4A
Industrial Engineering
Graded Activity, Objective: To identify different types of DC converters.
Instruction: Choose one type of DC Converter and explain its function. You can add figures, graphs
or any illustration that can support your explanation.
Buck Converter
In SMPS circuits, the Buck Converter is utilized when the DC output voltage must be lower
than the DC input voltage. Any DC source or rectified AC can be used as the DC input. When
electrical isolation between the switching circuit and the output is not required, but the input is
from a rectified AC source, a mains isolating transformer can provide isolation between the AC
source and the rectifier.
The Buck Converter's switching transistor between the input and output is constantly on
and off at a high frequency. The circuit leverages the energy stored in the inductor L during the on
phases of the switching transistor to continue providing the load during the off periods to maintain
a continuous output. The operation of the circuit is dependent on what is known as a Flywheel
Circuit. This is because the circuit functions similarly to a mechanical flywheel, which spins
smoothly (and outputs energy) at a constant rate when given regularly spaced pulses of energy.
It's similar to a boost converter, but the inductor and transistor are switched positions. In
most cases, the switch in the above circuit will be a power electronics switch such as a MOSFET,
IGBT, or BJT. A PWM signal will be used to switch (on and off) the switch.
The Buck Converter's switching transistor between the input and output is constantly on
and off at a high frequency. The circuit leverages the energy stored in the inductor L during the on
phases of the switching transistor to continue providing the load during the off periods to maintain
a continuous output.
However, average voltage isn't what we want because a raw PWN signal oscillates between
high voltage and ground, which isn't good for delicate loads like the microcontroller. Connecting an
RC filter to a square wave source, of course, cleans up the output. The duty cycle of the PWM signal
determines the voltage level of the filter; the higher the duty cycle, the higher the output voltage.
As a result, we now have a stable output voltage. The raw PWM signal is shown in blue,
while the filtered outputs are shown in red and violet.
We might now use this as a buck converter, but there is one important disadvantage: the RC
filter's resistor limits the current and dissipates energy as heat, which is no better than the linear
voltage regulator example. To solve this issue, we use a different type of voltage filter, the LC filter,
which performs the same function as the RC filter but replaces the R with an L, or a resistor with an
inductor. The inductor resists current variations while the capacitor resists voltage fluctuations,
resulting in a smooth DC output.
And now we have a converter that is capable of efficiently stepping down DC voltages!

Working of a Buck Converter


The working of a buck converter can be broken down into a few steps.
Step 1:
The switch is activated, allowing electricity to flow to the output capacitor and charging it.
The voltage across the capacitor during the switching cycle is not the entire voltage of the power
source because the voltage across the capacitor cannot rise instantly and the charging current is
limited by the inductor.

Step 2:
The
switch has now
been turned
off. Because an inductor's current cannot vary abruptly, it generates a voltage across it. When the
switch is switched off, this voltage is permitted to charge the capacitor and power the load through
the diode, sustaining current output current throughout the switching cycle.
These two phases are repeated hundreds of times per second, resulting in a continuous
stream of output.
Designing a Buck Converter
Step 1
Calculate the input voltage and current, as well as the output voltage and current. DC = Vout/Vin.
Step 2
Calculate the output power, which is the result of multiplying the output voltage and current. By the
law of conservation of energy, this is also the input power (albeit not exactly — nothing is 100%
efficient!).
Step 3
To calculate the power transferred each pulse, divide the output power by the specified switching
frequency. We may now assume that the output power is just the output energy per second because
it is easier to talk about inductors in terms of energy. So, if our converter's output is 30 Watts, we
may say the output energy is thirty Joules per second.
Step 4
We can calculate the inductance using the input current and the energy now that we have
the energy per pulse: L = 2E/I2
Where E denotes the energy transferred each pulse and I denotes the input current squared.
We can now start designing a simple boost converter using the inductance, frequency, and duty
cycle parameters.

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