Control and Tuning Methods in Switched Mode Power Converters

Switch mode power converters (SMPCs) play the central role in energy-efficient power conversion in emerging applications, such as electric vehicles, data centers, renewable energy, industrial automation, etc. In this context, selection of suitable control and modulation techniques of SMPCs is very important to meet challenging requirements in terms of transient performance, efficiency, line and load regulation, disturbance rejection, etc. While majority of commercial controller implementations are based on pulse width modulation and small-signal analysis, increasing switching frequencies, linking in part to wide bandgap devices, provide the opportunity to increase operating bandwidth and enhance performance. This course (i) presents an overview of conventional modulation and control methods, (ii) identifies small-signal performance limits, (iii) discusses large-signal based control approaches and (iv) compares strategies for controller tuning. Comparison among tuning methods illustrate how large-signal based control tuning methods can significantly improve performance and efficiency of SMPCs followed by the need for digital and mixed-signal control implementation for future power electronics converters.