Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of PCM-Controlled DCM-Operating Buck Converters—A Reexamination

Peak-current-mode (PCM) control was proposed in 1978. The observed peculiar behavior caused by the application of PCM-control in the behavior of a switched-mode converter, which operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM), has led to a multitude of attempts to capture the dynamics associated to it. Only a few similar models have been published for a PCM-controlled converter, which operates in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). PCM modeling is actually an extension of the modeling of direct-duty-ratio (DDR) or voltage-mode (VM) control, where the perturbed duty ratio is replaced by proper duty-ratio constraints. The modeling technique, which produces accurate PCM models in DCM, is developed in early 2000s. The given small-signal models are, however, load-resistor affected, which hides the real dynamic behavior of the associated converter. The objectives of this paper are as follows: (i) proving the accuracy of the modeling method published in 2001, (ii) performing a comprehensive dynamic analysis in order to reveal the real dynamics of the buck converter under PCM control in DCM, (iii) providing a method to improve the high-frequency accuracy of the small-signal models, and (iv) developing control-engineering-type block diagrams to facilitate the development of generalized transfer functions, which are applicable for PCM-controlled DCM-operated buck, boost, and buck-boost converters.