XII International PhD Workshop
OWD 2010, 23–26 October 2010
Modeling And Analysis Of Buck-Boost DC/DC Pulse
Converter
Marcin Pawlak, Kielce University of Technology
Abstract
The buck-boost DC/DC converter structure has
been analyzed in the paper. Simplified model of
converter was used for theoretical analysis.
Simplification is based on assumption that capacitor
voltage is nearly constant in modulation period.
Analysis was performed for both cases: Continuous
Current Mode (CCM) and Discontinuous Current
Mode (DCM) together with voltage step down and
voltage step up. Results of theoretical analysis have
been presented and were verified by simulation.
TCAD circuit simulator was used for simulation.
Simulations confirm results of simplified theoretical
analysis.
1. Introduction
Power conversion technology with the smallest
possible loss is now a basic level of research in the
field of power electronics. Striving for efficient use
of electricity resulted in virtually complete
withdrawal from the use of linear electronic power
supplies [1] and replaces them with systems of power
electronics pulse converters [3]. There has been
a tendency to apply higher and higher frequency of
switching converters. This allows a reduction of the
reactive elements of the system [2]. Therefore,
modern converters have been applied in all
industries, as well as in electronic and electrical
equipment of everyday use.
Power electronic converters are nonlinear
systems. In designing converters and control systems
there are used both mathematical modeling of their
behavior, and software, capable of simulating various
stages of work in order to verify the correctness of
the proposed solutions to design and control
algorithms.
Pulse DC/DC converters are widely used in
power electronic systems, the DC drive system, and
are the basic building blocks of complex structures
converters [4,5,7]. A good understanding of the
principles of their operation is a prerequisite for the
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analysis and design of modern pulse power
converters.
2. Analysis of the structure of the
buck-boost converter
The study adopted a simplified methodology for
modeling structures of pulsed DC/DC converters.
The analysis uses the following simplifying
assumptions:
• Electronic connectors are ideal: the voltage drop
on the connector is zero (ideal short circuit), and
at switch off the current is zero (perfect pause);
• Elements of the reactance of the converter are
ideal: they are not in active power losses of
electricity – resistances of magnetic coils are zero
and capacitors do not show any leakage of the
electric charge;
• Thanks to losslessness electronic connectors and
components and losslessness elements
(resistance) the pulse inverter in its structure is
a lossless system - it leads to the assumption that
the coefficient of energy efficiency of the
converter is equal to unity;
• It was assumed that capacitances occurring in
the inverter circuits are of such large values that
you can set up their voltage stability during the
PWM modulation, which allows replacing them
with the voltage sources.
We analyzed the buck-boost converter voltage
[4,7,8,9].
2.1 Analysis of the buck-boost voltage
converter
Diagram of the buck-boost is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig.1. The structure of the buck-boost converter.
 Figure 2 shows the substitution patterns
corresponding to different states of this inverter
operation. In cases of persistent states of the
inductance current there are states of work illustrated
in a) and b), in the case of discontinuous current of
the magnetic coil there appear states given in points
a), b) and c).

Fig.2. Equivalent circuits corresponding to

the buck-boost converter, work states.

In the operation of the converter the similarity of

converters can be noticed: decreasing and increasing
voltage [6]. Similarly to the booster converter there
appear the two stroke transfers of energy from the
power source to the electric load. In the state of
work when the transistor connector is switched on,
shown in Figure 2 a process of storing energy from
the power source takes place in a coil magnetic field.
When you switch off the transistor connector, the Fig.3. Voltage and current waveforms for the case
LED transistor takes over the current, as shown in of continuous (point a) and discontinuous (point b)
inductance current at the mode of voltage lowering.
Figure 2b. Inductance energy is transferred to the
load. Since the circuit in which the transfer of energy
to the load occurs, has no serial connection to the
power source of the decreasing magnetic coil
current, so it is possible to obtain the output voltages
smaller than the input voltage. This is analogous to
the operating state of a converter lowering the
voltage when the transistor connector is switched
off. If the state of Figure 2b lasts long enough to
come to a complete discharge of power inductors,
then the LED connector switches off and there
occurs the status as illustrated in Figure 2c. Figures 3
and 4 illustrate the idealized voltage time wave forms
of the transistor voltage, diode voltage as well as the
inductance and current voltages, for the case of
continuous (point a) and discontinuous (point b)
inductance current, resulting from the theoretical
analysis of the buck-boost converter for the case of
lowering voltage (Fig. 3a, Fig 3b) and for raising the
voltage (Fig. 4a, Figure 4b).

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 The average value of the load current:
- in the mode of operation with continuous
inductance current
1− k
IR = Id , (6)
k
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous
inductance current

k1
IR = Id . (7)
k
The average value of the inductance current:
- in the mode of operation with continuous
inductance current

k
IL = U (8)
(1 − k )2 R d
Fig.4. Voltage and current waveforms for the case
of continuous (point a) and discontinuous (point b)
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous
inductance current at the mode of the voltage increase. inductance current
Below are the basic formulas which characterize
mathematical relationship describing the discussed
IL =
(k + k1 )k U . (9)
converter working in continuous and discontinuous 2 Lf
d

mode with inductance current which directly results

The average value of the source current
from the analysis of individual states of its work. The
calculated assuming that there are no energy losses in
parameters are set in a mode of a fixed work of the
the converter system:
converter. At the mode of the set work the average
inductance voltage value and the average value of the
capacitor current is zero. P0 = I RU 0 ≈ I d U d = Pd , (10)
The filling factor of PWM wave: - in the mode of operation with continuous
inductance current
t on
k= = t on f (1) 2
T  k  1
Id =   Ud , (11)
where: f - means the PWM wave frequency. 1− k  R
The relative diode conduction time: - in the mode of operation with discontinuous
- in the mode of operation with continuous inductance current
inductance current (CCM)
2
1− k , k 1
(2) I d =   U d . (12)
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous  k1  R
inductance current (DCM) The maximum value of the inductance current:
- in the mode of operation with continuous
2 Lf inductance current
k1 = . (3)
R
The average value of voltage at the load:  1 1 
I L max =  + kU d ,
 (13)
 (1 − k ) R 2 Lf
- in the mode of operation with continuous 2

inductance current
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous
inductance current
k
U0 = Ud , (4)
1− k Ud
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous I L max = ∆iL = k. (14)
Lf
inductance current
The minimum value of the inductance current:
- in the mode of operation with continuous
k
U0 = Ud . (5) inductance current
k1

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  1 1  2.2. Simulation of the buck-boost converter
I L min =  − kU d ,
 (15)
 (1 − k ) R 2 Lf
2 The mathematical model of the converter and its
 further analysis were verified using simulations
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous performed with the circuit simulator of power
inductance current electronics systems TCAD. For this simulation
model was used to pulse DC/DC converter shown
I L min = 0 . (16) in Figure 5. The analyzed circuit is composed of the
The boundary value of inductance resulting from control component and the strong current
the condition of continuity of the inductance component. The steering part comprises: the pulse
current: generator controlling the transistor connector,
current sensors: iT , iD , iL , iC , iR . The strong

Lmin =
(1− k ) R
2
. (17)
current component comprises: the DC voltage
2f source U d , transistor connector T , diode
The continuity of the diode current connector D , inductance L , capacitance C and
for L ≥ Lmin . resistance R . To register, voltage and current wave
The ripple coefficient of the output voltage: forms on/in the various components, circuitry is
equipped with measurement systems, which include
ammeters and voltmeters.
∆U 0
r= (18)
U0
- in the mode of operation with continuous
inductance current

k
r= , (19)
RCf
- in the mode of operation with discontinuous Fig.5. Simulation diagram of DC/DC converter
inductance current lowering or raising the voltage.

Voltage and current waveforms, shown

(k1 R − fL ) 2 sequentially in Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 were obtained as
r= . (20) a result of the simulation system shown in Figure 5.
2 Lf 2 R 2 C
The analysis of mathematical relationships shows
iL iC
several important characteristics of the converter iR uL

under consideration. In the expression (4) describing uT

the relationship between the input voltage and the

output appears a k factor responsible for lowering
1 iT
the voltage and the factor responsible for
1− k U0 Ud
uD

increasing the voltage. Analogously, you can iD

compose expression defining the relationship

between the output and input current [6]. The Fig.6. Waveforms of voltages and currents of
continuity of the current in the inductance depends the buck-boost converter for the case of continuous
current mode, reducing inductance voltage.
on: the value of inductance, the input voltage, the fill
factor, the load and the PWM modulation frequency.
The operating mode shown in Figure 2 in c), occurs iL
uL
when the inductance current reaches a value of zero iR
iC

during the modulation. uT

The relative diode conduction time, can be
determined according to the relation (3). The voltage
ripple factor determines the quality of the output iT
voltage regulation. Ud
U0
uD
iD

Fig.7. Waveforms of voltages and currents of the

buck-boost converter for the case of discontinuous
current mode, reducing inductance in voltage.

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 k 1 0,4

iL
R Ω 20
iR
uL uT
L H 0,0004 0,0002 0,0004 0,0002
Calculation Simulation
iC
U0 V 33,33 44,72 33,11 44,65
IR 1,666 2,236 1,656 2,232
iT
uD Id 1,111 2 1,096 1,993
U0
Ud IL 2,777 4.236 2,757 4,238
iD
A
I L max 5,277 10 5,246 9,999
I L min 0,277 0 0,246 0
Fig.8. Waveforms of voltages and currents of the
buck-boost converter for the case of continuous current ∆i L 5 10 4,999 9,999
mode inductance voltage increase.
k1 1 - 0,447 - 0,442

iL
r 1 0,042 0,0641 0,05 0,0643
iR iC
uT
uL
Tab.2.
Comparison of r esults o f th e t heor etical analysis with
simulation res ults of t he d epr essive-boost conv ert er
operating in th e mode of volt age increas es
iT KIND OF ANALYSIS

Physical quantity
uD Buck-boost converter in the mode of raising
U0
iD the output voltage

Unit
Ud
Mathematica Simulator TCAD
CCM DCM CCM DCM
Fig.9. Waveforms of voltages and currents of the Inverter parameters
buck-boost converter for the case of discontinuous
current mode inductance voltage increase. f Hz 10000

Waveforms of currents and voltages obtained by T s 0,0001

simulation are similar to the idealized theoretical C F 0,000047
waveforms. The course shows the output voltage Ud V 50
ripple, which results from the adopted to simulate
k 1 0.4
a finite capacitance.
R Ω 20

3. Comparison of results of L H 0,00027 0,00004 0,00027 0,00004

Calculation Simulation
theoretical analysis with
U0 V 61,111 137,5 60,630 137
simulation results
IR 3,055 6,875 3,087 6,688
Tables 1 and 2 compare the parameter values
of the considered converters designated on the basis Id 3,734 18,906 3,743 18,325
of theoretical analysis with the parameters obtained IL 6,790 25,7813 6,724 26,52
from the simulation using TCAD software. A
I L max 11,882 68,75 11,793 68,739
The average values of voltages and currents from
I L min 1,697 0 1,608 0
the simulation were obtained as a result of harmonic
analysis. ∆i L 10,185 68,75 10,184 68,739
This comparison indicates the accuracy of the k1 1 - 0,2 - 0,197
results of both methods of analysis of converters.
r 1 0,058 0,086 0,059 0,086
Tab.1.
Comparison of r esults o f th eo retical analysis with
simulation res ults of t he b uck -boost convert er 4. Conclusion
operating in th e mode of volt age reduction
KIND OF ANALYSIS
Simulation study of pulse converter DC/DC
Physical quantity

Buck-boost converter in the mode of confirms the results obtained by simplified

reducing the output voltage mathematical analysis. This means that the derived
Unit

Mathematica Simulator TCAD dependencies are correct and can be used to correct
CCM DCM CCM DCM the design elements of the inverter.
Inverter parameters
f Hz 10000 Bibliography
T s 0,0001 [1] BORKOWSKI A.: Zasilanie urządzeń
C F 0,000047 elektronicznych, WKŁ, Warszawa 1990
Ud V 50

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[2] CITKO T.: Energoelektronika - Układy wysokiej
częstotliwości, WPB, Białystok 2007
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impulsowych przekształtników DC/DC –
przekształtnik obniżający i podwyższający napięcie,
Wydawnictwo Naukowe Instytutu Technologii
Eksploatacyjnej – Państwowego Instytutu
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[7] TUNIA H., BARLIK R.: Teoria
przekształtników, Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki
Warszawskiej, Warszawa 2003
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Author:
Marcin Pawlak MSc.
Kielce University of Technology
Al. Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego 7
25-314 Kielce
tel. (041) 342 42 18
fax (041) 342 42 18

email: m.pawlak@tu.kielce.pl

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