A theoretical and experimental investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of DC-DC converters

The authors use an exact formulation based on nonlinear maps to investigate both the fast-and slow-scale instabilities of a voltage-mode buck converter operating in the continuous conduction mode and its interaction with a filter. Comparing the results of the exact model with those of the averaged model shows the shortcomings of the latter in predicting fast-scale instabilities. They show the impact of parasitics on the onset of chaos using a high-frequency model. The experimentally validated theoretical results of this paper provide an improved understanding of the dynamics of the converter beyond the linear regime. This in turn may lead to an improved electromagnetic compatibility of switched-mode power supplies and an understanding of newer operating regimes, which may lead to less conservative control design and newer applications.