Accurate Loop Gain Modeling of Digitally Controlled Buck Converters

For the digitally controlled buck converters, the nonlinearity and time periodicity, caused by the pulsewidth modulator (PWM) and sample and hold, make the accurate frequency-domain analysis intractable. In this article, based on the harmonic transfer function (HTF) approach, a precise small-signal continuous-time modeling for the digitally controlled Buck converter operating in continuous-conduction mode (CCM) under constant-frequency voltage-mode control is presented. The sideband components on the closed-loop control are embedded in the model. Thus, this model is accurate within the full frequency domain region, which breaks the limit of Nyquist frequency. Furthermore, by overcoming the barrier of infinite series introduced by the sideband effects, the analytical loop gain expression is derived, which contributes to accurate stability assessment and reduction of computation burden. In addition, the proposed exact small-signal model has explained the reasons why different information injection points lead to different measured loop gains. Simulations and experimental results are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.