Buck - Boost Converter

Buck-Boost converter is a dc-to-dc converter that has the capability of stepping up or

stepping down the output voltage. In other words, the output voltage can be higher or
lower than the input (source) voltage. It is also labeled as indirect converter because the
source is never directly connected to the load. It is the inductor in the circuit that controls
the flow of energy from the input side to the output side. Figure-1 shows the buck-boost
converter in its simplest form. Pay attention to the directions of the currents through the
capacitor and the load resistor and the polarity of the output voltage.

Figure 1: Boost Converter

The switch S is usually an electronic device that operates either in the conduction
mode (when closed) or the cut-off mode (when open). The conduction and cut-off time-
periods are controlled by the suitably designed gating circuits, which are usually not
shown. The conduction (on) time of the switch is a fraction of its time period T such that
TON = D T , where D is the duty cycle. During the cut-off (off) time when the switch is

open, TOFF = (1 − D)T, the inductor current is directed toward the load via diode D. When
the switch is closed, the diode D blocks the direct current flow from the source toward
the load. During this time, the current is channeled through the inductor and the capacitor
supplies the load current. Only when the switch is in its open position, the inductor
current flows toward the load and the capacitor. The diode D helps maintain the current
continuity through the inductor.
Let us make an assumption that the circuit has been operating for a long time and
the inductor current varies between its minimum and maximum values during each time
half-time period.

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 We begin our analysis when the inductor current is at its minimum and the switch
S is closed. The differential equation for the inductor current, for 0 ≤ t ≤ TON = DT , and
its solution are
di L ( t )
L = VS
dt
VS
iL (t) = t + I L , min (1)
L
According to this equation, the inductor current increases linearly and attains its
maximum value I L. max as t → TON = DT such that

VS
I L,max = DT + I L ,min (2)
L
Defining the change in the current from its minimum to maximum value as the
peak-to-peak current ripple ∆I L , the above equation yields an expression for ∆I L as
VS
∆I L = I L,max − I L,min = DT (3)
L
As soon as the inductor current reaches its maximum value, the switch is opened.
The inductor current now begins to supply the load current and charge the capacitor in
accordance with the following differential equation.
di L ( t )
L = −Vo
dt
The solution of this equation yields
Vo
i L (t ) = − t+A
L
where A is the constant integration and is determined by applying the initial condition at
t = Ton . That is

Vo
I L ,max = − DT + A
L
From this equation, we obtain A and the inductor current as
Vo
A = I L ,max + DT
L
Vo V
i L (t) = − t + I L ,max + o DT (4)
L L

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 As per this equation, the inductor current decreases linearly form its maximum
value and attains its minimum value when t → T, such that

Vo
I L,min = − (1 − D)T + I L, max (5)
L
The peak-to-peak current ripple now is
Vo
∆I L = I L ,max − I L ,min = (1 − D)T (6)
L
The current ripple as given by (3) must be the same as given by (6). Therefore,
equating the two equations, we get
VS V
DT = o (1 − D)T
L L
This equation upon simplification yields
DVS
Vo = (7)
1− D
Equation (7) states that the output voltage of the buck converter is directly
proportional to D and indirectly proportional to (1-D). When D = 0.5, the output voltage
is exactly equal to the applied voltage. The output voltage is greater than the applied
voltage as long as D > 0.5 , which corresponds to the boost operation. On the other hand,
the buck-boost converter behaves as a buck converter with output voltage less than the
applied voltage when D < 0.5 .
When the switch, the inductor, and the capacitor are treated as ideal elements, the
average power dissipated by them is zero. Consequently, the average power supplied by
the source must be equal to the average power delivered to the load. That is,
VS
VS I S = Vo I o = Io
1− D
This equation helps us express the average source current in terms of the average
load current as
DI o
IS = (8)
1− D
The output current is
Vo VS  D 
Io = =   (9)
R R 1− D 

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 Equations (8) and (9) help us express the source current in terms of the duty cycle
as
2
V  D 
IS = S   (10)
R 1− D 

Figure 2: Source current in a buck-boost converter

The source current as a function of time is shown in Figure-2. It is simply a plot

of the inductor current as given by (1) when the switch is in its closed position. The
average source current is
DT
1  VS   VS 
IS = ∫ 
T 0 L
t + I L , min 

dt = 

I L , min +
2L
DT  D

(11)

Figure 3: Inductor current

From Figure-3, which is a plot of inductor current, it is clear that

VS ∆I
I L, min + DT = I L ,min + L = I L ,avg (12)
2L 2

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Consequently, the average values of the source and the inductor currents are related as
I S = D I L ,avg (13)

The average inductor current from (10) and (13) is

VS D
I L,avg = (14)
R (1 − D )2
The expressions for the maximum and minimum currents through the inductor may now
be written as
∆I L DVS DVS
I L, max = I L,avg + = 2
+ (15)
2 R (1 − D) 2Lf

∆I L DVS DVS
I L, min = I L ,avg − = 2
− (16)
2 R (1 − D) 2Lf
The peak-to-peak current ripple can be expressed in terms of the input and output
voltages, as
VS V
∆I L = D = o (1 − D) (17)
Lf Lf

Figure 4: The diode current

The current through the diode is shown in Figure 4. Its average value is the same
as the average load current and can be computed as
I L max + I L ,min TOFF Vo
I D,avg = = (18)
2 T R
Since the average current in the diode is equal to the average current through the
load resistor R, the average current in the capacitor is zero.

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 When the switch is in its closed position, the capacitor supplies the load current.
Hence, from 0 ≤ t ≤ TON = DT , the capacitor current is

Vo
iC ( t) = −I o = − (19)
R
When the switch is opened, the inductor current supplies both the capacitor
current and the load current. Thus, during the time interval from 0 ≤ t ≤ TOFF = (1 − D)T ,
the capacitor current is
iC (t) = i L (t) − Io (20)
The maximum and minimum values of the capacitor current when the switch is in
its open position as
2
VS  D  DVS
I C ,max = I L ,max − I o =   + (21)
R 1− D  2Lf
2
VS  D  DVS
I C ,min = I L ,min − I o =   − (22)
R 1− D  2Lf
It must be noted that
∆I L = I C,max − I C,min (23)

The capacitor current waveform is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Current through the capacitor

The current waveform of Figure-5 helps us determine the change in the voltage
across the capacitor. During the time the switch is closed, the charge on the capacitor is
decreasing because the capacitor is supplying the current to the load. The change in the
charge is
Vo
∆Q = − I o TON = − DT (24)
R

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The decrease in the charge will result in the decrease of the capacitor voltage. Therefore,
the magnitude of the change in the capacitor voltage is
∆Q Vo
∆Vo = = DT (25)
C RC
Note that during the time the switch is open, the component of the inductor
current that flows through the capacitor will increase the capacitor voltage by the same
amount. Hence, when we define the capacitor ripple as the ratio of the increase in the
capacitor voltage to its average value, it can then be expressed as
∆Vo DT D
= = (26)
Vo RC RCf
Note that the capacitor ripple define by (26) is not the same as the peak-to-peak
voltage ripple for the rectifiers. The peak-to-peak voltage ripple for the buck-boost
converter will be twice of that given by (26). Equation (26) may be viewed as one-sided
voltage ripple.
The buck-boost converter can operate either in its continuous conduction mode or
discontinuous conduction mode. When it operates in the continuous conduction mode,
there is always a current in the inductor. The minimum current in the continuous
conduction mode can be zero at the time of switching. Consequently, there is a minimum
value of the inductor that ensures its continuous conduction mode. It can be obtained
from (16) by setting I L,min to zero as

Vo Vo
− (1 − D) D = 0
R (1 − D) 2 L min f
Hence,
R
L min = (1 − D) 2 (27)
2f
From the peak-to-peak current ripple, we can also obtain an expression for the percent
current ripple as
∆I L 100R  2L 
%CR = × 100 = (1 − D) 2 = 100 min  (28)
I L,avg Lf  L 

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Example: ___________________________________________________________
A buck-boost converter operating at a frequency of 20 kHz is used to step-up a 120-V dc
supply to 480-V so that it can provide the rated voltage to a 480-V, 1000-W heater. To
ensure a reliable operation, inductor must at least be 20% greater than its minimum value
and the voltage ripple should be within 1%. Design the boost converter.
Solution:
From the given data, the duty cycle, from (7), is
Vo 480
D= = = 0 .8
Vo + VS 480 + 120
The time period, the on time and off times of the switch are
1 1
T= = = 50 µs
f 20,000

TON = DT = 0.75 × 50 × 10 −6 = 37.5 µs

TOFF = (1 − D)T = (1 − 0.75)(50 × 10 −6 ) = 12.5 µs

The equivalent resistor of the heater is
Vo2 480 2
R= = = 230.4 Ω
P 1000
The minimum value of the inductor for the continuous conduction mode, from (22), is
R 230.4
L min = (1 − D) 2 = (1 − 0.8) 2 = 230.4 µH
2f 2 × 20,000
The minimum value of the inductor to satisfy the design requirement must be
L = 1.2 L min = 1.2 × 230.4 × 10 −6 = 276.48 µH
To allow for inductor-to-inductor variations, let us select
L = 300 µH
The average current through the heater is
Vo 480
Io = = = 2.083 A
R 230.4
The peak-to-peak current ripple from (12) is
VS 120
∆I L = DT = −6
× 0.8 × 50 × 10 − 6 = 16 A
L 300 × 10

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The average source current is
Vo I o 480 × 2.083
IS = = = 8.332 A
VS 120
The average inductor current, from (13), is
I S 8.332
I L,avg = = = 10.415 A
D 0 .8
Hence, the maximum and minimum currents through the inductor, from (8) and (9), are
∆I L 16
I L, max = I L,avg + = 10.415 + = 18.415 A
2 2
∆I L 16
I L, min = I L ,avg − = 10.415 − = 2.415 A
2 2
Let us now select the capacitor based upon the desired voltage ripple of 1%.
Using (16), we determine C as
D 0 .8
C= = = 17.36 µF
∆Vo 230.4 × 20,000 × 0.01
Rf
Vo
For this application, let us select a standard 20-µF capacitor.
The percent current ripple of the inductor current can be computed as
∆I L 16
%CR = × 100 = × 100 = 153.6%
I L ,avg 10.415

In some applications, such a high percent ripple may not be acceptable. We have to
increase the value of the inductor to decrease the ripple.

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