A novel ripple-based constant on-time control with virtual inductance and offset cancellation for DC power converters

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of mandating high power conversion efficiency, for both the heavy-load and the light-load conditions. To achieve this purpose, a ripple-based constant on-time (RBCOT) control for DC-DC converters has received wide attentions because of its natural characteristic of switching frequency reduction under light-load condition. However, a RBCOT converter suffers from output-voltage offset problem and sub-harmonic instability problem. In this paper, a modified RBCOT buck converter circuit will be proposed to solve both problems using the concept of virtual inductor current to stabilize the feedback and an offset cancellation circuit to cancel out the output DC offset. A control model based on describing function is also developed for the modified converter. From the model, it´s found out that it´s much easier to accomplish adaptive-voltage-positioning (AVP) using the proposed modified RBCOT scheme compared to a conventional constant-frequency controller. Simulation and experimental results are also given to verify the proposed scheme.