Application of Sliding Mode Control to Switch-Mode Power Supplies

Switch-mode power supplies represent a particular class of variable structure systems (VSS). Thus, they can take advantage of non-linear control techniques developed for this class of systems. In this paper the so called sliding mode control is reviewed and its application to switch-mode power supplies is discussed. Sliding mode control extends the properties of hysteresis control to multi-variable environments, resulting in stability even for large supply and load variations, good dynamic response and simple implementation. Application to dc–dc converters, as well as rectifiers and inverters, is analyzed and provisions to overcome the inherent drawbacks of sliding mode control, i.e. variable switching frequency and possible steady-state errors, are described. Experimental results are also reported, which allow a comparison between the sliding mode approach and other standard control techniques, e.g. current-mode control, showing its effectiveness.