Benchmark: DC-to-DC Switched-Mode Power Converters (Buck Converters, Boost Converters, and Buck-Boost Converters)

Abstract

Power electronics represent a large and important class of hybrid systems, as modern digital computers and many other systems rely on their correct operation. In this benchmark description, we model three DC-toDC switched-mode power converters as hybrid automata with continuous dynamics specified by linear ordinary differential equations. A DC-toDC converter transforms a DC source voltage from one voltage level to another utilizing switches toggled at some (typically kilohertz) frequency with some duty cycle. The state of this switch gives rise to the locations of the hybrid automaton, and the continuous variables are currents and voltages. The main contributions of this benchmark description include: (a) unified modeling of three types of converters as a hybrid automaton with two locations and differing continuous dynamics, and (b) a basic benchmark generator that allows for simulation of these converters in Simulink/Stateflow and reachability analysis in SpaceEx. Future challenges for these benchmark classes include closed-loop control, where the speeds of plant and controller dynamics differ by orders of magnitude. Category: academic Difficulty: medium (open-loop); challenge (closedloop) 1 Context and Origins DC-to-DC power converters are frequently implemented using switches (power transistors) for efficiency reasons, and switched-mode power supplies are commonly used in digital computers and many safety-critical systems, from cars and airplanes to medical devices and industrial control systems. A DC-to-DC power converter transforms an input (source) voltage level to an output (load) voltage level. These systems are naturally hybrid due to their switching, and have been studied using hybrid systems tools, such as in [1–7]. ∗Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington — Arlington, TX