Fixed Frequency Sliding Mode Modulator

for Current Mode PWM Inverters

S6nia S. Paulo

J. Fernando Silva

Instituto Superior Tknico (IST), Technical University of Lisbon

IST, M a . ElCctricas e Electr6nica de PoGncia, AV.Rovisco Pais 1096 Lisboa Codex,
PORTUGAL
Te1ef.- 351-1-8473421 ext 1215 / 1672 FAX- 351-1-8482987

Abstract -This paper presents a new fixed frequency

current mode PWM modulator that provides output
current limiting in sliding mode voltage controlled
DC-AC converters. The modulator is considerably
simpler than previous solutions and well adapted for
sliding mode control, which is advantageous when the
inverter feeds nonlinear or wide ranging loads and
performs as a switching power operational amplifier or
power operational transconductance amplifier.

I. INTRODUCTION
The continuous increase in the switching frequency,
reliability and power ratings of modern power
semiconductors, opens the way to demanding applications,
namely the implementation of switching active filters, power
operational amplifiers or power operational transconductance
amplifiers (OTA) based on DC-AC converters.

To emulate an operational amplifier or an OTA, the

association PWM modulator-power inverter must provide
wide maximum power bandwidth, low output harmonic
distortion altogether with ease of arbitrary waveform
synthesis, and output current limiting capability.
Power inverters fitted with an output LC filter, and
controlled by PWM dual current mode modulators [l] are able
to behave as high power OTAs [2]. To obtain the voltage
operational amplifiers, an additional feedback loop for voltage
control is needed. Usually, a P.I. regulator and limiter allow
the correct and simple design of the output voltage feedback
control loop, provided that the load is resistive and
approximately constant [3]. However, when the operational
amplifier must be designed for a wide range of resistive,
inductive or nonlinear loads, the P.I. regulator must be tuned
for the nominal load, giving poor responses with load
parameters far from the nominal values [4].
0-7803-1243-0/93$03.00 Q 1993 IEEE

The theory of variable structure systems, and the associated

sliding modes, are characterized by a discontinuous control
action as sliding surfaces are reached [5,6]. Since efficient
electric power conversion requires that power semiconductor
devices are used as switches, the sliding mode control
technique is increasingly used in the field of power
electronics [5,6,7,81. Advantages of sliding mode control,
when compared to other control strategies, are its intrinsic
stability and robustness concerning parameter variation, not
to mention the elimination of the converter non-idealities
such as dead times, minimum on and off times and
semiconductor voltage drops. However, the main
disadvantages of this control process, in the field of power
electronics, are the significant frequency variation of the
switching semiconductors with the operating point or load
variation, and the difficulties to foldback or even limit the
short circuit output current with sliding mode output voltage
control. Although the subtle use of some limiters, may provide
some form of short-circuit current limitation, the variation of
the switching frequency, which produces electromagnetic
perturbations and very acute filtering problems, is much more
difficult to overcome. Triangular wave modulators [ 5 ] , input
and output voltage sampling associated with analog
multipliers [8], had been proposed for achieving a near
constant operating frequency. These schemes do not provide
output current limiting.
Recently it has been shown that it is possible to use sliding
mode control technics, to generate the input signal for a dual
current mode PWM modulator, which in turn maintains
constant frequency operation and limits the output shortcircuit current [4]. The drawback of this technic is the
relatively complicated, noise prone and expensive practical
circuitry of the dual current mode PWM modulator.

This paper, presents the new fixed frequency sliding mode

(bang-bang) current mode PWM modulator. Designed to
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provide output current limiting with sliding mode voltage

control technics in four quadrants DC-AC converters, the
modulator is considerably simpler than previous solutions and
well adapted for sliding mode control. The use of sliding
mode control, to generate the input signal to the fixed
frequency sliding mode (bang-bang) PWM modulator, is first
referred. Theoretical concepts, concerning the generation of
the control signal, needed for the fixed frequency sliding
current mode modulator, from the signal generated with
conventional sliding mode control, are presented. Simulation
and experimental results are presented and discussed.

11. SLIDING MODEVOLTAGE CONTROL OF THE FIXED

SLIDINGMODE(BANG-BANG) MODULATOR

FREQUENCY

The equivalent circuit of the power inverter (fig. l), output

filter and load can be represented in fig. 2, assuming:
-Ideal power switches.
- Ideal output filter capacitor and power supply voltage.
-Output inductor with internal resistance RI.
-Generalized load, but without significant variation over
a switching period.

where IO is the current in the generalized load and V i is the

PWM input voltage ( V i is +V when one of the upper main
semiconductors of fig. 1 is conducting and Vi is -V when one
of the lower semiconductors is on).
Using the difeomorfism

(VO,

ir.I->(

dvo
dO
x,
iL )->( 0 ,x
1,

the state space equations of the equivalent circuit, written in

the phase canonical form are:

When good transient response of the output voltage is

needed, a sliding surface S(ve,t), can be chosen to be:

(3)
where P is a parameter related to the time constant of the
desired fiist order response of output voltage @>O) and Ve is
the feedback error or:

Substituting (4)in (3) and dvoldt from (l), it is obtained:

Fig. 1. Half bridge IGBT power inverter with output filter.

Sliding mode control is obtained by means of the following

control strategy, which relates the input voltage V i of the
LOCO filter with the DC voltage V and with the value of
S(ve,t j:
V f o r S(ve,t) > 0
- V f o r S(ve,t) < 0

Fig. 2. Equivalent model for the DC-AC, PWM controlled converter

with output filter and generalized load.

The state space modeling of the equivalent circuit with

state variables vo and ir., gives:

The signal S ( v e , t ) , obtained by the hardware

implementation of equation ( 5 ) , and applied to a simple circuit
(hysteretic comparator, ( 6 ) ) ,can generate the pulses to supply
the power semiconductors drives. In the ideal sliding mode
dynamics, the filter input voltage V i , switches between V and
-V with infinite frequency. This switching generates a
equivalent control voltage Vie4 that must satisfy the sliding
dS(veJ)
= 0.
manifold invariance conditions, S(ve,t)= 0 and 7
Therefore, calculating the first time derivative of S(ve,t) = 0
and using (3), (4) and-(l), Vie, is:

dt 624

-I.

+-P10C O + C1O dlo

dt

(7)

This equation shows that only smooth input vr signals

(continuous functions) can be accurately reproduced at the
inverter output, as it contains derivatives of the Vr signal. This
fact is a consequence of the stored electromagnetic energy.
The existence of an operation in sliding mode implies the
following necessary and sufficient condition:

Nevertheless, even in the case of lVjeql> IVI, the system

experiments only a saturation transient and eventually
reaches the region of sliding mode operation.
In the ideal sliding mode, at infinite switching frequency,
state trajectories are directed towards the sliding surface and
move exactly along the discontinuity surface. Practical
systems can not switch at infinite frequency, so a typical
control circuit features a comparator with hysteresis of width
2A, switching occurring at IS(ve.t)l > A with a frequency
depending on the slopes of iL. This hysteresis causes phase
plane trajectory oscillations of width 2A, around the
discontinuity surface S(ve,t) = 0, but the Vjeq voltage is still
correctly generated, since the duty-cycle is a continuous
variable.

This equation, valid in the steady state, neglects offsets

(due to slope variations and current ripple components of id,
but implies that the inverter, controlled by the designated
"Fixed Frequency Bang-Bang Current Mode PWM
Modulator", behaves like an operational transconductance
amplifier (OTA), i. e., a voltage (Ve) controlled current source
(or sink) with transconductance gm.
This fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM
modulator will accept only a continuous Ye signal. Therefore
the control law ( 6 ) , although adequate to supply the
semiconductors drives, is not directly applicable to a
modulator. Also the value S(ve,t) is not useful, as a steady
state error in output voltage would result. Nevertheless, it can
be noticed that the fixed frequency bang-bang current mode
PWM modulator must include a comparator with hysteresis of
width ~ V and
H a fixed frequency clock action. The
hysteretic comparator will give:

V for Ve-VH > iL/ g ,

-V f o r Ve+vH < iL/ gm

( 10)

or:

By comparison of this equation with equation (6), applied

to a practical comparator with hysteresis 2 4

V f o r S(ve,t) > A

The constant hysteresis implies variable frequency, non

periodic action. Therefore, sliding mode control is not well
adapted for driving systems requiring fixed frequency
operation.
Also, to perform as an OTA, the output current of the
association power inverter, fixed frequency bang-bang
current mode PWM modulator, to be described in section 111,
must follow a voltage Ve in order to limit the output current,
even in short-circuits, and must operate in four quadrants.

vi = { -vfor S(ve,t) < -A

(12)

and if A=VH, the sliding surface can be found to be:

S ( v e , t ) = ve-iL/gm,

(13)

Therefore, the fixed frequency bang-bang current mode

PWM modulator control voltage ve is:

v e = S (ve,t )+ iLf g m ,

(14)

or using (5):
Considering V e the error voltage Ve assumed constant
during a period TPWMof the PWM carrier frequency fpWM.
and g m the control modulator to inverter output
transconductance ( g m = iLmax/Vemax),the output inductor
current mean value per period TPWM,
iL, must be:

iL = gm Ve .

The continuous control voltage of the fixed frequency

bang-bang current mode PWM modulator can, therefore, be
obtained by summing iL/gm(t) to the sliding surface.

(9)
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synthesizes the desired Y e waveform. This modulator allows

open loop stable, four quadrant, converter operation and
provides output current auto-clipping capability [9].

Fig. 3. Sliding mode voltage controller for the fixed frequency

bang-bang current mode PWM modulator (represented by the
clocked hysterisis comparator).

The proposed sliding mode controller based on equation

(15), for the fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM
modulator, is depicted in fig. 3 and termed "Sliding mode
fixed frequency bang-bang current mode P W modulator".

III. FIXEDFREQUENCYSLIDINGMODE(BANG-BANG)
CURRENT
MODEPWM MODULATOR
The fixed frequency sliding mode (bang-bang) modulator
uses an hysteretic comparator to evaluate the reference
voltage V e , at the modulator input (the waveform to be
followed by the OTA output current in open loop operation
or the compensated feedback voltage error in closed loop, for
an operational amplifier) against a signal proportional to the
instantaneous inverter output filter and load current iL
( i L / g m ) . This iL current signal is algebraically summed with a
three level, equidistant narrow clock pulses, generated in a
proprietary circuitry to provide constant frequency operation
(fig.4).

Ve
Fig. 4. Fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM modulator.

The comparator changes state either when the current or

the clocks exceed its trip point (fig.5 with i r / g m ) , deciding, in
each period, which one of the half bridge power
semiconductors (fig.l), must be turned on or off,
synchronously. A PWM signal is then generated, which

i'L/gm

i'Llgm

Fig. 5 Fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM modulator

operation; Operateg with iL/gm, only the reset clock is active,
the set is done by tL/g,,, when it exceeds the trip level; a small
perturbation on the slope of i L / g , originates i'L/gm. but the
operation is the same, apart from a slightly different mean level;
a large perturbation on the slope of iL/gm originates i'k/gm. but
the operation now is changed: the reset clock is no longer
active.

Iv. SMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The proposed fixed frequency sliding mode control process
and the variable frequency sliding mode voltage controller
were computer simulated and experimentally tested.
Simulation results compare the performance of the sliding
fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM controller
(fig.8 and fig. 11) with the variable frequency sliding mode
controller (fig. 6 and fig. 10) and with a P.I. controller (fig.12).
As expected the P.I. regulator presents a poor performance
with loads higher than the nominal value (fig.l2), when
compared with the two sliding mode processes (fig.10, 11).
Both variable frequency and fixed frequency sliding mode
(bang bang) controllers present good performance with
nominal loads (fig. 6 and fig. 8). With loads much higher than
the nominal value (fig. 10 and fig. 111, the performance is also
good. The sliding fixed frequency bang-bang current mode
PWM controller presents the additional advantage of
injecting less ripple in the load ( fig.6 and fig. 8).
Experimental results confirm the simulation results
(compare part of fig. 6 with fig. 7 and part of fig. 8 with fig.
9).
626

-501u u uUIu u
u

-100
i L (A)

lot

I0I
5

-10

vo ( V )

Fig. 6. Variable frequency sliding mode controller simulation: PWM

voltage output Vpwm, current iL and voltage vo response to a
square wave voltage reference vr with the nominal load.

Fig. 7.Experimental results for the sliding mode variable frequency

controller: Inverted PWM output voltage -Vpwm, and output
current iL.

Fig. 8. Sliding mode fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM

controller simulation: PWM voltage output Vpwm, current iL
and voltage vo response to a square wave voltage reference vr
with the nominal load.

Fig. 9. Experimental results for the sliding mode fixed frequency

bang-bang current mode controller: Inverted PWM output
voltage -Vpwm, and output current iL.

627

i L (A)

i L (A)

-301

Fig. 10. Variable frequency sliding mode controller simulation:

Current iL and voltage vo response to a square wave voltage vr
with a load 1 0 0 times the nominal value.

iL 4

liA)

Fig. 12. Conventional P.I. controller simulation: Current iL and

voltage vo response to a square wave voltage vr with a load 100
times the nominal value.

Good static and dynamic performances can also be seen in

the experimental results presented (fig. 13, 14 and 15) which
are respectively the output voltages responses to a
rectangular, triangle and sinusoidal input waveforms.
The close agreement, between simulation and experimental
results, demonstrates the usefulness of the fixed frequency
modulator, the validity of the control concept as well as the
usefulness of the simulation program.
With the proposed sliding mode fixed. frequency
bang-bang current mode PWM controller, and the proper
tuning of the LOCO output filter for 40 dB ripple carrier
rejection [ 10, 1 I], a power operational amplifier, might be
obtained.

vo (V)
I

(ms)

Fig. 11. Sliding mode fixed frequency bang-bang current mode

PWM controller simulation: Current iL and voltage vo
response to a square wave voltage vr with a load 100 times the
nominal value.

Using a switching frequency of 20kHz, IGBT transistors,

20dB voltage gain, small signal bandwidth of 3.5kHz (DCto
3.5kHz), and maximum power bandwidth of 3kHz, this
voltage operational amplifier should be capable for most
demanding applications such as line power filters and power
factor compensators, power gyrators, inductance simulators
among others. Total harmonic distortion for the sinus
reference at lkHz is expected to be less than 3%.
628

7-

I1

achieved robustness regarding load parameter variation, zero

steady state error and good static and dynamic behaviour.
These useful features were obtained without the use of
multipliers or other special non robust circuits.

..

Fig. 13. Experimental results for the sliding mode fixed frequency
bang-bang current mode controller: PWM output voltage
Vpwm, and rectangular output response vo.

Furthermore, the proposed sliding mode voltage controller

can be applied to other current mode modulators, as it does
not change the existing current mode modulators structure. It
is a simple regulator that can be added to any existing current
mode modulator, as the sliding mode parameter p is not
critical. Further research work must be conducted, to quantify
the relationships between the switching frequency, the p
parameter with the noise figure and bandwidth of the power
operational amplifier.

REFERENCES
[ l ] A. V. Anunciada and M. M. Silva, "A new current mode control
process and applications", in PESC 90 Record, 1990, pp. 1-12.
[2] J. Femando Silva, "Modelling, control, stability study and main
applications of a high power switching operational amplifier",
EPE91 Proceedings, Florence, September 1991.
[3] J. Femando Silva, Controlo Preditivo por Simulapio para
Rectificadores com Eliminacio de Falhas de Comutapio, Doctor
Degree Thesis in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Instituto
Superior T&Nco, Technical University of Lisbon, 1989.
Fig. 14. Experimental results for the sliding mode fixed frequency
bang-bang current mode controller: Triangular input voltage vr
and output voltage vo response.

[4] J. Femando Silva, "Sliding mode voltage control in current mode

PWM inverters", PESC'92 Proceedings vol II,pp 762-769, Toledo,
Spain, July 1992.
[5] H. Buhler, Reglage par Mode de Glissement, P r e s s e s
Polytechniques Romandes, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1986.
[6] V. I. Utkin, "Discontinuous control systems: state of the art in
theory and applications" in Proceedings of the 10' IFAC Congres,
Munchen, 1987, pp 75-94.
[7] G. Venkataramanan and D.Divan, "Discrete time integral sliding
mode control for discrete pulse modulated converters", IEEE
CH2873-8/90/0000-0067,1990, pp 67-73.
[8] F. Boudjema and J. L. Abatut, "Constant Frequency operation of
an inverter using sliding mode control", Proceedings of the
IMACS- MCTS conference, 1991. pp 220-223.

Fig. 15. Experimental results for the sliding mode fixed frequency
bang-bang current mode controller: Sinusoidal input voltage vr
and output voltage vo response.

V. CONCLUSION

[9] J. Femando Silva, "Modelling and control of a pulse width

modulated high power operational amplifier", 13th IMACS
WORLD CONGRESS, Dublin July 1991.
[lo] J. Femando Silva, "Protecpjes, Controlo e Aplicaedes de um
Inversor de Tenscio para Muito Baixas Frequincias (OHz a
12OHz)". Controle & Automaqcio Reports, SBA, IFAC, 1991.
[ 11] J. Femando Silva, "Maximum power bandwidth, stability and

chaos in current mode controlled voltage inverters". Proceedings

of the COBEP'91 Conference, Florianapolis, Brasil. December
1991.

The fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM

modulator, a simple and very effective PWM generator
provides constant operating frequency and short circuit
current limiting. Sliding mode control concepts applied to a
fixed frequency bang-bang current mode PWM modulator
629