Weak chaos and strong intermittency in DC-DC converters operating in discontinuous conduction mode

We show that when a current mode controlled DC-DC converter shifts from continuous conduction mode to discontinuous conduction mode, the system trajectory can no longer be strongly chaotic as is possible under CCM. If the current reaches zero value in at least one clock period within the period of the current waveform, the orbit becomes intermittently periodic even when the system is globally chaotic. We offer analytical explanation of this observed phenomenon.