Design by optimization methodology: Application to a wide input and output voltage ranges interleaved buck converter

During preliminary design sketch phases, the power electronics designer has to propose optimal solutions complying with system level requirements, which are continuously evolving since the global system is not finalized. It is particularly complicated in the cases of wide operating ranges where the optimal design for the most constrained operating point does not necessarily provides the optimal design for the whole operating range. The aim of this paper is to propose a design by 1
^st
order optimization method for power converters. This method offers a rapid preliminary design but needs differentiable models. The method is detailed and shows how the modelling under differentiability can be achieved. Finally, some optimization results on an interleaved Buck converter with wide input and output voltage ranges are discussed.