Direct Model Predictive Control of Noninverting Buck-boost DC-DC Converter

In this paper, direct model predictive control (DMPC) of the noninverting buck-boost DC-DC converter with magnetic coupling between input and output is proposed. Unlike most of the other converters, the subject converter has the advantage of exhibiting minimum phase behavior in the boost mode. However, a major issue that arises in the classical control of the converter is the dead zone near the transition of the buck and boost mode. The reason for the dead zone is practically unrealizable duty cycles, which are close to zero or unity, of pulse width modulation (PWM) near the transition region. To overcome this issue, we propose to use DMPC. In DMPC, the switches are manipulated directly by the controller without the need of PWM. Thereby, avoiding the dead zone altogether. DMPC also offers several other advantages over classical techniques that include optimality and explicit current constraints. Simulations of the proposed DMPC technique on the converter show that the dead zone has been successfully avoided. Moreover, simulations show that the DMPC technique results in a significantly improved performance as compared to the classical control techniques in terms of response time, reference tracking, and overshoot.