Comparative study of buck and hybrid buck “switched-inductor” DC-DC converters

Abstract

Hybrid structures of buck DC-DC converters, using commutated capacitors or inductors, in order to obtain a higher step-down ratio, were presented in the literature. The paper is focused on a comparative study of classical buck converter (BDC) and a hybrid buck “switched inductor” DC-DC converter (HBDC), in continuous conduction mode (CCM), and at the boundary (BCM) between CCM and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). Analytical aspects and digital simulations, validated by experimental results, obtained using a laboratory prototype, are presented for this purpose.