1

AVERAGE CURRENT MODE CONTROL

Average current mode control differs from peak current
mode control in that it attempts to control the average
value of the current to follow a reference as opposed to
controlling the switch peak current.

Commercial control chips are available that are intended
for average current mode control

Unitrode (now Texas Instruments) was the first company
to introduce commercial chips for rectifier applications.

Other companies have since offered ICs with similar
capabilities.

These ICs are now employed in DC-DC and DC-AC
applications.

Advantages of current mode control include the following:

o Average current mode control has better noise
immunity compared with peak current control. This
is due to a higher current amplifier gain employed in
average current controllers.

o Average current control achieves better accuracy as
there are no issues related to ripple or slope
compensation.

o There is no need for slope compensation as the
modulator ramp/carrier waveform provides the
required compensation.

o The scheme is capable of controlling average
currents in any branch of a converter and not just
2
inductor current as in the case of peak current control
scheme.

Disadvantages of average current mode control are:

o The scheme does not provide immediate switch
current limit as in the case of peak current control.

o Consequently, in push-pull converters, average
current mode control does not mitigate transformer
saturation problems arising from DC voltage offsets
and hence DC components in the magnetising current
associated with the topology.

Figure 1 presents a model of a current controlled step-
down DC-DC converter. This comprises of a converter
circuit and block diagram representation of the controller.
H
+
-
+
-
Average current mode controller
PWM
Current
command
Sensor
gain
Current loop
compensator
Gate
drive
m
V
1
ci
G
cv
G
c
T v
T
L
i
cv
G
s c
R i
s L
R i
ref
V
o
v
d
+

in
v
in
i
C
L
R
+

o
v
L
i
o
i
C
i

Fig. 1: Average current controlled step-down DC-DC converter

Figure 2 presents a block diagram representation of an
average current controlled step-down DC-DC converter.

3
o
v
~
in
v
~
L
i
~
s
R
c
T
v
T
cv
G
ci
G
d v
o
G
in o
v v
G
in L
v i
G
d i
L
G
m
V
1
ref
v s c
R i
~
s L
R i
~
d
~

Fig. 2: Block diagram representation of a current controlled
step-down DC-DC converter


CLOSED-LOOP TRANSFER FUNCTIONS

With reference to Fig. 2, the control-to-duty ratio transfer
function of an average current controlled step-down DC-
DC converter is obtained as follows:

( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
m
ci
error
d i s c s
d i
v
L
L s c s error
V
G
s i s d
G R s d s i R
G s d s i
s i R s i R s i
L
L
in
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~ ~
0
~
=
=
=
=
=
(1)

4
( ) ( )
( ) ( ) [ ]
( ) ( )
( )
( )
c
c
d i
m
s d i ci
m
s ci
v
c
c
m
s ci
m
s d i ci
m
ci
s d i c s
m
ci
error
T
T
G
V
R G G
V
R G
s i
s d
s i
V
R G
s d
V
R G G
V
G
R G s d s i R
V
G
s i s d
L
L
in
L
L
+
=
+
=
=
|
|

\
|
+
=
=
=
1
1
1
~
~
~ ~
1
~ ~
~ ~
0
~
(2)

With reference to Fig. 2, the control-to-output transfer
function of an average current controlled step-down DC-
DC converter is obtained as follows:

( ) ( )
( )
( )
( )
d i
d v
c
c
m
s d i ci
m
s ci d v
v
c
o
c
m
s d i ci
m
s ci d v
d v o
L
o
L
o
in
L
o
o
G
G
T
T
V
R G G
V
R G G
s i
s v
s i
V
R G G
V
R G G
G s d s v
+
=
+
=
+
=
=
=
1
1
~
~
~
1
~
~
0
(3)

With reference to Fig. 2, the input voltage-to-duty ratio
transfer function of an average current controlled step-
down DC-DC converter is obtained as follows:

5
( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( )
( )
d i
v i
c
c
m
ci d i s
m
ci v i s
i
in
in
m
ci v i s
m
ci d i s
m
ci s
v i in d i
m
ci s
L
v v in d v o
v i in d i L
L
in L
L
in L
c
in L L
in L L
in o o
in L L
G
G
T
T
V
G G R
V
G G R
s v
s d
s v
V
G G R
s d
V
G G R
V
G R
G s v G s d s d
V
G R
s i s d
G s v s d G s v
G s v G s d s i
+

=
+

=
=
(

+
+ =
=
+ =
+ =
=
1
1
~
~
~
~
1
~
~ ~
~ ~
~
~
~
~
~ ~
0
(4)

With reference to Fig. 2, the input voltage-to-output
voltage transfer function of an average current controlled
step-down DC-DC converter is obtained as follows:

( ) ( )
( )
( )
d i
v i d v
c
c
v v
m
ci d i s
m
ci v i d v s
v v
i
in
o
m
ci d i s
m
ci d i d v s
v v in o
L
in L o
in o
L
in L o
in o
c
L
L o
in o
G
G G
T
T
G
V
G G R
V
G G G R
G
s v
s v
V
G G R
V
G G G R
G s v s v
+
=
+

+ =
|
|
|
|

\
|
+

+ =
=
1
1
~
~
1
~ ~
0
(5)

T
c
is the current loop gain

6

7
GAINS FOR OPEN-LOOP STEP-DOWN DC-DC
CONVERTER

These were obtained previously as follows:

RC
L
C
R Q
LC
Q
s s
sRC
R
D
G
R
sL
LC s
sRC
DR
V
G
R
sL
LC s
D G
R
sL
LC s
D
V
G
z
o
o o
v i
o
d i
v v
o
d v
in L
L
in o
o
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
=
=
=
|
|

\
|
+ +
|
|

\
|
+
=
+ +
+
=
+ +
=
+ +
=

(6)


8
UNCOMPENSATED CURRENT-LOOP GAIN

With a current gain G
ci
=1, the current-loop gain is
obtained as
( )
m
o s
cuo
o z
z
cuo
m
s d i
cu
V
V
R
R
T
Q
s s
s
T
V
R G
s T
L
=
+ +
|
|

\
|
+
= =
1
1
2

(7)


9
CONTROL-TO-OUTPUT TRANSFER FUNCTION: Step-
down DC-DC converter

The control-to-output transfer function of a step-down DC-
DC converter is derived as follows

( )
( )
( )
( )
|
|

\
|
+
|
|

\
|
+
=
+ +

+

+
+ +
=
+ +
=
+ +
+
+ +
+
=
+
=
=
=
z c
z
z
c
c
v
c
o
c
c
c
c
z
z
c
c
c
c
o
o
c
c
d i
d v
c
c
v
c
o
s s
R
s
R
s s i
s v
s T
T
s
R
T
T
sRC
R
T
T
R
sL
LC s
sRC
DR
V
R
sL
LC s
D
V
T
T
G
G
T
T
s i
s v
in
L
o
in

1 1
~
~
1
1 1 1
1
1
1
1
1 1
~
~
0
2
2
0
(8)

Additional terms may be present as a result of poles in the
transfer function, T
c
, above
c
. DC gain might also differ
if T
c
(0) is not large.


10
LINE-TO-OUTPUT TRANSFER FUNCTION: Step-down DC-
DC converter

The input voltage-to-output voltage transfer function of an
average current controlled step-down DC-DC converter is
obtained as follows:

( )
( )
( )
( )
c
v v
c
c
v v
i
in
o
d i
v i d v
v v
d i
v i d v
c
c
v v
i
in
o
T
G
T
T
G
s v
s v
G
G G
G
G
G G
T
T
G
s v
s v
in o
in o
c
L
in L o
in o
L
in L o
in o
c
+
=
|
|

\
|
+
=
=
+

+ =
=
=
1 1
1
~
~
1
~
~
0
0
(9)

For the step-down DC-DC converter, it is easy to simplify
the transfer functions because the inductor drives the
output port directly. This is not the case with other
topologies.

The current feedback loop reduces the supply line-to-
output transfer function by a factor of
c
T + 1
1
,

The
in o
v v
G term in the closed loop transfer function is the
( ) s G
in o
v v
term for the voltage-mode control,

For very large T
c
, average current-mode control reduces to
the ideal current control model.


11
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIOUS CONTROL
STRATEGIES

Figure 3 presents a block diagram that shows how average
current control scheme is related to voltage-mode control
scheme.

Feedback theory can be employed to establish a
mathematical relationship between average current control
scheme and the other control schemes.

This entails injecting a current at an appropriate point and
determining the relevant voltages needed in determining
the various transfer functions.

ci
G
s
R
s L
R i
~
L
i
~
s x
R i
~
s z
R i
~
s y
R i
~

s c
R i
~
d
~
o
v
m
V
1
+
in
v
~


Fig. 3: Block diagram showing how average current control
model is related to other control strategies

The control-to-output transfer function is derived as
follows
12

( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
0
~
~
~
~
1
1
1
~
~
~
~
0
0
~ 0
0
0
~
0
0 ; 0
= =
=
+
+
+
=
=

= =
in
x
in
y
in c
v
i
c
o
c
v
i
c
o
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
o
v i
x
y
c
s i
s v
G
s i
s v
G
T
G
T
T
G
s i
s v
s i
s i
T
(10)

With reference to Fig. 3 and eqn. (10), i
y
0 implies that
inductor current equal control current, i.e., i
c
=i
L
.

Consequently, G
c
is the control-to-output gain from the
ideal controller model.

There is no path for direct forward transmission via
feedback path in the model.

In general for current-mode control scheme, the following
is obtained

( )
( )
c
c
c
c
o
T
T
G
s i
s v
+
=

1
~
~
(11)



LINE-TO-OUTPUT TRANSFER FUNCTION: Step-down DC-
DC converter

This is obtained as follows:

13
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
1
1
1
~
~
<<
>>

=
=
=
=
+
+
+
=
c
in
c
in
ix
in
in
in
in in
T
v
in
o
T
v
in
o
i
i
in
o
v
i
i
in
o
v
c
o v
c
c
v
in
o
G
s v
s v
G
s v
s v
s v
s v
G
s v
s v
G
T
G
T
T
G
s v
s v
(12)

It is seen from eqn. (12) that some of the expressions are
identical to those for ideal current controller.

For the conditions i
x
=0, this implies that d=0.
Consequently, the supply line-to-output voltage transfer
function becomes identical to that for a voltage-mode
controlled converter.

T
c
>>1 is equivalent to ideal current control.

T
c
<<1 is equivalent to voltage-mode control. This is
true at high frequencies.