Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode

Zeng, Zhiwen; Hang, Lijun; Yu, Yangwei; He, Yuanbin; Qian, Chengguo; Song, Lijun

doi:10.3390/en19112500

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Open AccessArticle

Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode

by

Zhiwen Zeng

¹,

Lijun Hang

^1,*,

Yangwei Yu

²,

Yuanbin He

¹

,

Chengguo Qian

¹ and

Lijun Song

¹

School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018 , China

²

College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Energies 2026, 19(11), 2500; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112500

Submission received: 21 April 2026 / Revised: 12 May 2026 / Accepted: 19 May 2026 / Published: 22 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Collection Advanced Control and Applications of Power Electronics and Power Converters)

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Abstract

This paper proposes a Pulse Train Control (PTC) strategy for the Series Capacitor Buck (SCB) converter operating in Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM). Instead of synthesizing a continuous duty ratio, the controller selects between two preset duty ratios in each switching period, and the same binary decision is applied to the two interleaved phases with a

180^{\circ}

phase shift. A reduced one-dimensional control-oriented discrete-time map is derived from output charge balance to describe the control cycle-scale regulation dynamics. Based on this map, the bounded-regulation condition is established and the design roles of the pulse pair

(D_{H}, D_{L})

are clarified. The regulated steady state is shown to be a bounded threshold-crossing periodic motion rather than a static equilibrium, and the evolution of pulse patterns with operating condition is interpreted through border collision transitions. Full switching model and experimental results from a 12-V-to-1-V prototype support the predicted high-pulse fraction trend, the multiplier-based local attraction assessment of annotated periodic pulse patterns, the input voltage-dependent ripple estimate, and the fast large-signal response under representative load step conditions.

Keywords: series capacitor buck converter; discontinuous conduction mode; pulse train control; voltage balancing; high step-down conversion

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zeng, Z.; Hang, L.; Yu, Y.; He, Y.; Qian, C.; Song, L. Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode. Energies 2026, 19, 2500. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112500

AMA Style

Zeng Z, Hang L, Yu Y, He Y, Qian C, Song L. Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode. Energies. 2026; 19(11):2500. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112500

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zeng, Zhiwen, Lijun Hang, Yangwei Yu, Yuanbin He, Chengguo Qian, and Lijun Song. 2026. "Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode" Energies 19, no. 11: 2500. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112500

APA Style

Zeng, Z., Hang, L., Yu, Y., He, Y., Qian, C., & Song, L. (2026). Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode. Energies, 19(11), 2500. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19112500

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Pulse Train Control Strategy for a Series Capacitor Buck Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode

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