VENABLE TECHNICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY ABSTRACT - 5

Current Mode Control

Current mode control, one of the hot new subjects of power electronics, has actually been in use for many years under another name — the discontinuous mode flyback converter. This paper details the principle of current mode control, how it is supposed to work, what topologies come closest to truly representing the concept, and how to test a current mode converter to see if it is actually working as advertised. Description of an implementation of the concept in a commercially available integrated circuit is included, together with a description of the principles of operation of a little-used topology that is one of the few true implementations of the concept, the continuous-mode buck converter with constant off-time.