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arxiv: 2604.19597 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-21 · 📡 eess.SY · cs.SY

Simulation of Switching Converters Using Linear Capacitor Voltage and Inductor Current Prediction and Correction

Aleksandra Leki\'c , Vujo Drndarevi\'c This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-10 01:55 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 📡 eess.SY cs.SY
keywords switching converterstransient simulationduty ratio calculationprediction and correctionlarge signal analysisaveraged modelsconstant frequency converterspower electronics
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The pith

A new algorithm finds the duty ratio of switching converters by linearly predicting and correcting inductor current and capacitor voltage.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper introduces a simulation technique for power switching converters that determines the switching duty cycle through linear prediction and correction of the inductor current and capacitor voltage. This enables large-signal transient analysis using only averaged circuit quantities and limits the number of circuit equation solutions to exactly two per switching period. Because the circuit values are fixed in advance, the method sidesteps iterative convergence failures common in other solvers. A reader would care because it offers a reliable way to simulate the dynamic behavior of constant-frequency regulated converters without needing prior knowledge of the waveforms.

Core claim

The central claim is that duty ratio can be calculated for constant-frequency switching converters by applying linear prediction and correction to the inductor current and capacitor voltage; the resulting algorithm performs large-signal transient simulation at the averaged current and voltage level, requires only two circuit solutions per period, applies to a variety of regulated topologies, and avoids convergence problems because all circuit values are predetermined.

What carries the argument

Linear prediction followed by correction of inductor current and capacitor voltage to compute the duty ratio that sets the switching instants.

If this is right

  • Various constant-frequency regulated switching converters can be simulated with the same fixed two-solve procedure.
  • Large-signal transient behavior appears directly at the level of averaged currents and voltages.
  • Convergence problems disappear because every circuit value is predetermined.
  • Simulation speed increases while maintaining accuracy for the targeted class of converters.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • The fixed computational cost per cycle could allow the method to run inside real-time digital controllers for online parameter tuning.
  • If the linear approximation remains valid under moderate nonlinearity, the same structure might extend to simulating resonant or soft-switching topologies.
  • Circuit designers could embed this simulator in optimization loops to explore feedback compensation without repeated manual tuning.

Load-bearing premise

Linear prediction and correction of the inductor current and capacitor voltage will yield an accurate enough duty ratio for many constant-frequency converters without prior knowledge of those quantities and without large error in the averaged model.

What would settle it

Simulate a buck or boost converter under large transient load steps using the algorithm, then compare the resulting averaged voltage and current waveforms against a reference switched-mode simulation or measured data; large deviation during the transient would show the linear approximation fails.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2604.19597 by Aleksandra Leki\'c, Vujo Drndarevi\'c.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: It is assumed that during one switching interval, S n TS nT ≤ t < ( +1) , terminal voltages are constant and that v1 > 0 V and v2 < 0 V . Considering previous assumption and using quasi steady state approximation, equations that describe inductor voltage and inductor current can be written. In the continuous conduction mode, switching interval is divided in two subintervals: when the switch S1 (switch S in… view at source ↗
Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: b) is on, S n d TS nT ≤ t < ( + ) and when the switch S2 (diode D in Fig. 1b) is on, S n TS (n + d) T ≤ t < ( +1) . In the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) there are three subintervals: when the switch S is on, S n d TS nT ≤ t < ( + ) , when the diode D is on, S n d d TS (n d) T t ( ) + ≤ < + + 2 and when the switch and a diode are off, S n TS (n d d ) T t ( 1) + + 2 ≤ < + . Thus, equations for inductor… view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: has soft-switching start, driver which applies duty ratio limitation to 0.85, inductor current limitation to 4 A and switching frequency = 20 kHz Sf . Input voltage has step change from 20 V to 40 V at the time 100 ms. Circuit transient is simulated during first 20 ms and that simulation took 95.2841 ms real and 20 ms CPU time. Results of the simulation are shown in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Simulated waveforms at start-up of regulated buck converter depicted in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Simulated waveforms due to step change of input voltage from 20 V to 40 V of regulated buck converter depicted in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: Switch mode rectifier. Parameters are: 300 V sin(2 ) 0 v f IN = π , 50 Hz f0 = , = 20 kHz Sf , 4 -1 2 10 V − a = × , b = 30 , f = 0.2 V/A , ()2 0 1 (2 ) 1 ( ) s f H s + π = . TABLE I. SIMULATION TIME COMPARISON Simulation method Proposed method EXACT PETS PLECS Simulation time for 20ms transient, circuit in [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: Simulated waveforms at start-up of rectifier from [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_8.png] view at source ↗
read the original abstract

In this paper an algorithm for transient simulation of switching converters using prediction and correction to calculate duty ratio is proposed. It provides large signal simulation on the level of averaged currents and voltages in the circuit. Calculation of duty ratio using inductor current and capacitor voltage prediction and correction do not require their priori knowledge. Number of circuit solving per switching period is fixed and equal to two. Using this algorithm various of constant frequency regulated switching converters can be simulated. Due to predetermined circuit values convergence problems are avoided. This algorithm results in very fast and accurate large signal simulation.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript proposes an algorithm for transient simulation of switching converters that uses linear prediction and correction of inductor current and capacitor voltage to compute the duty ratio each period. It claims to deliver large-signal simulation at the averaged current/voltage level, with exactly two predetermined circuit solves per switching period, without requiring prior knowledge of the states or iterative solvers, thereby avoiding convergence issues and yielding fast, accurate results for various constant-frequency regulated converters.

Significance. If the linear prediction/correction approach proves accurate and general, the fixed-cost (two solves/period) method could offer a practical efficiency gain over iterative or variable-step simulators for large-signal analysis of power converters, potentially aiding rapid design iteration in regulated switching supplies.

major comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract: The central claims of speed, accuracy, and avoidance of convergence problems are asserted without any numerical results, error metrics, benchmark comparisons (e.g., versus state-space averaging or detailed switching simulation), or validation examples on specific topologies. This absence prevents evaluation of whether the method maintains fidelity during large-signal transients.
  2. [Abstract] Abstract: The guarantee that linear extrapolation of i_L and v_C from the prior period's endpoint, followed by a single correction, yields the exact duty ratio implicitly assumes state trajectories remain close to linear over one switching period. In large-signal regimes (load steps, start-up, mode transitions) where averaged quantities vary appreciably within a few periods, this extrapolation can mis-predict the zero-crossing or saturation instant that sets d; no error bound or regime of validity is supplied.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract contains grammatical and phrasing issues: 'various of constant frequency regulated switching converters' should read 'various constant-frequency regulated switching converters'; 'Calculation of duty ratio using inductor current and capacitor voltage prediction and correction do not require their priori knowledge' should be revised for clarity and grammar (e.g., 'The calculation of the duty ratio via prediction and correction of inductor current and capacitor voltage does not require prior knowledge of these quantities').

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the detailed comments on our manuscript. We address each major point below, indicating where revisions have been made to strengthen the presentation of the method and its validation.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The central claims of speed, accuracy, and avoidance of convergence problems are asserted without any numerical results, error metrics, benchmark comparisons (e.g., versus state-space averaging or detailed switching simulation), or validation examples on specific topologies. This absence prevents evaluation of whether the method maintains fidelity during large-signal transients.

    Authors: We agree that the submitted abstract would benefit from explicit reference to supporting numerical evidence. The body of the manuscript describes application of the algorithm to multiple constant-frequency topologies and includes simulation results demonstrating the fixed two-solve-per-period cost, agreement with detailed switching models during load steps and start-up, and absence of convergence failures. We have revised the abstract to include a concise summary of these validation outcomes and the observed computational advantage. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The guarantee that linear extrapolation of i_L and v_C from the prior period's endpoint, followed by a single correction, yields the exact duty ratio implicitly assumes state trajectories remain close to linear over one switching period. In large-signal regimes (load steps, start-up, mode transitions) where averaged quantities vary appreciably within a few periods, this extrapolation can mis-predict the zero-crossing or saturation instant that sets d; no error bound or regime of validity is supplied.

    Authors: The referee correctly identifies that the linear prediction step rests on an approximation whose accuracy depends on the switching period being short relative to the LC time constants. The manuscript's examples cover large-signal transients but do not supply a formal error bound. We have added a dedicated paragraph in the discussion section that states the underlying assumption, notes the conditions under which the approximation remains useful, and acknowledges that very rapid mode transitions may require additional checks or smaller time steps. revision: partial

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: direct algorithmic procedure with no self-referential reduction

full rationale

The paper presents a fixed two-solve-per-period simulation algorithm that computes duty ratio via explicit linear prediction and correction steps on inductor current and capacitor voltage. The abstract and method description frame this as a direct computational procedure that requires no prior knowledge of the quantities and avoids iteration or convergence issues by construction of the algorithm itself. No equations reduce a claimed prediction to a fitted input, no self-citations bear the central claim, and no uniqueness theorem or ansatz is imported from prior work by the authors. The derivation chain is self-contained as a proposed numerical scheme whose accuracy is to be verified externally rather than by tautological redefinition of its inputs.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 0 axioms · 0 invented entities

Abstract supplies no equations, parameters, or explicit assumptions, so the ledger remains empty.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5392 in / 1209 out tokens · 63042 ms · 2026-05-10T01:55:46.066095+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

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Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

13 extracted references · 13 canonical work pages

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    1 0 vGI iI d Lslope Lref + − = ( 1 3 ) Equation (13) provides calculation of the duty ratio according to known peak current value refL Ii =1 at the moment STdnt )( +=

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