Method of regulating an output voltage of a power converter by calculating a current value to be applied to an inductor during a time interval immediately following a voltage sensing time interval and varying a duty cycle of a switch during the time interval following the voltage sensing time interval

A method for regulating an output voltage applied to a load at an output terminal of a power converter, the power converter including an output capacitor coupled between the output terminal and a ground reference, an inductor that is selectably coupled by a switch between a power supply and the ground reference, the method comprising:

• sensing the output voltage during a first time interval;
• calculating a next current value in the inductor according to a linear model of the power converter, the next current value being sufficient to bring the output voltage to a target voltage within a second time interval immediately following the first time interval;
• and
• varying a duty cycle of the switch to modify the current in the inductor during the second time interval, according to the calculated next current and a saturation current of the inductor, the duty cycle being the portion of the second time interval during which the switch couples the inductor to the power supply.

A method for regulating an output voltage applied to a load at an output terminal of a power converter, the power converter including an output capacitor coupled between the output terminal and a ground reference, an inductor that is selectable and coupled by a switch between a power supply and the ground reference, and a reference resistor for sensing a current in the inductor, the method comprising:

• calculating parameter values of a model of the power converter, based on sensing the output voltage and a current in the inductor, the parameter values including one or more of an inductor value of the inductor, a capacitance value of the output capacitor and parasitic resistances of the inductor and the output capacitor;
• and
• thereafter, at each of a plurality of time intervals:
• sensing the output voltage during that time interval;
• and
• regulating the output voltage by varying a duty cycle of the switch to modify the current in the inductor during a second time interval subsequent to that time interval, according to the model, the duty cycle being the portion of the second time interval during which the switch couples the inductor to the power supply.