Universal finite-time observer based second-order sliding mode control for DC-DC buck converters with only output voltage measurement.

• Finite-time output voltage tracking control problem of DC-DC buck converter is investigated. • A universal finite-time observer is designed to estimate the unmeasurable states. • A finite-time output feedback controller based on second-order sliding mode is proposed. • Simulation and experiment results demonstrate the tracking performance and disturbance rejection ability of the proposed method. DC-DC buck converters are widely used in industrial applications. Practically, there are parametric uncertainties, external disturbances and nonlinear unmodeled dynamics affecting the control performance of the DC-DC buck converters. Worse still, the current sensor may fail to work normally in practice. Taking the factors aforementioned into account, this paper proposes a universal finite-time observer (UFTO) based second-order sliding mode controller with only output voltage measurement in a simple structure for buck converters subject to mismatched disturbances. Firstly, a universal finite-time observer is designed to give the estimations of unmeasurable states including the current inductor and lumped disturbances. Secondly, introducing the estimations, a second-order sliding mode controller is proposed and a rigorous stability of the whole system is presented. Under the proposed finite-time controller, the system obtains a better convergence property and a better disturbance rejection ability comparing with the asymptotic control method. Moreover, the controller has a simple structure, providing convenience for engineers. As a by-product, only voltage sensor is needed, which reduces the cost and improves the fault tolerant ability for the system. Simulation and experimental results are investigated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]