Effect of Pulses Distribution in a Buck Converter Controlled with Pulse Skipping Modulation

Nowadays, Wireless Sensor Networks are more and more applied in different fields. Generally, sensor nodes used in wireless sensor networks are powered by batteries and photovoltaic panels. Consequently, the design of an efficient DC-DC converter represents a critical aspect in order to ensure high efficiency and minimize losses. Moreover, it is fundamental to design a DC-DC converter able to ensure high efficiency also in case of light load. Trying to solve these needs, this paper evaluates the advantages of the Pulse Skipping Modulation (PSM) in a prototype of a Buck converter. Different pulses distributions are compared and analyzed. A comparison in terms of output voltage ripple and DC-DC conversion efficiency is presented and discussed. The output voltage waveforms in four different scenarios at different operating condition are shown. The experimental results are obtained through a developed printed circuit board driven by an ESP 32 microcontroller and a suitable algorithm.