In this paper, a novel adaptive-gain Second Order Sliding Mode (SOSM) observer is proposed for multicell converters by considering it as a class of hybrid systems. The aim is to reduce the number of voltage sensors by estimating the capacitor voltage
s only from the measurement of load current. The proposed observer is proven to be robust in the presence of perturbations with emph{unknown} boundary. However, the states of the system are only partially observable in the sense of observability rank condition. Due to its switching behavior, a recent concept of $Z(T_N)$ observability is used to analysis its hybrid observability, since its observability depends upon the switching control signals. Under certain condition of the switching sequences, the voltage across each capacitor becomes observable. Simulation results and comparisons with Luenberger switched observer highlight the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed observer with respect to output measurement noise and system uncertainties (load variations).
