Two-inductor boost converter

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to the boost converter, and more particularly, to the two-inductor, two-switch boost converter.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] The boost converter topology has been extensively used in various ac/dc and dc/dc applications. In fact, the front end of today's ac/dc power supplies with power-factor correction (PFC) is almost exclusively implemented with the boost topology. The boost topology is also used in numerous applications with a battery-powered input to generate a high output voltage from a relative low battery voltage.

[0006] Generally, the single-inductor, single-switch boost converter topology shown in FIG. 1 and its variations exhibit a satisfactory performance in the majority of applications. Nevertheless, in a number of high-power applications the performance of the boost converter can be improved by implementing the boost converter with multiple switches and/or multiple boost inductors. Multiple-switch and/or multiple-inductor boost topologies are usually employed in high-power applications with a high input voltage, or in applications where the conversion efficiency of a single-switch boost topology is significantly degraded by the reverse-recovery losses of the boost rectifier. In addition, isolated boost topologies require multiple-switch implementations and some of them may also be implemented with multiple boost inductors.

[0007] So far, a number of isolated and non-isolated multiple-switch and/or multiple-inductor topologies have been proposed, analyzed, and evaluated. For example, FIG. 2 shows the interleaved boost topology analyzed in [1]. This topology is often used in high-power PFC applications to eliminate reverse-recovery losses of the boost rectifier by operating the two boost converters at the boundary of the continuous-conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous-conduction mode (DCM) so that the boost switches are turned on when the current through the corresponding boost rectifier is zero. Since in high-power applications the input current (boost-inductor current) ripple of a single DCM boost converter is very high, the switching instances of the two boost switches are interleaved, i.e., phase shifted for 180° degrees. With the interleaving, the input current ripple is reduced and, consequently, the size of the input filter (not shown in FIG. 2) is minimized. To achieve the operation at the CCM/DCM boundary under varying line and load-current conditions, the interleaved boost converter requires a variable switching frequency control, which is often perceived as a major drawback of the circuit. In addition, the implementation of the interleaved variable-frequency control is relatively complex.

[0008] Another multiple-switch boost converter implementation suitable for applications with high input voltage is shown in FIG. 3 [1]. The main feature of this so called “three-level” converter is that its semiconductors are subject to a voltage stress equal to a half of the output voltage. As a result, the converter can be implemented with semiconductors with a lower voltage rating, which reduces both conduction and switching losses and, consequently, improves the conversion efficiency. However, in applications with a wide input-voltage range, the boost converter in FIG. 3 requires a relatively complex control since different control strategies are required when the input voltage is below one-half of the output voltage compared to that when the input voltage is higher than one-half of the output voltage. In addition, the converter may not be able to maintain approximately equal voltage across the individual output filter caps if there is an asymmetry in the duty cycles of the two switches.

[0009] Two implementations of the isolated boost converter are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows the implementation with a single inductor [2], whereas FIG. 5 shows the implementation with two inductors [3], [4]. The main advantage of the two-inductor implementation is a simpler transformer design since the transformer primary has only a single winding, whereas the circuit in FIG. 4 requires two primary windings. In addition, the voltage stress of the switches in the two-inductor implementation in FIG. 5 is twice as low as the voltage stress on the switches in the single-inductor implementation in FIG. 4. Namely, the voltage stress on the primary switches in the circuit in FIG. 5 is equal to the reflected output voltage to the primary, whereas the corresponding stress in the circuit in FIG. 4 is twice the reflected output voltage. The major limitation of the two-inductor circuit is its inability to regulate the load in a wide range with a constant-frequency control.

[0010] In this invention, a two-switch, two-inductor boost converter that can achieve output-voltage regulation in a wide input-voltage and load-current range using a constant-frequency control is described. The converter's regulation range is extended by employing an auxiliary transformer to couple current paths of the two boost inductors so that both inductors carry the same current. By forcing the current through the boost inductors to be the same, the energy in both inductors is forced to change in unison, i.e., both inductors increase the energy when both switches are turned on simultaneously and decrease (transfer) energy when either of the two switches is turned off. As a result, the stored and transferred energy of both inductors can be controlled in a wide input-voltage and load range using a constant-frequency control by controlling the time duration that the two switches are simultaneously on.

[0011] The circuit of this invention can be implemented in a variety of ways. Specifically, the output stage of the circuit can be implemented either with a voltage-doubler rectifier, or a full-wave rectifier. Regardless of the type of the rectifier used, the circuit can be implemented with or without an isolation transformer, i.e., both non-isolated and isolated topologies of the circuit are possible. Finally, the circuit of this invention and its variations can also be implemented with a reduced number of components by integrating the auxiliary transformer and the boost inductors on a single magnetic piece.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows boost converter topology (prior art).

[0013] FIG. 2 shows two interleaved boost converters [1] (prior art)

[0014] FIG. 3 shows three-level boost converter [1] (prior art).

[0015] FIG. 4 is isolated two-switch boost converter [4] (prior art).

[0016] FIG. 5 is isolated half-bridge boost converter [2], [3] (prior art).

[0017] FIG. 6 shows boost converter of this invention.

[0018] FIG. 7 is simplified model of circuit in FIG. 6 showing reference directions of currents and voltages.

[0019] FIGS. 8(a)-(d) show topological stages of circuit in FIG. 6 during switching cycle.

[0020] FIG. 9 shows key waveforms of circuit in FIG. 6 for L₁=L₂=L: (a) timing diagram of switch S₁; (b) timing diagram of switch S₂; (c) current i_L1through boost inductor L₁; (d) current i_L2through boost inductor L₂; (e) current i_S1through switch S₁; (f) current i_S2through switch S₂; (g) current i_D1through rectifier D₁; (h) current i_D2through rectifier D₂; (i) input current I_IN; (j) voltage V_CF1across capacitor C_F1; (k) voltage V_CF2across capacitor C_F2; (l) output voltage V_O.

[0021] FIG. 10 is implementation of circuit in FIG. 6 without auxiliary transformer.

[0022] FIG. 11 shows key waveforms of implementation in FIG. 10: (a) timing diagram of switch S₁; (b) timing diagram of switch S₂; (c) current i_L1through boost inductor L₁; (d) current i_L2through boost inductor L₂; (e) current i_S1through switch S₁; (f) current i_S2through switch S₂; (g) current i_D1through rectifier D₁; (h) current i_D2through rectifier D₂; (i) input current I_IN; (j) voltage V_CF1across capacitor C_F1; (k) voltage V_CF2across capacitor C_F2; (l) output voltage V_O.

[0023] FIG. 12 is implementation of circuit in FIG. 6 integrated magnetics, which utilizes leakage inductance of transformer as boost inductors.

[0024] FIG. 13 is isolated version of circuit of this invention shown in FIG. 6.

[0025] FIG. 14 is isolated version of implementation in FIG. 10.

[0026] FIG. 15 is isolated version of implementation in FIG. 12.

[0027] FIGS. 16(a)-(b) show implementation of circuit in FIG. 6 with full-wave rectifier: (a) non-isolated version; (b) isolated version.

[0028] FIG. 17 shows clamp circuit that protects boost switches from over-voltage in case of accidental turn-off both switches due to control circuit failure.

[0029] The boost circuit of this invention is shown in FIG. 6. The input side of the circuit consists of two switches S₁an S₂, two boost inductors L₁and L₂, and auxiliary transformer ATR. The output side of the circuit, which is configured as a voltage doubler rectifier, consists of boost rectifiers D₁and D₂and output filter capacitors C_F1and C_F2connected across load R_L.

[0030] To facilitate the explanation of the circuit operation, FIG. 7 shows a simplified circuit diagram of the circuit in FIG. 6. In the simplified circuit auxiliary transformer ATR is modeled as an ideal transformer with turns ratio n_ATR=1 by assuming that its magnetizing inductance is high so that it can be neglected. In addition, it is assumed that filter capacitors C_F1and C_F2are large enough so that the voltage ripple across them is small compared to their dc voltages. Finally, in this analysis it is also assumed that all semiconductor components are ideal, i.e., that they represent zero impedances in the on state and infinite impedances in the off state.

[0031] To further facilitate the analysis of operation, FIG. 8 shows the topological stages of the circuit in FIG. 6 during a switching cycle, whereas FIG. 9 shows its key waveforms. The reference directions of currents and voltages plotted in FIG. 9 are shown in FIG. 7.

[0032] As can be seen from the timing diagrams of the control signals for switches S₁and S₂shown in FIGS. 9(a) and (b), respectively, in the circuit of this invention switches S₁and S₂conduct simultaneously because of the overlapping control signals. The time of the simultaneous conduction, defined from the turn-on moment of one switch until the turn-off instant of the other switch, represents duty cycle D of the converter, as indicated in FIG. 9.

[0033] From FIG. 7 it can be observed that because inductors L₁and L₂are connected in series with the corresponding transformer winding, inductor currents i_L1and i_L2must be equal at any given instant if turns ratio of the transformer is unity, i.e., if n_ATR=1. Therefore, during the time interval when both switches are on, i.e., during the time interval T₀−T₁in FIG. 9, inductor currents i_L1and i_L2are increasing at the same rate, as shown in FIGS. 9(c) and (d). The rate of change of i_L1and i_L2can be calculated from FIG. 8(a), which represents the equivalent circuit diagram of the converter during the time interval T₀−T₁. Since according to FIG. 8(a) $\begin{array}{cc}{V}_{\mathrm{IN}}=v_1+L_1\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

[0034] and $\begin{array}{cc}{v}_1+L_1\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}=-v_2+L_2\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L2}}}{dt},& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

[0035] it follows that the same rate of change of i_L1and i_L2, i.e., di_L1/dt=di_L2/dt, can only be satisfied if $\begin{array}{cc}v=\frac{L_1-L_2}{L_1+L_2}{V}_{\mathrm{IN}},& \left(3\right)\end{array}$

[0036] where v=v₁=v₂because n_ATR=1. Therefore, from Eqs. (1) and (2) $\begin{array}{cc}\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}=\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L2}}}{dt}=\frac{V_{\mathrm{IN}}-v}{L_1}=\frac{V_{\mathrm{IN}}+v}{L_2}.& \left(4\right)\end{array}$

[0037] If both inductances have the same value L=L₁=L₂, it follows that v=0 and $\begin{array}{cc}\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}=\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L2}}}{dt}=\frac{V_{\mathrm{IN}}}{L},& \left(5\right)\end{array}$

[0038] as indicated in FIGS. 9(c) and (d).

[0039] Since when both switches are on rectifiers D₁and D₂are reverse biased, the output side is decoupled from the input side. As a result, during this stage the load current is supplied from the filter capacitors and capacitor voltages V_CF1and V_CF2slowly decrease, as seen from waveforms in FIGS. 9(j) and (k). Since output voltage V_O=V_CF1+V_CF2, the output voltage also slowly decreases.

[0040] When at t=T₁switch S₂is turned off, inductor current i_L2is diverted from the switch to rectifier D₂, as shown in FIG. 8(b), and the energy stored in inductor L₂starts to discharge into filter capacitor C_F2. Since during this stage current i_L2decreases, current i_L1has to decrease at the same rate because the currents in the windings of the transformer are always equal. The rate of the current decrease can be found by observing that in the equivalent circuit in FIG. 8(b) $\begin{array}{cc}{V}_{\mathrm{IN}}=v_1+L_1\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}=v+L_1\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}& \left(6\right)\end{array}$

[0041] and $\begin{array}{cc}{V}_{\mathrm{AB}}=-V_{\mathrm{CF2}}=-L_1\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}-v_1-v_2+L_2\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L2}}}{dt}=-2v.& \left(7\right)\end{array}$

[0042] From Eqs. (6) and (7), assuming L=L₁=L₂, follow that $\begin{array}{cc}v=\frac{V_{\mathrm{CF2}}}{2}=\frac{V_{\mathrm{CF}}}{2}& \left(8\right)\end{array}$

[0043] and $\begin{array}{cc}\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L1}}}{dt}=\frac{d{i}_{\mathrm{L2}}}{dt}=\frac{1}{L}\left(V_{\mathrm{IN}}-\frac{V_{\mathrm{CF2}}}{2}\right)=\frac{1}{L}\left(V_{\mathrm{IN}}-\frac{V_{\mathrm{CF}}}{2}\right),& \left(9\right)\end{array}$

[0044] where V_CF=V_CF1=V_CF2.

[0045] Because during the topological stage shown in FIG. 8(b), current i_L2charges capacitor C_F2, capacitor voltage V_CF2increases. At the same time, voltage V_CF1across capacitor C_F1continues to decrease because this capacitor continues to be discharged by the load current, as shown in FIGS. 9(j) and (k).

[0046] When at t=T₂switch S₂is turned on again, the circuit enters the topological stage shown in FIG. 8(c), which is identical to the topological stage in FIG. 8(a). During this stage both switches are on and both inductor currents i_L1and i_L2increase at the same rate given by Eq. (5). At the same time, both output filter capacitors are being discharge by the load current since rectifiers D₁and D₂are reverse biased and the output part of the circuit is decoupled from the input part.

[0047] The converter enters the final topological stage shown in FIG. 8(d) at t=T₃when switch S₁is turned off and current i_L1is commutated from the switch into rectifier D₁. During this stage, energy stored in inductors L₁and L₂during the preceding topological stage discharges into capacitor C_F1. The rate of decrease of currents i_L1and i_L2is given by Eq. (9). Due to the flow of current i_L1into capacitor C_F1, voltage V_CF1increases, whereas voltage V_CF2continues to decrease because capacitor C_F2continues to be discharge by the load current. The circuit enter a new switching cycle at t=T₄when switch S₁is turned on again.

[0048] The voltage conversion ratio of the circuit can be calculated from the volt-second balance on the boost inductors. From FIGS. 8 and 9, the volt-second balance equation for L₁is $\begin{array}{cc}{V}_{\mathrm{IN}}D\frac{T_S}{2}=\left(\frac{V_{\mathrm{CF}}}{2}-V_{\mathrm{IN}}\right)·\left(\frac{T_S}{2}-D\frac{T_S}{2}\right)& \left(10\right)\end{array}$

[0049] so that $\begin{array}{cc}\frac{V_O}{V_{\mathrm{IN}}}=\frac{4}{1-D}& \left(11\right)\end{array}$

[0050] since V_O=2V_CF.

[0051] As can be seen from Eq. (11), the output voltage of the converter in FIG. 6 is at least four times larger than the input voltage. This high conversion ratio makes the converter the best suitable for applications with a high difference between the output and input voltage. It also should be note that because of the converter's unique property to simultaneously charge and discharge both boost inductors due to the coupling of inductor currents through the auxiliary transformer, the converter can maintain the regulation of the output voltage with a constant frequency control in a wide range of the load current. Namely, with the duty cycle close to unity, the maximum power is transferred from the input to the output since the maximum energy is stored in the inductors. As the duty cycle decreases toward zero, less and less energy is stored in both inductors, which enables the output voltage regulation down to very light loads. Finally, it should be noted that if L₁=L₂=L and n_ATR=1, both inductors in FIG. 6 store and transfer the same amount of energy, i.e., each leg of the converter processes one-half of the total power. Since the total power is processed in two parallel legs, the conduction loss of the circuit is reduced compared to a circuit with a single power path.

[0052] It should be noted that the circuit in FIG. 6 can also work without auxiliary transformer ATR. However, in this implementation, which is shown in FIG. 10, the regulation of the output voltage cannot be maintained in a wide load range employing a constant-frequency control. To explain this limitation of the circuit in FIG. 10, FIG. 11 shows its key waveforms. As can be seen from FIGS. 11(c) and (d), because of the absence of the coupling between currents flowing in inductors L₁and L₂, currents I_L1and i_L2are not the same. Namely, current i_L1increases during the entire time switch S₁is on and decreases during the entire off time of switch S₁. Similarly, current i_L2increases during the on time of switch S₂and decreases during its off time. As a result, even when duty cycle D of converter in FIG. 10 is reduced to zero, the energy is still stored in the inductors because switches S₁and S₂are on for a half of switching period T_S. To reduce the stored energy and extend the load regulation range, it is necessary to shorten the conduction time of the switches. This can be accomplished by increasing the switching frequency. Therefore, the circuit in FIG. 10 requires a variable-frequency control to maintain output regulation in a wide load range. It also should be noted that because of the absence of the auxiliary transformer, the voltage conversion ratio of the circuit in FIG. 10 is only one-half of the conversion ratio of the circuit in FIG. 5, given in Eq.(11).

[0053] The circuit of this invention can also be implemented with a single magnetic component, as shown in FIG. 12. In this integrated magnetics implementation, the auxiliary transformer and the boost inductors can be integrated in a variety of ways. For example, the integration can be achieved by adjusting the coupling between the transformer windings so that the leakage inductance of the transformer windings is used as the boost inductances. To avoid a degradation of the transformer efficiency and to minimize electromagnetic field radiation, a magnetic-shunt approach should be used to achieve the desired coupling.

[0054] The non-isolated circuits in FIGS. 6, 10, and 12 can also be implemented with an isolation transformer, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 15, respectively. The operation of these isolated circuits, as well as their properties are the same as those of their corresponding non-isolated counterparts.

[0055] The circuit in FIGS. 6, 10, 12-15, can also be implemented with a full-wave rectifier instead of the voltage-doubler rectifier. As an example, FIGS. 16(a) and (b) show the non-isolated and isolated implementations of the converter in FIG. 6 with a full-bridge rectifier, respectively.

[0056] Finally, it should be noted that in all circuit implementations discussed in this invention an accidental simultaneous opening of both switches would lead to a catastrophic circuit failure since the energy stored in the boost inductors would not have a path to discharge. Therefore, to prevent the circuit failure, it is necessary to provide a discharging path for the energy of the boost inductors when both switches are open. As an example, FIG. 17 shows a protection circuit implemented with a RCD snubber connected across the switches. It should be noted that many other implementations of the protection circuit are possible.

[0057] To verify the performance of the circuit of this invention, a 1.2 kW prototype boost converter that operates from a 40-70-V battery input and delivers 2.9 A at a 376-V output was evaluated. The measured efficiencies of the prototype circuit at the low line (V_IN=40 V) and the high line (V_IN=70 V) in the full range of load current (I_O=0.1−2.9 A) are summarized in Table I. The output voltage of the prototype circuit was regulated using a constant-frequency (40 kHz) control in the entire load range.

[0058] 1. M. T. Zhang, et. al., “Single-Phase Three-Level Boost Power Factor Correction Converter,” IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conf.(APEC) Proc.,pp. 434-439, 1995.

[0059] 2. E. X. Yang, Y. M. Jiang, G. C. Hua, F. C. Lee, “Isolated Boost Circuit for Power Correction,” IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conf(APEC) Proc.,pp. 196-203, 1993.

[0060] 3. G. Ivensky, I. Elkin, S. Ben-Yakov, “An Isolated Dc/Dc Converter Using Two Zero Current Switched IGBT's in a Symmetrical Topology,” IEEE Power Electronics Specialists' Conf. Rec.,pp. 1218-1225, 1994.

[0061] 4. W. C. P. de Aragao Filho, I. Barbi, “A Comparison Between Two Current-Fed Push-Pull Dc-Dc Converters—Analysis, Design and Experimentation,” IEEE International Telecommunication Energy Conf. Proc. Rec.,pp. 313-320, 1996.