An efficient soft switching synchronous buck converter for battery charging application in hybrid electric vehicle architecture

This paper proposes a novel topology based on a zero voltage soft switching (ZVS) synchronous buck DC-DC converter using an auxiliary unidirectional cell comprising a diode, a switch, and an inductor. This unidirectional cell aids in achieving the soft-switching condition for the synchronous switches, thereby abating switching losses and enhancing the system efficiency. Furthermore, the presence of the unidirectional cell results in no additional current or voltage stress on the switches. This topology is well suited to hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) architecture. Detailed analysis and operation of the proposed topology are discussed. The results of the proposed topology are analyzed using MATLAB/Simulink software and validated experimentally.