Zero-Voltage Switching Full-Bridge Converter With Reduced Filter Requirement and Wide ZVS Range for Variable Output Application

In this article, a novel zero-voltage switching (ZVS) full-bridge converter is proposed to overcome the disadvantages of traditional phase-shifted full-bridge (PSFB) converter. In the proposed converter, a half-bridge (HB) converter with center-tap rectifier (CTR) is integrated into the traditional PSFB converter by sharing the lagging-leg switches and output filter. The HB converter operates with full duty cycle to ensure continuous energy transmission and the output voltage is regulated by adjusting the phase-shifted time of full-bridge (FB) converter. The proposed converter has many advantages such as reduced filter requirement, wide ZVS range and low primary circulating current. In addition, the rectifier in the proposed converter is composed of a full-bridge rectifier section and a CTR section. This feature makes the proposed converter well appropriate for the medium output voltage applications. Key operation principle and characteristics are fully discussed in this article. The effectiveness of proposed converter is verified using a 1.2 kW prototype circuit with 280 V input voltage and 60-120 V output voltage.