Isolated multi-level resonant topologies for wide-range power conversion and impedance matching
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
InventorsLuke C. Raymond, Wei Liang, Juan M. Rivas Davila
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Abstract
Resonant power converters that replace the conventional impedance matching stage with series or parallel connections between resonant inverters and resonant rectifiers are provided. Two or more resonant rectifiers can be connected in series or in parallel to the resonant inverter to provide impedance matching. Similarly, two or more resonant inverters can be connected in series or in parallel to the resonant rectifier to provide impedance matching. Electrical isolation of DC voltage between input and output is provided using only capacitors.
Claims20
A DC to DC electric power converter comprising:
- a resonant power inverter configured to receive a DC input and to provide an AC output having a frequency fout, wherein an output impedance of the power inverter is Zout;
- two or more (N) resonant rectifier circuits directly connected to the AC output provided by the power inverter, wherein the resonant rectifier circuits are tuned to operate resonantly at fout, and wherein the resonant rectifier circuits are each configured to receive the AC output and to provide a DC output and each of the resonant rectifier circuits include capacitors coupled between the AC output provided by the power inverter and the DC output provided by the resonant rectifiers circuits, wherein each of the N resonant rectifier circuits has an input impedance of Zin at fout and wherein N is an integer greater than 1;
- wherein electrical isolation between the DC input and the DC outputs is provided exclusively with the capacitors of the two or more resonant rectifier circuits;
- and
- wherein impedance matching, for Zout of the power inverter and a total impedance of the N resonant rectifier circuits, is provided either by parallel connections of the resonant rectifier circuits to the power inverter or by series connections of the resonant rectifier circuits to the power inverter, wherein Zout is related to the total impedance of the N resonant rectifier circuits by a factor of N.
A DC to DC electric power converter comprising:
- two or more (“N”) resonant power inverters configured to receive a DC input and to provide respective AC outputs having a frequency fout;
- a resonant rectifier circuit directly connected to the AC outputs provided by the N resonant power inverters, wherein the resonant rectifier circuit is tuned to operate resonantly at fout, wherein the resonant rectifier circuit is configured to receive the AC outputs and to provide a DC output, and wherein an input impedance of the resonant rectifier circuit is Zin;
- wherein electrical isolation between the DC inputs and the DC output is provided exclusively with capacitors of the resonant rectifier circuit;
- and
- wherein impedance matching, for a total impedance of the N resonant power inverters and the resonant rectifier circuit, is provided either by parallel connections of the N resonant power inverters to the rectifier circuit or by series connections of the resonant power inverters to the rectifier circuit, wherein Zin is related to the total impedance of the N resonant power inverters by a factor of N.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.