This paper presents an isolated single-stage on-board electric vehicle charger without an intermediate DC-link. Based on an isolated current-source topology, the converter features soft-switching in semiconductors regardless of load variation for the full AC line voltage range. Moreover, it requires no external snubber or clamp circuits. The power factor correction and voltage regulation are provided by a relatively simple phase shift modulation, while the amount of circulating energy is kept at minimum. The charger is distinguished by its efficiency characteristic – the maximum is achieved in the constant power charging mode. The control method, component stresses, and design constraints of the topology are analyzed. The concept is verified using a 3 kW experimental SiC-based prototype, which reaches a peak efficiency of 96.4%. Moreover, the charger has demonstrated efficiencies above 95% with the THD of 4.1% when operating in constant power mode at the maximal power.

As the use of photovoltaics becomes more widespread, new technologies for more efficient energy generation, transmission, and distribution based on power electronics converters are being developed. The most common applications are grid-on, energy storage, hybrid, and high voltage gain applications. These applications impose several additional requirements in the design of power converters associated with the solar battery’s maximum power tracking and operation in a wide range of input currents and voltages. The practical realization of such solutions can be implemented on the basis of various topologies, which requires a preliminary application of criteria for assessing their effectiveness. The paper conducts a comparison of different topologies on power converters based on two parameters that describe their cost and power loss for various PV applications. For a straightforward study, these parameters are represented using the gain factor, which allows for an accurate comparison of the efficiency of various types of converters.

This letter presents a passive snubber circuit for high-frequency link cycloconverters, which typically suffer from voltage oscillations across matrix-stage semiconductor devices. The proposed passive snubber allows for effective damping of the oscillations and reduction of the peak voltage stress. It is based on an auxiliary transformer and a diode bridge rectifier, which are rated only for a fraction of total converter power regenerated back to the input dc source. The performance of the circuit was verified with 350 Vdc/230 Vac, 1 kW SiC MOSFET -based experimental prototype and a reduction of the peak voltage overshoot from 2.24 to 1.55 times the nominal was achieved, without negative impact on the converter overall efficiency. As a result, the blocking voltage rating of the matrix-stage semiconductors can be reduced from 900 to 650 V.

Rapid developments in energy storage and conversion technologies have led to the proliferation of low- and medium-power electric vehicles. Their regular operation typically requires an on-board battery charger that features small dimensions, high efficiency and power quality. This paper analyses an interleaved step-down single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) operating in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) for charging of battery-powered light electric vehicles such as an electric wheelchair. The required characteristics are achieved thanks to favourable arrangement of the inductors in the circuit: the input inductor is used for power factor correction (PFC) without additional elements, while the other inductor is used to provide galvanic isolation and required voltage conversion ratio. A modular interleaved structure of the converter helps to implement low-profile converter design with standard components, distribute the power losses and improve the performance. An optimal number of converter cells was estimated. The converter uses a simple control algorithm for constant current and constant voltage charging modes. To reduce the energy losses, synchronous rectification along with a common regenerative snubber circuit was implemented. The proposed charger concept was verified with a developed 230 VAC to 29.4 VDC experimental prototype that has proved its effectiveness.

The paper deals with a power charger capable of quick simultaneous charging of several unevenly discharged batteries. The charger is designed for use in conjunction with a recently developed power-assist wheelchair composed of two armrest modules associated with wheels—each with its own motor, driver and battery. Uneven discharge of the batteries is very possible in this application. Taking into account the charging power and energy comparable with the most powerful household electrical devices, the refreshing of these batteries and integration of the entire power supply chain into the household grid become a topical and challenging task. Solving of this task requires a special charger that has several channels and can unevenly apply charging power to these channels. At the same time, the charger must not generate current harmonics or reactive power, must operate with good efficiency and satisfy size constraints. In the given research, a configuration of several interleaved isolated single-ended primary-inductor converters is studied. The synthesized mathematical model of the proposed charger provides data about its static and dynamic characteristics while its experimental investigation focuses on operation details (power losses, control features etc.). The obtained results prove that the proposed concept complies with the above-mentioned requirements and can be applied in the discussed application.