A Generalized Design-Space Extension of the Auxiliary Resonant Commutated Pole Converte

Pulse width modulation and the development of fast switching power devices have made it possible to convert power over a range of output power levels at high switching frequencies. In general, high switching frequencies increase switching losses, and the shorter rise and fall times of switching signals make the task of meeting electromagnetic emissions requirements difficult. Although converters that use soft-switching techniques offer a solution to both issues, they are only applicable to a limited range of loads and duty cycle variations. This document analyzes power converter topologies in which various additions have been made to extend the range of zero-voltage switching. A major focus is on design space extensions of the auxiliary resonant commutated pole (ARCP) converter. This work presents an in-depth analysis of ARCP design space and then extends this design space to significantly expand its potential. The expanded ARCP design space opportunity can be generalized to become a method to obtain zero-voltage switching for a wide range of converters operating over an extended range of loads and output voltages, which becomes the main focus of the contributions of this work. The proposed approach to extend the design space of the ARCP is extensively modeled and evaluated. The tradeoffs are identified and the method is applied to dc-to-dc converters. Simulation and experiments are used to evaluate the properties of this proposed approach to significantly extend the design space of the ARCP. The document subsequently proposes how to apply this design space extension of the ARCP to other power conversion applications and topologies by using a custom-developed power conversion module and pulse-width modulated integrated circuit. The capability of the custom hardware to overcome the limitation of the prior art are evaluated in suitable applications.