A Soft-Switched Current-Fed Dual-Input Isolated DC-DC Converter Topology

A soft-switched current-fed dual-input isolated dc-dc converter topology is proposed in this article. This converter integrates two low-voltage dc sources with similar transferred characteristics such as two PV panels or two batteries into a dc bus using a simple circuit topology and a minimum number of active and passive components. The energy transfer between the input and output ports is controlled by modulating the pulse-width of the control signals. Moreover, the soft-switching operations are discussed, and the smooth connection between the input-side inductor and the transformer leakage inductance is achieved. Furthermore, the operation of the converter in reverse power flow direction is presented to demonstrate the bidirectional operational capability of the converter. Finally, different operation modes of the proposed dual-input converter are verified by the experimental results obtained from a 250 W hardware prototype.

Automated summary

A soft-switched current-fed dual-input isolated dc-dc converter topology is proposed in this article, which integrates two low-voltage dc sources with similar transferred characteristics into a dc bus. The energy transfer between the input and output ports is controlled by modulating the pulse-width of the control signals. The smooth connection between the input-side inductor and the transformer leakage inductance is achieved.