Two-Phase Hybrid Forward Convertor with Series-Parallel Auto-Regulated Transformer Windings and a Common Output Inductor

Abstract

For conventional interleaved two-phase forward converters with a common output inductor, the maximum duty cycle is 0.5, which limits the voltage range and increases the difficulty of the transformer's optimization. A new two-phase hybrid forward converter with series-parallel auto-regulated transformer windings is presented in this paper. With interleaved control signals for the two phases, the secondary windings of the transformers can work in series when the duty cycle is larger than 0.5, and they can work in parallel when duty cycle is lower than 0.5. Therefore, the maximum duty cycle is extended and the turns ratio of the transformer can be optimized. Duty cycle dependent auto-regulated windings result in the steady states of the converter being different in different duty cycle ranges (D>0.5 and D<0.5). Fortunately, the steady state gains of the proposed hybrid converter are identical at different duty cycle ranges, which means a stepless shift between two states. A prototype is built to verify the theoretical analysis. A conventional control loop is compatible for the whole input voltage range and load range thanks to the stepless shifting between the different duty cycle ranges.