Integrated high-quality rectifier-regulators

A new family of ac–dc converters is derived which integrate the functions of low-harmonic rectification, low-frequency energy storage, and wide-bandwidth output voltage control into a single converter containing one, two, or four active switches. These converters utilize a discontinuous conduction mode input inductor, an internal energy storage capacitor, and transformer secondary circuits which resemble the bridge, forward, flyback, or Cúk dc–dc converters. A large-signal equivalent circuit model for this family is presented, which uses the “loss-free resistor” concept. Design strategies and experimental results are given. High-performance regulation with satisfactory line-current harmonics is demonstrated with conventional duty-ratio control. Further improvements in line current are possible by simultaneous duty-ratio and switching-frequency control.