| Abstract |
In a general soft switching method for inductive power transfer (IPT) systems, a reactive current is intentionally generated in the resonant network and then utilized to achieve soft switching. However, the whole-system efficiency worsens because the reactive current circulates in the system. Against this problem, the soft-switching active bridge (SAB) converter is proposed. The SAB converter comprises the full-bridge active converter and the LC circuit, which can generate the reactive current in place of the resonant network. As a result, the reactive current circulating in the system is reduced, and high efficiency can be achieved. This paper shows how to apply the SAB converter to IPT systems with the double-sided LCC topology. The theoretical analysis clarifies the effect of the design of the LC circuit on the whole-system efficiency, and the design guideline for the LC circuit is discussed. In the experiment, the validities of the theoretical analysis result and the design guideline are shown. The SAB-IPT system can get higher efficiency over wide operation range as well as the theoretical analysis result. Especially, the efficiency at 2.5 kW-output is improved by 0.69 points, and the efficiency at 1.5 kW-output is improved by 0.88 points. |
