High efficiency power converter
A power converter nearly losslessly delivers energy and recovers energy from capacitors associated with controlled rectifiers in a secondary winding circuit, each controlled rectifier having a parallel uncontrolled rectifier. First and second primary switches in series with first and second primary windings, respectively, are turned on for a fixed duty cycle, each for approximately one half of the switching cycle. Switched transition times are short relative to the on-state and off-state times of the controlled rectifiers. The control inputs to the controlled rectifiers are cross-coupled from opposite secondary transformer windings.
1. A DC-DC power converter system providing plural regulated DC outputs, each having a regulated voltage, comprising:
a DC input;
a non-regulating isolating converter comprising:
a primary transformer winding circuit having at least one primary winding that receives power from the DC input; and
a secondary transformer winding circuit having at least one secondary winding coupled to the at least one primary winding and having plural controlled rectifiers, each having a parallel uncontrolled rectifier and each in circuit with a secondary winding, each controlled rectifier being turned on and off in synchronization with a voltage waveform of the at least one primary winding to provide a non-regulated, isolated DC output; and
plural non-isolating switching regulators, each receiving power from the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter and each providing one of the regulated DC outputs having a regulated voltage.
2. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the switching regulators are down converters.
3. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein signals controlling the controlled rectifiers are provided by the at least one secondary winding.
4. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-regulating isolation converter is a step down converter.
5. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the DC input provides a voltage within the range of 36 to 75 volts.
6. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter is about 12 volts.
7. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each regulated voltage of each of the regulated DC outputs is of a voltage level to drive logic circuitry.
8. A power converter system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the DC input provides a voltage within the range of 36 to 75 volts.
9. A power converter system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter is about 12 volts.
10. A power converter system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter is about 12 volts.
11. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output drops with increasing current flow through the non-regulating isolating converter.
12. A power converter system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one primary winding has a voltage waveform with a fixed duty cycle.
13. A power converter system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the DC input provides a voltage within the range of 36 to 75 volts.
14. A power converter system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter is about 12 volts.
15. A power converter system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the non-regulated, isolated DC output of the non-regulating isolating converter is about 12 volts.