Circuit and method for managing common mode noise in isolated resonant DC-DC power converters

1. A resonant DC/DC power converter comprising:

a primary circuit further comprising

a first inverter branch comprising a first pair of switches coupled in series across an input power source and connected together at a first output node,

a second inverter branch comprising a second pair of switches coupled in series across the input power source and connected together at a second output node, and

a resonant tank branch laterally coupled between the first and second output nodes, the resonant tank branch comprising first and second resonant capacitors, a primary winding of an isolation transformer and a split resonant inductor having two separate windings,

wherein the resonant tank branch further defines first and second impedance circuits on opposing sides of the primary winding and having equivalent impedance values; and

a secondary circuit coupled to a secondary winding of the isolation transformer,

wherein in response to symmetrical switching of the first and second pairs of switches, a center point voltage of the primary transformer winding is substantially free of stepwise voltage changes.

2. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the two separate windings of the split resonant inductor comprise equivalent parasitic capacitances.

3. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the split resonant inductor utilizes a common magnetic core and substantially shares a common path of magnetic flux.

4. The power converter of claim 3 , wherein the split resonant inductor is further characterized by an m:n inductance ratio of substantially 1:1.

5. The power converter of claim 3 , wherein the split resonant inductor is further characterized by an m:n inductance ratio different from 1:1, having a value provided to optimize a common mode voltage between the primary and secondary circuits.

6. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein:

the split resonant inductor comprises two independent inductors; and

the split resonant inductor is further characterized by m:n inductance ratio.

7. The power converter of claim 6 , wherein the split resonant inductor is further characterized by an m:n inductance ratio of substantially 1:1.

8. The power converter of claim 6 , wherein the m:n inductance ratio is different from 1:1, having a value provided to optimize a common mode voltage between the primary and secondary circuits.

9. The power converter of claim 1 , wherein the first and second resonant capacitors comprise two separate components of a split resonant capacitor.

10. The power converter of claim 1 , the secondary circuit further comprising a rectifier circuit coupled across the secondary isolation transformer winding and configured to produce a DC output to a load.

11. The power converter of claim 10 , the rectifier circuit comprising a plurality of synchronous rectifier switching elements arranged in a bridge configuration.

12. A resonant DC-DC power converter comprising:

a first pair of switching elements coupled in series across an input power source;

a second pair of switching elements coupled in series across the input power source, wherein first and second outputs are produced at nodes between the respective pairs of switching elements;

a first impedance circuit coupled to the node between the first pair of switching elements and comprising a first impedance value;

a second impedance circuit coupled to the node between the second pair of switching elements and comprising a second impedance value, the first and second impedance values being substantially identical;

a primary winding of an isolation transformer coupled in series between the first and second impedance circuits; and

wherein synchronous switching of opposing switching elements from the first and second pairs of switching elements produces a substantially DC voltage as a center point voltage of the isolation transformer.

13. The power converter of claim 12 , wherein the first impedance circuit comprises a first winding of a split resonant inductor and the second impedance circuit comprises a second winding of the split resonant inductor.

14. The power converter of claim 13 , wherein the first and second windings of the split resonant inductor utilize a common magnetic core and substantially share a common path of magnetic flux.

15. The power converter of claim 13 , wherein the first and second windings of the split resonant inductor are further characterized by an m:n inductance ratio of substantially 1:1.

16. A method of operating a resonant DC-DC power converter having first and second switching inverter branches in a bridge configuration on a primary side of an isolation transformer, each of the first and second branches comprising respective pairs of switches coupled in series across an input power source and connected at an output node for the branch, the method comprising:

providing a resonant circuit between the respective output nodes for the first and second branches, the resonant circuit comprising first and second impedance circuits disposed on opposing ends of a primary winding for the isolation transformer, said first and second impedance circuits having substantially identical impedance values;

controlling diagonally opposed switching elements of the inverter branches to switch on and off synchronously, wherein symmetrical output waveforms are produced; and

generating a center point voltage of the isolation transformer as a substantially DC voltage.