摘要 |
A DC-to-DC converter processes power by a sequence of energy transfer cycles in each of which a quantum of energy is taken from a voltage source towards a current sink via a magnetic energy storage device (specifically a transformer having a small effective leakage inductance) and a capacitor. This (effective) LC circuit defines a characteristic time scale for the rise and fall of the current drawn from the voltage source so that a switching device connected in series with the source can be switched on and off at essentially zero current. Following each cycle the energy stored in the capacitor is released by the current sink. After the capacitor is discharged, the sink current is carried by a rectifier diode connected in parallel with the capacitor. This prevents the LC circuit from becoming a resonant circuit and leads to a unidirectional flow of energy from source to load which optimizes the efficiency and power density of the conversion process.
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