Introduction :

While attempting to devise dc-to-dc converters capable of operating at low switching losses,
power electronics engineers started developing converter topologies that shape either a
sinusoidal current or a sinusoidal voltage waveform significantly reducing switching losses. Such
converters are called soft switching dc-to-dc converters. A soft switching dc-to-dc converter is
constructed by cascading a resonant dc-to-alternating current (ac) inverter and a rectifier . dc
input power is first converted into ac power by the resonant inverter; the ac power is then
converted back into dc power by the rectifier. Among the existing soft switching converters,
loaded-resonant converters are the most popular type owing to its simplicity of circuit
configuration, easy realization of control scheme, low switching losses, and high flexibility for
energy conversion applications. Depending on how energy is extracted from a resonant tank,
loaded-resonant converters can be classified into series resonant, parallel resonant,
and series-parallel resonant converters . The series resonant charger is normally formed by an
inductor, capacitor,
and bridge rectifier. The ac through the resonant tank is rectified at the output terminals, making
it possible to obtain the output dc. In contrast to the series resonant converter, the parallel loadedresonant converter can control the output voltage at no load by running at a frequency above
resonance. The parallel loaded-resonant converter contains an inductive output filter, explaining
why the output current through the capacitor is low and reducing the conduction losses and the
ripple voltage of the converter. Furthermore, the parallel-loaded-resonant converter
is inherently short circuit protected. Hence, the parallel-loaded resonant converter is highly
promising for dc-to-dc energy conversion applications. Notably, the output voltage at resonance
is a function of load and can rise to very high values at no load if the operating frequency is not
raised by the regulator. However, the series-parallel converter integrates the best characteristics
of series resonant and parallel resonant converters. The resonant
tank of this converter is equivalent to that of the parallel loaded-resonant inverter, except for an
additional capacitor in series with the resonant inductor. The series-parallel converter output can
run over a wider input voltage and load ranges from no load to full load. For the series-parallel
converter with a capacitive output filter, analyzing converter operations and designing circuit
parameters are complex tasks because the capacitive output stage is decoupled from the resonant

stage for a significant period during the switching cycle. Additionally, the series-parallel
converter cannot operate safely with a short circuit at a switching frequency close to the resonant
frequency.

The use of semiconductor power switches in power electronic technology has led to rapid
development of this technology in recent years. The switching power converter plays a
significant role in the power energy conversion applications. Inparticular, direct current (dc)-todc converters are extensively adopted in industrial, commercial, and residential equipment .
These converters are power electronics circuits that convert a dc voltage into a different level,
often providing a regulated output. Power semiconductor switches are the major component of
power energy conversion systems. Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is the simplest way to control
power semiconductor switches . The PWM approach controls powe flow by interrupting current
or voltage through means of switch action with control of duty cycles. In practice, a situation in
which the voltage across or current through the semiconductor switch is abruptly interrupted is
referred to as a hard-switched PWM. Because of its simplicity and ease in control, hard switched
PWM schemes have been largely adopted in modern power energy conversion applications.
Therefore, a large switch voltage and a large switch current occurring simultaneously require that
the switch withstands high switching stresses, with a safe operating area.
Fortunately, connecting simple dissipative snubber circuits in series and parallel with switches in
hard-switched PWM converters can reduce switch stresses. However, these dissipative snubber
circuits transfer the switching power loss from the switch to the snubber circuit, making it
impossible to reduce the overall switching power loss.
Modern dc-to-dc power converters must be small sized and light weight, as well as have a high
energy conversion efficiency. A higher switching frequency implies smaller and lighter inductors,
capacitors, as well as filter components of these converters. However, electromagnetic
interference (EMI) and switching losses increase with an increasing switching frequency,
ultimately decreasing the efficiency and performance of dc-to-dc power converters. To solve this
problem, some soft switching approaches must operate under a high switching frequency. Zero
voltage switched and zero current switched schemes are two commonly used soft switching

methods, in which either the voltage or current is zero during switching transitions, which largely
reduce the switching losses, EMI, and
increase the reliability of the power converter.

Therefore, the energy conversion stage of the series-parallel converter has not been minimized
and simplified, resulting in a bulky size and high cost in the applications of dc-to dc energy
conversion. Comparing the above three different loaded-resonant converter topologies reveals
that the parallel loaded-resonant converter is the optimum topology for dc-to dc energy
conversion applications because of its many merits including low switching losses, low stresses,
and low noise characteristics. Moreover, for dc-to-dc energy conversion applications, the
parallel-loaded-resonant converter is generally recommended as the energy conversion stage due
to its simple circuitry and typical input characteristics. However, a large filter inductor to the
output side of the bridge rectifier in a traditional parallel-loaded-resonant converter might add
significant weight, volume, and cost. Based on the parallel-loaded resonant converter, this work
presents a novel loaded-resonant converter. The proposed novel loaded-resonant converter is
superior to the conventional parallel resonant converter in terms of miniaturize size, light weight,
simple topology, and easy control.

An LC circuit, also called a resonant circuit, tank circuit, or tuned circuit, is an electric circuit
consisting of an inductor, represented by the letter L, and a capacitor, represented by the letter C,
connected together. The circuit can act as an electrical resonator, an electrical analogue of a
tuning fork, storing energy oscillating at the circuit's resonant frequency.
LC circuits are used either for generating signals at a particular frequency, or picking out a signal
at a particular frequency from a more complex signal. They are key components in many

electronic devices, particularly radio equipment, used in circuits such as oscillators, filters, tuners
and frequency mixers.
An LC circuit is an idealized model since it assumes there is no dissipation of energy due to
resistance. Any practical implementation of an LC circuit will always include loss resulting from
small but non-zero resistance within the components and connecting wires. The purpose of an
LC circuit is usually to oscillate with minimal damping, so the resistance is made as low as
possible. While no practical circuit is without losses, it is nonetheless instructive to study this
ideal form of the circuit to gain understanding and physical intuition. For a circuit model
incorporating resistance, see RLC circuit.
The two-element LC circuit described above is the simplest type of inductor-capacitor network
(or LC network). It is also referred to as a second order LC circuit to distinguish it from more
complicated (higher order) LC networks with more inductors and capacitors. Such LC networks
with more than two reactances may have more than one resonant frequency.
The order of the network is the order of the rational function describing the network in the
complex frequency variable s. Generally, the order is equal to the number of L and C elements in
the circuit and in any event cannot exceed this number.

An LC circuit, oscillating at its natural resonant frequency, can store electrical energy. See the
animation at right. A capacitor stores energy in the electric field (E) between its plates, depending
on the voltage across it, and an inductor stores energy in its magnetic field (B), depending on the
current through it.
If a charged capacitor is connected across an inductor, current will start to flow through the
inductor, building up a magnetic field around it and reducing the charge, and therefore the
voltage, on the capacitor. Eventually all the charge on the capacitor will be gone and the voltage
across it will reach zero. However, the current will continue unchanged in accordance with
Faraday's law of induction, which requires that for the current to change in an inductor, a voltage
must be applied to it (this is analogous to Newton's First Law for velocity, mass and force). No

energy is required for this provided the current remains constant. However, as the current
continues to flow, the capacitor will re-acquire charge of the opposite sign, and its terminal
voltage will rise again with reversed polarity. This applies a voltage to the inductor which is now
in opposition to its current, so the current now falls. Again this in accordance with Faraday's
Law. The falling inductor current and rising capacitor voltage indicate a transfer of energy from
the inductor to the capacitor. This is analogous to a moving mass colliding with a spring, and
compressing it. When the magnetic field has completely dissipated the current will momentarily
stop, and the charge will again be stored in the capacitor, with a polarity opposite to its original
one. This will complete half a cycle of the oscillation. The process will then begin again in
reverse, with the current flowing in the opposite direction through the inductor.
The charge flows back and forth between the plates of the capacitor, through the inductor. The
energy oscillates back and forth between the capacitor and the inductor until (if not replenished
from an external circuit) internal resistance makes the oscillations die out. In most applications
the tuned circuit is part of a larger circuit which applies alternating current to it, driving
continuous oscillations. If these are at the natural oscillatory frequency (Natural frequency),
resonance will occur. The tuned circuit's action, known mathematically as a harmonic oscillator,
is similar to a pendulum swinging back and forth, or water sloshing back and forth in a tank; for
this reason the circuit is also called a tank circuit. .[1] It is formally analogous to a mass-spring
oscillator; see Capacitor analogy. The natural frequency (that is, the frequency at which it will
oscillate when isolated from any other system, as described above) is determined by the
capacitance and inductance values. In typical tuned circuits in electronic equipment the
oscillations are very fast, thousands to billions of times per second.

Resonance effect
Resonance occurs when an LC circuit is driven from an external source at a frequency

at

which the inductive and capacitive reactances are equal in magnitude. The frequency at which

this equality holds for the particular circuit is called the resonant frequency. The resonant
frequency of the LC circuit is

where L is the inductance in henries, and C is the capacitance in farads. The angular frequency
has units of radians per second.
The equivalent frequency in units of hertz is

LC circuits are often used as filters; the L/C ratio is one of the factors that determines their "Q"
and so selectivity. For a series resonant circuit with a given resistance, the higher the inductance
and the lower the capacitance, the narrower the filter bandwidth. For a parallel resonant circuit
the opposite applies. Positive feedback around the tuned circuit ("regeneration") can also
increase selectivity (see Q multiplier and Regenerative circuit).Stagger tuning can provide an
acceptably wide audio bandwidth, yet good selectivity

Generally PV power generation systems have been regarded as the most promising future
sources of energy because of their advantages, such as the absence of a need for fuel and the
associated cost saving, low maintenance, and lack of noise. Fortunately, Taiwan is located in a
subtropical zone that is close to the equator, and southern Taiwan, in particular, experiences
strong sunshine in the sum- mer. Consequently, the energy collected on PV arrays is utilized as
the source of a renewable energy for reduction of fossil fuel energy. If the direct-current (dc)
output of renewable energy generation systems is directly connected to a battery energy
storage system (BESS), then the output voltage of the dc output source of the renewable energy
generation system will be fixed to the voltage of the BESS, so the renewable energy generation

system cannot always operate optimally. Hence, a dc/dc inter- face must be installed between
the renewable energy generation system and the BESS to ensure that the renewable energy
generation system always operates at its optimum operating points. Power electronics use
switching circuits to transform energy and control power flow. Power semiconductor switches
critical components of power electronic circuits. The simplest method for controlling power
semiconductor switches is pulsewidth modulation (PWM) . The PWM approach is to control
power flow by interrupting current or voltage by switching with control of the duty cycles.
Conventionally, the voltage across or current through the semiconductor switch is abruptly
altered; this approach is called hard-switching PWM. Because of its simplicity, relatively low
current stress, and ease of control, hard-switching PWM approaches have been preferred in
modern power electronics converters. Owing to the rapid developments of new power device
technologies, the switching speed of power devices has increased greatly. Therefore, PWM
power converters can now operate at a much higher switching frequency, reducing the size of
passive components, reducing the overall cost of the system. However, the converter switching
loss also increases in proportion to the frequency. The increases in dv/dt and di/dt caused by
the increased speed increase stress on the device and system electromagnetic interference
noise. These effects set an upper limit on the frequencies at which conventional hardswitching PWM converters can operate. Resonant converters are extensively utilized in the
application of renewable energy generation systems. The basic requirements of resonant
converters are their small size and high efficiency. A high switching frequency is required to
achieve small size. However, the switching loss increases with the switching frequency,
reducing the efficiency of the resonant converters. To solve this problem, some soft-switching
approaches must be used at high switching frequencies. Zero- voltage switching (ZVS) and
zero-current switching (ZCS) techniques are two commonly used soft-switching methods. In
these techniques, either voltage or current is zero during the switching transition, substantially
reducing the switching loss and increasing the reliability of resonant converters in renewable
energy generation systems. Traditional ZCS converters operate with constant on-time control.
They must operate with a wide range of switching frequencies when the ranges of the input
source and load are wide, making the filter circuit design difficult to optimize. However, the
traditional ZVS scheme eliminates capacitive turn-on losses and decreases the turnoff switching
losses by reducing the rate of increase in voltage, reducing the overlap between the switch

voltage and the switch current. This work develops a novel single-switch highly efficient
converter with ZVS topology based on the traditional ZVS concept for renewable energy
generation applications. Its important features include a simple circuit structure, ease of control,
soft switching for active power devices, low switching losses, and high energy conversion
efficiency. This novel single-switch high-efficiency converter with ZVS topology can be
considered to be an extension of the traditional ZVS power converter. It utilizes a capacitor
across the active power switch in the novel single-switch power converter to generate a
freewheeling stage with a traditional ZVS power converter, enabling the novel converter to
operate with a constant frequency and a markedly much reduced circulating energy.