Novel true zero current turn-on and turn-off converter family: analysis and experimental results

A novel soft-commutation cell capable of providing zero current switching (ZCS) operation keeping the main switch current equal to the load current is presented. Substituting the typical pulse width modulation cell found in classic power converter structures by the presented ZCS cell and taking to account the invariance principle, a new ZCS converter family could be achieved and it is also presented here. The operation and main properties of this cell are also included. A theoretical approach for the design of the proposed cell applied to a DC-DC buck converter is presented and corroborated by the experimental results with an 800 W laboratory prototype.