Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2022) | Viewed by 32422

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Thermal Engineering, Design and Project, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Interests: DC-DC converters; DC microgrid; power quality; renewable energy
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Guest Editor
Institute Superior of Engineering (ISE), Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Interests: power and performance efficiency in SoC (systems on-a-chip); dynamic voltage and frequency scaling; IoT electronics and applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to recent articles in the economic/business analysis and electronics industry publications, the DC-DC converters’ market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.0% in the next five years. This growth is mainly due to sectors such as the mobile phone industry, Internet of Things (IoT) where DC-DC converters helps to extend battery life, automotive industry of Hybrid and fully Electric Vehicles (HEV/EV). The Lighting Sector through technology Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and Organic LED (OLED), which have provided more reliable and efficient light sources, is also an important sector.

Moreover, the DC-DC converter market can be divided into three sub-segments including low, medium, and high power. In low power applications, the two main trends are related to low voltage and high power density, while in high power, with reliability and high efficiency. But the main trend is related to miniaturization, driven by applications with severe restrictions on physical installation such as robotics, electric vehicle (EV), electric ship (ES), more-electric aircraft (MEA), solid-state lighting, wireless power transfer, on-chip power supply, intelligent dc-dc power distribution (nano or micro grids), wireless remote sensing node, energy harvesting, new transport technologies and IoT (Internet of Things). In these applications, single or multiple power systems are used, which distribute energy to different loads, with converters operating in power ranging from few watts to hundreds of kilowatts.

In the same way, Multiple Output DC-DC Converters are potentially useful for a wide range of applications. Examples are: distributed power architectures (DPA), intermediate bus architecture (IBA), central control architecture (CCA), dynamic bus architecture (DBA), telecom, datacom, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), or even low-dropout linear regulators (LDOs), that will power CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, I/O, USB power delivery, and other low-voltage devices. In all these applications, similar trends are used to drive research: controllability, efficiency, reliability and miniaturization.

This Special Issue focuses on the analysis, design, implementation, modeling and control methods, studies, reviews and emerging applications for Multiple Output DC-DC Converters. We invite researchers to provide contributions and proposals to this Special Issue, including but not limited to the following topics:

  • Traditional and new configurations
  • Isolated, non-isolated and bi-directional versions
  • Switched-Capacitor and Switched-Inductor configurations
  • Resonant topologies
  • Modelling and simulation
  • Voltage regulation techniques for Multiple Output; traditional and new control strategies
  • State-of-the-art reviews on Multiple Output DC-DC Converters and applications

Prof. Dr. Eladio Durán Aranda
Prof. Dr. Salvador Pérez Litrán
Prof. Dr. Jorge Filipe Leal Costa Semião
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Traditional and new configurations
  • Isolated, non-isolated and bi-directional versions
  • Switched-Capacitor and Switched-Inductor configurations
  • Resonant topologies
  • Modelling and simulation
  • Voltage regulation techniques for Multiple Output
  • traditional and new control strategies
  • State-of-the-art reviews on Multiple Output DC-DC Converters and applications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 11599 KiB  
Article
Full Digital Control of an All-Si On-Board Charger Operating in Discontinuous Conduction Mode
by Davide Cittanti, Matteo Gregorio, Fabio Mandrile and Radu Bojoi
Electronics 2021, 10(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10020203 - 17 Jan 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3179
Abstract
This paper deals with the design, tuning and implementation of a digital controller for an all-Si electric vehicle (EV) on-board battery charger operated in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). This charger consists of two cascaded conversion stages: a front-end power factor corrector (PFC) with [...] Read more.
This paper deals with the design, tuning and implementation of a digital controller for an all-Si electric vehicle (EV) on-board battery charger operated in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). This charger consists of two cascaded conversion stages: a front-end power factor corrector (PFC) with two interleaved legs and an isolated phase-shifted full bridge DC/DC converter. Both stages operate in DCM over the complete battery charging power range, allowing lower inductance values for both the PFC and the DC/DC filtering elements. Moreover, DCM operation ensures a large reduction of the reverse-recovery losses in the power diodes, enabling the adoption of relatively cheap Si devices. The main goal of the work is to address the well-known DCM control challenges, leveraging a novel control strategy for both converter stages. This control scheme counteracts the DCM system non-linearities with a proper feed-forward contribution and an open-loop gain adjustment, ensuring consistent dynamical performance over the complete operating range. The designed controllers are tuned analytically, taking into account the delay components related to the digital implementation. Finally, the proposed control strategy is implemented on a single general purpose microcontroller unit (MCU) and its performance is experimentally validated on a 3.3 kW battery charger prototype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters)
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11 pages, 5386 KiB  
Article
Triple-Mode Switched-Inductor-Capacitor DC-DC Buck Converter with Reusable Flying Capacitor and Bang-Bang Zero-Current Detector for Wide Load Current Range
by Jongbeom Baek, Hyung-Min Lee and Se-Un Shin
Electronics 2020, 9(8), 1202; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9081202 - 27 Jul 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4882
Abstract
Although the capacity of a battery with a small form factor is extremely low, demand for long usage time of Internet of Things (IoT) products is increasing. Owing to this limitation of the battery, power management integrated circuits (PMICs) are used for extending [...] Read more.
Although the capacity of a battery with a small form factor is extremely low, demand for long usage time of Internet of Things (IoT) products is increasing. Owing to this limitation of the battery, power management integrated circuits (PMICs) are used for extending the battery usage time with high efficiency. In particular, since IoT devices are mostly in the sleep mode in the idle state, PMICs should achieve high efficiency for ultralight loads in the sleep mode as well as for heavy loads in the active mode. In this paper, an accurate bang-bang zero-current detector (to prevent a reverse inductor current) and a triple-mode switched inductor-capacitor dc-dc buck converter with a reusable flying capacitor are presented; these techniques can maintain high efficiency over a wide load current range. The proposed buck converter was fabricated in a 0.18-μm 1P4M CMOS process. A power conversion efficiency exceeding 85% was achieved in the load range of 100 µA to 300 mA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters)
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14 pages, 2911 KiB  
Article
Single-Switch Bipolar Output DC-DC Converter for Photovoltaic Application
by Salvador P. Litrán, Eladio Durán, Jorge Semião and Rafael S. Barroso
Electronics 2020, 9(7), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9071171 - 18 Jul 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5021
Abstract
Bipolar DC grids have become an adequate solution for high-power microgrids. This is mainly due to the fact that this configuration has a greater power transmission capacity. In bipolar DC grids, any distributed generation system can be connected through DC-DC converters, which must [...] Read more.
Bipolar DC grids have become an adequate solution for high-power microgrids. This is mainly due to the fact that this configuration has a greater power transmission capacity. In bipolar DC grids, any distributed generation system can be connected through DC-DC converters, which must have a monopolar input and a bipolar output. In this paper, a DC-DC converter based on the combination of single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) and Ćuk converters is proposed, to connect a photovoltaic (PV) system to a bipolar DC grid. This topology has, as main advantages, a reduced number of components and a high efficiency. Furthermore, it can contribute to regulate/balance voltage in bipolar DC grids. To control the proposed converter, any of the techniques described in the literature and applied to converters of a single input and single output can be used. An experimental prototype of a DC-DC converter with bipolar output based on the combination of SEPIC and Ćuk converters was developed. On the other hand, a perturb and observe method (P and O) has been applied to control the converter and has allowed maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The combined converter was connected in island mode and in parallel with a bipolar DC microgrid. The obtained results have allowed to verify the behavior of the combined converter with the applied strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters)
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15 pages, 5298 KiB  
Article
Interleaved Buck Converter for Inductive Wireless Power Transfer in DC–DC Converters
by Marco Carbajal-Retana, Leobardo Hernandez-Gonzalez, Jazmin Ramirez-Hernandez, Juan Gerardo Avalos-Ochoa, Pedro Guevara-Lopez, Igor Loboda and Luis Antonio Sotres-Jara
Electronics 2020, 9(6), 949; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9060949 - 8 Jun 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5237
Abstract
The use of Inductive Wireless Power Transfer (IWPT) varies from low-power applications such as mobile phones and tablets chargers to high-power electric vehicles chargers. DC–DC converters are used in IWPT systems, and their design needs to consider the demand of high efficiency in [...] Read more.
The use of Inductive Wireless Power Transfer (IWPT) varies from low-power applications such as mobile phones and tablets chargers to high-power electric vehicles chargers. DC–DC converters are used in IWPT systems, and their design needs to consider the demand of high efficiency in the power transfer. In this paper, a DC–DC power converter for IWPT is proposed. Its topology uses a DC–AC converter in the transmitter circuit and an AC–DC converter in the receptor. The transmitter has an interleaved coupled-Buck converter that integrates two Buck converters connected to a half inverter bridge and a parallel resonant load. The control strategy implemented for the semiconductor switching devices allows two operating modes to obtain a sinusoidal output voltage with a low distortion that makes it suitable in high-efficiency power transfer systems. To obtain a DC output voltage, a full wave bridge rectifier is used in the receptor circuit. The proposed topology and the control strategy are validated with simulation and experimental results for a 15 W prototype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters)
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Review

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34 pages, 8886 KiB  
Review
Multiple-Output DC–DC Converters: Applications and Solutions
by Salvador P. Litrán, Eladio Durán, Jorge Semião and Cristian Díaz-Martín
Electronics 2022, 11(8), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11081258 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 12520
Abstract
Multiple-output DC–DC converters are essential in a multitude of applications where different DC output voltages are required. The interest and importance of this type of multiport configuration is also reflected in that many electronics manufacturers currently develop integrated solutions. Traditionally, the different output [...] Read more.
Multiple-output DC–DC converters are essential in a multitude of applications where different DC output voltages are required. The interest and importance of this type of multiport configuration is also reflected in that many electronics manufacturers currently develop integrated solutions. Traditionally, the different output voltages required are obtained by means of a transformer with several windings, which are in addition to providing electrical isolation. However, the current trend in the development of multiple-output DC–DC converters follows general aspects, such as low losses, high-power density, and high efficiency, as well as the development of new architectures and control strategies. Certainly, simple structures with a reduced number of components and power switches will be one of the new trends, especially to reduce the size. In this sense, the incorporation of devices with a Wide Band Gap (WBG), particularly Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC), will establish future trends, advantages, and disadvantages in the development and applications of multiple-output DC–DC converters. In this paper, we present a review of the most important topics related to multiple-output DC–DC converters based on their main topologies and configurations, applications, solutions, and trends. A wide variety of configurations and topologies of multiple-output DC–DC converters are shown (more than 30), isolated and non-isolated, single and multiple switches, and based on soft and hard switching techniques, which are used in many different applications and solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Applications of Multiple Output DC-DC Converters)
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