A New Adaptive Broadband Thyristor-Controlled Impedance Matching Network

In this article, we present an adaptive broadband thyristor-controlled impedance matching network (TCIMN) for increasing power utilization from a power amplifier to the loads. Different from the conventional passive impedance matching methods, the proposed one can achieve load impedance matching under a wide frequency range of power amplifiers. First, the operation principle of TCIMN is introduced mathematically. Based on that, the parameter design method is proposed based on the required frequency range. Moreover, the operating range and harmonic analyses are provided to give the TCIMN firing angle operating ranges under different frequencies and alleviate the potential harmonic problem caused by thyristors. To control the proposed TCIMN, the dynamic impedance identification is applied to match the load reactive power adaptively. Finally, the simulation and experimental results of a prototype are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed TCIMN, analysis, and control method. The results clearly show that the proposed TCIMN can adaptively match the load impedance for the different loads and broadband frequency range. More importantly, the power amplifier power utilization factor is significantly improved without causing harmonic pollutions.