Improved Dual Active Bridge DC–DC Converter With Symmetric Bipolar Output by Utilizing a Switched-Capacitor Circuit for Bipolar DC Distribution System

The bipolar dc distribution system is a promising solution due to its advantages in efficiency and reliability, but there are also challenges of pole voltage imbalance. By using a simple switched-capacitor circuit, this article presents a semidual active bridge converter with symmetrical bipolar output characteristics. The converter is capable of single-stage power conversion, offering the advantages of low cost, and high-power conversion efficiency. Moreover, the symmetrical bipolar output voltage can be achieved without an additional voltage balancer and feedback control under unbalanced load conditions, which reduces system cost and control system complexity. In addition, the proposed converter also has a significant advantage over existing solutions in terms of the number of semiconductor devices and magnetic components. A detailed analysis of the proposed converter is presented, including the operation principle, steady-state performance, soft-switching performance, voltage gain, voltage/current stresses, efficiency and loss analysis, and control method. Finally, a 1-kW prototype is developed and tested to verify the performance of the proposed converter.