A Novel Non-Isolated Bidirectional DC-DC Converter with Improved Current Ripples for Low-Voltage On-Board Charging

This paper presents a novel single-phase non-isolated bidirectional buck converter topology. The proposed converter uses a basic switching cell structure with a coupled inductor and an interleaving switching scheme. This article addresses a crucial challenge in bidirectional DC-DC conversion by prioritizing reducing output current ripples and minimizing filter inductor size. The employed method includes using MOSFETs with fast recovery diodes to mitigate reverse recovery and body diode losses. Furthermore, the optimization of the switching frequency of the output inductor to be twice the actual switching frequency contributes to reducing the component size of the converter. The coupled inductor also helps to reduce stress on components by distributing currents among its legs. The experimental result demonstrates the proposed converter has a very low ripple current as compared to the conventional converter. The low current ripples and smaller filter inductor size enabled by high-frequency operation have improved the efficiency and size of the converter. A common ground between input and output terminals ensures robust performance without common mode current concerns. Overall, the proposed converter represents a significant improvement in DC-DC converters, promising enhanced efficiency, reliability, and compactness in bidirectional DC-DC conversion systems. In order to verify the performance of the proposed converter, a 460 W buck converter prototype was built and tested.