Small and scalable high voltage push-pull converter for feeding dielectric elastomer transducers (DET)

The authors present a HV DC-DC converter designed for driving capacitive loads such as dielectric elastomer transducers (DET) at high voltages (HV). The proposed topology is easily scalable in a way that output voltages can be provided in a wide range. By using voltage multipliers and a cascaded discharge circuit, the components’ exposure to electrical stress is kept low even at high output voltages. Two variants with continuously adjustable output voltages ranging up to 1 kV and 3 kV are introduced. The prototypes show the topology’s capability of miniaturization, cost reduction and driving capability.