Feed-Forward Compensator of Operating Frequency for APWM HB Flyback Converter

A feed-forward frequency compensator for an asymmetrical pulsewidth modulated (APWM) half-bridge (HB) flyback converter is proposed to increase its power conversion efficiency. Under a variable input voltage, the APWM HB flyback converter cannot be satisfied with the zero-current switching (ZCS) condition of output rectifiers because the variation of the turn-ON duration of main switches, which regulate the output voltage, induces their improper turn-OFF duration. This means that the resonance of a primary current during the turn-OFF of the switches is out of the ZCS operation of the output rectifiers. To avoid this improper operation, the resonant network should be designed with a marginal turn-OFF duration that guarantees the ZCS. However, this makes the converter operate with poor efficiency because of increasing conduction losses. The proposed feed-forward frequency compensator can properly change the converter's operating frequency to reduce the conduction losses according to the variation of the input voltage satisfying the ZCS condition of the output rectifiers. Operation principles, steady-state analysis, and soft-switching conditions are analyzed to derive the frequency compensation algorithm of the APWM HB flyback converter. Experimental results using a 240-W prototype converter show that the proposed compensation algorithm can improve the power conversion efficiency of the APWM HB flyback converter under the input-voltage variation.