Improvements in integrated high-quality rectifier-regulators

The integrated high-quality rectifier-regulators [1] are not practical for universal input voltage and wide load range applications because of high bulk-capacitor voltage stress at lighter loads. This load-dependent characteristic of the bulk-capacitor voltage is due to the integration of a discontinuous conduction mode boost converter and a continuous conduction mode dc-dc converter. In addition, this power factor correction technique suffers from a high-voltage spike on the switch at turn-off. In this thesis, variable frequency control, swinging choke, and low loss LC snubber techniques are proposed to alleviate these problems. Finally, several experimental converters with different specifications are evaluated with respect to efficiency and ability to meet the IEC555-2 standards.