Analysis, simulation and testing of a novel 4-element current-source resonant inverter

High-frequency resonant power converters are an attractive choice for high power density applications. Only resonant converters with 2 energy-storage elements have been studied and used for applications. However, some of the drawbacks of this class of converters (including poor load regulation, discontinuous mode operation and poor transient response) can be overcome by the judicious augmentation of the resonant circuit. This paper presents the results of a study performed on a novel 4-element current-source resonant inverter circuit. These include analytical results on its steady-state characteristics (including input impedance, resonant frequency, input-output transfer function, individual component voltage and current stresses, and efficiency). In addition, samples of analytically derived design charts, simulation results and experimental results are shown. They indicate that this resonant inverter has certain advantages over present ones.