Novel single stage AC-to-DC converters with magnetic amplifiers and high power factor

A novel class of AC-to-DC switching converters use a magnetic amplifier (magamp) as a controllable switch to provide unity power factor on the line in a single power stage. The magamp controls the rectified line current, while the fast output regulation is provided independently through pulse-width modulation (PWM) of the active switch. The overall function of these topologies is to provide light weight and efficient processing of the AC electric power with unity power factor and fast output regulation in a single converter. Experimental results are presented to verify a novel method of input current shaping with a magamp.