Design of New Current Full-Bridge Resonant Inverter for Induction Heating System

There are two types of inverters that are generally used in induction heating systems: voltage type inverters and high-frequency half-bridge inverters. This paper proposes a new resonant inverter for induction heating systems using the current type full-bridge method. The proposed method can remove capacitors at the input end, and enables unity power factor operation by preventing phase differences of voltage and current. Furthermore, Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) which is in tune with current type inverter can be adopted and continuous power adjustment is possible through duty ratio changes and frequency modulation in switching operation. Simulations and experiments showed that the proposed current type full-bridge resonant inverter could be used for unity power factor control and ZVS operation in induction heating systems.