Principle and Topology Derivation of Integrated Cascade Bidirectional Converters for Centralized Charge Equalization Systems

This article presents a systematic topology derivation method for developing integrated cascaded bidirectional (ICB) converters, and the centralized charge equalization system can be optimized with the proposed family of converters. On the basis of the traditional centralized system, the proposed ICB converters are generated by integrating the polarity switches and different bidirectional dc–dc converters. Compared with existing methods, the ICB converter-based centralized equalization system obtains the advantages of high voltage gain, high efficiency, high reliability, and low cost, which is more attractive in engineering applications. Since different topology structures have various performances, a half-bridge-based ICB converter with a bidirectional switch is analyzed in detail as an example to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology family. The operation principles, design guidelines, and soft-switching conditions are discussed in more depth. Finally, the experimental results and comparative analysis are conducted to verify the advantages of the proposed ICB converter and prove the evident performance improvement compared with conventional methods.