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Electrical and Electronics
Two NanoRacks CubeSats after the deployment. Credit: NASA
Self-Bootstrapping Isolated Power Converter
NASA’s Self-Bootstrapping IPC operates in either transition mode for bootstrapping or fixed frequency mode for a regulated output via closed feedback. The transition mode is initially turned on via the input (i.e., primary) voltage control of the main switch and acts as a bootstrap converter utilizing a Gallium Nitrate transistor to control peak primary inductor current. That peak current can be varied via the sensor gain and/or a precise artificially generated offset and controls the switching frequency together with the secondary load (i.e., output). The IPC operates in transition mode until the Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) Under Voltage Lockout threshold is reached and fixed frequency mode begins. Fixed frequency operation is controlled by the PWM and the normal operation mode of the converter maintains a frequency while varying the duty cycle as needed. The PWM is secondary ground referenced and controls primary switching via galvanic isolation. The peak current in transition mode is set higher than the peak current in fixed frequency operation to prevent interruption or instability while in fixed frequency operation after bootstrap is completed. However, the transition mode control can serve as the overall peak current limiter. This invention is applicable to both flyback and buck-derived topologies with similar efficiency and size advantages. While NASA originally developed the Self-Bootstrapping IPC for CubeSats and space-based electronics with strict SWaP requirements, it may also be useful for safety-critical industries (e.g., aerospace and defense) to allow for high reliability power supplies and more favorable SWaP than existing state-of-the-art high-power dc-dc converters. The reliability, efficiency, and SWaP advantages of this NASA invention could also benefit medium- and high-power commercial power supplies.
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