Triple Active Bridge Topology Enables Three-Port Power Conversion

Diamond Electric Mfg. Co., Ltd. has developed a three-port power conversion technology with which a single power converter performs power conversion across three different voltage levels. This technology integrates multiple power conversion systems and contributes to downsizing and cost reduction, which are essential for environment-friendly equipment such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar inverters and hybrid (PV + battery) inverters. Expected applications include:

• Electric Vehicles
  • Onboard charger integrated with low-voltage dc-dc converter for auxiliaries.
  • Onboard charger integrated with isolated dc-dc converter for ac power supply in the vehicle
• Environment-friendly equipment
  • Hybrid inverters
  • EV station with battery
  • Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
  • Power router

In environment-friendly equipment, multiple voltage levels may coexist within equipment for reasons such as the characters of devices used, the utilization of existing models, and safety. Conventionally, dedicated power converters for every voltage level were used, which resulted in the large size and cost of a final product or system.

Basic specifications

In response, the three-port power conversion technology developed by Diamond Electric enables a single power converter to perform power conversion across three different voltage levels. The technology of integrating multiple power converters into one is expected to reduce the size and cost of a final product or system.

By adopting a Triple Active Bridge (TAB) topology, all three ports are capable of bidirectional power conversion. This feature makes the technology highly compatible with environment-friendly equipment such as a battery system that supports both charging and discharging operations and a utility interactive system that supports both the selling and buying of electricity.