Cuk PFC Converter Based on Variable Inductor

When the input inductor operates in discontinuous current mode (DCM), the Cuk converter can automatically achieve power factor correction (PFC) function with only a simple voltage mode control loop. However, the conventional Cuk PFC converter suffers from high intermediate capacitor voltage because of the lack of feedback of the intermediate capacitor voltage and relatively low power factor (PF). In this paper, a Cuk PFC converter using variable inductor which varies with the transient rectified input voltage is proposed to enhance the PF and reduce the intermediate capacitor voltage by injecting a controlled DC bias current into the auxiliary winding of the variable input inductor. The operating principles of the proposed Cuk PFC converter based on variable inductor are analyzed in detail, and the analysis of PF, the voltage of intermediate capacitor, and design considerations are provided. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme and compare the characteristics of both the traditional and proposed Cuk PFC converter, a 108W experimental prototype of the proposed converter is built and tested. The experimental results show that the proposed Cuk PFC converter can significantly enhance the PF, decrease the intermediate capacitor voltage, and increase efficiency compared with the traditional Cuk PFC converter.