Tiny Power Box 2

As in the previous project "Tiny Power Box 1", the focus of the "Tiny Power Box 2" project is on further increasing the power density of chargers for electric cars, so-called on-board charger. The renewed goal is to reduce the weight and size again significantly. With the latest semiconductor technologies & optimized topology as well as targeted thermo-mechanical optimization, the new on-board charger should come even closer to an industrializable prototype.

Several technology demonstrators are being designed to test new PFC & DCDC concepts and system integration of all components to realize a highly compact on-board charger:

The final goal is the realization of an 11kW on-board charger that allows 3-phase operation as well as single-phase 7kW operation and integrates a DCDC converter stage with 48V isolated low voltage output. In order to achieve the highest possible efficiency (>96%) in all operating modes and bidirectional operation, while at the same time enabling a compact design, the topology, passive components and a mechanical/thermal system are simulated together in tightly coupled optimization workflows. At the same time, the project will compare isolated and non-isolated chargers with realized demonstrators to show the effects of an isolation barrier on the power density of the system using this on-board charger. The findings and results of this project are particularly relevant for many other power electronics applications besides an onboard charger, since a closely interlinked optimization & simulation workflow of electrical, thermal and mechanical properties, not only on the component level but also on the system level, is a prerequisite for being able to implement optimized and highly efficient power electronics systems.

The most important challenges and research topics are:

Develop a combination of circuit design, topology and component optimization, and system integration of all components, while complying with industrial standards and relevant limitations due to industrial manufacturing technology.
Development of a demonstrator using the latest components and integration technologies based on the expertise of our industrial project partners representing the entire power electronics value chain.
The new simulation-based development methodology is intended to fill existing gaps in system simulation by specifically optimizing thermal and mechanical effects in the system design to achieve the best possible cooling of the individual components.

Project facts

Title: Tiny Power Box 2 - Worlds Most Compact Next Generation Onboard Charger(s)
Program: SAL Cooperative Research
Project leader: Christian Mentin
Consortium: SAL, Infineon Österreich, Infineon Germany, Fronius, AVL, TDK Electronics, METASYSTEM und Graz University of Technology
Duration: 3 years 6 months

Here you can find all publicly accessible publications within the framework of the project:

Publications

Your contact person

DI DI Dr. Christian Mentin

Head of Research Unit | Packaging & Multiphysics

e-mail: contact@silicon-austria.com

Research program

The project is being carried out in collaboration with the leading Austrian companies Infineon, Fronius, AVL List and TDK Electronics as well as Infineon Germany and the on-board charger manufacturer METASYTEM from Italy. In addition to the industrial companies, Graz University of Technology is also involved in the project as a scientific partner. Together they are working on optimizing the power density of power electronics systems.