A line-frequency-commutated rectifier complying with IEC 1000-3-2 standard

Consumer and household appliances require low-cost ac/dc power supplies com plying with EMC standards. The commonly employed passive solutions are bulk y and do not provide output voltage stabilization. Active solutions, based on power-factor correctors with high-frequency switching, provide compactne ss and regulation capability, but are generally expensive due to the need f or fast-recovery diodes and complex EMI filters. This paper presents a high -power-factor rectifier, based on a modified conventional rectifier with pa ssive L-C filter, which improves both the harmonic content of the input cur rent and the power factor, by means of a low-frequency-commutated switch an d a small line-frequency transformer, and allows compliance with IEC 1000-3 -2 standard with reduced overall inductive components' volume.