US Patent 11183322 Variable inductor apparatuses systems and methods

Unique systems, methods, techniques and apparatuses for a ZVT ZCT resonant converter with a variable resonant tank are disclosed. One exemplary embodiment is a system comprising a bidirectional resonant converter comprising an input/output terminal, a switching device coupled with the input/output terminal, a resonant circuit coupled with the switching device and including a variable inductor, an output/input terminal coupled with the resonant circuit, and a DC biasing circuit operatively coupled with the variable inductor. The variable inductor comprises a toroidal core, a first winding wound around the toroidal core and coupled with the switching device and the output/input terminal, a second core structured to overlap a portion of the toroidal core, and a second winding wound around the second core and coupled with the DC biasing circuit. The DC biasing circuit is controllable to vary the inductance of the variable inductor by saturating a portion of the toroidal core.