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This paper proposes a novel emulation system for emulating the power system in the fuel cell electric vehicle. The major purpose of the proposed emulation system is to test the dc–dc converter between the fuel cell and high-voltage powertrain. The bidirectional buck–boost type dc–dc converter is applied in the emulation system as the basic elements. A modularized approach is presented for easily scaling up and down the power level of the emulation system. Meanwhile, an energy loop structure is implemented in the proposed emulation system for power capability boosting purpose. Because of the proposed energy loop configuration, the emulation system offers long-term running capability with high power rating without the grid connection. A neutral current control mechanism is applied in this paper to further enhance the long-term testing capability as well as extending the lifespan for the battery packages. The simulation studies are proposed in this paper to validate the control mechanisms of the emulation system. A 10 kW hardware prototype has been built and the experimental tests are presented for validating the functionalities of the emulation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly growing field of electrified transportation technology, hybrid electric and electric vehicle (HEV/EV) manufacturers have been placing increasing demands on the designers to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of vehicle components to sustain a niche in the EV market. To understand the significance and challenges in an efficient and economical drivetrain design, this paper presents a part of an ongoing project that aims at developing a comprehensive study on dc/ac drive motor technology in EV applications. In this paper, a new three-level three-phase matrix converter topology, along with two conventional frequently used three-level three-phase dc/ac converter topologies, namely, diode-clamped and H-bridge converters, are implemented. Furthermore, comprehensive analysis and comparative studies are conducted to examine the performance and efficiency of these converter topologies according to EV design criteria. In addition, experimental investigations are carried out on the aforementioned converter configurations to help EV designers choose the most suitable converter topology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A 12-V motor drive system using an onboard battery is promising in vehicle applications, e.g., to rotate an air pump to adjust its air delivery to the burner, thereby providing autonomous exhaust temperature control for the conventional diesel engine vehicle. The 12-V/1-kW motor drive system proposed in this paper consists of a series-resonant LLC MOSFET full-bridge converter, which provides high-efficiency power transfer by implementing zero voltage switching and boosts the dc bus to $\sim$300 V, and an insulated-gate bipolar transistor inverter, which provides the high-side phase currents to a 1-kW/6000-r/min brushless dc motor (BLDC). This design secures the high efficiency, low cost, and low volume. Meanwhile, with the variable output voltage of this dc/dc converter, this paper realizes a commutation torque-ripple reduction method, which will minimize the mechanical vibration. Experimental results on this prototype system demonstrate that: 1) the LLC dc/dc part efficiency is 97.6% with 92% of the inverter efficiency; and 2) the motor commutation torque ripple is reduced close to zero. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes the series–series compensation topology to realize a low-voltage and high-current inductive power transfer system (IPT) for the automatic guided vehicles (AGVs). Since the height of the AGV chassis is in the tens of mm, the coupling coefficient is close to 1, resulting in a tightly coupled IPT system. This paper has three main contributions. First, it reveals that the high-order harmonic currents in a tightly coupled IPT system could be very significant. Second, it quantifies the impact of the high-order harmonic currents on the efficiency, which shows the efficiency can be reduced. Third, it proposes an effective method to design the parameters in order to reduce the harmonics and maintain high efficiency. Aiming at the charging of AGVs, a prototype is constructed. The magnetic coupler size is 220 mm × 220 mm × 10 mm. When the airgap is 10 mm, it achieves 1.8-kW power transfer with a dc–dc efficiency of 89.9% from a 400-V dc source to a 24-V dc load, and the charging current is 74 A. When the airgap varies from 5 mm to 15 mm, the power variation is within ±350 W, and the efficiency is not affected. The fast Fourier transform analysis of the experimental currents also validates the theoretical analysis and the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric motorcycles use a battery storage system and a controlled inverter (motor drive) to drive the wheels. Given that the sale of electric motorcycles is expected to grow significantly over the next decade, the aim of this research is to add a supercapacitor storage system to this simple network in order to extend the autonomy of the motorcycle. This paper analyzes and demonstrates the benefits of two different structures for adding a supercapacitor bank to a lithium-ion battery pack: a passive filter and a buffer for the battery. The advantages of each structure are presented and design guidelines are provided. In addition, we propose a synthetic inductor filter typology based on the two analyzed structures in order to increase the autonomy of the motorcycle. Simulations and experimental results using real data validate the analysis. This paper then uses real data extracted from an electric motorcycle to compare the four topologies: batteries only, the passive filter, the buffer, and the synthetic inductor semi-active hybrid storage system. The comparison shows that battery capacity is extended up to 7.8% with a smoother current profile. However, due to the losses from the added converter in cascade, the net capacity of the whole system is extended only up to 3.7%. Therefore, improvements in the dc/dc converter can further increase the entire system capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel cells have increasingly become an attractive option for providing clean electricity at relatively high efficiency. This paper discusses the key features of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for a fuel cell-based auxiliary power unit (FC-APU) to supply a portion of electric loads in a vehicle. The FC-APU includes two converters: a unidirectional converter to control the fuel cell current and a bidirectional converter to control the dc-link voltage and battery current. This paper proposes 1) an energy management system (EMS) to manage the power transfer between the load and energy sources with emphasis on low stress on the fuel cell, 2) an iterative method to size the fuel cell and battery for a given load profile, based on the proposed EMS, and 3) a current estimator to reduce the effects of system transients on the dc-link voltage and increase system modularity. Simulation and experimental results validate the proposed EMS, sizing, and controller design. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an integrated control scheme for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operation in the distribution grid with renewable energy sources. A hierarchical framework is proposed for V2G applications, and the mathematical models are built for both smart charging and V2G operation with distribution grid constraints. V2G power is regulated to minimize the total operating cost (TOC) while providing frequency regulation. The simulation results verify the control algorithm in coordinating distributed electric vehicle (EV) aggregations with the varying wind power and daily load. For V2G dynamic regulation, EVs connected in close proximity to wind power generators can locally compensate for the wind fluctuation with fast response and, hence, smooth out the power fluctuation at the bus having wind power generators and EVs. Each individual EV is strategically assigned to implement the simulated control algorithm through a bidirectional converter. An experimental platform is incorporated into the proposed integrated energy management to demonstrate the instantaneous response of EV battery storage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper studies wireless charging of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The charging profile mandates a constant-current (CC) charging for a discharged battery until the battery voltage reaches the cutoff voltage at rated power. The charging continues at the cutoff voltage with a constant-voltage (CV) charging at a power level down to 3% of the rated power in order to fully charge the battery. An inductive-power-transfer (IPT) converter should be designed with minimal number of stages to achieve high efficiency. However, high efficiency for such a wide load range is difficult to achieve. Moreover, the efficiency-to-load relationship is distinctly different for CC and CV charging operations, posing difficulties for the single-stage design. This paper describes the design of a single-stage IPT converter that complies with the battery charging profile and, at the same time, achieves optimal efficiency. Design optimization includes soft switching for the entire battery load range, efficiency optimization for CC and CV modes of operation, and system efficiency optimization for the whole battery charging profile. Measured results of two experimental IPT battery chargers are presented for illustration and verification. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Compared with energy storage equipment based on supercapacitors, flywheels, or lithium batteries, inverters have obvious advantages in installation space, cost, reliability, and service lifetime. For this reason, regenerative inverters are increasingly installed in the substations of urban rail transit systems. They have controllable operating characteristics, but their impact on the energy saving and railway operation cost has not been fully studied. In this paper, based on the typical application scheme of regenerative inverters, the operating characteristics of the inverter including power limitation, start working voltage, and virtual internal resistance are introduced at first. A simplified power system model containing regenerative inverters and trains has been built. The impact of operating characteristics on the amount of regenerative braking energy and its distribution is analyzed. The inverter operating characteristics are optimized by a cost function considering total energy consumption, brake shoes wear, and inverter expense. A case study based on a multiple-train scenario is presented to validate the cost-saving performance. The work is expected to provide some guides for the design and optimization of the traction power supply system with inverting substations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For large power application of inductively coupled power transfer (ICPT) system, such as traffic railway, multiple pickups have to be adopted. The condition exists that current unbalance of ICPT system with multiple parallel pickup modules, which will cause instability and low reliability. Aimed to solve the issue, the paper analyses the uncoupled module of ICPT system, assesses the impact of the mutual inductance, compensated state, and coil resistance on current unbalance, and put forward a novel current-balance strategy to balance the parallel currents by introducing the circuit of impedance transformation including semi-controlled rectifier, and BUCK, and BOOST circuits. Experiments have been done on the platform of ICPT prototype, and the experimental results are presented to show the correctness of the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the control strategy. When the output voltage is 220 V and load is 6 Ω, the output power is 8 kW. The amplitude ratio of the two parallel currents is 2.04 without control, and the amplitude of the two current is almost equal when adopting the strategy. System efficiency stays constant or increases slightly after adopting the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a bidirectional CLLC converter operating at MHz-level switching frequency is proposed to achieve high power density and high efficiency. An optimized stacked printed circuit board winding based planar transformer with adjustable leakage inductance is modeled and designed for the proposed converter. It is enabled using gallium nitride devices to achieve fast switching with low switching losses. A detailed power loss model is established for the efficient thermal design of the converter. A proof-of-concept hardware of 3.3 kW, 400–450 VDC input, 250–420 VDC output CLLC converter with 1 MHz operating frequency is built and tested over a wide range of loading conditions. The power density of the system is 9.22 W/cm3 (151.1 W/in3) and the peak efficiency achieves over 97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive review and analyses on the state-of-the-art and future trends for high-power conductive on-board chargers (OBCs) for electric vehicles. To provide a global context, a summary of global charging standards and electric vehicle (EV) related trends are presented, which demonstrates momentum toward the OBCs with higher power rating. High-power OBCs are either unidirectional or bidirectional, and they have either an integrated or non-integrated system architecture. Non-integrated high-power OBCs are studied both from industry and academia, and the former are used to illustrate the current state of the art. The latter are classified on the basis of the converter design approach, studied for their principle of operation, and compared over power density, weight, efficiency, and other metrics. In addition to non-integrated OBCs, recent advancements in propulsion-machine integrated OBC solutions are also presented. Other integrated OBC techniques, such as system integration with the EV's auxiliary power module and wireless charging systems, are also discussed. Finally, future charging strategies and functionalities in charging infrastructures are addressed, and global OBC trends are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With new developments in power electronics and semiconductor devices, there has been an increasing interest in the adoption of power electronic traction transformer (PETT) topologies in railways, mainly for the purpose of mass and volume reduction against conventional topologies. Apart from traction transformers, examples include isolation circuits for on-board auxiliary power units (APU) and even 750 VDC, 110 VDC and lower voltage (e.g., 72 VDC) battery chargers. Special attention has been given to the more mature technology of three-stage (ac–dc–MFac–dc) configurations with intermediate medium frequency ac (MFac) links. In contrast to conventional architectures, it becomes difficult to select a suitable multistage topology of power electronics for the design of complex traction systems with advanced requirements. The power electronics utilized in different configurations have a significant effect on performance, efficiency, power quality (harmonics and stability), and cost indicators for the whole system, making the selection and design process more complex. The objective of this paper is to provide a clear overview of proposed topologies with special emphasis on the power electronic architectures utilized in three-stage PETT systems particularly for railway traction systems and on-board APUs. With regards to the listed range of possible architectures provided to the reader, key characteristics, such as total semiconductor (switches and diodes) count numbers per module per phase, input/output voltage levels, operating frequencies, and the most commonly used resonant networks, are summarized and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an inductor–inductor–capacitor (LLC) resonant dc–dc converter design procedure for an onboard lithium-ion battery charger of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is presented. Unlike traditional resistive load applications, the characteristic of a battery load is nonlinear and highly related to the charging profiles. Based on the features of an LLC converter and the characteristics of the charging profiles, the design considerations are studied thoroughly. The worst-case conditions for primary-side zero-voltage switching (ZVS) operation are analytically identified based on fundamental harmonic approximation when a constant maximum power (CMP) charging profile is implemented. Then, the worst-case operating point is used as the design targeted point to ensure soft-switching operation globally. To avoid the inaccuracy of fundamental harmonic approximation approach in the below-resonance region, the design constraints are derived based on a specific operation mode analysis. Finally, a step-by-step design methodology is proposed and validated through experiments on a prototype converting 400 V from the input to an output voltage range of 250–450 V at 3.3 kW with a peak efficiency of 98.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a control strategy is presented for a high-performance capacitively loaded loop (LLC) multiresonant dc–dc converter in a two-stage smart charger for neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) applications. It addresses several aspects and limitations of LLC resonant dc–dc converters in battery charging applications, such as very wide output voltage range while keeping the efficiency maximized, implementation of the current mode control at the secondary side, and optimization of burst mode operation for current regulation at very low output voltage. The proposed control scheme minimizes both low- and high-frequency current ripples on the battery while maintaining stability of the dc–dc converter, thus maximizing battery life without penalizing the volume of the charger. Experimental results are presented for a prototype unit converting 390 V from the input dc link to an output voltage range of 3–72 V dc at 650 W. The prototype achieves a peak efficiency value of 96%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes an interleaved equalization architecture for series-connected lithium-ion battery strings, which can deliver energy from a battery module to the cells in the next adjacent battery module, resulting in an enhancement of the equalization current and efficiency. Particularly, the global equalization is achieved without the need of additional stage circuits to balance among modules, leading to a small size and low cost. A two-module equalizer based on resonant LC converter and buck converter with soft switching is implemented to verify the validity of the proposed interleaved architecture. Furthermore, a self-learning fuzzy logic control (SLFLC) algorithm is employed to online regulate the equalization period based on the voltage difference among cells and the cell voltage, not only greatly abbreviating the balancing time but also effectively preventing overequalization. The SLFLC has the outstanding advantages of high balancing precision, easy implementation, and strong robustness. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed equalizer has good balancing performances with soft switching and high efficiency, and achieves zero-voltage gap among cells. Moreover, the proposed SLFLC algorithm abridges the total equalization time by about 27%, and reduces the equalization cycles by about 59% compared with the traditional control algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are equipped with onboard level-1 or level-2 chargers for home overnight or office daytime charging. In addition, off-board chargers can provide fast charging for traveling long distances. However, off-board high-power chargers are bulky, expensive, and require comprehensive evolution of charging infrastructures. An integrated onboard charger capable of fast charging of PEVs will combine the benefits of both the conventional onboard and off-board chargers, without additional weight, volume, and cost. In this paper, an innovative single-phase integrated charger, using the PEV propulsion machine and its traction converter, is introduced. The charger topology is capable of power factor correction and battery voltage/current regulation without any bulky add-on components. Ac machine windings are utilized as mutually coupled inductors, to construct a two-channel interleaved boost converter. The circuit analyses of the proposed technology, based on a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM), are discussed in details. Experimental results of a 3-kW proof-of-concept prototype are carried out using a \textrm220-V{\rm{rms}}, 3-phase, 8-pole PMSM. A nearly unity power factor and 3.96% total harmonic distortion of input ac current are acquired with a maximum efficiency of 93.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a phase-shifted semi-bridgeless boost power-factor-corrected (PFC) converter is proposed to simplify the current-sensing technique for the semi-bridgeless PFC converter. The converter features high efficiency at light loads and low ac input lines, which is critical to minimize the charger size, charging time, and amount and cost of electricity drawn from the utility. The converter is applicable for automotive levels I and II but is ideally suited for level-I residential charging applications. A detailed converter description and steady-state operation analysis of this converter is presented. Experimental results of a prototype boost converter, converting the universal ac input voltage to 400 V dc at 3.4 kW, are given, and the results are compared with an interleaved boost converter to verify the proof of concept and the reported analytical work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a high-gain boost converter (three-level converter and transformerless converter) for fuel cell (FC) vehicle applications. An original nonlinear control law based on the flatness principle for distributed dc generation is studied. Utilizing the flatness property, we propose simple solutions to the system performance and stabilization problems. The design controller parameters are straightforward and autonomous at the operating point. To validate the proposed method, a prototype FC power converter (1.2-kW three-level boost converter) is developed in the laboratory. The proposed control law is implemented with a digital estimate in a dSPACE 1104 controller card. The experimental results from the laboratory using a 1200-W and 46-A polymer electrolyte membrane FC (PEMFC) verify that this is a good control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper suggests a hybrid pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) dc/dc converter for an electric vehicle (EV) on-board charger (OBC). It is composed of a full-bridge (FB) converter and a resonant converter with secondary resonance tank (SRT). They are coupled in a single transformer so that any power distribution problem that causes a size increase in the transformer can be solved. Dual power flow of the proposed charger provides an increase in charger gain and a reduction of turn-off voltage spikes of the rectifying diodes caused by transformer leakage inductance and diode junction capacitance. These characteristics help reduce diode loss and remove dissipative snubber circuitry. In addition, this structure has the additional advantage of output inductor size due to the reduction of voltage variation applied to the inductor. The feasibility of the proposed charger is verified with a 6.6-kW prototype implemented by a design procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a fuel cell (FC)–supercapacitor traction drive and its power control. The proposed solution allows increasing efficiency and performances of an FC-based powertrain by means of a dual cascaded voltage source inverter and a supercapacitor bank. An optimal control algorithm allows avoiding the fast transition of the FC output power under whatever operating condition. It is based on five operation modes, which are selected as a function of the actual traction power request. This way, both power peaks and slopes are controlled during vehicle accelerations. A supercapacitor charge stabilization strategy, which uses the same cascaded converter power circuit, is also proposed. Experimental implementation has been performed for validation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new single-switch high step-up dc–dc converter is proposed, in this paper, for fuel cell vehicles. The proposed topology utilizes an L2C3D2 network to obtain high voltage gain and reduce the voltage stress on the power switch. Additionally, the proposed converter has a universal input voltage in order to suit the soft output characteristics of the fuel cell. Comprehensive analyses of the steady-state operation in continuous conduction mode and discontinuous conduction mode, and design considerations of the proposed converter are given. Finally, a 400 V/1.6 kW scaled-down prototype is developed to validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design guideline of a bidirectional isolated Ćuk converter with an active-snubber circuit, which is used as a cell level tester for multiple automotive dc energy storage devices (ESDs), such as ultracapacitors, Li-ion batteries, and NiMH batteries. The converter interfaces those automotive dc ESD cells with 24-V dc systems, and it realizes bidirectional power flow with two main switches. Based on the ratings of those dc ESD cells, the designed converter operates at a very low voltage range, i.e., from 1.5 to 6 V, with current as high as 300 A. The detailed operation principle and major features, such as soft switching and energy recovery, are analyzed under continuous current mode. Based on the analysis, the design guideline of the dc–dc converter is presented. A 1.2-kW laboratory prototype has been built and tested with full power rating. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work deals with the design and implementation of a new charger for a battery-operated electric vehicle (EV) with power factor improvement at the front end. In the proposed configuration, the conventional diode converter at the source end of existing EV battery charger is eliminated with the modified Landsman power factor correction (PFC) converter. The PFC converter is cascaded to a flyback isolated converter, which yields the EV battery control to charge it, first in constant current mode then switching to constant voltage mode. The proposed PFC converter is controlled using single sensed entity to achieve the robust regulation of dc-link voltage as well as to ensure the unity power factor operation. The proposed topology offers improved power quality, low device stress, and low input and output current ripple with low input current harmonics when compared to the conventional one. Moreover, to demonstrate the conformity of the proposed charger to an IEC 61000-3-2 standard, a prototype is built and tested to charge a 48 V EV battery of 100 Ah capacity, under transients in input voltage. The performance of the charger is found satisfactory for all the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rooted in the compressed sensing theory, sub-Nyquist spectrum sensing (SNSS) has been considered as a promising approach to dealing with difficulties and limitations of conventional wideband spectrum sensing in cognitive radio (CR) networks. Most existing SNSS methods require some prior knowledge of the monitored frequency bands, such as the spectrum occupancy/sparsity level and/or the noise power, to determine a termination condition used by an underlying iterative signal recovery process. However, such prior knowledge may be difficult to acquire in practical CR scenarios. To address this problem, we propose a blind SNSS algorithm, referred to as the residual energy ratio based detector (RERD), which bypasses the need for the above-mentioned prior knowledge and performs spectrum sensing in a more autonomous way. The RERD algorithm, which is based on the modulated wideband converter (MWC) sub-Nyquist sampling framework, employs energy ratios of adjacent channels of the MWC as test statistics. We derive closed-form expressions of the decision threshold and the false alarm probability following the Neyman–Pearson criterion. Simulation results show that, without requiring the aforementioned prior knowledge, the RERD algorithm can accurately determine the support of a multiband signal contaminated by background noise in a wide range of signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, the RERD algorithm is shown to be robust to a range of sparsity orders and different number of sampling channels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]