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The multi-level inverter (MLI) is more efficient due to its ability to eliminate low-order harmonics. Thus, it is widely used in renewable energy generation, electric vehicles (EVs), etc. The choice of the neutral-point clamped (NPC) converter topology as a research object is of great significance in practical engineering. However, complex modulation algorithms and neutral-point voltage unbalance are two inherent problems for such NPC inverters. In this paper, an improved multi-voltage vector model predictive control (MVV-MPC) strategy based on neighboring four voltage vector synthesis is presented for three-phase NPC inverters. The duty cycle calculation and derivation methods for the proposed method are very simple, and they were obtained through the action time of each voltage vector being inversely proportional to the value of the corresponding cost function. Moreover, the fixed switching frequency of this strategy is maintained and the current peak ripple is reduced, guaranteeing the preferred total harmonic distortion of the output waveform. Furthermore, a voltage balancing method based on zero-sequence voltage injection is utilized to achieve dynamic balancing of the midpoint voltage difference and to limit the oscillation magnitude of the midpoint voltage difference to within ± 1 V. Finally, MATLAB simulations and an HIL experimental platform are built to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bipolar DC bus configuration has been widely used in DC nano-grids due to its flexibility and stability. Input-parallel-output-series (IPOS) converters are utilized in bipolar DC bus and RES applications due to their simple structure. However, there is a big challenge with this structure. To ensure system safety and stability, the two output voltages of an IPOS converter need to be balanced. On this basis, an IPOS three-state boost converter with a balanced output voltage is proposed in this paper. At the same time, output voltage balance can be obtained by adjusting the duration of the three-state converter based on the volt-second balance method. In the proposed strategy, a switch series diode is added to the IPOS Boost converter topology, and the voltage across the main inductor can be changed through one degree of freedom, where the corresponding output voltage is regulated due to a change in inductor voltage. In addition, under different dead time conditions, adjusting the gate drive of the switch can be used to achieve voltage balance. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis and relative calculations are provided. Finally, a 20–200 V prototype is built to verify the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, resonant converters have been widely used in the fields of electric vehicles and renewable energy systems due to their excellent characteristics in terms of high energy density, high energy efficiency, wide output range, and wide ZVS range. Conventional resonant converters generally adopt pulse frequency modulation (PFM) in a wide range of output applications. This means the frequency varies over a wide range, which results in problems such as high switch loss, large noise, and high EMI. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a hybrid fixed-frequency modulation strategy applied to a wide range of outputs based on the series resonant converter, where asymmetrical voltage-cancellation control (AVC control) and its improved strategy (IAVC control) are applied in the normalized gain ranges of [0.5, 1] and [0, 0.5]. The proposed modulation strategy achieves lower switching loss, higher efficiency, and better ZVS characteristics in wide voltage output and load ranges. Under the same output voltage and power, to realize ZVS, the proposed hybrid modulation has a smaller switching frequency and resonant current, which improves efficiency and reduce losses, especially in the case of low voltage gain and light load conditions. Finally, experimental data obtained from an 80 V input and a 800 W power max prototype circuit are included to verify the proposed hybrid modulation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High voltage step-down converters are very popular in distributed power systems, voltage regular modules, automatic vehicles, etc. To avoid extreme duty cycles, a series capacitor-based buck converter with a coupled inductor is proposed in this paper. In this converter, the voltage stresses of the power switches are clamped to half of the input voltage. Thus, low voltage rating MOSFETs with a low Rds,on could be utilized to improve the performance of the proposed converter. Moreover, synchronous MOSFETs are also used to reduce the conduction losses of the switches. Zero voltage switching (ZVS) for the main power switches is achieved using the coupled-inductor technique. In addition, through adding a bypass flowing path, a negative current is established to guarantee the ZVS condition of the power switches. The operating principle of the proposed converter is described in this paper, and the DC voltage gain ratio, automatic current sharing, soft switching condition and design guideline of the critical parameters are also given. Finally, experimental results obtained from a 60 V/200 W prototype are presented to verify the analysis of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of open-switch faults of a voltage source inverter system is investigated. A new fault diagnosis method based on an observer and an adaptive threshold is proposed. This method only needs to utilize the signals existing in a system without the need for extra hardware circuits. First, an observer is designed on a model of a three-phase voltage source inverter system to estimate currents. Then, an adaptive threshold is designed on fault residuals, dynamics of the currents and variations of the system operating state. Moreover, the dead time and switching delay time are also included in the threshold to consider practical applications. Furthermore, to achieve on-line real-time diagnosis and to improve the reliability of the proposed method, the averages of the current residuals in a current fundamental period are defined as diagnostic variables. Finally, the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by simulation and experiment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]