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This paper presents a simple pulse width modulation algorithm for control of an ultracapacitor based energy storage system used for source and load support applications. As opposed to dual loop control philosophy that is widely used for backup applications, this paper presents a simple single loop current control that is only useful for controlling the ultracapacitor based DC/DC converters used in source and load support applications. The proposed PWM blocking method necessitates the DC/DC converter to operate in five states and takes into consideration the essential operational limits associated with the ultracapacitors. The performance of the proposed algorithm is verified experimentally using a 24 V laboratory prototype setup. Further, the shortcomings of dual loop control when applied to source and load support applications are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved two-stage model predictive current control (MPCC) for three-phase three-level converters in the paper, which can simultaneously achieve common-mode voltage (CMV) reduction, effective dc-link capacitor voltage control, and decreased computational burden, is proposed. Compared to the other current control strategies, it has the capability of handling multiple control objectives and possesses a simple structure. Furthermore, it greatly reduces the CMV since the peak CMVs of all the candidate voltage vectors are constrained to be less than one sixth of the dc-link voltage. In addition, an optimal two-stage voltage vector selection mechanism is employed in the proposed method. It helps to significantly reduce the computational complexity. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inductor current is an important feedback parameter in synchronous buck converters (SBCs). It is used for overcurrent protection, current sharing among interleaved modules, and current-mode feedback regulation, among others. While implementing a digital controller, inductor current is sensed and fed into the controller through a high sampling frequency analog to digital converter (ADC). As the switching frequency of the converter becomes higher, the need for an even higher sampling frequency ADC also goes up, which is a distinct disadvantage in terms of the overall cost. This paper discusses a simple current estimation technique that avoids use of any expensive current sensor and high sampling frequency ADCs. The paper shows that in a buck converter, inductor current can be estimated by tracking the width of the switch node voltage. Implementation and limitations of the proposed current estimation scheme are discussed in detail. The proposed method is validated using a 3.3 V–15 A SBC prototype and results show the estimation technique is accurate within 5% with a converter switching frequency of 800 kHz. In order to prove the effectiveness of the technique in feedback regulation, the current estimation technique is used to implement average current mode and hysteretic current mode control on a SBC. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed current estimation scheme, it is used in closed-loop control of the SBC to verify the dynamic responses, such as start-up transient, step change in load, and reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital current controllers have the key impact on the performance of grid-side converters and ac drives. The voltage disturbances are commonly suppressed by enhancing the controller with an inner active resistance feedback. In cases where the switching noise and parasitic oscillations introduce sampling errors, conventional sampling is replaced by the oversampling-based error-free feedback acquisition which derives the average of the measured currents over the past switching period. The time delay introduced into the feedback path creates difficulties in designing the current controller with the active resistance. In this paper, we introduce a novel structure of the current controller, which includes the error-free sampling and the active resistance feedback. Devised structure improves the disturbance rejection by extending the range of permissible values of the active resistance. Controller structure is based on the internal model principles, and it maintains the input step response unaffected. This paper comprises analytical design, the gain setting procedure, computer simulation, and experimental results obtained from an experimental setup with a three-phase inverter, digital controller, and a permanent-magnet synchronous motor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Model-predictive current control (MPCC) is a promising candidate for modular multilevel converter (MMC) control due to its advantages of direct modeling and fast dynamic response. The conventional MPCC, which obtains the optimal control input by evaluating a cost function for all the possible switching states, may make the MPCC impractical due to the exponentially increasing computation burden with the increasing number of submodules (SMs). On the other hand, the MPCC experiences high load current and circulating current tracking errors, since only one switching state is selected and applied during one control period. To address these issues, this paper proposes an MPCC with phase-shifted pulsewidth modulation (PS-PWM) for improving the steady-state control performance. The arm voltages are considered as a whole to implement the proposed MPCC. The optimal duty cycle is obtained based on the load and circulating current tracking error minimization and applied using the PS-PWM. As a result, the computation burden is unrelated to the number of SMs by avoiding the exhaustive evaluation process for all the possible switching states. A better steady-state performance with smaller tracking errors is achieved with the similar switching frequency, and the tedious tuning process of the weighting factor is eliminated. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MPCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-phase voltage source pulsewidth modulation (PWM) rectifiers can achieve constant dc voltage and sinusoidal grid currents under ideal grid voltages. However, under unbalanced grid voltage conditions, there are ripples at twice the grid frequency in the dc voltage, and the grid currents become highly distorted. To address the aforementioned problems, control methods developed under ideal grid voltage conditions should be modified. Various techniques have been proposed in the literature to calculate the new current reference or power reference. However, most methods use conventional pq theory and only consider the grid-side power control. Hence, the dc voltage ripples are not completely eliminated. Furthermore, the derived mathematical expressions for reference calculations are usually very complicated. In contrast to current methods, this paper proposes a very simple yet effective direct power control (DPC) method based on extended pq theory. By analyzing the instantaneous extended power of the line inductance, a simple and concise power compensation is analytically derived and added to the original power references. As a result, the dc voltage ripples are significantly reduced, and the grid currents remain sinusoidal even under unbalanced grid voltage conditions. The proposed method is compared to conventional DPC methods, and its effectiveness is confirmed by the presented experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimal current control strategy for asymmetrical hybrid multilevel inverters (MLIs) is proposed in this paper enabling their use on motor drives, static synchronous compensators, and photovoltaic and wind generators, where a fast and precise current regulation is required. A key feature of these highly efficient converters is that an ac machine (motor or transformer) operates according to an open-end winding configuration, connected on one side to a main MLI and, on the other side, to an auxiliary two-level inverter (TLI). The first efficiently controls the main power stream operating at a low switching frequency, while the TLI acts as an active power filter, exploiting a conventional high-frequency two-level pulsewidth modulation (PWM) technique. The proposed control scheme optimally exploits the key features of the two inverters by suitably sharing the control task. In fact, a predictive current control is assigned to the MLI, which can be accomplished by low switching frequency operations, while the high switching frequency of the PWM-operated TLI is exploited to accomplish a fast and precise closed-loop current control, processing only a part of the power stream flowing through the system, thus producing low power losses. Simulations and experimental results confirm the consistency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose model predictive control methods to reduce the common-mode voltage of three-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs). In the reduced common-mode voltage-model predictive control (RCMV-MPC) methods proposed in this paper, only nonzero voltage vectors are utilized to reduce the common-mode voltage as well as to control the load currents. In addition, two nonzero voltage vectors are selected from the cost function at every sampling period, instead of using only one optimal vector during one sampling period. The two selected nonzero vectors are distributed in one sampling period in such a way as to minimize the error between the measured load current and the reference. Without utilizing the zero vectors, the common-mode voltage controlled by the proposed RCMV-MPC algorithms can be restricted within ±Vdc/6. Furthermore, application of the two nonzero vectors with optimal time sharing between them can yield satisfactory load current ripple performance without using the zero vectors. Thus, the proposed RCMV-MPC methods can reduce the common-mode voltage as well as control the load currents with fast transient response and satisfactory load current ripple performance compared with the conventional model predictive control method. Simulation and experimental results are included to verify the effectiveness of the proposed RCMV-MPC methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power conversion systems based on double-delta sourced winding (DDSW) had an optimization issue in terms of pulsewidth modulation (PWM). This issue was about inefficient employments of voltage levels during PWM and had to be considered for minimizing voltage stresses and current ripples on DDSW. In this paper, a novel method has been proposed to improve the performance of PWM in DDSW-based systems. The proposed method can be simply implemented as a carrier-based PWM and its principles are neatly summarized with equations. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with experimental results, which were obtained by using a transformer and an induction machine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Automotive light-emitting-diode (LED) drivers require special design considerations, which includes voltage step-up and step-down function, high energy efficiency, and fast current reference tracking capability. Unlike the conventional efficiency improvement methods, which is based on cumbersome circuit/component optimization and/or modification for a single operating point, this paper proposes a simple approach based on topology transition which can achieve a high efficiency for a wide input voltage range. In particular, the topology of the LED driver can change between buck, boost, and buck–boost converter according to the level of the input voltage. In addition, a novel current mode controller is proposed, such that 1) compatibility to different topologies, 2) seamless topology transition, and 3) fast current reference tracking can be concurrently achieved. The feasibilities of the proposed topology transition method and its control has been experimentally verified through a four-switch buck–boost converter prototype with 7–45 V input, 25 V/1 A LED strings output. It is shown that there is more than 5% efficiency improvement as compared to the conventional four-switch buck–boost converter. Full range (0%–100%) and precise (1% dimming precision) pulse-width-modulated dimming has also been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Primary-side controlled universal-line flyback converters have been widely used in low-power applications due to their simplicity, low standby power, and low cost. However, conventional OCP schemes normally cause too large a variation in output current when the input voltage varies. This paper proposes a self-compensating OCP circuit to achieve a high-precision constant current at different input voltages which can be used in flyback converters working in discontinues conduction mode. It consists of a CS S/H circuit and a dynamic OCP voltage reference circuit. Compared with conventional OCP circuits, it does not need an extra compensation circuit. To verify the feasibility and performance of the proposed circuit, an IC controller that uses the proposed OCP circuit has been designed and fabricated in 0.35 μm 5-V/40-V high-voltage CMOS technology. Experimental results show that the constant output current precision of the prototype is within ±1% when the input line voltage changes from 85 to 265 Vac. In the common line voltage range (\rm110-220\ Vac ), the output current regulation accuracy can reach a level as high as ± 0.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an average current mode buck dimmable light-emitting diode (LED) driver for large-scale single-string LED backlighting applications. The proposed integrated current control technique can provide exact current control signals by using an autozeroed integrator to enhance the accuracy of the average current of LEDs while driving a large number of LEDs. Adoption of discontinuous low-side current sensing leads to power loss reduction. Adoption of a fast-settling technique allows the LED driver to enter into the steady state within three switching cycles after the dimming signal is triggered. Implemented in a 0.35-μm HV CMOS process, the proposed LED driver achieves 1.7% LED current error and 98.16% peak efficiency over an input voltage range of 110 to 200 V while driving 30 to 50 LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce an improved ac current controller with robustness against the noise in the feedback path. This three-phase current controller is suited for inverter supplied ac machines and grid-connected power converters. Conventional solutions make use of symmetric pulse-width modulation (PWM) techniques with feedback sampling in the middle of the voltage pulses. Single-sample-based feedback acquisition gets affected by the noise and parasitic phenomena. We perform a thorough analytical and experimental study on feedback errors with conventional sampling, and we consider the impact of the lockout time, motor cables, winding capacitance, and anti-aliasing filters. In order to suppress a significant spectral content in the area of low-order harmonics, we apply an improved acquisition technique, which uses a period-average and removes any PWM noise from the feedback signals. Both anti-aliasing filter and proposed period-average filter introduce delays, which impair the control-loop performance. The conventional current controller is then extended to suppress the effects of the delays. Parameter setting procedure is devised to achieve both the bandwidth and the robustness against the parameter changes. Analytical and experimental studies prove that the proposed feedback acquisition technique improves the robustness in the presence of variable delays and switching transients. Experimental tests show that the extended current controller with period-average feedback acquisition reaches the same bandwidth and robustness as the state-of-the-art controller. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a dual-loop current regulation strategy for coupled-inductor multilevel converters. The basis of the strategy is to recognize that the current in the coupled inductor can be decoupled into independent dc bias and ac load currents, which can be then regulated using separate feedback processes. This allows the system to enforce continuous conduction operation of the inverter phase legs by dynamically varying the dc bias current to track the ac load current. Design principles are presented to account for the different common- and differential-mode load dynamics and to maximize the closed-loop bandwidths of both feedback loops. This ensures that the dc bias current can follow rapid load transient events. Matching simulation and experimental results obtained for a five-level flying-capacitor coupled-inductor inverter are presented to validate the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become one of the most promising converter topologies for future high-power applications. A challenging issue of the MMC is the voltage balancing among arm capacitors. A good overall control system is also vital for the MMC, which should be based on sound mathematical model, readily adaptable for different applications, and capable of high performance. This paper presents a general control structure for MMC inverters, which is suitable for both voltage-based and energy-based control methods, and includes voltage balancing between the upper and lower arms. A new method for voltage balancing among arm capacitors, which is based on an improved pulse-width modulation, is also presented. The proposed method avoids some major disadvantages found in present voltage balancing methods, such as dependence on computation-intensive voltage sorting algorithms, extra switching actions, interference with output voltage, etc. Furthermore, all switching actions are evenly distributed among power devices. The proposed control system as a whole can serve as a promising solution for practical applications, especially when the number of submodules is fairly high. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a six-switch three-phase inverter, the conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM) has six switching times in every switching period based on the average concept. The used multidimensional feedback quantized modulation (MDFQM) strategy selects one switching state and keeps it in every sampling period based on the minimization of filtered voltage errors between the desired voltage commands and the output voltages. The widths of the output voltage pulse are integer times the fixed sampling time in MDFQM. In this paper, two high-efficiency current control methods based on MDFQM are proposed. They integrate the MDFQM strategy and the current control function to minimize the filtered current errors between the desired current commands and the inverter current. Due to the main advantages of less switching numbers and more closed fundamental current, a high-efficiency performance is achieved. The proposed methods are applied to the current control of a three-phase permanent-magnet synchronous motor. The simulation results and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]