IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics

Volume 52, Number 1, Feb. 2005 Access to the journal on IEEE XPLORE IE Transactions Home Page

Special Section Papers on Modern Rectifiers - Part 1

1. 1.     J.R. Rodriguez, J.W. Dixon, J.R. Espinoza, J. Pontt, P. Lezana, "PWM regenerative rectifiers: state of the art," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 5- 22, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : New regulations impose more stringent limits on current harmonics injected by power converters that are achieved with pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) rectifiers. In addition, several applications demand the capability of power regeneration to the power supply. This work presents the state of the art in the field of regenerative rectifiers with reduced input harmonics and improved power factor. Regenerative rectifiers are able to deliver energy back from the dc side to the ac power supply. Topologies for single- and three-phase power supplies are considered with their corresponding control strategies. Special attention is given to the application of voltage- and current-source PWM rectifiers in different processes with a power range from a few kilowatts up to several megawatts. This paper shows that PWM regenerative rectifiers are a highly developed and mature technology with a wide industrial acceptance.

1. 2.     G. Moschopoulos, P. Jain, "Single-phase single-stage power-factor-corrected converter topologies," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 23- 35, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Single-phase single-stage power-factor-corrected converter topologies are reviewed in this paper. The topologies discussed in the paper are related to ac-dc and ac-ac converters that are classified on the basis of the frequency of the input ac source, the presence of a dc-link capacitor, and the type of control used (resonant or pulsewidth modulation). The general operating principles and strengths and weaknesses of the converters, which the authors have investigated over the last decade, are discussed in detail, and their suitability in practical applications is stated. Considering practical design constraints, it is possible to effectively employ many single-stage converter topologies in a wide range of applications.

1. 3.     J.-C. Crebier, B. Revol, J.P. Ferrieux, "Boost-chopper-derived PFC rectifiers: interest and reality," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 36- 45, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents an overview of single-phase boost-chopper-derived power-factor-correction rectifiers. Converters are presented for several control strategies in continuous and discontinuous current mode operations. The presentation highlights the main characteristics of the converters and underlines harmonic content over a wide frequency range. A methodology is derived to compute these harmonics in order to facilitate the analysis and performance evaluation of the converters. Based on this methodology, a comparison is conducted in order to highlight advantages and drawbacks of the most popular converters and control strategies. A table is given where main converter critical parameters are summarized in order to help the designer, in converter and operating mode selections. Practical results are provided to validate the modeling technique.

1. 4.     A. Fernandez, J. Sebastian, M.M. Hernando, P. Villegas, J. Garcia, "Helpful hints to select a power-factor-correction solution for low- and medium-power single-phase power supplies," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 46- 55, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents a review of power-factor-correction (PFC) circuits for low- and medium-power single-phase power supplies. The main idea is not just to show the state of the art of this topic but to select the most interesting topologies for each application depending on the power level, the input voltage range, and the output voltage. Since IEC 61000-3-2 regulations came into force, many new topologies have been presented trying to obtain a cost-effective solution to reduce the input current harmonic content. Each one of them has its application range due to the inherent characteristics of the topology. Obviously, not every converter is useful for the same application. This is especially perceptible in PFC circuits due to the large amount of different solutions. Hence, this paper tries to show the most appropriate topologies for each application, being the input power and the IEC 61000-3-2 Class some of the main parameters to select it. The scope of the paper is focused on single-phase power supplies belonging to IEC 61000-3-2 Class A and Class D with an input power level below 4 kW.

1. 5.     F.J. Azcondo, C. Branas, R. Casanueva, S. Bracho, "Power-mode-controlled power-factor corrector for electronic ballast," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 56- 65, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Medium- to high-power electronic ballasts are designed with two power conversion stages. The power-factor corrector (PFC) stabilizes the voltage supplied to the second stage and forces the utility current to meet the required standard. The inverter section stabilizes the arc in the lamp, and keeps the lamp power under the specified values. This paper proposes that the PFC section is to provide the power stability of the system while the inverter section operates in open loop. Consequences of this solution are: the power variation in the lamp caused by its aging is prevented, the complex dynamic of the lamp has no influence in the design, some extra voltage is available to achieve the lamp ignition, warmup time is reduced, and dimming control is easily implemented by modifying either the power reference or the bias value in the PFC control circuit. The inverter section is a half-bridge LC/sub p/C/sub s/ resonant inverter designed to require minimum variation of the input voltage to supply constant power to the lamp. In this way the operation point suffers little changes and no overdimensioning of the PFC and inverter components is necessary to meet the power source condition.

1. 6.     E. Figueres, J.-M. Benavent, G. Garcera, M. Pascual, "Robust control of power-factor-correction rectifiers with fast dynamic response," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 66- 76, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a new robust control technique for single-phase boost high-power-factor rectifiers. The proposed circuit significantly improves the dynamic response of the converter to load steps without the need of a high crossover frequency of the voltage loop, so that a low distortion of the input current is easily achieved. A 250-W power-factor-correction rectifier with the proposed control scheme has been designed and implemented, validating the concept both analytically and experimentally.

1. 7.     A. Fernandez, J. Sebastian, P. Villegas, M.M. Hernando, D.G. Lamar, "Dynamic limits of a power-factor preregulator," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 77- 87, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Power-factor correction has been one of the hottest topics during the last few years and, hence, many new circuits have appeared. In general, it is assumed that preregulators based on multiplier circuits have poor dynamics and, then, a second stage is needed to improve the output voltage dynamic behavior. The other option is the use of single-stage topologies which have fast output voltage regulation although the input current waveform is not sinusoidal. This work presents an analysis of the dynamic behavior of a conventional power-factor preregulator. The objective is to find the limits of the dynamic characteristics of these circuits when the priority is to improve the output voltage regulation and not the total harmonic distortion or the power factor. A large-signal model is presented and the theoretical results are validated with a prototype.

1. 8.     Koen De Gusseme, D.M. Van de Sype, A.P.M. Van den Bossche, J.A. Melkebeek, "Digitally controlled boost power-factor-correction converters operating in both continuous and discontinuous conduction mode," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 88- 97, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Whereas power-factor-correction (PFC) converters for low-power ranges (less than 250 W) are commonly designed for operation in the discontinuous conduction mode, converters for higher power levels are operated in the continuous conduction mode. Nevertheless, when these converters are operated at reduced power, discontinuous conduction mode will appear during parts of the line period, yielding input current distortion. This distortion can be eliminated by employing a dedicated control algorithm, consisting of sample correction and duty-ratio feedforward. The reduction of the harmonic distortion of the input current and the increase of the power factor are demonstrated by experiments on a 1-kW boost PFC converter.

1. 9.     Z.Z. Ye, M.M. Jovanovic, "Implementation and performance evaluation of DSP-based control for constant-frequency discontinuous-conduction-mode boost PFC front end," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 98- 107, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A digital signal processor (DSP) implementation of digital control for constant-frequency, discontinuous-conduction-mode boost power-factor-correction converter for universal line-voltage (90-264 V/sub rms/) applications is presented. A step-by-step design procedure based on digital redesign technique is also provided. The performance evaluation of the proposed DSP control is performed on a 400-W prototype. It was shown that the implemented DSP-based control can achieve a power factor higher than 0.99 in the entire line range.

1. 10.     D.M. Van de Sype, Koen De Gusseme, A.P.M. Van den Bossche, J.A. Melkebeek, "Duty-ratio feedforward for digitally controlled boost PFC converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 108- 115, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : When a "classical" current control scheme is applied, the line current of a boost power-factor-correction (PFC) converter leads the line voltage, resulting in a nonunity fundamental displacement power factor and in important zero-crossing distortion in applications with a high line frequency (e.g., 400-Hz power systems on commercial aircraft). To resolve this problem, a current-control scheme is proposed using duty-ratio feedforward. In this paper, the input impedance of the boost PFC converter for both the classical current-loop controller and the controller using duty-ratio feedforward are derived theoretically. A comparison reveals the advantages of the proposed control scheme: a low total harmonic distortion of the line current, a resistive input impedance, virtually no zero-crossing distortion, and a fundamental displacement power factor close to unity. The theoretical results obtained are verified using an experimental setup of a digitally controlled boost PFC converter.

1. 11.     M. Ferdowsi, A. Emadi, "Pulse regulation control technique for integrated high-quality rectifier-regulators," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 116- 124, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The pulse regulation control scheme is presented and applied to the boost integrated flyback rectifier/energy storage dc/dc (BIFRED) converter as the most popular member of the integrated high-quality rectifier-regulators (IHQRR). In contrast to the conventional control techniques, the principal idea of pulse regulation is to regulate the output voltage using a series of high- and low-power pulses generated by the current of the input inductor, which is operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). Analysis of the BIFRED converter operating in DCM is presented. Fundamentals of pulse regulation as well as its stability analysis and the estimation of the output voltage ripple are introduced. Experimental results on a prototype converter are also presented to validate the analytical and simulation results.

1. 12.     Lon-Kou Chang, Hsing-Fu Liu, "A novel forward AC/DC converter with input current shaping and fast output voltage regulation via reset winding," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 125- 131, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents a novel simple forward AC/DC converter with harmonic current correction and fast output voltage regulation. In the proposed AC/DC converter, a transformer incorporating reset winding provides two main advantages. First, the bulk inductor used in the conventional boost-based power-factor-correction cell is omitted in the proposed converter, allowing significant volume and weight of magnetic material to be saved. Second, the voltage across the bulk capacitor can be held under 450 V by adjusting the transformer winding ratio, despite the converter operating in a wide range of input voltages (90/spl sim/265 V/AC). This new converter complies with IEC 61000-3-2 under a load range of 200 W and has fast output voltage regulation.

1. 13.     N. Vazquez, J. Lopez, J. Arau, C. Hernandez, E. Rodriguez, "A different approach to implement an active input current shaper," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 132- 138, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In recent years, several AC/DC converters have been presented in order to meet the power quality regulations, while maintaining the lowest number of components with the purpose of minimizing the cost and complexity; for this purpose the active input current shaping technique was proposed. A new active input current shaper (AICS) is presented. Differently from the traditional series AICS, the proposed scheme connects the auxiliary output of the main converter in parallel with the rectified AC mains instead of the series connection. The proposed parallel scheme demands a current with a low harmonic content where the standard specifications are fulfilled. The operation, simulation, and experimental results of the proposed scheme are presented.

1. 14.     Tsai-Fu Wu, Jin-Chyuan Hung, Sheng-Yu Tseng, Yaow-Ming Chen, "A single-stage fast regulator with PFC based on an asymmetrical half-bridge topology," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 139- 150, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents single-stage regulators with power-factor correction (PFC) based on an asymmetrical half-bridge topology. The proposed regulator is formed from a boost converter with two coupled inductors and an asymmetrical half-bridge converter with the synchronous switch technique, and it is controlled with pulsewidth modulation to achieve zero-voltage switching (ZVS). The boost converter is operated in discontinues conduction mode to achieve PFC. With the coupled inductors, input current ripple and power factor can be improved significantly. The proposed regulator has the features of constant-frequency operation, ZVS, and low voltage stress imposed on the active switches. Moreover, the regulator can achieve high power factor, high power density, high efficiency, low switching loss, and low component count, which makes its applications at medium-power levels feasible. Experimental results have verified the discussed features of the proposed regulator.

1. 15.     F. Forest, T.A. Meynard, S. Faucher, F. Richardeau, J.-J. Huselstein, C. Joubert, "Using the multilevel imbricated cells topologies in the design of low-power power-factor-corrector converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 151- 161, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Power-factor-corrector (PFC) converters are now commonly used in low-power supply systems connected to AC networks. In addition to their basic PFC properties, they constitute the best technical solution to directly obtain the compatibility with a large range of AC voltages provided by different distribution networks around the world (typically, from 85 to 265 V rms). It is the main application of these converters. This function is achieved with an additional cost and volume, and this extra price to pay needs to be minimized. In this context, we first recall the main approaches of the design of conventional PFCs based on the boost converter topology. We emphasize the different critical points of the sizing that mainly concern the input choke and the silicon devices, in regard with the choice of the switching frequency. Few ways of improvement are then presented for these conventional PFCs. In a second part, always in the context of a large input voltage range, we consider the possibility to introduce the multi-level concept to reduce the input choke and filters. A solution using a multi-level flying capacitor two-cell converter is presented. It is shown that it can lead to a significant increase of the performances, with several options of sizing which can be suited to different requirements of the applications.

1. 16.     J. Minibock, J.W. Kolar, "Novel concept for mains voltage proportional input current shaping of a VIENNA rectifier eliminating controller multipliers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 162- 170, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a novel mains voltage proportional input current control concept eliminating the multiplication of the output voltage controller output and the mains ac phase voltages for the derivation of mains phase current reference values of a three-phase/level/switch pulsewidth-modulated (VIENNA) rectifier system. Furthermore, the concept features low input current ripple amplitude as, e.g., achieved for space-vector modulation, a low amplitude of the third harmonic of the current flowing into the output voltage center point, and a wide range of modulation. The practical realization of the analog control concept as well as experimental results for application with a 5-kW prototype of the pulsewidth-modulated rectifier are presented. Furthermore, a control scheme which relies only on the absolute values of the input phase currents and a modified control scheme which does not require information about the mains phase voltages are presented.

1. 17.     M.A. Perez, J.R. Espinoza, J.R. Rodriguez, P. Lezana, "Regenerative medium-voltage AC drive based on a multicell arrangement with reduced energy storage requirements," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 171- 180, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Multicell power circuit topologies have proved to be an effective alternative to medium-voltage ac drives. The main advantage is the improved power quality at both the ac system and the motor sides. However, several drawbacks are present in these configurations, such as a lack of sustained regenerative operating mode, uncontrolled input reactive power, and a large second current harmonic that is injected by the load into the dc link of each cell, which leads to a bulky electrolytic capacitor. This paper proposes to replace the input diode-based front-end rectifier with an active front-end rectifier in all cells of the topology and a novel control strategy in order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. In fact, the active front-end rectifier allows the topology to regenerate and the control strategy handles the reactive input power and reduces the large second current harmonic from the dc-link capacitor, thus reducing its size. These features are achieved without any penalties in the quality of both the ac input current and the motor voltage waveforms. Experimental results confirm the theoretical considerations.

1. 18.     In-Dong Kim, Eui-Cheol Nho, "Module-type switching rectifier for cathodic protection of underground and maritime metallic structures," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 181- 189, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Cathodic protection is widely used to prevent corrosion of steel materials buried underground and in seawater. As a rectifier for cathodic protection, the conventional phase-controlled rectifiers with 50- or 60-Hz isolation transformers have been used so far in spite of such shortcomings as large volume, heavy weight, and poor power factor. In order to overcome such disadvantages, this paper proposes a new module-type switching rectifier for cathodic protection, which is composed of two parts, namely, ac/dc converter and module-type dc/dc converter. The ac/dc converter is a single-phase insulated gate bipolar transistor pulsewidth-modulation rectifier, thus resulting in almost unity power factor and controlled dc output voltage. The module-type dc/dc converter operates under zero-voltage switching/zero-current switching condition to permit high-frequency switching operation. It enables the use of a high-frequency transformer for electrical isolation, thus reducing volume and weight of the overall system and improving system efficiency. It is anticipated that the proposed rectifier techniques will apply to the similar technical areas such as multiple-module power supply systems and modular converter-fed dc motor drives.

Power Electronics

1. 19.     J. Pou, R. Pindado, D. Boroyevich, "Voltage-balance limits in four-level diode-clamped converters with passive front ends," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 190- 196, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Multilevel diode-clamped converters with more than three levels cannot maintain voltage balance in the dc-link capacitors for some operating conditions due to the existence of dc currents in the middle points. Since capacitors are either completely charged or discharged for those conditions, this circumstance severely limits practical application of these converters. The limit explored in this paper is that the four-level converter cannot achieve voltage balance. Proper redundant vectors are selected in the space-vector diagram so that a quadratic parameter related to the currents in the middle points is minimized.

1. 20.     L. Yacoubi, K. Al-Haddad, F. Fnaiech, L.-A. Dessaint, "A DSP-based implementation of a new nonlinear control for a three-phase neutral point clamped boost rectifier prototype," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 197- 205, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents the design and implementation of a nonlinear control strategy for a three-phase three-level neutral-point-clamped boost rectifier. The adopted control consists of nonlinear feedback linearization technique. The nonlinear state-space model of the rectifier was obtained in the dq0 reference frame. The input/output feedback linearization is then applied and the linearizing control law is derived. Therefore, the resulting model is linearized and decoupled in three independent subsystems. Afterwards, the stabilizing controllers are designed based on linear techniques to control line currents, output, and neutral point voltages. The control law is designed using Simulink/Matlab and applied to the converter via a 1.8-kHz pulsewidth modulator (PWM). Both control law and PWM signals are executed in real time using the DS1104 DSP of dSPACE. A 1.2 kW laboratory prototype is built for validation purposes. The proposed control law robustness is validated for diverse severe load and system parameter variations. It shows robust performance in terms of high power factor, low total harmonic distortion and output voltage ripples, small overshoot, and short settling time.

1. 21.     P. Mattavelli, "An improved deadbeat control for UPS using disturbance observers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 206- 212, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A digital control technique for the inverter stage of uninterruptible power supplies is proposed, which is based on a predictive regulator on both output voltage and inductor current. Its aim is to achieve a deadbeat dynamic response for the controlled variables (output voltage and inverter current). Besides the linear state feedback which allocates system poles at the origin so as to achieve deadbeat response for all state variables, the use of a disturbance observer for the estimation of the load current and of any other source of errors (such as dead-times, parameter, and model mismatches) is investigated. The proposed solution is able to guarantee a fast dynamic response and also a precise compensation of any source of unpredictable disturbance. Moreover, with a proper design of observer parameters, it is possible to reduce control sensitivity to model uncertainties, parameter mismatches, and noise on sensed variables, which usually characterizes existing deadbeat control techniques. Finally, the control algorithm is quite simple and requires only the measurements of the output voltage and inductor current. Experimental results on a single-phase 2 kVA prototype show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

1. 22.     Xinbo Ruan, Bin Li, "Zero-voltage and zero-current-switching PWM hybrid full-bridge three-level converter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 213- 220, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a zero-voltage and zero-current-switching pulsewidth modulation hybrid full-bridge three-level (ZVZCS PWM H-FB TL) converter, which has a TL leg and a two-level leg. The voltage stress of the switches of the TL leg is half of the input voltage, and the switches can realize ZVS, so MOSFETs can be adopted; the voltage stress of the switches of the two-level leg is the input voltage, and the switches can realize ZCS, so IGBT can be adopted. The secondary rectified voltage is a TL waveform having lower high-frequency content compared with that of the traditional FB converters, which leads to the reduction of the output filter inductance. The input current of the converter has quite little ripple, so the input filter can also be significantly reduced. The operation principle of the proposed converter is analyzed and verified by the experimental results. Several ZVZCS PWM H-FB TL converters are also proposed in this paper.

1. 23.     L.H.S.C. Barreto, M.G. Sebastiao, L.C. de Freitas, E.A.A. Coelho, V.J. Farias, J.B. Vieira, "Analysis of a soft-switched PFC boost converter using analog and digital control circuits," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 221- 227, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents a comparison between analog and digital (PIC16c73a) control types applied to the boost converter with a nondissipative snubber. Both control types use the bang-bang hysteresis current waveshaping control technique in order to achieve a quasi-unity power factor. The analog control applied presented a high power factor (0.998), high efficiency (92.87%), and low harmonic distortion [total harmonic distortion of current (THDI =2.84% and total harmonic distortion of current (THDV) =2.83%]. The digital control presented a high power factor (0.990), high efficiency (92.46%), and low harmonic distortion (THDI=5.09% and THDV=2.84%).

1. 24.     Gwan-Bon Koo, Gun-Woo Moon, Myung-Joong Youn, "New zero-voltage-switching phase-shift full-bridge converter with low conduction losses," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 228- 235, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) phase-shift full-bridge (PSFB) converter with low conduction losses is proposed. It is based on the PSFB converter with series-connected two transformers, which features wide ZVS ranges. By adding a capacitor, the proposed converter overcomes the disadvantage of the based converter, such as the high circulating energy. Furthermore, the turns ratio of the transformers can be increased as well. Therefore, high efficiency of the proposed converter can be achieved. Operational principles and experimental results for a 100-W (5 V, 20 A) prototype are presented to validate the proposed converter.

1. 25.     E. Dallago, G. De Leo, G. Sassone, "A current-mode power sigma-delta modulator for audio applications," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 236- 242, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Linear and switching techniques are currently adopted to implement current-mode power stages. Pulsewidth modulation (PWM) is usually employed with the switching technique for both industrial and audio applications. In this paper, the Sigma-Delta modulation is considered as an alternative to the PWM in devising a switching current-mode power stage suitable for audio amplification. The proposed modulator is analyzed and simulated. The whole system was realized on an experimental breadboard. The results carried out on the prototype are reported and discussed. The electrical characterization presents interesting features in terms of linearity, noise, and power efficiency.

1. 26.     P. Poulichet, F. Costa, E. Laboure, "A new high-current large-bandwidth DC active current probe for power electronics measurements," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 243- 254, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper is focused on the design and the realization of two high-current probes (up to 100 A) whose bandwidths range from dc to 50 MHz. The performance has been met by the association of an active Hall sensor and a passive current transformer. This association will be named an "active current transformer". It will be shown that it has better frequency performance than the classical closed-loop current transducer, usually used for high-current measurements but frequency limited. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues, due to the sensor electrical environment are respected thanks to the shielded structure and special inner arrangements of the Hall sensors. Because of its large bandwidth, its large current range, and its EMI ruggedness, this current probe is well matched to power electronics measurements.

Drives Control

1. 27.     O. Wallmark, L. Harnefors, O. Carlson, "An improved speed and position estimator for salient permanent-magnet synchronous motors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 255- 262, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : An improved phase-locked-loop-type speed and position estimator for permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives is considered. Particular attention is put on salient-rotor PMSMs with fast mechanical dynamics. A method is presented, whereby significantly improved tracking is achieved. While saliency makes nominal-speed stability more difficult to guarantee (an analysis of this is presented), a benefit is that signal-injection methods can be used at low speeds for accurate position estimation, which is also included in the modified estimator.

1. 28.     H. Rehman, "Elimination of the stator resistance sensitivity and voltage sensor requirement problems for DFO control of an induction Machine," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 263- 269, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper focuses on a method for achieving robust direct field orientation control of an induction machine using a closed-loop voltage model flux observer that is insensitive to stator resistance variation and does not require voltage signal information, thereby eliminating the need for a voltage sensor. In contrast, the conventional voltage model observer topology requires voltage sensors and is highly sensitive to stator resistance variation, especially at low speed. The closed-loop sliding-mode voltage model flux observer presented here is based on current estimation error including a sliding-mode function which is a derivative of the stator flux. The newly designed sliding-mode function will not only drive the estimated current to the measured one, it will also directly give the estimation results for the terms (stator flux) replaced by the sliding-mode function. The constructed observer and chosen sliding-mode function also do not require information about parameters contained in the terms replaced by the sliding-mode function, i.e., voltage signal and stator resistance. The observer stability is verified in the paper. Simulation and experimental results are also used to illustrate features of the proposed observer.

1. 29.     Kwangjin Yang, Youngjin Choi, Wan Kyun Chung, "On the tracking performance improvement of optical disk drive servo systems using error-based disturbance observer," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 270- 279, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : There are many control methods to guarantee the robustness of a system. Among them, the disturbance observer (DOB) has been widely used because it is easy to apply and the cost is low due to its simplicity. Generally, an output signal of the system is required to construct a DOB, but for some systems such as magnetic/optical disk drive systems, we cannot measure the position output signal, but only the position error signal (PES). In order to apply a DOB to such systems, we must use an error signal instead of an output signal. We call it the error-based disturbance observer (EDOB) system. We analyze the differences between a conventional DOB system and EDOB system, and show the effectiveness of the proposed EDOB through simulations and experiments. Also, this paper proposes criteria to enhance the robustness of an EDOB system, and reveals the disturbance rejection property of the EDOB system. Finally, we propose a new method of a double Q system to improve the track-following performance. This is also verified through experiments for a DVD 12/spl times/ optical disk drive system.

Emerging Technology

1. 30.     D. Villacci, G. Bontempi, A. Vaccaro, M. Birattari, "The role of learning methods in the dynamic assessment of power components loading capability," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 280- 290, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The need for dynamic loading of power components in the deregulated electricity market demands reliable assessment models that should be able to predict the thermal behavior when the load exceeds the nameplate value. When assessing network load capability, the hot-spot temperature of the components is known to be the most critical factor. The knowledge of the evolution of the hot-spot temperature during overload conditions is essential to evaluate the loss of insulation life and to evaluate the consequent risks of both technical and economical nature. This paper discusses an innovative grey-box architecture for integrating physical knowledge modeling (a.k.a. white-box) with machine learning techniques (a.k.a. black-box). In particular, we focus on the problem of forecasting the hot-spot temperature of a mineral-oil-immersed transformer. We perform a set of experiments and we compare the predictions obtained by the grey-, white-, and black-box approaches.

1. 31.     Kuan-Hung Chen, Tzi-Dar Chiueh, Shi-Chung Chang, P.B. Luh, "A 1600-MIPS parallel processor IC for job-shop scheduling," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 291- 299, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A job shop is a typical environment for manufacturing low-volume and high-variety discrete parts, where parts are of various due dates, priorities, and sequences of production operations. Good scheduling of when to do what using which resource is critical and challenging for the competitiveness of job shops. The Lagrangian relaxation neural network (LRNN) presented by Luh et al. provides an effective solution to this problem. To further speed up the scheduling of large problems, the parallelism of the LRNN approach is exploited in this paper for hardware implementation. A parallel processor based on the single-instruction multiple-data-stream architecture and its associated instruction set are designed. The architecture is implemented in a single-poly quadruple-metal 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. Test results shows that the fabricated chip achieves 10 and 30 times speed-up when compared with several commercial digital signal processor chips and a 600-MHz PC, respectively.

1. 32.     M. Iwasaki, M. Miwa, N. Matsui, "GA-based evolutionary identification algorithm for unknown structured mechatronic systems," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 300- 305, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Soft computing techniques, e.g., neural networks, fuzzy inference, evolutionary computation, and chaos theory, have been applied to a wide variety of control systems in industry because of their control capability and flexibility. They are also powerful to handle the complicated mechatronic systems with various nonlinearities which are difficult to model using mathematical formulas. In order to achieve the system identification of unknown structured mechatronic systems, This work presents a novel evolutionary algorithm using genetic algorithms (GAs), where the optimal mathematical structure of plant mechanisms and the combination of parameters can be autonomously determined by means of the optimization ability of the GA. The effectiveness of the proposed identification has been verified by experiments with comparative studies, using the typical mechanical systems with velocity controller.

Robotics And Vision

1. 33.     M.A. Al-Mouhamed, O. Toker, A. Al-Harthy, "A 3-D vision-based man-machine interface for hand-controlled telerobot," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 306- 319, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This work presents a robust telerobotic system that consists of a real-time vision-based operator hand tracking system (client) and a slave robot (server) which are interconnected through a LAN. The tracking system: 1) monitors the operator hand motion and 2) determines its position and orientation which are used to control the slave robot. Two digital cameras are used to monitor a four-ball-based feature frame that is held by the operator hand. To determine the three-dimensional (3-D) position a tracking algorithm based on uncalibrated cameras with weak perspective projection model is used. This allows finding 3-D differential position and orientation of the operator hand. The features of the proposed system are: 1) a metric for color matching to discriminate the balls from their background; 2) a uniform and spiral search approach to speed up the detection; 3) tracking in the presence of partial occlusion; 4) consolidate detection by using shape and geometric matching; and 5) dynamic update of the reference colors. The operator can see the effects of the previous motion which enables making the necessary corrections through repetitive operator hand-eye interactions. Evaluation shows that the static and dynamic errors of the tracking algorithm are 0.1% and 0.6% for a centered workspace of 20/sup 3/ in/sup 3/ that is 40-60 in away from the cameras. Running the tracking algorithm on two PCs in parallel allowed: 1) a parallel image grabbing delay of 60 ms; 2) a stereo matching delay of 50 ms; and 3) a global refresh rate of 9 Hz.

1. 34.     Choon-Young Lee, J.-J. Lee, "Multiple neuro-adaptive control of robot manipulators using visual cues," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 320- 326, Feb. 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new adaptive controller based on multiple neural networks (NNs) for an uncertain robot manipulator system is developed in this paper. The proposed multiple neuro-adaptive controller (MNAC) switches to a memorized control skill or blends multiple skills by using visual information on the given job to improve the transient response at the time of task variation like a change of manipulating object. MNAC is a type of adaptive feedback controller where system nonlinearity terms are approximated with multiple NNs. The proposed controller is effective for a job where some tasks are repeated but information on the load cannot be scheduled before the operation. During the learning phase, MNAC memorizes a control skill for each load with each NN. For a new task, most similar existing control skills may be used as a starting point of adaptation, which improves the performance of learning. Lyapunov-function-based design of MNAC guarantees the stability of the closed-loop system to be independent of switching or blending law. Simulation results on a two-link manipulator for changing the mass of the given load were illustrated to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme by comparison with the conventional neuro-adaptive controller.

Signal Processing And Control

1. 35. Tzung-Her Chen, G. Horng, Wei-Bin Lee, "A publicly verifiable copyright-proving scheme resistant to malicious attacks," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 327- 334, Feb. 2005. Full Text Link
Abstract : A wavelet-based copyright-proving scheme that does not require the original image for logo verification is proposed in this paper. The scheme is strong enough to resist malicious manipulations of an image including blurring, JPEG compression, noising, sharpening, scaling, rotation, cropping, scaling-cropping, and print-photocopy-scan attacks. The proposed scheme is also resistant to StirMark and unZign attacks and it is not only a robust method but also a lossless one. Experiments are conducted to show the robustness of this method. Moreover, cryptographic tools, such as digital signature and timestamp, are introduced to make copyright proving publicly verifiable.

Volume 52, Number 2, April 2005 Access to the journal on IEEE XPLORE IE Transactions Home Page

Special Section Papers on Modern Rectifiers - Part 2

2. 1.     S.K. Mazumder, "Continuous and discrete variable-structure controls for parallel three-phase boost rectifier," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 340- 354, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : We describe three nonlinear control schemes for a parallel three-phase boost rectifier consisting of two modules. The basic idea, however, can be extended to a system with N modules. All of the control schemes are developed in a synchronous frame. Moreover, each of the closed-loop power-converter modules operates asynchronously without any communication with the other module. Based on the dynamical equations of the parallel converter, we find that independent control of both of the modules on the DQ axes is not necessary and possible. Consequently, we develop control schemes that stabilize the dq axes and limit the zero-axis disturbance by preventing the flow of the pure zero-sequence current. One of the control schemes is developed purely in the discrete domain. It combines the space-vector modulation scheme with a variable-structure control, thereby keeping the switching frequency constant and achieving satisfactory dynamic performance. The performances of the other control schemes are also satisfactory.

2. 2.     Guozhu Chen, K.M. Smedley, "Steady-State and dynamic study of one-cycle-controlled three-phase power-factor correction," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 355- 362, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : One-cycle control power-factor correction (OCC-PFC) with vector operation is a promising rectification method that eliminates harmonics and improves the power factor. It features great simplicity, high performance, and excellent stability. This paper performs analysis and design of OCC-PFC in both the steady-state and dynamic transients. The sufficient stability condition for three-phase OCC-PFC is derived. Some typical large-signal perturbations in practice are then used to verify the theoretical predictions. The paper also provides some guidelines for the selection of the circuit parameters in practical application. All analysis results were verified by simulation or experiments based on a three-phase 1-kW pre-industrial OCC-PFC prototype.

2. 3.     R.P. Burgos, E.P. Wiechmann, J. Holtz, "Complex state-space modeling and nonlinear control of active front-end converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 363- 377, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents the modeling and control of active front-end (AFE) converters using complex state-space representation, a technique developed and thus far mostly employed for the analysis of ac machines. Particularly, three-phase PWM voltage-source and current-source rectifiers are thoroughly studied using the graphical capabilities of this approach, namely, complex signal flow graphs. These are used to directly and intuitively derive high-performance nonlinear control laws based on input-output feedback linearization. Specifically, a cascaded and a paralleled control scheme are investigated for the voltage-source rectifier, whereas a cascaded scheme is considered for the current-source rectifier. Under these strategies both converters exhibit linear and decoupled d-q axes dynamics, while also attaining a reactive power compensation capacity. Moreover, linearization of their respective dc-link voltage and current loops utterly enforces and ensures their operating stability. All this is achieved without the elaborate mathematical complexity of input-output linearization, effectively shunned out by the proposed complex state-space approach. Finally, experimental results from 5-kVA digital-signal-processor-based laboratory prototypes verify the analysis and downright performance evinced by these AFE converters.

2. 4.     C. Cecati, A. Dell'Aquila, A. Lecci, M. Liserre, "Implementation issues of a fuzzy-logic-based three-phase active rectifier employing only Voltage sensors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 378- 385, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Switch-mode rectifiers are becoming more and more interesting in those applications where bidirectional power flow, power-factor correction, and electromagnetic interference reduction are required. Typical active rectifiers include current or voltage sensors, however, in order to obtain low-cost systems, their number should be reduced. In this paper, a current-sensorless active rectifier with feedforward fuzzy logic control is presented and discussed. The mathematical description of the system and the design of the fuzzy logic controller are introduced and analyzed; moreover the implementation on a SH7047 microcontroller is presented with emphasis on the most significant implementation issues. Experimental results are reported and discussed.

2. 5.     S. Chattopadhyay, V. Ramanarayanan, "A Voltage-sensorless control method to balance the input currents of a three-wire boost rectifier under unbalanced input Voltages condition," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 386- 398, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a control method that can balance the input currents of the three-phase three-wire boost rectifier under unbalanced input voltage condition. The control objective is to operate the rectifier in the high-power-factor mode under balanced input voltage condition but to give overriding priority to the current balance function in case of unbalance in the input voltage. The control structure has been divided into two major functional blocks. The inner loop current-mode controller implements resistor emulation to achieve high-power-factor operation on each of the two orthogonal axes of the stationary reference frame. The outer control loop performs magnitude scaling and phase-shifting operations on current of one of the axes to make it balanced with the current on the other axis. The coefficients of scaling and shifting functions are determined by two closed-loop proportional-integral (PI) controllers that impose the conditions of input current balance as PI references. The control algorithm is simple and high performing. It does not require input voltage sensing and transformation of the control variables into a rotating reference frame. The simulation results on a MATLAB-SIMULINK platform validate the proposed control strategy. In implementation Texas Instrument's digital signal processor TMS320F240F is used as the digital controller. The control algorithm for high-power-factor operation is tested on a prototype boost rectifier under nominal and unbalanced input voltage conditions.

2. 6.     M. Baumann, J.W. Kolar, "A novel control concept for reliable operation of a three-phase three-switch buck-type unity-power-factor rectifier with integrated boost output stage under heavily unbalanced mains condition," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 399- 409, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper the reliable operation of a three-phase three-switch buck-type pulsewidth-modulation unity-power-factor rectifier with integrated boost output stage under heavily unbalanced mains, i.e., mains voltage unbalance, loss of one phase, short circuit of two phases, or earth fault of one phase is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A brief description of the principle of operation and the most advantageous modulation method are given. The analytical calculation of the relative on-times of the active switching states and of the dc-link current reference value is treated in detail for active and deactivated boost output stage. Based on the theoretical considerations a control scheme which allows for controlling the system for any mains condition without changeover of the control structure is described. Furthermore, digital simulations as well as experimental results are shown which confirm the proposed control concept for different mains failure conditions and for the transition from balanced mains to a failure condition and vice versa. The experimental results are derived from a 5-kW prototype (input voltage range (280...480) V/sub rms/ line-to-line, output voltage 400 V/sub DC/) of the rectifier system, where the control is realized by a 32-bit digital signal processor.

2. 7.     M. Cichowlas, M. Malinowski, M.P. Kazmierkowski, D.L. Sobczuk, P. Rodriguez, J. Pou, "Active filtering function of three-phase PWM boost rectifier under different line voltage conditions," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 410- 419, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Slight hardware and algorithm modifications as well as a higher power ratio of a three-phase pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) rectifier make compensation of neighboring nonlinear power load possible. The active filtering function enlarges the functionality of PWM rectifiers, which decreases the cost of additional installation of compensating equipment. It gives a chance to fulfill both shunt active filter (SAF) and PWM rectifier tasks in a multidrive system by one advanced converter. Thanks to the idea of virtual flux, the direct power control space-vector-modulated (DPC-SVM) and new synchronous double reference frame phase-locked loop approach, the control system is resistant to a majority of line voltage disturbances. This assures proper operation of the system for abnormal and failure grid conditions. Simulation and experimental results have proven excellent performance and verify the validity of the proposed system.

2. 8.     S. Fukuda, R. Imamura, "Application of a sinusoidal internal model to current control of three-phase utility-interface converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 420- 426, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Three-phase voltage-source converters are used as utility interfaces. In such a case, the converter line currents are required to track sinusoidal references synchronized with the utility grid without a steady-state error. In this paper a current control method based on a sinusoidal internal model is employed. The method uses a sine transfer function with a specified resonant frequency, which is called an S regulator. The combination of a conventional proportional-integral (PI) regulator and an S regulator is called a PIS regulator. The PIS regulator ensures that the steady-state error in response to any step changes in a reference signal at the resonant frequency and 0 Hz reduces to zero. An experiment was carried out using a 1-kVA prototype of three utility-interface converters, a voltage-source rectifier, an active power filter, and static synchronous compensator. Almost perfect current-tracking performance could be observed.

2. 9.     Chien-Ming Wang, "A novel zero-Voltage-switching PWM boost rectifier with high power factor and low conduction losses," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 427- 435, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a new single-phase high-power-factor rectifier, which features regulation by conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM), soft commutation, and instantaneous average line current control. A new zero-voltage-switching PWM (ZVS-PWM) auxiliary circuit is configured in the presented ZVS-PWM rectifier to perform ZVS in the main switches and the passive switches, and zero-current switching in the auxiliary switch. Furthermore, soft commutation of the main switch is achieved without additional current stress by the presented ZVS-PWM auxiliary circuit. A significant reduction in the conduction losses is achieved, since the circulating current for the soft switching flows only through the auxiliary circuit and a minimum number of switching devices are involved in the circulating current path, and the proposed rectifier uses a single converter instead of the conventional configuration composed of a four-diode front-end rectifier followed by a boost converter. Nine transition states for describing the behavior of the ZVS-PWM rectifier in one switching period are described. A prototype rated at 1 kW, operating 80 kHz, with an input ac voltage of 220 V/sub rms/ and an output voltage of 400 V/sub dc/ has been implemented in the laboratory. An efficiency of 96.7% and power factor over 0.99 has been measured. Analysis, design, and the control circuitry are also presented in this paper.

2. 10.     P. Bajec, B. Pevec, D. Voncina, D. Miljavec, J. Nastran, "Extending the low-speed operation range of PM Generator in automotive applications using novel AC-DC converter control," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 436- 443, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper outlines a case study on an integrated starter-generator-torque-booster (ISGtB) for a hybrid propulsion system, with a particular focus on the generator operation in the low-speed range. The propulsion system consists of an internal combustion (IC) engine and a brushless dc machine and is intended to drive a street scooter. The complex functionality of the ISGtB, some outstanding characteristics of modern IC engines, stringent demands on the generated supply voltage, and operational principle of the selected electrical machine are the reasons for our research on the generator operation. An ac-dc converter and its control are proposed. By utilizing MOSFET transistor reverse conduction characteristics, the idea of synchronous rectification, and the principle of boost switching conversion, several improvements in the generator characteristics are accomplished. The proposed solution, enabling each of the three-phase converter legs to operate as an autonomous boost converter with synchronously driven upper transistors instead of using body diodes, extends the generator operation range below the nominal rotational speed and offers simple yet efficient energy flow control.

2. 11.     Vitor Fernao Pires, J.F. Silva, "Three-phase single-stage four-switch PFC buck-boost-type rectifier," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 444- 453, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a new three-phase single-stage power-factor corrector buck-boost-type rectifier topology. The typical topology uses a bridge configuration with six switches. This new topology only requires four switches, improving the rectifier efficiency as only one reverse-blocking power semiconductor conducts at any time. A vector-based sliding-mode control method for the three-phase input currents is also proposed. This fast and robust technique uses sliding mode to generate /spl alpha//spl beta/ space-vector modulation, which forces the input line currents to track a suitable sinusoidal reference. A near-unity power-factor operation of the rectifier is obtained using a sinusoidal reference in phase with the input source voltages. A proportional-integral controller is adopted to regulate the output voltage of the converter. This external voltage controller modulates the amplitude of the current references. The characteristics of the new rectifier are verified with experimental results.

2. 12.     H. Ertl, J.W. Kolar, "A constant output current three-phase diode bridge rectifier employing a novel "Electronic Smoothing Inductor"," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 454- 461, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents an improvement of the well-known conventional three-phase diode bridge rectifier with dc output capacitor. The proposed circuit increases the power factor (PF) at the ac input and reduces the ripple current stress on the smoothing capacitor. The basic concept is the arrangement of an active voltage source between the output of the diode bridge and the smoothing capacitor which is controlled in a way that it emulates an ideal smoothing inductor. With this the input currents of the diode bridge which usually show high peak amplitudes are converted into a 120/spl deg/ rectangular shape which ideally results in a total PF of 0.955. The active voltage source mentioned before is realized by a low-voltage switch-mode converter stage of small power rating as compared to the output power of the rectifier. Starting with a brief discussion of basic three-phase rectifier techniques and of the drawbacks of three-phase diode bridge rectifiers with capacitive smoothing, the concept of the proposed active smoothing is described and the stationary operation is analyzed. Furthermore, control concepts as well as design considerations and analyses of the dynamic systems behavior are given. Finally, measurements taken from a laboratory model are presented.

2. 13.     M. Marchesoni, P. Segarich, E. Soressi, "A new control strategy for neutral-point-clamped active rectifiers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 462- 470, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new control strategy has been developed for interfacing a neutral-point-clamped active rectifier with the mains. In particular, a method, based on the modulation of the input currents amplitudes, is proposed to compensate the dc-link capacitors voltages fluctuations. The proposed strategy gives good results in all the operating conditions, but it appears to be very useful especially in no-load or low-load operations, where other methods fail. Analytical, simulation, and experimental results, derived from a reduced-scale prototype, are presented and confirm the validity of the proposed approach.

2. 14.     R. Teichmann, M. Malinowski, S. Bernet, "Evaluation of three-level rectifiers for low-voltage utility applications," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 471- 481, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper evaluates the benefits of three-level topologies as alternatives to two-level topologies in low-voltage converters primarily operated in rectifier mode. The main evaluation aspects are input filter size, semiconductor losses, maximum switching frequency, part count, initial cost, and life cycle cost. Semiconductor loss characteristics of various three-level topologies are discussed. A detailed converter comparison is based on a 100-kW 400-V/sub rms/ rectifier using commercially available Si insulated gate bipolar transistor modules.

2. 15.     J.R. Rodriguez, J. Pontt, R. Huerta, G. Alzamora, N. Becker, S. Kouro, P. Cortes, P. Lezana, "Resonances in a high-power active-front-end rectifier system," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 482- 488, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents the application of high-power three-level active-front-end rectifiers to regenerate energy in a downhill conveyor system. The selective harmonic elimination method is used to eliminate harmonics 11 and 13, working with very low switching frequency, where six-pulse harmonic orders 6k/spl plusmn/1 are eliminated by the delta-wye connection of the transformer. In this way, the input current at the mains is highly sinusoidal with small harmonics starting at frequencies of order 23 and 25. Resonances have been detected, originated mainly by the capacitances of feeding cables and noneliminated harmonics, which produce high-voltage distortion. Theoretical and field measurements present the problem and the solution by using a specially designed high-pass power filter.

Drive Control

2. 16.     R. Bettendorf, "Winder software testing with real-time dynamic Simulation," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 489- 498, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Large portions of a winder's control system software are tested during commissioning. This is inefficient because production is stopped and financial pressures limit the time available for testing. However, it avoids the cost of integrating the winder and electrical drive system before installation. This paper describes a winder simulator that allowed control system software to be tested before installation. Shipping roll build up, parent roll build down, mechanical brakes, and a two-drum windup model were developed. These models were used to simulate the winder, web, and drive system dynamics in real time with a dedicated programmable logic controller (PLC). This PLC provided signals for the winder PLC that would normally be supplied by the drive system and various sensors. The simulator was verified with data from a previously installed winder. The use of the simulator before installation of a new winder demonstrated the benefits of pre-installation software testing.

2. 17.     C.-K. Lai, Kuo-Kai Shyu, "A novel motor drive design for incremental motion system via sliding-mode control method," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 499- 507, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a particular motor position control drive design via a novel sliding-mode controller. The newly designed controller is especially suitable for the motor incremental motion control which is specified by a trapezoidal velocity profile. The novel sliding-mode controller is designed in accordance with the trapezoidal velocity profile to guarantee the desired performance. A motor control system associated PC-based incremental motion controller with permanent-magnet synchronous motor is built to verify the control effect. The validity of the novel incremental motion controller with sliding-mode control method is demonstrated by simulation and experimental results.

2. 18.     Mengesha Mamo, K. Ide, M. Sawamura, J. Oyama, "Novel rotor position extraction based on carrier frequency component method (CFCM) using two reference frames for IPM drives," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 508- 514, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper a novel interior permanent-magnet (IPM) motor's rotor position extraction method from the carrier-frequency component signal, derived from pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) inverter switching, using two reference frames is presented. This method has been utilized for IPM motor vector control without a mechanical rotor position detector, extracting rotor position angle from the switching carrier-frequency (10 kHz) component current. It is effective for IPM motors, which have magnetic saliency, sinusoidal distributed stator winding, and are supplied by a PWM voltage-source inverter. The performance of two IPM motors' vector control without mechanical rotor position detector utilizing this method has been investigated. Experimental results demonstrating good dynamic and steady-state performance achieved are presented and discussed.

2. 19.     A.F. Moreira, P.M. Santos, T.A. Lipo, G. Venkataramanan, "Filter networks for long cable drives and their influence on motor voltage distribution and common-mode currents," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 515- 522, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Filter networks for long cable drives have been studied in the last decade to solve the overvoltage problem at the motor terminals. However, little research has been dedicated to analyze their influence on the voltage distribution in the motor stator winding and on the circulation of the common-mode currents. In this paper, the project of dv/dt filters through simulation and analysis from previous work is extended, including the motor voltage distribution and common-mode current analysis. Simulation and experimental results are presented, demonstrating the usefulness of the filter networks on the motor overvoltage mitigation. Three filter topologies will be discussed and compared here: RLC filter at the motor terminals, RLC filter at the inverter output and reactor filter, which is extensively used in the industry. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the RLC filter at the inverter output is the most interesting solution among the main types of passive filter networks.

2. 20.     M. Salo, H. Tuusa, "vector-controlled PWM current-source-inverter-fed induction motor drive with a new stator current control method," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 523- 531, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, the control of the pulsewidth-modulated current-source-inverter-fed induction motor drive is discussed. The vector control system of the induction motor is realized in a rotor-flux-oriented reference frame, where only the measured angular rotor speed and the dc-link current are needed for motor control. A new damping method for stator current oscillations is introduced. The method operates in an open-loop manner and is very suitable for microcontroller implementation, since the calculation power demand is low. Also, the stator current phase error caused by the load filter is compensated without measurement of any electrical variable. With the proposed control methods the motor current sensors can be totally eliminated since the stator current measurements are not needed either for protection in the current-source-inverter-fed drives. The proposed control methods are realized using a single-chip Motorola MC68HC916Y1 microcontroller. The experimental tests show excellent performance in both steady-state and transient conditions.

2. 21.     M. Cirrincione, M. Pucci, "An MRAS-based sensorless high-performance induction motor drive with a predictive adaptive model," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 532- 551, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a new model reference adaptive system (MRAS) speed observer for high-performance field-oriented control induction motor drives based on adaptive linear neural networks. It is an evolution and an improvement of an MRAS observer presented in the literature. This new MRAS speed observer uses the current model as an adaptive model discretized with the modified Euler integration method. A linear neural network has been then designed and trained online by means of an ordinary least-squares (OLS) algorithm, differently from that in the literature which employs a nonlinear backpropagation network (BPN) algorithm. Moreover, the neural adaptive model is employed here in prediction mode, and not in simulation mode, as is usually the case in the literature, with a consequent quicker convergence of the speed estimation, no need of filtering the estimated speed, higher bandwidth of the speed loop, lower estimation errors both in transient and steady-state operation, better behavior in zero-speed operation at no load, and stable behavior in field weakening. A theoretical analysis of some stability issues of the proposed observer has also been developed. The OLS MRAS observer has been verified in numerical simulation and experimentally, and in comparison with the BPN MRAS one presented in the literature.

Power Electronics

2. 22.     L.H.S.C. Barreto, E.A.A. Coelho, V.J. Farias, J.C. de Oliveira, L.C. de Freitas, Jr. Joao Batista Vieira, "A quasi-resonant quadratic boost converter using a single resonant network," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 552- 557, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a quadratic boost converter using a single quasi-resonant network to reach soft commutation. A resonant inductor, a resonant capacitor, and an auxiliary switch form the resonant network and the main switch operates in a zero-current-switching way. A complete analysis of this converter is presented. According to the simulation and experimental results, this quadratic boost converter provides a larger conversion ratio than that provided by the conventional boost converter (for a given duty ratio D), and presents optimum performance, which operates with soft-switch commutation using a single resonant network.

2. 23.     A. Kotsopoulos, P.J.M. Heskes, M.J. Jansen, "Zero-crossing distortion in grid-connected PV inverters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 558- 565, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Zero-crossing distortion has been observed in the ac output current produced by some grid-connected photovoltaic inverters and this can cause a resonant response between the grid impedance and the inverter filter capacitor. In some cases, particularly with large numbers of parallel-connected inverters and with weak grids, the resonance can cause voltage distortion that may be large enough to disturb other nearby equipment. A number of commercially available inverters were tested to investigate the mechanisms of this distortion. A model was then developed to allow further simulations with different numbers of inverters and varying levels of distortion to be performed.

2. 24.     M. Castilla, L. Garcia_de_Vicuna, J.M. Guerrero, J. Matas, J. Miret, "Sliding-mode control of quantum series-parallel resonant converters via input-output linearization," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 566- 575, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of designing proper sliding-mode controllers to regulate the output voltage of the dc-to-dc quantum series-parallel resonant converter. A control-oriented dynamic model, which appropriately describes the large-signal behavior of the power circuit by average state variables, is first developed. Using input-output feedback linearization, a control design methodology is then presented, which leads to a family of sliding surfaces that make the output voltage behave following a particular large-signal linear dynamics. Among these surfaces, the final configuration is selected taking into account control circuit simplicity as the basic premise. Besides exhibiting the absence of output-voltage errors in steady state, the control solution leads to robust operation with respect to parameter variations and external disturbances. Simulations and experimental results are reported to validate the expected features of the proposed control solution.

Signal Processing And Control

2. 25.     Byung-Moon Han, Byong-Yeul Bae, S.J. Ovaska, "Reference signal generator for active power filters using improved adaptive predictive filter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 576- 584, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The performance of an active power filter (APF) depends on the inverter characteristics, applied control method, and the accuracy of the reference signal generator. The accuracy of the reference generator is the most critical item in determining the performance of APFs. This paper introduces an efficient reference signal generator composed of an improved adaptive predictive filter. The performance of the proposed reference signal generator was first verified through a simulation with MATLAB. Furthermore, the application of feasibility was evaluated through experimenting with a single-phase APF prototype based on the proposed reference generator, which was implemented using the TMS320C31 floating-point signal processor. Both simulations and experimental results confirm that our reference signal generator can be used successfully in practical APFs.

2. 26.     Chin-Shyurng Fahn, Herman Sun, "Development of a data glove with reducing sensors based on magnetic induction," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 585- 594, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, we present the development of a data glove system using magnetic induction coils as finger movement sensors. This data glove has the capability of measuring ten degrees of freedom of a hand with only five sensors that are arranged properly on the palmar surface instead of the dorsal surface. Because these sensors are installed on the finger phalange positions, there is no contact point between the sensors and the finger joints. Hence, the shape of the sensors does not change as the fingers are bending, and the quality of measurement and the lifetime of the sensors will not decrease with time. Additionally, the motion constraints of the finger joints are investigated to simplify the development of the data glove. For the convenience of using this glove, a simple and efficient calibration process consisting of two steps is also provided, so that all required parameters can be determined automatically. The theoretical formulation of the bending angles of proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and thumb interphalangeal joints as well as the calibration equations are derived directly from the positions and orientations of the generator and sensor coils on the data glove. Also described and realized are the circuit block diagram and the construction of the data glove system. To prevent the interference among the generator coils, we adopt the time division method to scan the generator and sensor coils. So far, the experimental results of the sensors performing linear movement and bending angle measurements directly using an oscilloscope in less noisy environments are very satisfactory. It reveals that our data glove is available for a man-machine interface.

Emerging Technology

2. 27.     R. Zurawski, "Petri net models, functional Full Text ions, and reduction techniques: applications to the design of automated manufacturing systems," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 595- 609, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The use of generic models in the synthesis of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) systems, which allows for rapid modeling and analysis, does not ease the verification task difficulty. Even though generic modules can be verified separately, the verification of the interconnections between modules requires the whole model to be considered. A potential solution is to replace the generic modules with their functional Full Text ions which realize the external functional behavior of these modules. The number of places and transitions involved in realizing the required functionality is, typically, a fraction of that used to represent complete components. This reduces the complexity of the components of the modeled system, and thus the complexity of the verification model. The verification task can then focus on the correctness of the interfaces, rather then on the internal nature of the components. This paper presents new results that allow for systematic construction of functional Full Text ions for a class of Petri net models which can be used to represent the primary components of the automated-guided-vehicle-based FMSs.

2. 28.     Mingxuan Sun, Youyi Wang, D. Wang, "Variable-structure repetitive control: a discrete-time strategy," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 610- 616, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper addresses the problem of periodic disturbance rejection arising from rotational plants following periodic trajectories. Repetitive control is a method usually employed in solving such a problem. The reported analysis results give sufficient conditions for stability of the controlled systems in the frequency domain. In this paper, discrete-time variable-structure repetitive control (VSRC) is proposed, where the periodicity features are taken into account and no disturbance estimate is involved explicitly. The presented VSRC control scheme ensures robust stability of the resultant quasi-sliding-mode dynamics to parameter variations and exogenous disturbances. The complete rejection of periodic disturbances and the perfect tracking of periodic trajectories are achieved. Time-domain sufficient conditions for the robust stability are presented by which the controller parameters can be chosen. A numerical simulation is conducted to illustrate the validity of the developed method.

2. 29.     Leo Ho Wai Yeung, W.K.S. Tang, "A hybrid genetic approach for container loading in logistics industry," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 617- 627, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A hybrid genetic approach is proposed for container loading in order to meet the up-to-date customer requirements in the logistics industry. Container loading is usually modeled as a three-dimensional packing problem which is known to be NP-complete. By combining an order-based genetic algorithm with a novel heuristic placement method, the complicated and highly constrained packing problem is transformed into a simple permutation problem with a much smaller searching domain. It is guaranteed that every box is stable after placement inside the container. From the simulation results, it is demonstrated that optimal results can be duly obtained in a reasonably short period of time.

2. 30.     F. Delgado, M.E. Magana, "A fuzzy logic controller design and simulation for a sawmill bucking system," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 628- 634, April 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents an alternative efficient solution to the sawmill bucking problem using a fuzzy logic controller/optimizer. Bucking is one of the first production stations where stems coming from the forests are analyzed and processed in a sawmill. A length and diameter measurement system provides an operator with stem information so he/she can make a decision on what blocks should be cut. Traditional bucking solutions are based on the operator's experience, the data provided by the length and diameter measurement system and the visual inspection on the shape (sweep and taper) of the stem. The decisions of the operator are not exact but good enough or appropriate. The operator's decisions have a common goal: to recover the most wood out of every tree stem. Fuzzy logic controller decisions, if appropriate, try to simulate the best common sense decisions that a human will make after evaluating a set of data. Fuzzy logic control systems, as is already known, are designed with the intention of replacing an expert human operator with an automated ruled-based system.

Volume 52, Number 3, June 2005 Access to the journal on IEEE XPLORE IE Transactions Home Page

Special Section Papers on Modern Rectifiers - Part 3

3. 1.     C. Rech, J.R. Pinheiro, "Line current harmonics reduction in multipulse connection of asymmetrically loaded rectifiers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 640- 652, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a new arrangement for the multipulse connection of asymmetrically loaded six-pulse rectifiers. This arrangement is, therefore, particularly suitable for implementing the dc voltage sources of hybrid multilevel inverters in applications with active power transfer, such as medium-voltage adjustable-speed drives. A new design methodology is proposed to determine the phase shifts among the secondaries of the isolation transformer, even when the active power levels processed by each rectifier and their input and output impedances are different. A set of phase angles is obtained to minimize, and even to eliminate, undesired low-order harmonics of the input current, in particular, the 5th harmonic, because this harmonic component presents an amplitude considerably higher than the amplitude of the other harmonics. In consequence, the proposed design methodology increases the input power factor and reduces the input current total harmonic distortion. Simulation and experimental results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed structure.

3. 2.     J. Dixon, L. Moran, "A clean four-quadrant sinusoidal power rectifier using multistage converters for subway applications," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 653- 661, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A special 27-level four-quadrant rectifier for subway applications is analyzed. The arrangement uses only three H-bridges per phase, common dc bus, and independent input transformers for each H-bridge. The transformers allow galvanic isolation and power escalation to obtain high-quality voltage waveforms, with total harmonic distortion of less than 1%. Some advantages of this 27-level rectifier are: 1) only one of the three H-bridges, called the main converter, manages more than 80% of the total active power in each phase and 2) it switches at fundamental frequency, reducing the switching losses at a minimum value. The rectifier analyzed in this paper is a current-controlled voltage-source type, with a conventional feedback control loop. Some simulations in a rectifier substation, including power reversal at full load are displayed (750 Vdc, 1200 A). The rectifier shows the ability to produce clean ac and dc waveforms without any ripple, and fast reversal of power. Some experimental results with a small prototype, showing voltage and current waveforms, are finally displayed.

3. 3.     M. Glinka, R. Marquardt, "A new AC/AC multilevel converter family," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 662- 669, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new ac/ac modular multilevel converter (M/sup 2/LC) family will be introduced. The new concept stands out due to its modularity and superior control characteristics. The stringent modularity results in a very cost-efficient and versatile converter construction. This new M/sup 2/LC concept is well suited to a wide range of multiphase ac/ac converters. The basic working principle together with the static and dynamic behavior are explained in detail on a single-phase ac/ac converter enabling four-quadrant operation. It is demonstrated that this converter concept fulfils the demanding requirements for future ac-fed traction vehicles very well.

3. 4.     A. Dell'Aquila, M. Liserre, V.G. Monopoli, P. Rotondo, "An energy-based control for an n-H-bridges multilevel active rectifier," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 670- 678, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper deals with the control of a multilevel n-H-bridges front-end rectifier. This topology allows n distinct dc buses to be fed by the same ac source offering a high loading flexibility suitable for traction applications as well as for industrial automation plants. However, this flexibility can lead the system to instability if the dc buses operate at different voltage levels and with unbalanced loads. Thus, linear controllers, designed on the basis of the small-signal linearization, are not effective any longer and stability can not be ensured as large-signal disturbances occur. The use of a passivity-based control (PBC) designed via energy considerations and without small-signal linearization properly fits stability problems related to this type of converter. The system has been split into n subsystems via energy considerations in order to achieve the separate control of each dc bus and its stability in case of load changes or disturbances generated by other buses. Then, a set of n passivity-based controllers (one for each subsystem) is adopted: the controllers are linked using dynamical parameters computed through energy balance equations. Hence, the system dc buses are independent and stable as experimental results demonstrate.

3. 5.     E. Sanchis, E. Maset, J.A. Carrasco, J.B. Ejea, A. Ferreres, E. Dede, V. Esteve, J. Jordan, R. Garcia-Gil, "Zero-current-switched three-phase SVM-controlled buck rectifier," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 679- 688, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A zero-current-transition (ZCT) cell is analyzed and designed to be used with a three-phase pulsewidth-modulation buck rectifier. This rectifier was space-vector controlled and used unidirectional current switches. The proposed ZCT circuit is load independent and achieves a high noise and voltage stress reduction and provides ZCTs to almost all transitions of the rectifier's switches and to the additional auxiliary switches. Theoretical equations have been obtained for design purposes. The circuit is easy to design and the driving signals for the auxiliary switches are also easy to obtain, as demonstrated in this paper.

3. 6.     Chien-Ming Wang, "A novel ZCS-PWM power-factor preregulator with reduced conduction losses," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 689- 700, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper proposes a new single-phase high-power-factor rectifier, which features regulation by conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM), soft commutation, and instantaneous average line current control. A new zero-current-switching PWM (ZCS-PWM) auxiliary circuit is configured in the presented ZCS-PWM rectifier to perform ZCS in the active switches and zero-voltage switching in the passive switches. Furthermore, soft commutation of the main switch is achieved without additional current stress by the presented ZCS-PWM auxiliary circuit. A significant reduction in the conduction losses is achieved, since the circulating current for the soft switching flows only through the auxiliary circuit and a minimum number of switching devices are involved in the circulating current path and the proposed rectifier uses a single converter instead of the conventional configuration composed of a four-diode front-end rectifier followed by a boost converter. Nine transition states for describing the behavior of the ZCS-PWM rectifier in one switching period are described. The PWM switch model is used to predict the system performance. A prototype rated at 1 kW, operating 50 kHz, with an input ac voltage of 220 V/sub rms/ and an output voltage 400 V/sub dc/ has been implemented in laboratory. An efficiency of 97.3% and power factor over 0.99 has been measured. Analysis, design, and the control circuitry are also presented in this paper.

3. 7.     M.M. Jovanovic, Y. Jang, "State-of-the-art, single-phase, active power-factor-correction techniques for high-power applications - an overview," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 701- 708, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A review of high-performance, state-of-the-art, active power-factor-correction (PFC) techniques for high-power, single-phase applications is presented. The merits and limitations of several PFC techniques that are used in today's network-server and telecom power supplies to maximize their conversion efficiencies are discussed. These techniques include various zero-voltage-switching and zero-current-switching, active-snubber approaches employed to reduce reverse-recovery-related switching losses, as well as techniques for the minimization of the conduction losses. Finally, the effect of recent advancements in semiconductor technology, primarily silicon-carbide technology, on the performance and design considerations of PFC converters is discussed.

3. 8.     Huang-Jen Chiu, Li-Wei Lin, "A high-efficiency soft-switched AC/DC converter with current-doubler synchronous rectification," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 709- 718, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : An improved ac/dc converter based on asymmetrical half-bridge topology is proposed in this paper. To substantially enhance the efficiency for low-voltage/high-current output applications, a current-doubler synchronous rectifier is combined with a modified asymmetrical half-bridge converter that retains the inherent zero-voltage-switching property. The power losses in the secondary rectification stage and the primary switches can be significantly reduced. The proposed architecture exhibits extreme simplicity and lower cost while providing unity power factor, well-regulated output, and high power density. The detailed operating principles and design procedures for the proposed converter are described in this paper. Simulation and experimental results for a laboratory prototype are discussed to verify the feasibility.

3. 9.     P. Ide, F. Schafmeister, N. Frohleke, H. Grotstollen, "Enhanced control scheme for three-phase three-level rectifiers at partial load," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 719- 726, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A prominent boost-type three-level topology (VIENNA Rectifier I), which proved to represent a cost-effective and highly efficient solution for switched-mode rectifiers is inspected toward its operation at discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). This mode of operation occurs not only at high input voltage in conjunction with low load currents but even at medium loading in the vicinity of mains voltage zero crossings. When this circuit is operated in DCM, additional measures are required for improved behavior to avoid conflicts with requirements on total harmonic distortion and regulations as well as safe operation in terms of voltage balancing and overvoltage protection. A detailed analysis of DCM and associated states is performed enabling determination and location of error voltages. Basic rules for the location of error voltages can be found. This leads to a novel optimized modulation and control scheme, facilitating designs without additional inductance. Selected simulation and measurement results prove the enhanced modulation scheme.

3. 10.     Guanghai Gong, M.L. Heldwein, U. Drofenik, J. Minibock, K. Mino, J.W. Kolar, "Comparative evaluation of three-phase high-power-factor AC-DC converter concepts for application in future More Electric Aircraft," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 727- 737, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A passive 12-pulse rectifier system, a two-level, and a three-level active three-phase pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) rectifier system are analyzed for supplying the dc-voltage link of a 5-kW variable-speed hydraulic pump drive of an electro-hydrostatic actuator to be employed in future More Electric Aircraft. Weight, volume, and efficiency of the concepts are compared for an input phase voltage range of 98-132 V and an input frequency range of 400-800 Hz. The 12-pulse system shows advantages concerning volume, efficiency, and complexity but is characterized by a high system weight. Accordingly, the three-level PWM rectifier is identified as the most advantageous solution. Finally, a novel extension of the 12-pulse rectifier system by turn-off power semiconductors is proposed which allows a control of the output voltage and, therefore, eliminates the dependency on the mains and load condition which constitutes a main drawback of the passive concept.

3. 11.     J.R. Rodriguez, J. Pontt, C. Silva, E.P. Wiechmann, P.W. Hammond, F.W. Santucci, R. Alvarez, R. Musalem, S. Kouro, P. Lezana, "Large current rectifiers: State of the art and future trends," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 738- 746, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents the different technologies used in the generation of large controlled currents, in the kiloamperes range. After a brief review of processes requiring large currents, the paper discusses the working principles of thyristor phase-controlled rectifiers commonly used in these applications. Chopper-rectifiers using high-current insulated gate bipolar transistors are introduced as an alternative being considered in recent projects. The pulsewidth-modulated current-source rectifier, currently used in medium-voltage motor drives, is also analyzed as a future alternative for rectification in industrial processes. In addition, this paper presents the most important requirements and specifications to be considered in the applications of these high-power units. A system comparison is developed between thyristor and chopper-rectifiers in terms of quality of control, harmonics, power factor, losses, and efficiency.

3. 12.     P. Ladoux, G. Postiglione, H. Foch, J. Nuns, "A comparative study of AC/DC converters for high-power DC arc furnace," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 747- 757, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Today, dc arc furnaces are supplied by thyristor rectifiers. Because of the phase control strategy on the rectifiers, the arc voltage swings induce large reactive power variations on the power network and a static VAr compensator (SVC) or a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is always added to avoid flicker effect. In this paper, the authors present a new control strategy which suppresses the flicker effect and increases the furnace productivity. To supply the dc arc furnace, the ac/dc converter is based on diode rectifiers and choppers with a constant power control strategy. Consequently, the ac/dc converter can operate without a STATCOM or an SVC. To evaluate the gain in flicker and furnace productivity, simulations are done with Matlab software. These simulations take into account arc voltage measurements on a 100-MW dc arc furnace and allow for comparison of the different solutions.

3. 13.     J.C. Wiseman, Bin Wu, "Active damping control of a high-power PWM current-source rectifier for line-current THDreduction," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 758- 764, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The use of active damping to reduce the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the line current for medium-voltage (2.3-7.2 kV) high-power pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) current-source rectifiers is investigated. The rectifier requires an LC filter connected at its input terminals, which constitutes an LC resonant mode. The lightly damped LC filter is prone to series and parallel resonances when tuned to a system harmonic either from the utility or from the PWM rectifier. These issues are traditionally addressed at the design stage by properly choosing the filter resonant frequency. This approach may result in a limited performance since the LC resonant frequency is a function of the power system impedance, which usually varies with power system operating conditions. In this paper, an active damping control method is proposed for the reduction in line current THD of high-power current-source rectifiers operating at a switching frequency of only 540 Hz. Two types of LC resonances are investigated: the parallel resonance excited by harmonic currents drawn by the rectifier and the series resonance caused by harmonic pollution in the source voltage. It is demonstrated through simulation and experiments that the proposed active damping control can effectively reduce the line-current THD caused by both parallel and series resonances.

3. 14.     R. Garcia-Gil, J.M. Espi, E.J. Dede, E. Sanchis-Kilders, "A bidirectional and isolated three-phase rectifier with soft-switching operation," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 765- 773, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A bidirectional-power-flow three-phase rectifier with high-frequency isolation and all-digital control, based on the matrix converter topology, is analyzed in this paper. The selected topology consists of a bidirectional three-phase-to-single-phase reduced matrix converter with power-factor correction and a bidirectional active rectifier. The inclusion of the isolation transformer at the switching frequency permits the reduction of volume and weight. By synchronizing the commutation of both converters and adding a saturable inductor and a blocking capacitor it is possible to achieve soft commutation for most of the semiconductor elements. An all-digital control based on a digital-signal-processor and a field-programmable gate array was used to implement space-vector modulation and output current regulation. This power converter is intended to feed the low-energy correction magnet of a particle accelerator. Experimental results of a 1.5-kW 20-kHz prototype are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed topology.

3. 15.     S. Rees, "New cascaded control system for current-source rectifiers," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 774- 784, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A control method for current-source rectifiers (CSRs), which realizes substantially sinusoidal line currents, unity displacement power factor, and a dc-link current control with excellent dynamic properties is presented. CSRs are usually operated by pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) or space-vector-modulation techniques. However, due to the mains LC filter resonant circuits when using these modulation methods the system stability has to be investigated, resulting in restrictions on the minimum PWM frequency and the minimum size of the LC filter. Furthermore most known dc-link current control loops use dc-link inductors of considerable size. This limits the dynamic performance and, therefore, reduces the attainable efficiency of CSRs. To overcome these problems, a new cascaded dc-link current control system for CSRs is presented. Its inner capacitor voltage controller is based on a time-discrete modulation method, which realizes a fundamentally stable control of the mains LC filter resonant circuits, avoiding the mentioned restrictions. The system controlled by the superimposed dc-link current controller is linearized by a new approach, allowing excellent dynamic performance and, therefore, a comparatively small dc-link inductor to be used. The paper includes guidelines on how to design the mains filter components and the dc-link inductor. The feasibility of the presented cascaded controller is confirmed by measurements taken on a 60-kVA model current-source converter and different loads.

Drive Control

3. 16.     A.A. Naassani, E. Monmasson, J.-P. Louis, "Synthesis of direct torque and rotor flux control algorithms by means of sliding-mode theory," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 785- 799, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper is an attempt to synthesize the direct torque and rotor flux control (DTRFC) algorithms of induction motor using sliding-mode theory. The choice of the sliding-mode theory has been motivated by the presence of switches in the voltage-source inverter (VSI). Changes in the state of the switches cause the variation in the topology of the controlled system. In addition, this theory offers a mathematical process that allows rigorous procedures of analysis and synthesis. The developed voltage vector is generated by two methods: direct control of the VSI (hysteresis VSI control), and indirect control of the VSI using space-vector modulation. In addition, taking into account the complementarity of the advantages of each VSI control algorithm, the high dynamic performance of the direct control and the smoothness of the indirect control, the idea of the dynamic reconfiguration of DTRFC algorithms is proposed.

3. 17.     H. Nakai, H. Ohtani, E. Satoh, Y. Inaguma, "Development and testing of the torque control for the permanent-magnet synchronous motor," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 800- 806, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : Hybrid electrical vehicles and electrical vehicles are being actively developed. A hybrid electric vehicle motor design requires high efficiency, high power/weight ratio, and reliability from low rotor speed to high rotor speed. The permanent-magnet synchronous motor is used in order to fulfill these requirements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a permanent-magnet synchronous motor control method for all rotor speeds. This method increases the torque and the efficiency at high speed when compared to the ordinary current error feedback method. A method composed of two compensators is proposed to achieve this objective. One of the compensators controls the torque using the voltage phases. The other one is the ordinary current error feedback. Several correcting methods for the voltage phase compensator have been proposed for the compensator for many control demands. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed using simulation and experimental evaluations.

3. 18.     C. De Angelo, G. Bossio, J. Solsona, G.O. Garcia, M.I. Valla, "A rotor position and speed observer for permanent-magnet motors with nonsinusoidal EMF waveform," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 807- 813, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A new nonlinear reduced-order observer to estimate the rotor speed and position for permanent-magnet motors, with arbitrary electromotive force (EMF) waveform, is presented. The proposed observer is suitable for the realization of a torque control with minimum torque ripple. In order to implement the observer, the EMF generated by the motor is first obtained experimentally offline. After that, it is approximated by a Fourier series in order to develop the model to be used in the online estimation. From the estimated EMF, rotor position and speed are calculated using the relationship between the EMF and the rotor variables. The proposal is validated with experimental results.

3. 19.     Y.X. Su, C.H. Zheng, B.Y. Duan, "Automatic disturbances rejection controller for precise motion control of permanent-magnet synchronous motors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 814- 823, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A highly robust automatic disturbances rejection controller (ADRC) is developed to implement high-precision motion control of permanent-magnet synchronous motors. The proposed ADRC consists of a tracking differentiator (TD) in the feedforward path, an extended state observer (ESO), and a nonlinear proportional derivative control in the feedback path. The TD solves the difficulties posed by low-order reference trajectories which are quantized at the sensor resolution, and the ESO provides the estimate of the unmeasured system's state and the real action of the unknown disturbances only based on a measurement output of the system. Simulations and experimental results show that the proposed ADRC achieves a better position response and is robust to parameter variation and load disturbance. Furthermore, the ADRC is designed directly in discrete time with a simple structure and fast computation, which make it widely applicable to all other types of derives.

3. 20.     V.T. Somasekhar, K. Gopakumar, M.R. Baiju, K.K. Mohapatra, L. Umanand, "A multilevel inverter system for an induction motor with open-end windings," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 824- 836, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : In this paper, a multilevel inverter system for an open-end winding induction motor drive is described. Multilevel inversion is achieved by feeding an open-end winding induction motor with two two-level inverters in cascade (equivalent to a three-level inverter) from one end and a single two-level inverter from the other end of the motor. The combined inverter system with open-end winding induction motor produces voltage space-vector locations identical to a six-level inverter. A total of 512 space-vector combinations are available in the proposed scheme, distributed over 91 space-vector locations. The proposed inverter drive scheme is capable of producing a multilevel pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) waveform for the phase voltage ranging from a two-level waveform to a six-level waveform depending on the modulation range. A space-vector PWM scheme for the proposed drive is implemented using a 1.5-kW induction motor with open-end winding structure.

3. 21.     Rong-Jong Wai, Kuo-Min Lin, "Robust decoupled control of direct field-oriented induction motor drive," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 837- 854, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper focuses on the development of a decoupling mechanism and a speed control scheme based on total sliding-mode control (TSMC) theory for a direct rotor field-oriented (DRFO) induction motor (IM). First, a robust decoupling mechanism including an adaptive flux observer and a sliding-mode current estimator is investigated to decouple the complicated flux and torque dynamics of an IM. The acquired flux angle is utilized for the DRFO object such that the dynamic behavior of the IM is like that of a separately excited dc motor. However, the control performance of the IM is still influenced seriously by the system uncertainties including electrical and mechanical parameter variation, external load disturbance, nonideal field-oriented transient responses, and unmodeled dynamics in practical applications. In order to enhance the robustness of the DRFO IM drive for high-performance applications, a TSMC scheme is constructed without the reaching phase in conventional sliding-mode control (CSMC). The control strategy is derived in the sense of Lyapunov stability theorem such that the stable tracking performance can be ensured under the occurrence of system uncertainties. In addition, numerical simulations as well as experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the developed methodologies in comparison with a model reference adaptive system flux observer and a CSMC system.

Power Electronics

3. 22.     T. Bruckner, S. Bernet, H. Guldner, "The active NPC converter and its loss-balancing control," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 855- 868, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : The three-level neutral-point-clamped voltage-source converter (NPC VSC) is widely used in high-power medium-voltage applications. The unequal loss distribution among the semiconductors is one major disadvantage of this popular topology. This paper studies the loss distribution problem of the NPC VSC and proposes the active NPC VSC to overcome this drawback. The switch states and commutations of the converter are analyzed. A loss-balancing scheme is introduced, enabling a substantially increased output power and an improved performance at zero speed, compared to the conventional NPC VSC.

3. 23.     T. Senanayake, T. Ninomiya, "An improved topology of inductor-switching DC-DC converter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 869- 878, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : An improved version of an inductor-switching fast-response dc-dc converter is presented that will provide the requirements and features of the new generation of microprocessor and digital systems. Lower output voltage, higher output current, and smaller output voltage ripple requirements have greatly increased the difficulty of the power supply design. To further increase the problem, power-saving "stop-clock" modes of the microprocessor has demanded faster and more stable transient response from the dc-dc converter. A novel method of inductor switching is applied to a dc-dc converter, and it provides the prominent features of current amplification and absorption during the heavy burden of load transients. The design and simulation of the concept is verified by experiment with a 12-V input and 3.3-V/30-A output converter.

3. 24.     Dae-Wook Kang, Byoung-Kuk Lee, Jae-Hyun Jeon, Tae-Jin Kim, Dong-Seok Hyun, "A symmetric carrier technique of CRPWM for voltage balance method of flying-capacitor multilevel inverter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 879- 888, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : This paper presents a simple carrier symmetric method for the voltage balance of flying capacitors in flying-capacitor multilevel inverters. The carrier-redistribution pulsewidth-modulation (CRPWM) method was reported as a solution for the voltage balance but it has a drawback at the transition of voltage level. To achieve the voltage balance of flying capacitors, the utilization of each carrier must be balanced during a half-cycle of the switching period such as phase-shifted PWM. However, the CRPWM method causes the fluctuation of flying-capacitor voltages because the balanced utilization of carriers is not achieved. Moreover, it does not consider that the load current change has an influence on flying-capacitor voltages by assuming that the current flows into the load. Therefore, the charging and discharging quantities of flying-capacitor voltages do not become zero during the switching period. To overcome the drawbacks of CRPWM, it is modified by the technique where carriers of each band are disposed of symmetrically at every fundamental period. Firstly, the CRPWM method is reviewed and the theory on voltage balance of flying capacitors is analyzed. The proposed method is introduced and is verified through simulation and experimental results.

3. 25.     Jin-Ha Choi, Jung-Min Kwon, Jee-Hoon Jung, Bong-Hwan Kwon, "High-performance online UPS using three-leg-type converter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 889- 897, June 2005.  Full Text Link
Abstract : A high-performance single-phase online uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is proposed. The UPS is composed of a three-leg-type converter which operates as a battery charger and an inverter. The first leg is controlled to charge the battery, and the third leg is controlled to make the output voltage. The common leg is controlled in line frequency. The charger and the inverter are controlled independently. The charger has the capability of power-factor correction while charging a battery. The inverter regulates output voltage and limits output current under an impulsive load. The three-leg-type converter reduces the number of switching devices. As a result, the system has less power loss and a low-cost structure. In the determination of the charger voltage, the nominal voltage is derived using the feedback linearization concept and then a perturbed voltage is determined for the reactive power control. The disturbance of input voltage is de