Multiphase Modular Power Converter using the PEBB concept and FPGA-based Direct High Speed Voltage Measurement

The paper presents a multiphase, modular power converter for the development of multiphase drive control. The proposed converter uses the Power Electronic Building Block (PEBB) concept and uses six independent three-phase Intelligent Power Modules (IPMs). Each power unit is equipped with a local FPGA-based board that communicates with a Rapid Prototyping Control Unit (RPCU) by means of optical fibers. Therefore, no analog signals are transmitted throughout the proposed power converter. The paper also proposes a digital FPGA-based method for voltage measurement of the instantaneous PWM voltage at the output of a three-phase module. The PWM voltages are measured by means a high bandwidth, fully differential amplifier and a fast Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter that provides the samples to the local FPGA. To show the flexibility and advantages of the proposed test rig, experimental results are provided for a six-phase induction motor drive.