A Low-Cost, High-Fidelity Processor-in-the Loop Platform: For Rapid Prototyping of Power Electronics Circuits and Motor Drives

Abstract

For rapid prototyping of power electronics circuits and motor drivesW ith the rising complexity in digital control algorithms for power electronics (PE) systems, prototype design and software control testing procedures have become increasingly time-consuming and costly. To minimize time to market and improve software quality assurance, this article presents a lowcost, safe, and reliable processor-in-the-loop (PIL) concept for rapid prototyping. PIL provides a framework to verify the actual control algorithm on a dedicated microcontroller that controls plant simulation in the software environment (SE). The corresponding communication approaches, constituting blocks and preliminary results, are presented in detail. The accuracy and fidelity of the PIL platform is validated through software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulations. It is shown that PIL leverages the embedded code generation features of the SE, which enables controller design and testing through minimal modifications to generated code and eliminates the need for real hardware during development, therefore removing safety concerns and any risks of damaging the expensive hardware. The presented approach also helps identify coding errors, casting errors, and platform-specific configuration errors even before the actual test setup is functional. Reasons for a New PIL PlatformPE systems have recently undergone a fast evolution enabled by high-performance embedded systems and computational technologies. The demand for digital control algorithms managing the electronic component operations and the overall system has been rising, and the systems have been increasing in complexity with faster 18 IEEE PowEr ELECtronICs MAgAzInE z FIG 1 The basic PIL system. Power Converter MCU PIL ADC Model PWM Model SE

Voltage and Power Balance Strategy without Communication for a Modular Solid State Transformer Based on Adaptive Droop Control

“…Thereby, it is possible to verify the performance of the control strategy in equalizing the voltages of the SST HVDC buses and promoting power sharing. Besides the independence of the physical prototype, the methodology in question has other advantages [23,33]:…”

Simulação Em Tempo Real De Algoritmos De Equalização Das Tensões Cc De Um Conversor Multinível Modular

“…Ainda dentro deste contexto, a simulação em tempo real de controladores, ou simplesmente simulação Control-Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL), tem desempenhado um papel fundamental na depuração e testes de algoritmos de controle de conversores eletrônicos de média e elevada potência [14], [15]. A utilização de plataformas dedicadas de simulação em tempo real, permite não só otimizar os códigos de novos controladores, mas também minimizar os custos e reduzir o tempo de desenvolvimento.…”

“…O desempenho de cada um dependerá: (i) da quantidade de tensões que deverão ser ordenadas e (ii) da forma como estas tensões estão desorganizadas na estrutura. A falta de um estudo comparativo até o momento não permite obter uma conclusão a respeito de um algoritmo mais apropriado para realizar tal tarefa [12], [13].Ainda dentro deste contexto, a simulação em tempo real de controladores, ou simplesmente simulação Control-Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL), tem desempenhado um papel fundamental na depuração e testes de algoritmos de controle de conversores eletrônicos de média e elevada potência [14], [15]. A utilização de plataformas dedicadas de simulação em tempo real, permite não só otimizar os códigos de novos controladores, mas também minimizar os custos e reduzir o tempo de desenvolvimento.…”

Processor-in-the-Loop Architecture Design and Experimental Validation for an Autonomous Racing Vehicle

“…A PIL design and experimental validation is proposed in [23] for a MPC strategy devoted to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The PIL architecture is also used for fast prototyping of power electronics circuits in [24]. Furthermore, the PIL layout is used to validate a hybrid fuzzy-RRT algorithm for indoor unmanned robots [25].…”