Prediction-Based MIMO Control of a Multiport Magnetic-Coupled Energy Router
Haojun Qin, Chang Zheng Liu, Yang Shi, Ming Liu, Chengbin Ma
Abstract
Multiport power converters are important for energy routing in renewable energy applications. Particularly magnetic-coupled multiport converters are especially advantageous in terms of galvanic isolation and reduced number of magnetic components. They also enable highly integrated and modularized circuit designs. Meanwhile, their Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (MIMO) nature complicates the control, particularly with a possibly large number of ports for routing purposes. Unlike the existing Single-Input and Single-Output (SISO) controls, this article develops a continuous-control-set Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based MIMO control scheme that improves the dynamic performance of the multiport power converters, minimizes interference among different ports, and simplifies the controller design process. The aspects of statespace MIMO modeling, optimization problem definition and solution, and necessary modifications are systematically discussed for practical real-time implementation, especially on low-cost Microcontroller-Units (MCUs). Finally, the developed MPCbased MIMO control is experimentally validated by a prototype eight-port energy router (800 W maximum power) exhibiting superior dynamic responses and a high system efficiency above 94% over a wide power range.