Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium 2005, Hangzhou, China, August 22-26 395

Matrix Converter Control System

Jiri Lettl and Stanislav Fligl
Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract
The presented paper deals with the matrix converter control hardware and software conception. The built
matrix converter is used to treat the electrically transmitted energy part of the investigated hybrid power
splitting drive system. The digital control system used for the realized test bed consists of two personal
computers. The first one serves to monitoring purposes only, the second one is equipped with a common
interface card and works in real time. All the signals are reprocessed and adjusted in interface cards situated
in the control rack. From these cards the necessary electrical and optical signals are sent directly to the power
and measure parts of the matrix converter system.

Introduction
The matrix converters [1]-[4] provide an all-silicon solution to the problem of converting AC power from
one frequency to another, offering almost all the features required of an ideal static frequency changer. They
possess many advantages compared to the conventional voltage or current source inverters. A matrix converter
does not require energy storage components as a bulky capacitor or an inductance in the DC-link. It enables
the bi-directional power flow between the power supply and load. The most of the contemporary modulation
strategies are able to provide practically sinusoidal waveforms of the input and output currents with negligible
low order harmonics, and to control the input displacement factor.

Figure 1: Basic power circuit of a three-phase to three-phase matrix converter

Matrix Converter Control Hardware and Software System

The special “Host PC – Target PC” digital control system was developed for the realised experimental
test bed. The matter consists in the processor throughput. While in case of the digital signal processors it
can be as far as 100 MIPS at 16 bit DSP with fixed point, 200 MIPS at 32 bit DSP with fixed point, 20-200
MIPS/MFLOPS at DSP with floating point only, in case of processors for PC it can reach e.g. 9000 MIPS and
2600 MFLOPS.
The basis of the control system consists of two common personal computers. The first one (Host PC) should
be equipped with any multitasking operating system and the MatLab programme must be installed on this PC.
It serves for compiling of the target real-time applications and for monitoring purposes only, such as downloading
and displaying of measured waveforms, commands entry, etc. One serial port of the RS232 standard and one
parallel port enabling operation in the ECP mode are inevitable. The second one (Target PC) works in real time
 396 Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium 2005, Hangzhou, China, August 22-26

Figure 2: Matrix converter control system

Figure 3: Indirect frequency converter power switches instantaneous switch state

and the matrix converter control programme is processed on it only. The most important component of this PC is
the Multi I/O PCI card Meilhaus ME-2600i containing A/D and D/A converters and digital inputs and outputs.
All the signals are reprocessed and adjusted in interface cards situated in the control rack. Here is also placed
the IGBT’s switch pulses generating card based on a FPGA device. To make the work easy, the firmware for the
Target PC and the monitoring programme for the Host PC were prepared. The firmware consists of the libraries
set programmed in the ASSEMBLER and C language enabling faster algorithm implementation and testing.
It has the real-time kernel with 50 – 200 microseconds period and contains synchronisation, communication,
and I/O card specific routines. The monitoring programme consists of the set of the mutually communicating
programmes programmed in the MatLab, JAVA, and C languages. However, from the user sight it seems to be
one application only. This software is very important for easy control application developing.

Figure 4: Indirect frequency converter simplified instantaneous switch state schema

Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium 2005, Hangzhou, China, August 22-26 397

Matrix Converter Control Conception

Great number of sophisticated strategies of pulse width modulation methods, and control algorithms for in-
duction motor control in terms of various optimization criteria are known in case of indirect frequency converters,
whereas both the inverter and the rectifier can be operated with pulse width modulation. The instantaneous
state of both the output and the input converter waveforms depend at any time on the switch state of the
converter power switches S. Suitable switch states sequence of the nine matrix converter switches can be indi-
rectly derived from the given switch states sequence of the twelve switchers of the indirect frequency converter
as follows in simplification.

Figure 5: Matrix converter input voltage uR0 and current iR0 waveforms

Figure 6: Matrix converter output voltage uAB and current iA waveforms for 20 Hz

The matrix converter instantaneous switch state matrix S can be afterwards determined by means of the
instantaneous switch state vectors sABC and sTRST as follows.
   
SA
SAR SAS SAT
S = sABC sTRST =  SB  SR SS ST =  SBR SBS SBT  (1)
SC SCR SCS SCT

The proper function of the matrix converter control system illustrate the matrix converter input and output
voltage and current waveforms shown in Figures 5, 6, 7. In this case the matrix converter is fed from the
symmetrical three phase source of 50 Hz, linked to the symmetrical load (the power circuit is connected in
accordance with Figure 1), and controlled by means of the above mentioned indirect pulse width modulation
method at the matrix converter IGBTs switching frequency of 2 kHz.

Matrix Converter in Hybrid Drive

There are various types of hybrid drives [5]. The realised matrix converter [6] is used to treat the electrically
transmitted power part of the hybrid traction drive with electric power splitting. The electrical torque split
device consists of a special electric generator with both stator and rotor rotating. The rotor is connected to
 398 Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium 2005, Hangzhou, China, August 22-26

internal combustion engine and its torque is via air gap electromagnetic forces transmitted to the stator. The
torque and the output shaft angular speed constitute the mechanically transmitted power. The remaining part
of the internal combustion engine power is transformed into the electric power and represents the input power
of electrical transmission.

Figure 7: Matrix converter output voltage uAB and current iA waveforms for 60 Hz

Figure 8: Hybrid drive with electric splitting generator

Conclusion
The developed matrix converter control hardware and software system makes it possible to achieve greater
throughput of the digital control system and its variability. The results obtained on the built-up experimental
test bed have proved proper function of the designed conception of the matrix converter control system.

REFERENCES
1. Gyugyi, L., B. R. Pelly, “Static Power Frequency Changers,” Wiley, New York, 1976.
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Vol. 29, 350-375, 1984.
3. Alesina, A., M. Venturini, “Analysis and Design of Optimum Amplitude Nine-Switch AC-AC Converters,”
IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 4, 101-112, 1989.
4. Liu, C., B. A. Zahawi, R. Petrocelli, “Adaptive Overmodulation of Three Phase SVM Controlled Matrix
Converter,” Proceedings of EPE-PEMC, Kosice, Vol. 2, 23-27, 2000.
5. Cerovsky, Z., P. Mindl, S. Fligl, P.Hanus, “Hybrid Drives and Energy Hybrid Transmission,” Proceedings
of TRANSCOM, Zilina, Vol. 6, 21-24, 2001.
6. Lettl, J., S. Fligl, “Matrix Converter in Hybrid Drives,” Proceedings of PPE-2004, Kiev , Vol. 3, 77-80,
2004.