This paper presents the discrete‐time modelling and control of modular input‐parallel–output‐parallel (IPOP) dual‐active‐bridge (DAB) converters for electric vehicle (EV) charging. The proposed adaptive control system ensures adequate current‐sharing among parallel modules while minimizing DAB current stress by adopting dual phase‐shift modulation. Driven by the growing need for fast EV charging options, the paper highlights the importance of achieving top‐notch control performance, especially with varying load conditions. Specifically, it introduces a discrete‐time model for adjusting controller parameters adaptively, which simplifies the typically cumbersome manual tuning process associated with these systems. The proposed PI formulae are derived to satisfy specifications on the frequency domain as phase margin and the gain crossover frequency of the open loop gain transfer function, ensuring stability and robustness in operation. Moreover, the implementation of these formulae in discrete microcontrollers facilitates seamless PI autotuning for precise current, voltage, or power control. Notably, the proposed control strategy effectively mitigates current overshot issues commonly encountered during module engagement and shedding operations in modular EV chargers. To validate its efficacy, the proposed controller is evaluated through extensive testing and comparisons within the PLECS environment, particularly focusing on a two‐module IPOP‐DAB converter scenario, and including comparisons with classical offline model‐based pole placement methodology. Furthermore, real‐time hardware‐in‐the‐loop experiments are conducted to confirm the feasibility and performance of the proposed controller under realistic EV charging profiles.

Dual-active-bridge (DAB) converters have gained popularity primarily owing to their appealing features for electric vehicle (EV) charging and smart-grid applications. One among them is soft-switching commutation that comes inherently with the device control techniques. However, DAB converters lose the zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) commutation on either bridge for large output voltage variation, especially under light-load conditions. In this context, this paper provides insights into the behavior of the auxiliary inductor-based DAB converter in terms of ZVS operations. The integration of auxiliary inductors makes it paramount to study the RMS currents through the power switches to gain awareness about the effects on the converter performance. A graphical analysis proved useful in this direction. Finally, simulations are carried out over various operating conditions to validate the analytical developments.

This paper describes the preliminary analysis, design and implementation phases of a DC/DC boost converter dedicated to the Futura catamaran propulsion chain developed by the UniBoAT team at the University of Bologna. The main goal of the project was the reduction of the converter’s weight by eliminating the use of heat sinks and by reducing the component size, especially inductors and capacitors. The obtained converter is directly integrated into the structure containing the fuel-cell stack. The realized converter was based on an interleaved architecture with six phases controlled through the average current mode control. The design was validated through simulations carried out using the LT-Spice software, whereas experimental validations were performed by means of both bench tests and on-field tests. Detailed thermal and efficiency analyses were provided with the bench tests under the two synchronous and non-synchronous operating modes and with the adoption of the phase-shedding technique. Prototype implementation and performance in real operating conditions are discussed in relation to on-field tests. The designed converter can be used in other applications requiring a voltage-controlled boost converter.

This article proposes a dual-active-bridge control to support the fast synthetic inertial action in DC microgrids. First of all, the selection of the isolated DC/DC converter to link an energy storage system with the DC bus in a microgrid is analyzed and the advantages of the dual-active-bridge converter controlled by a single-phase shift modulation justify its selection. An active front-end can be then adapted to connect the DC bus with an AC grid. Secondly, this paper presents the design of a discrete PI controller for supporting fast synthetic inertial action. In particular, a discrete dual-active-bridge model based on the transferred power between both converter bridges, which overcomes the approximations of the output current linearization model, is proposed. Moreover, the article introduces a novel equation set to directly and dynamically tune discrete PI parameters to fulfill the design frequency specifications based on the inversion formulae method. In this way, during the voltage/power transients on the DC bus, the controller actively responds and recovers those transients within a grid fundamental cycle. Since the developed set of control equations is very simple, it can be easily implemented by a discrete control algorithm, avoiding the use of offline trial and error procedures which may lead to system instability under large load variations. Finally, the proposed control system is evaluated and validated in PLECS simulations and hardware-in-the-loop tests.

In many practical applications, such as electric vehicle charging and smart transformers, reverse power flow is significantly lower than forward power flow. Designing a full-rated bidirectional DC/DC converter in such cases leads to increased hardware costs. To address this, recent research has explored isolated topologies that support asymmetrical bidirectional power flow at reduced cost. This manuscript investigates an asymmetrical bidirectional DC/DC (AB-DC/DC) converter that integrates a partial-scale active bridge and a partial-scale diode bridge connected in parallel on the secondary side. Passive power sharing between these bridges is controlled by selecting appropriate coupling inductors, but practical magnetic tolerances cause power imbalances. To mitigate this, a novel modulation technique is proposed to enable active power sharing, allowing power transfer from the diode bridge to the active bridge. The study covers various operating regions, including discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), continuous conduction mode (CCM), dual-active-bridge (DAB) mode, and two hybrid regions, where the diode bridge operates in DCM and the active bridge in CCM. Closed-form power expressions and boundary conditions are derived for all modes. The proposed strategy is validated through simulations and experimental measurements on a hardware prototype, demonstrating consistent waveform behavior and confirming the feasibility of active power transfer from the diode bridge to the active bridge.

This manuscript investigates a sigma-delta–based cycle-skipping modulation strategy for power regulation and current sharing in modular series resonant DC transformers. The method enables continuous power control without changing the switching frequency, duty cycle, or phase shift, making it suitable for DC transformer architectures that normally operate in a load-independent manner. A modified cycle-skipping approach is introduced to maintain magnetizing current during idle intervals, thereby preserving soft switching across the full operating range. The sigma-delta modulator replaces the fixed burst patterns of traditional cycle skipping with a noise-shaped pulse distribution that improves control resolution and mitigates low-frequency ripple. A practical implementation on an STM32 microcontroller is presented, including a lookup-table-based mapping of the sigma-delta bitstream to hardware burst-mode registers. Experimental validation on a 1-kW SRC-DCX prototype confirms accurate power regulation. Later demonstrated that, when extended to a dual-module IPOP configuration, the method achieves effective current balancing, with a peak efficiency of nearly 98%.