Advanced Control Techniques for Power Converter and Drives

1. Introduction

Advanced control is now central to performance, robustness, and the ability to achieve the highest power density in modern power converters. Beyond classical linear designs, research has rapidly expanded across model predictive control, adaptive and robust methods, passivity-based strategies, and learning-enabled controllers, together with spectrum-shaping modulation to address the EMI and vibro-acoustics in drive systems [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. These techniques are being exploited in demanding contexts such as grid-forming inverters, hybrid AC/DC networks, and electrified transportation, where tight transience, device stress limits, and grid codes must all be satisfied simultaneously.

Despite the progress, several gaps remain regarding the control design, device physics, and implementation: (i) accurate handling of nonlinear magnetic components within real-time controllers; (ii) stability guarantees for distributed and parallelized converter architectures; (iii) realizations of complex control schemes on embedded platforms (e.g., FPGAs); and (iv) grid-interactive scheduling and optimization frameworks that explicitly treat uncertainty while coordinating power–electronic elements in distribution networks.

Recent work has started to close these gaps. For example, the authors of [11] propose a quasi-constant on-time (QCOT) control for SMPS operating with nonlinear temperature-dependent inductors; by estimating the power switch conduction time and exploiting the saturation safely, the QCOT raises the inductor current capability and power density while avoiding thermal runaway. In [12], a 4 MW high-power-density generator for hybrid-electric aircraft, targeting gravimetric power densities around 20 kW/kg with advanced PM design and thermal management is presented. In [13], the authors propose a multiport power conversion system (MPCS) for the More Electric Aircraft, enabling fault-tolerant ring power distribution with minimal weight penalty. An advanced discontinuous PWM for multilevel cascaded H-bridge converters, reducing switching losses while mitigating harmonic degradation in N-cell structures, is reported in [14]. A modulated model-predictive integral control for synchronous reluctance motor drives, ensuring fixed switching frequency, low ripple, and robustness against parameter mismatches is presented in [15]. Finally, ref. [16] explores sampling-time harmonic control for cascaded H-bridges under active thermal control, addressing lifetime extension while suppressing low-order distortion.

This Special Issue was conceived to collect the latest research across advanced control theory, power-device and passive modeling, and embedded implementation and to highlight solutions that translate into experimentally validated performance gains in the specific field of power electronics.

In order to meet the demand for new contributions also relating to the abovementioned topics, we are pleased to announce that a Second Edition of this Special Issue is now open for submissions. We particularly welcome innovative contributions to the field of advanced control techniques for power electronics converters and drives. For further details, please see https://www.mdpi.com/journal/electronics/special_issues/M485MV576M, (accessed on 15 September 2025).

2. Highlighting Key Contributions

This Special Issue brings together a selection of innovative research articles that demonstrate the state of the art in control methodologies for power converters and electric drives. The following contributions reflect significant progress in areas including harmonic mitigation, voltage stability, efficiency optimization, and intelligent control implementation.

2.1. Double-Loop Controller Design of a Single-Phase 3-Level Power Factor Correction Converter

Han and Kim (Contribution 1) detail a practical inner–outer loop design (SISOTOOL-based) augmented with a targeted 120 Hz band-stop to suppress ripple injection while preserving the dynamic response. The hardware results show clean boost and buck transitions (210 V to 150 V) without overshoot and stable behavior under load steps (50 Ω to 25 Ω), matching the PSIM predictions.

2.2. Robust PI-PD Controller Design: Industrial Simulation Case Studies and a Real-Time Application

Alyoussef, Kaya, and Akrad (Contribution 2) propose a geometry-driven robust design method that characterizes the controller parameter region, guaranteeing closed-loop stability and adequate margins, which then selects a PI–PD operating point near the region centroid. Hardware-in-the-loop and real-time tests on a twin-rotor MIMO system (TRMS) confirm the setpoint tracking and disturbance rejection with low tuning effort and transparent robustness guarantees.

2.3. Advanced Distributed Control of Parallel Resonant CLLC DAB Converters

Vicente et al. (Contribution 3) propose a scalable distributed architecture that combines a master voltage controller with local current controllers to balance load and suppress circulating currents in parallel CLLC DAB stages. The experiments demonstrated stability, an ∼80% faster transient via a feed-forward path, and a current-sharing deviation $<3\%$ from light to full load, achieved without a fragile centralized current bus, making it attractive for hybrid AC/DC microgrids and SST front-ends.

2.4. FPGA Implementation of Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for a Boost Converter with a Partially Saturating Inductor

Ravera et al. (Contribution 4) embed a nonlinear inductor and thermal-aware converter model into an NMPC solved by Mesh Adaptive Direct Search, mapped to an AMD/Xilinx FPGA. The co-simulation and experiments show sub-millisecond voltage regulation under steps, while respecting current constraints; practical figures include a control latency of ∼16.6 $\mathsf{\mu }$s and operation up to 60 kHz sampling, illustrating a viable path to high-speed certifiable MPC in power supplies.

2.5. Dual-Random Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation Strategy Based on Optimized Beta Distribution

Gu et al. (Contribution 5) introduce a work to reduce high-frequency current harmonics and associated acoustic/vibration signatures in PMSMs; the work randomizes both the switching frequency and zero-vector selection. Using a PSO-tuned Beta distribution for the RNG yielded superior spectral spreading versus classical LCG methods; motor-bench experiments validated the reductions in high-frequency vibration while preserving the dynamic performance.

2.6. Stochastic Operation of BESS and MVDC Link in Distribution Networks Under Uncertainty

Han, Song, and Lee (Contribution 6) introduce a distributionally robust chance-constrained (DRCC) scheduler that coordinates MVDC link setpoints and BESS dispatch across interconnected feeders with PV/load uncertainty. Case studies quantify the cost–reliability trade, e.g., up to 44.7% operational cost reduction, while maintaining ≈96.8% bus-voltage reliability, showing how probabilistic reliability constraints can be tuned to system economics.

2.7. A Passivity-Based Control Integrated with Virtual DC Motor Strategy for Boost Converters Feeding Constant Power Loads

Ou et al. (Contribution 7) present a passivity observer/controller framework with a “virtual DC motor” current loop that yields robust damping and constraint handling for grid-forming inverters under grid disturbances. The method maintains synchronization and current limits without retuning across operating points, and the experiments indicated improved stability margins relative to standard inner loops.

2.8. Symmetric Optimization Strategy Based on Triple-Phase Shift for Dual-Active Bridge Converters with Low RMS Current and Full ZVS over Ultra-Wide Voltage and Load Ranges

Cui et al. (Contribution 8) focus on RMS-current minimization and ZVS extension; this paper synthesizes recent DAB modulation strategies and outlines implementable heuristics for efficiency over wide operating ranges. It provides design guidance that complements distributed and resonant topologies elsewhere in this Special Issue.