Development of an Optimal Fuzzy Controller for Novel Power Architectures in Automotive Applications

The design of synchronous multiphase DC-DC converters allows improvements of the characteristics of high power systems. The automotive industry forecast that future power demands inside a car will oscillate between 2.5 kW and 3.5kW, keeping a dual system of 42/14V batteries. In this paper, an optimal fuzzy controller has been developed to control a synchronous multiphase converter of 1.6kW for dual voltage architecture or in hybrid vehicle applications. The proposed optimal fuzzy controller is analyzed and simulated together with a non lineal model of the power stage, by means of Matlab and Simulink. This simulation platform also integrates tools for a future implementation of the controller embedded in a FPGA. The main contribution of this work is the implementation of an optimal fuzzy algorithm of control that can be used independently of the number of phases of the converter, making it suitable to be applied in a wide range of high power applications. This controller has been designed having in mind the goal of developing a real-time FPGA-based controller, so the complexity has been reduced to a minimum. Hybrid vehicles, aerospace and naval industry power systems can also benefit from the development of this algorithm.