Real-time electro-thermal modelling and predictive control design of resonant power converter in full electric vehicle applications

In this paper, a resonant converter model is proposed that takes into account the thermal and electrical dynamics of the main components. With respect to state-of-art, where model-based design approaches are often implemented off-line, the proposed model has a low computational complexity such that it can be simulated in real-time. This real-time electro-thermal model enables also the design of a predictive control algorithm, that is proposed to optimize the current control of a SiC-based resonant converter by handling both thermal and electrical operating limits of its components. To validate the interaction between the converter model and the predictive control algorithm, validation is proposed via real-time processor-in-the-loop, with application to the on-board charger for high-voltage Li-ion battery pack, typical of modern fully electrified vehicles.