FPGA based Real-Time simulation of FlyBack converter using graphical programming tools

This paper presents a novel FPGA Real-Time simulation solution based on modern graphical programming and automated testing tools. The proposed setup was used for simulation of high-speed power electronics switching phenomenon within some considered circuit topologies. In the actual setup, the behavior of a power electronic converter stage was hardware - emulated using a powerful FPGA (Field Programmable Gate-Array) logic processing unit. This logic - processor unit was used to run fast, and intensive computing tasks related to the desired power electronics circuit topology behavioral simulation techniques. The FPGA unit was equipped with analog and digital input and output ports, so that the resultant digital real-time simulation waveforms were physically generated as variable voltage signals. The real variable voltage signals required in the control scheme of the considered power electronics topology were also acquired using the built-in digital and analog ports. The physical control variable voltage signal was generated using a digital control law algorithm implemented within an embedded system process controller (NI MyRIO). This kind of simulation approach is so-called Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Real-Time simulation. This simulation technique requires two real-time computing systems, the HIL simulation computer (NI PXI) and the embedded controller (NI MyRIO). As software infrastructure, specialized real-time simulation and automated testing software environments were used. The whole presented HIL solution is mainly centered on the National Instruments devices plus the Lab VIEW software infrastructure and also the VeriStand test automation environment including the OPAL-RT eHS circuit solver Add-on. Matlab - Simulink was also used to implement the power electronics circuit model. The overall system represents a Hardware In the Loop and Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench solution.