Analysis of time-stamping-based synchronization of a PEBB system

In the last few years, the design of power electronics systems has been towards modularity. The focus has been on finding solutions for integration of distributed power electronics systems. Distributed systems set new requirements for control systems compared with the traditional centralized solutions. Using intelligent power electronics building blocks as a basis for power electronics systems results in reduced cost, easier reconfiguration, and improved reliability. A cascaded ring topology has become a prominent control solution. In many applications, accurate synchronization of the building blocks is of crucial importance; it is therefore essential to understand the factors that affect the synchronization accuracy. This paper addresses ring topology synchronization methods and the factors that define the overall synchronization accuracy. A new time-stamping-based synchronization method is presented, and its accuracy and jitter behavior are analyzed. Experimental results of synchronization jitter of the proposed method are presented.