This thesis is concerned primarily with the optimization of the current regulation in bi-directional ac-dc power converters through the use of appropriate current control methods. Following a review into prior current control technology, current control methods which attempt to achieve Zero Average Current Error (ZACE) in each switching period are presented. A ZACE controlled converter offers independent real and reactive power flow control with negligible low order current harmonics, a relatively narrow switching frequency band, and relative immunity to power circuit parameter variations, including DC link or AC line voltage harmonics. ZACE and other desirable characteristics in a current control method are discussed. The single phase ac and dc ripple current is characterized.Two new types of ZACE current control techniques for directly controlling the inductor current in switched power converters are introduced in this thesis together with variations for certain applications. Slope-generated hysteresis (SGH), the first to be developed, is a hysteresis method which uses the slopes of the current error signal alone to generate a hysteresis band which will result in a fixed switching frequency. Slope-generated hysteresis-clock (SGHC) is presented as an alternative with a dual clock to force a narrow switching frequency band.Ramptime current control is the second type of ZACE current control presented. Developed as an improvement over SGH, ramptime produces ZACE in each switching period by using the timing of a previous switching instant relative to the coincident previous current error signal excursion time to determine each switching instant. The digital current error polarity signal is the only variable input required to produce a pwm output.Variations of ramptime current control are also presented. Polarized ramptime is a subset of ramptime which maintains a narrow ++ / switching frequency band despite switching delays. Dual ramptime is the final enhancement of ramptime where two polarized ramptime regulators are used together to provide the appropriate choice between full-bridge and half-bridge switching in a single phase current controlled full-bridge voltage source inverter with the ac ripple current minimized without compromising the transient response. Using this technique, excellent fidelity and a narrow switching frequency band are demonstrated.The ZACE current control techniques are applied to a three phase voltage source inverter. A "standing phase" system of control for a three wire, three phase inverter is chosen over individual phase control since only two current regulators are required to control two decoupled current error signals, and the effective switching frequency is reduced by one third.The new ZACE methods are found to compare favourably in simulation to existing linear and hysteresis type current control techniques. SGH current control has equivalent fidelity to any other hysteresis control in delivering the reference current waveform, but is prone to noise in the hysteresis band determination requiring filtering. This, combined with the effect of switching delays compromises the narrowness of the switching frequency band. SGHC current control is also prone to noise in the generation of the hysteresis band, and results in a decrease in the fidelity of reproduction of the reference waveform. Ramptime current control is a robust technique, largely immune to power circuit parameter and voltage variances, with good fidelity and a relatively narrow switching frequency band. Polarized ramptime current control is shown to produce excellent fidelity with a narrow switching frequency band.The operation of the ZACE methods in single and three phase prototype converters is demonstrated. A field installation of a ++ / grid-connected ramptime current controlled converter is shown to source 20 kW of real power onto the grid from a photovoltaic array with a maximum power point tracking control, while independently providing grid voltage support through reactive power control.The effect of the synchronization of the current regulators on the ac and dc current ripple are presented. Synchronized polarized ramptime regulators are shown to produce the minimum ripple current in simulation and in the prototype operation.ZACE current control techniques, and ramptime and polarized ramptime in particular, are presented as a significant contribution to the control of current in power electronic converters.

This thesis mainly presents the design and implementation of a flyback converter with single-stage power factor correction. In the beginning, we propose different power factor collection (PFC) techniques referring to the inductor current of converter under three kinds of operation modes. In the continuous mode, we adopt the nonlinear-carrier control (NLC). Then, in the discontinuous mode and boundary mode, voltage-follower control (VFC) and transition mode technique control (TM) are adopted respectively. As to the converter analysis, we derive and verify the results of a small-signal model and perform equivalent circuit analysis by state-space averaging method, loss-free resistor (LFR) model, averaging method for two-time-scale system (AM), and current injected equivalent circuit approach (CIECA). Results derived from the above-mentioned models are compared and verified to be accurate of the system model. Furthermore, the control function and element design are implemented by simulation. We perform a PI controller to achieve better power factor based on results of analysis of the time and frequency domains analysis. Finally, three sets of different hardware are fabricated and verified depending on measured result and theoretical simulation.

Affibody molecules have lately shown great potential as tools for in vivo molecular imaging. These small, 3-helical bundles, with their highly stable protein scaffold, are well suited for the often harsh conditions of radiolabeling. Their small size allows for rapid clearance from the blood circulation which permits the collection of images already within hours after injection. This thesis includes four papers aimed at engineering different variants of a HER2-binding Affibody molecule to enable effective  and  flexible  radiolabeling  and  enhancing  the  molecular  imaging  in  terms  of  imaging contrast and resolution. In paper I an Affibody molecule was engineered to function as a multifunctional platform for site-specific labeling with different nuclides for radionuclide imaging. This was done using only natural amino  acids,  thereby  allowing  for  both  synthetic  and  recombinant  production.  By  grafting  the amino acid sequence -GSECG to the C-terminal of our model-protein, a HER2-binding Affibody molecule, we enabled site specific labeling with both trivalent radiometals and with  99m Tc. Maleim-ide-DOTA was conjugated to the cysteine residue for labeling with  111 In, while the peptide sequence was able to chelate  99m Tc directly. This approach can also be used for site-specific labeling with other probes available for thiol-chemistry, and is applicable also to other protein scaffolds. In paper II we investigated the impact of size and affinity of radiolabeled Affibody molecules on tumor targeting and image contrast. Two HER2-targeting Affibody molecules, a two-helix (~5 kDa) and a three-helix (~7 kDa) counterpart, were synthetically produced, labeled with  111 In via chelation by  DOTA  and  directly  compared  in  terms  of  biodistribution  and  targeting  properties.  Results showed  that  the  smaller  variant  can  provide  higher  contrast  images,  at  the  cost  of  lower  tumor uptake,  in  high-expressing  HER2-tumors.  However,  neither  the  tumor  uptake  nor  the  contrast of the two-helix variant is sufficient to compete with the three-helix molecule in tumors with low expression of HER2. In paper III and IV we were aiming to find methods to improve the labeling of Affibody molecules with  18 F for PET imaging. Current methods are either complex, time-consuming or generate heavily lipophilic conjugates. This results in low yields of radiolabeled tracer, low specific activity left for imaging, undesirable biodistribution or a combination thereof. In paper III we demonstrate a swift and efficient 2-step, 1-pot method for labeling HER2-binding Affibody molecules by the formation of aluminum  18 F-fluoride (Al 18 F) and its chelation by NOTA, all in 30 min. The results show that the  18 F-NOTA-approach is a very promising method of labeling Affibody molecules with  18 F and further investigation of this scheme is highly motivated. In the last paper we pursued the possibility of decreasing the high kidney retention that is common among small radiotracers with residual-izing radiometabolites. In this work  18 F-4-fluorobenzaldehyde (FBA) was conjugated to a synthetic HER2-targeting Affibody molecule via oxime ligation. However, to avoid elevated liver retention, as seen in previous studies with this kind of label, a hydrophilic triglutamyl spacer between the aminooxy moiety and the N-terminal was introduced. A comparison of the two constructs (with and without the triglutamyl spacer) showed a clear reduction of retention in both kidney and liver in NMRI mice at 2 h p.i. when the spacer was included. In the light of these promising results, further studies including tumor-bearing mice, are in preparation. / <p>QC 20130203</p>

A new generation of electronic devices has emerged requiring micro-watt-level power supply to operate. Thanks to micro-power processors and sensors, micro-power sources have become an attractive option for industry and research. This work is interested in micro-power sources that harvest vibrational energy by deploying electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric transduction techniques. The output power of vibrational energy harvesters is in AC form, whereas electronic loads require known DC power supply to operate. Thus, there is a need for AC-DC conversion between harvesters and electronic loads to get DC power out of AC. Traditional full-wave bridge rectifiers and center-tapped transformer rectifiers are not feasible in micro-watt-level harvesters. Low output power undermines the power efficiency of those traditional rectifiers. Thus, novel, low power, high efficiency conversion circuits are required instead of traditional rectifiers. This goal is particularly challenging when it comes to electromagnetic energy harvesters since their output voltage is much lower than that of electrostatic and piezoelectric harvesters. In this work, we studied four different full-wave rectifiers; a silicon diode bridge rectifier, a Schottky diode bridge rectifier, a passive MOSFET rectifier, an an active MOSFET rectifier. Out of simulation results, we found the voltage and power efficiency of each rectifier. We found that MOSFET-type rectifiers are better than diode type rectifiers in terms of voltage and power efficiency. Both full-wave MOSFET rectifiers have about 99% voltage and power efficiency. There is only a small difference in power and voltage efficiency between the two MOSFET rectifier types below 600mV input voltage amplitude. Since active MOSFET rectifier has extra components and need of external DC supply to power its active devices, we concluded it was not good option for small scale harvester systems. We implemented the passive MOSFET rectifier, tested its performance in rectifying the output of an electromagnetic harvester, and analyzed its effects on the harvester performance. When we connected the MOSFET rectifier to the harvester it doubled the optimum load resistance from 24 Ohm to 48 Ohm. We also studied the rectifier effect on harvester's natural frequency, and it does not change much the natural frequency which means our rectifier acts like resistance, and we also calculated the power efficiency based on harvester test and we have maximum 74% power efficiency.

Esta tesis estudia el fenómeno del caos en las ecuaciones que modelan un convertidor buck con control PWM. Desde el punto de vista matemático, contribuye al estudio de los sistemas lineales a trozos tridimensionales, con émfasis en las perspectivas geométrica y de cálculo numérico. Se consiguen resultados analíticos pero, finalmente, deben emplearse métodos numéricos para calcular efectivamente las órbitas periódicas, bifurcaciones, variedades invariantes y cuencas de atracción. Desde el punto de vista de la ingeniería, esta tesis contribuye, por una parte, a dilucidar ciertas cuestiones acerca del comportamiento observado en el circuito electrónico experimental, y por otra parte, plantea nuevas preguntas que debe responder la comunidad científica dedicada a la ingeniería. Entre ellas, la búsqueda experimental de fenómenos secundarios detectados en las simulaciones numéricas y la posibilidad de implementar algunos de los métodos de control de caos deducidos en un prototipo experimental.El capítulo 2 resume la información básica sobre convertidores conmutados de corriente contínua, y también sobre qué tipo de comportamiento cabe esperar de un sistema dinámico no lineal. Se discuten las referencias más relevantes sobre circuitos no lineales, y en concreto, las que atañen a circuitos caóticos en electrónica de potencia.Los sistemas de ecuaciones diferenciales lineales a trozos con dos topologías se introducen en el capítulo 3. Como caso particular, se dan las ecuaciones que rigen la dinámica del convertidor buck con control PWM, y se establecen algunas propiedades básicas de las soluciones. La técnica general para obtener órbitas periódicas se particulariza para las soluciones T-periódicas y 2T-periódicas, y se establecen resultados para algunos tipos específicos de las nT-periódicas. En el capítulo 4 se detalla el análisis de la aplicación estroboscópica. Este capítulo está orientado geométricamente, aunque el cálculo numérico es también imprescindible para obtener resultados específicos. Se halla también una región de atrapamiento para el sistema, en la cual se encuentra una aplicación de tipo horseshoe. La herramienta principal de este capítulo es la continuidad de la aplicación de Poincaré asociada, que permite deducir analíticamente como se transforman las diferentes regiones del espacio de fases. El capítulo 5 está dedicado a las bifurcaciones secundarias halladas conjuntamente con el atractor principal. En este capítulo, el cálculo numérico es esencial para hallar los diagramas de bifurcaciones, las variedades invariantes y las cuencas de atracción. Como las soluciones son conocidas analíticamente a trozos, los algoritmos se benefician de ello en rapidez y sencillez. Se encuentran bifurcaciones suaves y no suaves. Se dan también expresiones exactas para los multiplicadores característicos, lo cual representa una gran ventaja cuando se calculan las bifurcaciones.El capítulo 6 se aparta ligeramente del espíritu general de la tesis. En lugar de describir el comportamiento caótico del sistema, se sugieren algunos métodos de control de caos y se simulan éstos para comprobar si producen los efectos deseados. En concreto, se dan tres opciones: primero, se concreta el método OGY para las ecuaciones del convertidor buck ; segundo, se sugieren varios esquemas de control de realimentación con retardos, y tercero, se propone un método de control de lazo abierto. El control del comportamiento caótico en este circuito es importante, puesto que reduce el rizado de salida y por tanto, amplia el rango operacional del convertidor.Algunas sugerencias para seguir el estudio de estos sistemas dinámicos se dan en el capítulo 7. Algunas simulaciones se han hecho con una versión suavizada del sistema de ecuaciones diferenciales con el software standard AUTO. También se proponen aproximaciones de la aplicación de Poincaré, que pueden proporcionar un tratamiento más analítico y simulaciones más rápidas.

Arbetet handlar om hur man med hjälp av LabVIEW 8.0 kan lösa olika uppgifter. Uppgifterna löses med hjälp av ett DAQ-kort. DAQ-kortet gör det möjligt att mata in signaler, som sedan behandlas efter behov i programmet och därefter skickas ut genom DAQ- kortet till olika komponenter som man vill styra. DAQ-kortet klarar att behandla både analoga och digitala signaler. LabVIEW 8.0 och dess historia, DAQ-kortet samt de olika processerna/uppgifter beskrivs mer utförligt i arbetet.

The traditional AC/DC rectifier usually results in low power factor and serious harmonic distortion and it will bring about the serious pollution to power system. This thesis proposes boost power factor correction technique to solve these problems. First, we aim at power factor correction circuit which need input voltage sensing, to study its operating principle and design consideration, then design applicable voltage compensator by the frequency analysis and perform the simulation and implementation using the developed criterion. In order to prevent the shortcoming that power factor correction circuits with input voltage sensing and complexity is raised for a multiplier must be added to controller, we develop the power factor correction circuit without input voltage sensing. We perform the operating principle and control function by simulation, develop hardware scheme by analog components and place load variation to measure power factor and total harmonic distortion. According to experimental results and simulation, we confirm the new power factor correction circuit. When the full load is placed, the power factor can achieve 0.99 and the total harmonic distortion is lower than 8%.

<p>Arbetet handlar om hur man med hjälp av LabVIEW 8.0 kan lösa olika uppgifter. Uppgifterna löses med hjälp av ett DAQ-kort. DAQ-kortet gör det möjligt att mata in signaler, som sedan behandlas efter behov i programmet och därefter skickas ut genom DAQ- kortet till olika komponenter som man vill styra. DAQ-kortet klarar att behandla både analoga och digitala signaler. LabVIEW 8.0 och dess historia, DAQ-kortet samt de olika processerna/uppgifter beskrivs mer utförligt i arbetet.</p>

A new generation of electronic devices has emerged requiring micro-watt-level power supply to operate. Thanks to micro-power processors and sensors, micro-power sources have become an attractive option for industry and research. This work is interested in micro-power sources that harvest vibrational energy by deploying electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric transduction techniques. The output power of vibrational energy harvesters is in AC form, whereas electronic loads require known DC power supply to operate. Thus, there is a need for AC-DC conversion between harvesters and electronic loads to get DC power out of AC. Traditional full-wave bridge rectifiers and center-tapped transformer rectifiers are not feasible in micro-watt-level harvesters. Low output power undermines the power efficiency of those traditional rectifiers. Thus, novel, low power, high efficiency conversion circuits are required instead of traditional rectifiers. This goal is particularly challenging when it comes to electromagnetic energy harvesters since their output voltage is much lower than that of electrostatic and piezoelectric harvesters. In this work, we studied four different full-wave rectifiers; a silicon diode bridge rectifier, a Schottky diode bridge rectifier, a passive MOSFET rectifier, an an active MOSFET rectifier. Out of simulation results, we found the voltage and power efficiency of each rectifier. We found that MOSFET-type rectifiers are better than diode type rectifiers in terms of voltage and power efficiency. Both full-wave MOSFET rectifiers have about 99% voltage and power efficiency. There is only a small difference in power and voltage efficiency between the two MOSFET rectifier types below 600mV input voltage amplitude. Since active MOSFET rectifier has extra components and need of external DC supply to power its active devices, we concluded it was not good option for small scale harvester systems. We implemented the passive MOSFET rectifier, tested its performance in rectifying the output of an electromagnetic harvester, and analyzed its effects on the harvester performance. When we connected the MOSFET rectifier to the harvester it doubled the optimum load resistance from 24 Ohm to 48 Ohm. We also studied the rectifier effect on harvester's natural frequency, and it does not change much the natural frequency which means our rectifier acts like resistance, and we also calculated the power efficiency based on harvester test and we have maximum 74% power efficiency.

A single-phase, buck-boost based, dual-output AC-DC converter is studied in this thesis. The converter has two DC outputs with opposite polarities, which share the same ground with the input power line. The power stage performance, including the input filter, is studied and procedure to select power components is given. The circuit model is analyzed to develop appropriate control. Zerocrossing distortion of the source input current is addressed and a solution is proposed. Experimental results are satisfactory in that a high power factor line current results for steady-state operation.