# Patent

## Title
Unified control of single and three-phase power converters

## Abstract

Provided herein are unified control methods and implementations for controlling single and three-phase power converters. In an exemplary embodiment, a unified controller is provided that can be used to control a three-phase three-wire Voltage Source Inverter (VSI), a three-phase four-wire VSI, a three-phase grid-connected power converter for current shaping, and a single-phase full bridge VSI.

## Background
CROSS-RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/442,439, filed Mar. 23, 2000, which claims the benefit of PCT/US2007/80477, filed Oct. 4, 2007, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 60/828,107, filed Oct. 4, 2006, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to control of power converters, and more particularly to unified control of single and three-phase power converters.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Various control schemes have been developed to provide voltage regulation and current shaping of single and three-phase power converters. Known controllers include Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) and Bang-Bang type controllers. However, the limited dynamic range, high loss/harmonic distortion as well as possible conflict in control of each phase make them less popular than space vector modulation (SVM) based control. As the most popular control method so far, SVM based controllers provide satisfactory performance; however, the inevitable d/q transformation requires high speed DSP and high sampling rate A/D, which excessively increases both the design complexity and cost.
Therefore, there is a need for unified control methods that can be used to control different power converters while providing good performance without the complexity and cost associated with SVM based controllers.
SUMMARY
Provided herein is are unified control methods and implementations for controlling single and three-phase power converters.
In an exemplary embodiment, a unified controller is provided that can be used to control a three-phase three-wire Voltage Source Inverter (VSI), a three-phase four-wire VSI, a three-phase grid-connected power converter for current shaping, and a single-phase full bridge VSI. The unified controller comprises a feedback signal processor, a region selector, a control signal selector, a control core, and a gate signal distributor. Each cycle of the power converter is divided into different active regions that are detected by the region selector based on the zero crossing points of the power converter's AC voltages. The feedback signal processes feedback voltages and/or current signals from the power converter into intermediate signals (e.g., phase voltages). The control signal selector receives the intermediate signals (e.g., phase voltages) from the feedback signal processor and generates control signals by selecting one or more of the intermediate signals (e.g., phase voltages) for each control signal according to the active region detected by the region selector. The control core generates duty-ratio signals based on the control signals from the control signal selector. The gate signal distributor distributes the duty-ratio signals to trigger the appropriate switches in the power converter according to the active region detected by the region selector.
Different exemplary implementations of the feedback signal processor are provided for controlling different power converters. The control signal selector and gate signal distributor can be implemented using logic circuits that select the intermediate signals (e.g., phase voltages) for the control signals and distribute the duty-ratio signals by following a logic table in accordance with the detected active region. Different logic tables can be followed for controlling different power converters. Different exemplary implementations of the control core are also provided including pulse width modulation (PWM) and one cycle controller (OCC) implementations. The exemplary embodiment and implementations above are provided as examples only and not intended to limit the invention.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. It is also intended that the invention is not limited to require the details of the example embodiments.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The details of the invention, including fabrication, structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like segments.
FIG. 1 shows a three-phase four-wire Voltage Source Inventor (VSI) and a three-phase three-wire VSI (without dashed lines) for voltage generation.
FIG. 2 shows a three-phase VSI for grid-connected power conversion with current shaping.
FIG. 3 shows a single-phase full bridge VSI for voltage generation.
FIG. 4 shows an example of three-phase AC voltages.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a single-phase AC voltage.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a time diagram for a gate-trigger signal.
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a unified controller according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8 shows a three-phase feedback processor for voltage regulation according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 shows a three-phase feedback processor for current shaping according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10 shows a single-phase feedback processor for voltage regulation according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 11 shows a three-phase Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) control core according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 12 shows a three-phase One Cycle Controller (OCC) control core according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 13 shows a single-phase OCC control core according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 14 shows experimental results of a three-phase four-wire VSI with three-single phase non-linear loads.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Described herein is a unified control method and implementations for controlling the following power converters:
1. three-phase four-wire Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) to perform voltage generation,
2. three-phase three-wire VSI to perform voltage generation,
3. three-phase grid-connected power converter to perform current shaping, and
4. single-phase full bridge VSI to perform voltage generation.
Examples of these power converters are given below.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a three-phase four-wire VSI commonly used for three-phase voltage generation such as in Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems and motor drives. The three-phase VSI converts a DC source into three-phase AC voltages. The VSI comprises switches Tap-Txn and filters made up of inductors LA-LX and capacitors CA-CC interfacing the DC source to three-phase AC loads. The VSI can generated three-phase AC voltages, as depicted in FIG. 4, by operating the switches according to gate-trigger signals from a controller that determines the duty-ratios of the switches.
When the elements depicted in the dashed lines (i.e., the neutral phase switches Txp and Txn, neutral inductor LX and the connection between the load neutral point and the capacitor neutral point) are removed, the VSI in FIG. 1 (with solid lines only) represents a three-phase three-wire VSI for voltage generation. The three-phase three-wire VSI is suitable for balanced three-phase loads, while the three-phase four-wire VSI can handle unbalanced loads.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a three-phase power converter commonly used for grid-connected power conversion such as in a power factor correction rectifier, active power filter, inverter, or VAR generator. The power converter comprises six switches Tap-Tcn and three inductors LA-LC interfacing a DC bus E with three-phase AC sources. The currents flowing through the inductors can be shaped by operating the switches according to the gate-trigger signals from a controller that determines the duty-ratios of the switches.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a single-phase full bridge VSI, which is a single-phase counterpart of the three-phase VSI in FIG. 1. The single-phase VSI comprises four switches T1p T2n and one LC filter. The single-phase VSI is able to generate a single-phase sinusoidal voltage Vo, as shown in FIG. 5, for the load by operating the switches according to the gate-trigger signals from a controller that determines the duty-ratios of the switches.
The switches are typically implemented using semiconductor switches such as Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT)s, or Silicon Carbine (SIC) switches with anti-parallel diode. Two switches in the same leg operate in a complementary fashion. For example, the switches Tap and Tan in FIG. 1 are in the same leg and operate in a complementary fashion. When switch Tap in open, switch Tan is closed and vise versa.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a time diagram for a gate-trigger signal to a semiconductor switch. The switch is on when the gate-trigger signal is high and is off otherwise. The switch can operate at a switching frequency of, e.g., several KHz to several hundred KHz. As shown in FIG. 6, the gate-trigger signal is high for a time of Ton over one switching period Ts. The duty ratio of the switch is the time Ton that the switch is on over one switching period Ts.
The three-phase AV voltages shown in FIG. 4 represent voltage references for the expected AV voltages generated for the circuit in FIG. 1 or the AC source voltages for the circuit in FIG. 2. In FIG. 4, the three AC voltages are offset by 120° and may have a frequency of, e.g., 60 Hz. The single-phase voltage shown in FIG. 5 represents the voltage reference for the expected voltage generated to power the load for the circuit in FIG. 3.
In FIG. 4, one line period can be divided into six regions according to the zero crossing points of the AC voltages. For example, FIG. 4 shows one line period divided into six regions, each region spanning 60°. In FIG. 5, one line period can be divided into two regions according to the zero crossing points of the single phase AC voltage. For example, FIG. 5 shows one line period divided into two regions 0°-180° and 180°-360°.
FIG. 7 shows a unified controller to control voltage generation and grid-connected power conversion with current shaping according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The unified controller comprises a feedback signal processor 110, a region selector 115, a control signal selector 120, a control core 125, and a gate signal distributor 130. The feedback signal processor processes 110 the feedback voltage and/or current signals from the power converter and sends the results (represented by Vp) to the control signal selector 120. The region selector 115 determines the active working region by detecting the zero crossing points of the power converter's AC voltages as shown in FIG. 4 or 5. The region selector 115 outputs the active region information to the control signal selector 120 and the gate signal distributor 130. The control selector 120 selects the active control signals (represented by CON) from the outputs (represented by Vp) of the feedback signal processor 110 according to the active region information from the region selector 115. The selected control signals (represented by CON) are processed by the control core 125 to generate duty-ratio signals (represented by d). The gate signal distributor 130 distributes these duty-ratios signals to trigger the appropriate switches (represented by T) based on the active region information from the region selector 115.
Exemplary implementations for the components of the unified controller are given below.
Implementations of the Feedback Processor
There are many possible implementations for the feedback signal processor 110. The implementation depends, for example, on the whether the unified controller is used for three-phase voltage regulation for a three-phase voltage generator (shown in FIG. 1), three-phase current shaping for a grid-connected power converter (shown in FIG. 2), or single-phase voltage regulation for a single-phase voltage generator (shown in FIG. 3).
FIG. 8 shows an exemplary implementation of the feedback signal processor 110 for voltage regulation for a three-phase voltage generator (shown in FIG. 1). In this implementation, the three-phase output voltages VA, VB and VC of the three-phase voltage generator are sensed with a gain Hsv and compared with three-phase voltage references VA-ref, VB-ref, VC-ref. Their differences are fed to three PID compensators. The outputs of the PID compensators are subtracted by sensed currents IAF-ICF multiplied by a sensing ratio Hsi and a transfer function of Hfilter. The resulting signals are amplified by ratio Ki to construct voltages Vp-A, Vp-B and Vp-C, which are outputted to the control signal selector 120.
The sensed currents IAF-ICF can be zero, inductor currents IL, capacitor currents IC, or capacitor currents IC via high pass filter Hhpf as listed in Table 1 below. Table 1 lists the different possible sensed currents for IAF-ICF and the corresponding Hfilter. As shown in Table 1, the sensed current IAF-ICF can be sensed from inductor currents ILA-ILC in the inductors LA-LC or sensed form the capacitor currents ICA-ICC in the capacitors CA-CC of the three-phase voltage generator (as shown in FIG. 1). The currents can be sensed with resistors so that the sensed currents in the feedback signal processor are in the form of voltages proportional to the currents being sensed.







TABLE 1







Three-phase dual-loop compensator controller parameters









Parameters















IC with



No current
IL
IC
high pass filter


Controller
compensator
compensator
compensator
compensator





IAF − ICF
0
ILA − ILC
ICA − ICC
ICA − ICC


Hfilter
0
1
1
Hhpf









FIG. 9 shows an exemplary implementation of the feedback signal processor 110 for current shaping for a grid-connected power converter (shown in FIG. 2). In this implementation, the DC bus voltage E is sensed with a ratio of HDC and compared with reference voltage Vref Their difference is processed by a PID compensator to keep the DC bus voltage constant. The PID compensator output is multiplied with the three-phase AC voltages (as shown in FIG. 4) sensed with a gain of Hsv. The resulting signals are summed with sensed inductor currents ILA, ILB and ILC multiplied by a sensing ratio Hsi to construct voltages Vp-A, Vp-B and Vp-C, which are outputted to the control signal selector. The reactive power references, which are 90° leading or lagging the AC voltages, are added to Vp-A, Vp-B and Vp-C for VAR generation (as shown in dashed lines). When the amplitude of the reactive power references is zero, the power source currents have no VAR.
FIG. 10 shows an exemplary implementation of the feedback signal processor 110 for voltage regulation for a signal-phase voltage generator (as shown in FIG. 3). In this implementation, the voltage Vo is sensed with a ratio of HDC and compared with reference voltage Vref. Their difference is processed by a PID compensator. The PID compensator output is subtracted by sensed current IF multiplied by a sensing ratio Hsi and a transfer function of Hfilter. The resulting signal is amplified by ratio Ki to construct voltage Vp, which is outputted to the control signal selector 120.
The sensed current IF can be zero, the inductor current IL, the capacitor current IC, or the capacitor current IC via high pass filter Hhpf as listed in Table 2 below.







TABLE 2







Single-phase dual-loop compensator controller parameters









Parameters















IC with high



No current
IL
IC
pass filter


Controller
compensator
compensator
compensator
compensator





IF
0
IL
IC
IC


Hfilter
0
1
1
Hhpf









Implementations of the Control Signal Selector and Gate Signal Distributor
The control signal selector 120 and the gate signal distributor 130 may be implemented as pure logic circuits. The control signal selector 120 selects active phase voltages and sends them to the control core 125, while the gate signal distributor distributes duty-ratio signals from the control core 125 to the appropriate switches. The logics for the control of the three-phase power converters (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) are listed in Table 3 and the logics for the control of the single-phase power converter (shown in FIG. 3) are listed in Table 4.
In Table 3, active control signals CONp, CONn, CONx are selected by the control signal selector 120 from Vp-A, Vp-B and Vp-C from the feedback signal processor 110. Symbol Vp-AB represents Vp-A minus Vp-B with the same notation method applying to Vp-AC, Vp-BC, and etc. Symbols dp, dn, and dx are duty-ratio signals from the control core 125 that are distributed by the date signal distributor 130 to the appropriate switches Tap-Txn of the power converters shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Symbol dt is a duty-ratio signal that is kept on for the entire region. The selection logics for CONx and dx are needed only for the three-phase four-wire VSI in FIG. 1.







TABLE 3







Logics for three-phase control signal


selector and gate signal distributor














Regions
CONp
CONn
CONx
dp
dn
dt = 1
dx





I: 0°-60°
Vp-AB
Vp-CB
−Vp-B
Tan
Tcn
Tbn
Txn


II: 60°-120°
Vp-AB
Vp-AC
 Vp-A
Tbp
Tcp
Tap
Txp


III: 120°-180°
Vp-BC
Vp-AC
−Vp-C
Tbn
Tan
Tcn
Txn


IV: 180°-240°
Vp-BC
Vp-BA
 Vp-B
Tcp
Tap
Tbp
Txp


V: 240°-300°
Vp-CA
Vp-BA
−Vp-A
Tcn
Tbn
Tan
Txn


VI: 300°-360°
Vp-CA
Vp-CB
 Vp-C
Tap
Tbp
Tcp
Txp









For example, in region 0°-60°, the active control signals CONp, CONn, CONx are Vp-AB, Vp-CB and Vp-B, respectively. Duty-ratio signals dp, dn, and dx are distributed to switches Tan, Tcn, and Txn, respectively and switch Tbn is kept on for the entire region. Since the other switches Tap, Tcp, Txn, and Tbp operate in a complementary fashion to switches Tan, Tcn, Txn, and Tbn, respectively, their duty ratios are also defined by Table 3. The duty-ratios signals provide the gate trigger signals for semiconductor switches.
In Table 4, CON is the output of the control signal selector 120 and Vp is the output of the feedback signal processor 110. In this case, Vp is always selected as CON. Symbol dp is the duty-ratio signal that is distributed by the gate signal distributor 130 to the switches T1p or T1n of the power converter shown in FIG. 3. Symbol dt is the duty-ratio of the switch that is kept on for the entire region.







TABLE 4







Logics for single-phase control signal selector and


gate signal distributor












Regions
CON
dp
dt = 1







I: 0°~180°
Vp
T1p
T2n



II: 180°~360°
Vp
T1n
T2p










Implementations of the Control Core
Almost all DC-DC controllers can be adapted for the control core. FIGS. 11 and 12 show two exemplary implementations of the control core 120 for the three-phase power converters (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). FIG. 13 shows an exemplary implementation of the control core for the single-phase power converter (shown in FIG. 3).
FIG. 11 shows the three-phase control core implementation with Pulse Width Modulator (PWM). In the PWM implementation, the control core 125 comprises three SR flip-flops and three comparators. The duty-ratio signals dp, dn, and dx are generated at the Q terminals of the three flip-flops. The flip-flops are set through the S terminals by a clock signal at the beginning of each switching cycle, and are reset through the R terminals by the outputs of the three comparators, which are the compared results of the control signal selector outputs CONp, CONn, and CONx and a saw-tooth signal. The clock signal operates at the switching frequency, which can be a few kHz to hundreds of kHz.
At the beginning of each switching cycle, the clock signal sets the Q terminals of the flip-flops high through the S terminals and the saw-tooth signal begins to rise. At each comparator, when the saw-tooth crosses the respective CON signal, the comparator resets the Q terminal of the respective flip-flop low.
FIG. 12 shows the three-phase control core implementation with One Cycle Controller (OCC). In the OCC implementation, the source voltage E is sensed by a ratio Hocc, and fed to an integrator comprising a capacitor, a resistor and an amplifier. The integrator has a time constant equal to the switching period and is reset at the end of every switching period. The integrated result is summed with the sensed source voltage E to form a saw-tooth like waveform, whose slope is related to the source voltage E. The resulting saw-tooth like waveform is then compared with outputs CONp, CONn, and CONx from the control selector 120 to generate duty-ratio signals dp, dn, and dx in a manner similar to that of the PWM control core in FIG. 11. For both the PWM and OCC implementations, the dashed lines are only enabled for the three-phase four-wire VSI.
FIG. 9 shows the single-phase control core implementation with OCC. In this implementation, the duty-ratio signal dp is generated at the Q terminal of the flip-flop. The flip-flop is set through the S terminal by the clock signal at the beginning of each switching cycle, so the duty-ratio signal dp at the Q terminal is high. The flip-flop is reset through the R terminal by the output of the comparator, which is the result of comparing the absolute values of the control signal selector output CON and the integrator output. After reset, the duty-ratio signal dp at the Q terminal drops to low. The absolute value extractor represented by |X| is needed for both signals before any comparison. The integrator integrates the source voltage E sensed with a ratio of Hocc from the beginning of each switching cycle and is reset at the end of each switching period. The resistor and capacitor of the integrator are set to have a time constant equal to the switching period. Therefore, the integrated result is a saw-tooth like waveform with source voltage E information.
The PWM and OCC implementations of the control core provided above are exemplary only as many other implementations may be used for the control core.
Advantages and Applications
The unified control method described herein is universal and relatively simple. It can provide general control of three-phase voltage generation for both three-wire and four-wire circuits, three-phase current shaping, and single-phase voltage generation. The implementations of the unified controller are relatively simple requiring no DSP and no microprocessor.
Exemplary applications of the unified control method include:
1. Voltage generation for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems, including three-phase three-wire systems, three-phase four-wire systems and single-phase systems.
a. Three-phase Four-wire Voltage Generation
The unified controller shown in FIG. 7 can control the VSI shown in FIG. 1 to perform voltage generation for three-phase four-wire UPS systems. The unified controller for this application can be implemented by having the control signal selector and the gate signal distributor follow the logics in Table 3, employing either the three-phase PWM (FIG. 11) or the three-phase OCC (FIG. 12) as the control core and employing the voltage regulator (FIG. 8) as the feedback signal processor.
b. Three-phase Three-wire Voltage Generation
The implementation for this application is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that the parts depicted in dashed lines in the VSI (FIG. 1) and the control cores (FIGS. 11 and 12) are removed and the logics for CONx and dx in Table 3 are disabled.
c. Single-phase Voltage Generation
The unified controller shown in FIG. 7 can control the VSI shown in FIG. 3 to act as voltage generating inverter for single-phase UPS systems. The unified controller for this application can be implemented by having the control signal selector and the gate signal distributor follow the logics in Table 4, employing a single-phase OCC (FIG. 13) as the control core and using the voltage regulator (FIG. 10) as the feedback signal processor.
2. Power Factor Correction (PFC) rectifier with the load connected to the DC bus, in which the AC source voltages and currents are in phase.
3. Active Power Filter (APF) connected in parallel with the three-phase loads. In this case, the AC source voltages and currents are in phase as well.
4. Grid Connected Inverter (GCI), in which the AC source voltages and currents are in the opposite directions.
5. Bidirectional AC/DC converter used as the front end of a motor drive to perform Regenerative Braking (RB), in which the current can flow from the source or to the source depending on the motor operation status.
6. VAR generation, in which the source currents are 90° leading or lagging the AC voltages.
The implementation of the unified controller for applications 2-6 can be the same, with the power converter shown in FIG. 2. The control signal selector and gate signal distributor follow the logics in Table 3, either three-phase PWM (depicted in FIG. 11 with solid line only) or three-phase OCC (depicted in FIG. 12 with solid line only) are employed as the control core, and the three-phase current shaper (FIG. 9) is used. Reactive power references in the current shaping feedback signal processor are only needed for VAR generation (application 6).
Prototypes were built and experiments were conducted to demonstrate all the exemplary applications list above. Exemplary experimental results were measured from the three-phase four-wire VSI prototype. FIG. 14 shows the waveforms tested under three single-phase non-linear loads. It is evident that three-phase output voltages (VA, VB and VC) stay in high quality when the three-phase currents IA, IB and IC are highly distorted. Despite the challenging loading conditions, the three-phase output voltages VA, VB and VC are still in high quality.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. For example, each feature of one embodiment can be mixed and matched with other features shown in other embodiments. Features and processes known to those of ordinary skill may similarly be incorporated as desired. Additionally and obviously, features may be added or subtracted as desired. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

## Claims

1. A controller for a power converter, comprising:
a feedback signal processor configured to generate a plurality of intermediate signals based on a plurality of feedback signals from the power converter;
a region selector configured to detect different regions of each cycle of the power converter, and output region information indicating a current region of the power converter;
a control signal selector configured to generate a plurality of control signals, wherein, for each control signal, the control signal selector selects at least one of the intermediate signals according to the region information from the region selector;
a control core configured to receive the plurality of control signals and generate a plurality of duty-ratio signals based on the received control signals; and
a signal distributor configured to distribute the plurality of duty-ratio signals to switches in the power converter according to the region information from the region selector;
wherein, for each control signal, the control signal selector selects the at least one intermediate signal by following a logic table in accordance with the region information from the region selector; and
wherein the signal distributor distributes the plurality of duty-ratio signals by following a logic table in accordance with the region information from the region selector.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the region selector is configured to detect the different regions based on zero crossing points of a plurality of alternating current (AC) voltage signals of the power converter.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the different regions comprises six regions, each region spanning 60° of a single cycle of the power converter.

4. The controller of claim 1, wherein the plurality of duty-ratio signals have a switching frequency of one KHz to 10 MHz.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the control core is configured as a one cycle controller (OCC) or a pulse width modulator (PWM).

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the feedback signals comprise sensed voltage signals from the power converter.

7. The controller of claim 6, wherein the feedback signal processor is configured to compare the sensed voltage signals with reference voltage signals, and generate the intermediate signals based at least partially on the comparisons.

8. The controller of claim 7, wherein the reference voltages signals comprise alternating current (AC) voltage signals.

9. The controller of claim 7, wherein the feedback signal processor is configured to generate difference signals based on differences between the sensed voltage signals and the reference voltage signals, input the difference signals to a plurality of PID compensators, and subtract a plurality of sensed currents from the outputs of the PID compensators to generate the intermediate signals.

10. The controller of claim 9, wherein the sensed currents are sensed from currents flowing through inductors or capacitors in the power converter.

11. The controller of claim 1, wherein the power converter is a three-phase three-wire power converter or a three-phase four-wire power converter.

12. The controller of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal processor is configured to generate a difference signal based on a difference between a sensed direct current (DC) voltage and a reference voltage, input the difference signal to a PID compensator, multiply the output of the PID compensator with sensed voltages from the power converter, and sum the results of the multiplication with sensed currents from the power converter to generate the intermediate signals.

13. The controller of claim 12, wherein the sensed currents are sensed from currents flowing through inductors in the power converter.

14. The controller of claim 13, wherein the power converter comprises a grid-connector three-phase power converter.