Low‑complexity model predictive control method for hybrid six‑level converters

Shunquan Hu; Alian Chen; Qiguang Ren; Tong Liu; Xiaoyan Li

Low‑complexity model predictive control method for hybrid six‑level converters

Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 535-548, Mar. 2026

10.1007/s43236-025-01091-5

Hybrid multilevel converters

Mode predictive control

Floating capacitor voltage

Without weighting factors

Abstract

This article presents a hybrid six-level converter composed of three single-phase H-bridge cells and one three-phase twolevel cell, with lower electromagnetic interference and current distortion. However, the increased switching state and floating capacitor voltage state lead to increased control complexity, which worsens the output performance. Thus, a low-complexity model predictive control (MPC) method is proposed to overcome these issues. First, considering the operating principles and conduction paths, the space vector diagram is derived. Second, the candidate vectors are classified and regrouped to reduce the computational burden of the evaluation process. In return, only 27 candidate vectors rather than 216 are evaluated to obtain the optimal value for accurate tracking of the grid current in each sampling period. Third, an improved strategy without weighting factors is proposed to select the optimal switching combination for balancing the floating capacitor voltages. Then, the capacitor voltage evaluation process is shifted from a cost function-based method with a weighting factor to a direct judgment based on capacitor voltage values, significantly simplifying the control complexity. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the dynamic and steady-state performance of the proposed method.

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Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

S. Hu, A. Chen, Q. Ren, T. Liu, X. Li, "Low‑complexity model predictive control method for hybrid six‑level converters," Journal of Power Electronics, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 535-548, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-025-01091-5.

[ACM Style]

Shunquan Hu, Alian Chen, Qiguang Ren, Tong Liu, and Xiaoyan Li. 2026. Low‑complexity model predictive control method for hybrid six‑level converters. Journal of Power Electronics, 26, 3, (2026), 535-548. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-025-01091-5.