Overview of FPGA-based Synchronization Techniques in Distributed Control Systems for Multilevel Power Converters

With the emergence of multilevel converters, distributed control systems (DCSs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their scalability, modularity, and flexibility. However, DCSs present a significant challenge: synchronization among controllers, particularly when implementing advanced control schemes. Ultra-precise synchronization requires the concurrent realization of frequency, time, and phase synchronization. This paper gives an overview of FPGA-based synchronization techniques covering all three subcategories, including: 1) clock-sharing-based and clock-recovery-based frequency synchronization, 2) Precision Time Protocol (PTP)-based time synchronization, 3) White Rabbit Network (WRN)-based phase synchronization. The operating principles, FPGA implementation, and experimental results of these techniques will be discussed.