An assessment of the inverter switching characteristics in DTC induction motor drives

The switching characteristics of an inverter feeding an induction motor controlled with the direct torque control (DTC) technique are assessed in steady state. At first, the application share of the inverter voltage vectors for the stator flux covering half a sextant is defined and predicted. The prediction indicates that, under operation at fixed inverter dc link voltage and stator flux magnitude, the application share depends only on the supply frequency of the motor and, to a small extent, on the load. Afterwards, the inverter transitions and the corresponding phase commutations within a stator flux sextant are analyzed. The outcome of the analysis permits to compute the commutations of the inverter phases in one turn of the stator flux and, from them, the inverter switching frequency is obtained. Its value is influenced by the sampling interval and the control delay arising from the microprocessor implementation of DTC. For given sampling interval and control delay, it is shown that the inverter switching frequency depends on the same quantities as the application share of the inverter voltage vectors. A comparison with the switching characteristics of an inverter controlled with the space vector modulation technique is carried out. At last, the paper discusses the sensitivity of the switching frequency of an inverter for DTC to the following quantities: inverter dc link voltage, sampling interval and control delay. Throughout the paper simulation and experimental results are given to confirm the theoretical findings.     

Probabilistic voltage harmonic analysis of direct torque controlled induction motor drives

In high frequency motor-drives such as direct torque controlled (DTC) induction motor drives, the motor harmonic loss, and electromagnetic interference are largely affected by the spectrum of the motor input voltage. Nonlinear elements in the control loop of DTC drive make harmonic analysis of the drive very complex compared to classical pulsewidth modulated controlled drives. In this paper, a probabilistic method to study the harmonic contents of voltage in DTC of induction motors is presented. The DTC voltage chain is simulated with a random process. Then, the autocorrelation function of voltage vectors is calculated and its power spectrum density is obtained. The effect of flux and torque hysteresis controller bands, machine parameters, and inverter dc-link voltage on the motor voltage spectrum is investigated. Major harmonics in the DTC voltage spectrum are specified and their behaviors are described. Simulation and experimental results are presented to justify the theoretical analysis.     

Analysis of direct torque control in permanent magnet synchronousmotor drives

This paper describes an investigation of direct torque control (DTC) for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives. It is mathematically proven that the increase of electromagnetic torque in a permanent magnet motor is proportional to the increase of the angle between the stator and rotor flux linkages, and, therefore, the fast torque response can be obtained by adjusting the rotating speed of the stator flux linkage as fast as possible. It is also shown that the zero voltage vectors should not be used, and stator flux linkage should be kept moving with respect to the rotor flux linkage all the time. The implementation of DTC in the permanent magnet motor is discussed, and it is found that for DTC using available digital signal processors (DSPs), it is advantageous to have a motor with a high ratio of the rated stator flux linkage to stator voltage. The simulation results verify the proposed control and also show that the torque response under DTC is much faster than the one under current control     

Implementation of a direct control algorithm for induction motorsbased on discrete space vector modulation

The basic concept of direct torque control of induction machines is investigated in order to emphasize the effects produced by a given voltage vector on stator flux and torque variations. The low number of voltage vectors which can be applied to the machine using the basic DTC scheme may cause undesired torque and current ripple. An improvement of the drive performance can be obtained using a new DTC algorithm based on the application of the space vector modulation (SVM) for prefixed time intervals. In this way a sort of discrete space vector modulation (DSVM) is introduced. Numerical simulations and experimental tests have been carried out to validate the proposed method     

Hybrid Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel-Inverter Induction-Motor-Drive Direct Torque Control for Automotive Applications

This paper presents a hybrid cascaded H-bridge multilevel motor drive direct torque control (DTC) scheme for electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid EVs. The control method is based on DTC operating principles. The stator voltage vector reference is computed from the stator flux and torque errors imposed by the flux and torque controllers. This voltage reference is then generated using a hybrid cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter, where each phase of the inverter can be implemented using a dc source, which would be available from fuel cells, batteries, or ultracapacitors. This inverter provides nearly sinusoidal voltages with very low distortion, even without filtering, using fewer switching devices. In addition, the multilevel inverter can generate a high and fixed switching frequency output voltage with fewer switching losses, since only the small power cells of the inverter operate at a high switching rate. Therefore, a high performance and also efficient torque and flux controllers are obtained, enabling a DTC solution for multilevel-inverter-powered motor drives.      

Band-constrained technique for direct torque control of induction motor

In this paper, a novel technique for the direct torque control (DTC) of an induction motor is proposed, which overcomes the trouble of high torque ripple afflicting the conventional DTC technique. With the novel technique, the inverter voltage vector selected from the switching table is applied for the time interval needed by the torque to reach the upper (or the lower) limit of the band, where the time interval is calculated from a suitable modeling of the torque dynamics. By this approach, the control system emulates the operation of a torque hysteresis controller of analog type since the application time of the inverter voltage vector is dictated by the allowed torque excursion and not by the sampling period. It is shown by experimental results that the technique yields a considerable reduction of the torque ripple. A further and ultimate reduction is obtained by compensating for the delay inherent in the discrete-time operation of the control system. The outcome is that the torque ripple of the motor is constrained within the hysteresis band of the torque controller, for a band of customary value. An ancillary merit of the technique is the almost full elimination of the average torque error inherent in the conventional technique. If the hysteresis band is shrunk, the torque ripple is bound to swing out the band limits. Under this circumstance, an extension of the technique is developed, which helps keep the torque ripple at minimum. To assess the characteristics of the proposed DTC technique, the following quantities: average torque error, rms value of the torque ripple, and inverter switching frequency are measured for different stator flux angular speeds and hysteresis bands of the torque and flux controllers. As a comparison, the same quantities are given for the conventional DTC technique.     

异步电机直接转矩控制方法的研究

本文通过分析异步电机数学模型,逆变器模型及空间矢量电压的分析来阐明异步电机直接转矩控制方法的原理,基于Matlab/Simulink仿真平台建立异步电机直接转矩控制方法仿真平台,通过0SP硬件平台设计和软件开发编写DTC控制程序,最终由实验得出该控制方法具有牵引力大,起动电流小,调速性能好,节能等优势,具有广泛的应用意义。     

基于SVPWM的永磁同步电动机直接转矩控制

针对永磁同步电动机直接转矩控制系统转矩和定子磁链脉动问题,采用电压空间矢量脉宽调制(SVPWM)的永磁同步电动机直接转矩控制方法。根据在每一个控制周期内,计算出参考磁链和所估计磁链的偏差,选择相邻非零矢量和零矢量,并精确地计算出各自的作用时间,然后利用线性组合法将其合成为新的电压矢量。仿真结果表明,所提出的控制方案是有效的,明显地改善转矩和磁链脉动,并且有很好的动态和稳态性能。     

Analysis and prediction of inverter switching frequency in directtorque control of induction machine based on hysteresis bands andmachine parameters

In this paper, the influences of the hysteresis bands on the direct torque control (DTC) of an induction motor are analytically investigated, and the switching frequency of the inverter is predicted based on the analysis. The flux and torque hysteresis bands are the only gains to be adjusted in DTC, and the inverter switching frequency and the current waveform are greatly influenced by them. Therefore, the magnitude of the hysteresis band should be determined based on reasonable guidelines which can avoid excessive inverter switching frequency and current harmonics in the whole operating region. This paper predicts the inverter switching frequency according to torque and flux hysteresis bands based on induction machine parameters and control sampling period, and investigates the effect of hysteresis bands to line current harmonics. The simulated and experimental results prove the usefulness and feasibility of the proposed method     

Analysis of multiphase space vector pulse-width modulation based on multiple d-q spaces concept

Multiphase motors are usually designed to have the concentrated winding and nonsinusoidal airgap flux density distribution in order to maximize the torque per ampere. This means that the phase voltage of a multiphase motor has the nonsinusoidal waveform. Accordingly, the conventional analysis on a multiphase space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM), which is confined to a sinusoidal phase voltage, should be extended to a nonsinusoidal phase voltage. In this paper, based on a multiple d-q spaces concept a novel analysis on a multiphase SVPWM to synthesize an arbitrary nonsinusoidal phase voltage is proposed. Throughout this paper, a five-phase inverter is used as a practical example. The basic concepts can be easily extended to an n-phase inverter.     

A Space Vector PWM Scheme for Multifrequency Output Voltage Generation With Multiphase Voltage-Source Inverters

Multiphase variable-speed drives, supplied from two-level voltage-source inverters (VSIs), are nowadays considered for various industrial applications. Depending on the drive structure and/or the motor design, the VSI is required to generate either sinusoidal voltages or voltages that contain a certain number of sinusoidal components (ldquomultifrequency output voltagesrdquo). The existing space vector pulsewidth-modulation (SVPWM) schemes are based on selection of (n-1) active space vectors (for odd phase numbers) within a switching period and they yield either sinusoidal voltage or sinusoidal fundamental voltage in combination with a limited amount of other harmonic terms. This paper develops a SVPWM scheme, which enables multifrequency output voltage generation with arbitrary values of various sinusoidal components in the output voltage. The method is based on initial selection of (n-1)²/2 active space vectors within a switching period, instead of the common (n-1) active vectors. By properly arranging the sequence of the vector application, it is possible to provide an automatic postreduction of the number of applied active vectors to (n-1), thus maintaining the same switching frequency as with the existing schemes while simultaneously avoiding the limiting on the generated sinusoidal output voltage components. Theoretical considerations are detailed using a five-phase VSI. The experimental verification is provided using a five-phase two-motor series-connected induction motor drive, supplied from a custom-designed five-phase DSP-controlled VSI.     

基于SVPWM的永磁同步电机直接转矩控制系统的仿真研究

针对永磁同步电机直接转矩控制系统的磁链和转矩脉动的问题,设计了基于SVPWM的永磁同步电机直接转矩控制系统。实现了电压空间矢量的连续调节,定子磁链近似圆形,解决了常规直接转矩控制系统电磁转矩脉动较大的问题。在matlab/simulink仿真环境下,对该控制系统进行了建模与仿真,验证了控制理论的正确性和有效性。     

Enhanced inverter switching for fast response direct torque control[of induction motor drives]

In classical direct torque control (DTC), an inverter switching event can occur once in each control update period. Because the nature of the inverter switching event is unconstrained, it is essential to limit the inverter switching frequency, and hence the control update period, to ensure that under no circumstances is the allowable switching frequency of any individual power device exceeded. Consequently the switching capability of individual power devices is generally under-utilized, and the control scheme produces high levels of ripple in the motor current and torque. This paper describes a new strategy for device switching and voltage vector selection in DTC. The basis of the strategy is an increase in the control update frequency, while limiting the switching rate of each inverter leg. Although the rate at which device switching events may occur is unchanged, the higher control update frequency leads to higher resolution timing of switching events. The advantages of the strategy, demonstrated by experimental results on a 3 kW induction motor drive, are a significant reduction in the steady-state torque ripple as well as a faster transient response     

Automatic torque boost control method suitable for PWM inverterwith a high switching frequency

A torque control method is described that can generate a motor torque larger than the rated torque over a wide speed range without a current regulator and a speed sensor, even if the induction motor is driven by a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) inverter with a high switching frequency. Control is performed by a magnetic flux compensation control loop. The first control loop suppresses the magnetic flux reduction generated when the load torque and the inverter angular frequency are varied. This reduction is calculated using both inverter angular frequency and slip angular frequency. The current distortion due to the dead time of the PWM signals is suppressed by correcting the signal pulse widths on the basis of errors generated between the PWM reference signals and the inverter output voltage. Experiments confirmed that an induction motor could generate motor torque of more than 150% of the rated torque. The current distortion factor was less than 10% over a wide frequency range     

异步电机DTC系统脉动最小化研究

直接转矩控制具有控制简单、动态响应迅速、对参数变化鲁棒性强的特点,因此得到了广泛的应用。在传统的异步电动机直接转矩控制系统中,存在电压空间矢量对定子磁链幅值和磁通角的影响,特别是低速时系统脉动大。针对此问题,文章提出了一种的新的控制方法,该方法将磁链区间细分控制与电压矢量合成结合在一起,并通过引入模糊控制算法进一步提高了转矩响应时间,且减小了转矩脉动。仿真结果表明,本控制方法可以大大减小转矩脉动,具有较好的动静态性能。     

High-Performance Torque and Flux Control for Multilevel Inverter Fed Induction Motors

This paper presents a high-performance torque and flux control strategy for high-power induction motor drives. The control method uses the torque error to control the load angle, obtaining the appropriate flux vector trajectory from which the voltage vector is directly derived based on direct torque control principles. The voltage vector is then generated by an asymmetric cascaded multilevel inverter without need of modulation and filter. Due to the high output quality of the inverter, the torque response presents nearly no ripple. In addition, switching losses are greatly reduced since 80% of the power is delivered by the high-power cell of the asymmetric inverter, which commutates at fundamental frequency. Simulation and experimental results for 81-level inverter are presented.     

Analysis of Output Current Ripple rms in Multiphase Drives Using Space Vector Approach

Multiphase variable-speed drives, supplied from two-level voltage source inverters (VSIs), are nowadays considered for various industrial applications. Although numerous pulsewidth modulation (PWM) schemes for multiphase VSIs, aimed at sinusoidal output voltage generation, have been developed, no detailed analysis of the impact of these modulation schemes on the output current ripple has ever been reported. This paper presents a comprehensive analytical analysis and comparison of the output current ripple caused by the application of three different continuous PWM schemes, using a five-phase VSI as an example. Main properties of sinusoidal PWM, fifth harmonic injection PWM, and space vector PWM are elaborated and analyzed using the harmonic flux concept. Space vector theory is applied in the analysis. As a result, harmonic distortion factors are obtained for each PWM scheme. Theoretical considerations are verified by simulations and experimental investigation using a custom-designed five-phase VSI-fed induction motor drive.      

Direct torque control of an induction motor using a single current sensor

A novel scheme for the direct torque control (DTC) of an induction motor (IM) is proposed, which uses a single sensor of current inserted in the inverter dc link. The rationale behind the proposal is to develop a low-cost but high performance IM drive. The scheme exploits a simple and robust algorithm to reconstruct the stator currents needed to estimate the motor flux and torque. The algorithm operates in two stages: first, it predicts the stator currents from a model of the motor and then adjusts the prediction on the basis of the sensed dc-link current. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the ability of the scheme in reproducing the performance of a traditional DTC IM drive.     

Flying capacitor multilevel inverters and DTC motor drive applications

In this paper, the requirements imposed by a direct torque control (DTC) strategy on multilevel inverters are analyzed. A control strategy is proposed in order to fulfill those requirements when a flying-capacitor multilevel inverter is used. Simulation and practical results will confirm the performance of the proposed strategy when using the multilevel inverter to control an induction motor by the DTC principle. Also, the advantages of using a multilevel inverter with a DTC strategy are shown by simulation results.