Unified Control for Switched Reluctance Motors for Wide Speed Operation

Abstract

In this paper, a unified controller for switched reluctance motors is proposed for wide speed operations. The proposed controller achieves minimum output torque ripple at low and medium speeds and operates in a single-pulse mode at high speeds. Overlapping regions between the phases are controlled such that direct instantaneous torque control (DITC) and current control (CC) can be implemented simultaneously on different phases. This simplifies the torque sharing during commutation and minimizes torque ripple due to imperfect current tracking and mutual torque. A demagnetization curve concept to demagnetize the phase currents at an optimum angle is introduced to ensure high torque per ampere and single-pulse mode operation. This results in extending low ripple operation to medium speed ranges. The seamless combination of DITC, CC, and the demagnetization curves leads to torque ripple minimization, automatic excitation angle control, and smooth operation over a wide speed range. The effectiveness of the proposed unified controller is verified through simulation and experimental studies.