On the analysis and control of four‐switch three‐phase inverter fed brushless motor drives

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at the improvement of the cost‐effectiveness of brushless DC motor (BDCM) drives integrated in electric and hybrid propulsion systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The cost‐effectiveness improvement is gained through the reduction of the topology of the inverter in the armature which turns to have two legs (four switches) rather than three legs (six switches) in conventional inverters. This has been made possible thanks to the availability of the battery pack in automotive applications.

Findings

It has been found that the four‐switch three‐phase inverter (FSTPI) fed BDCM drive has almost the same performance as the six‐switch three‐phase inverter (SSTPI) fed BDCM.

Research limitations/implications

This works should be extended by an experimental validation of the established results.

Practical implications

The reduction of the topology of the inverter in the armature of the BDCM opens up crucial cost benefits especially in large‐scale production industries, such as the automotive one.

Originality/value

The implementation of a simple self‐control strategy in a FSTPI fed BDCM drive yields almost the same dynamic and steady state performance as those obtained by a SSTPI fed BDCM drive. An analytical assessment of the steady state features of the FSTPI‐fed BDCM drive has been confirmed by simulation.

Citation

Guermazi, A., Sahbi, M., Masmoudi, A. and Elantably, A. (2007), "On the analysis and control of four‐switch three‐phase inverter fed brushless motor drives", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 1247-1261. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321640710822993