1229

Figure 1. Finite element analysis results for the flux linkage of the
prototype 6/4 SRM
Figure 2. Finite element analysis results for the produced
electromagnetic torque of the prototype 6/4 SRM
Nonlinear Current Control Technique for High
Performance Switched Reluctance Machine Drives
I. S. Manolas
*
, A. X. Kaletsanos
*
and S. N. Manias
*
*
National Technical University of Athens
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical Machines and Power Electronics Laboratory
Heroon Polytechniou 9, 15780, Zografou, Athens, Greece
Tel.: +30210-7723588, Fax: +30210-7723593
Email: imanolas@central.ntua.gr
Abstract In this paper a novel nonlinear technique for
controlling the current in high-performance Switched
Reluctance Machine (SRM) drives is introduced. The
proposed drive scheme comprises two nonlinear control
loops, an inner current control loop and an outer speed
control loop. The current control loop employs a sliding
mode pulse width modulator (SMPWM), while the speed
controller utilizes fuzzy logic to produce the necessary
reference current. The proposed high-performance SRM
drive is analyzed theoretically and subsequently validated
through simulation. Satisfactory dynamic performance and
precise speed control with reduced torque ripple and
constant switching frequency is obtained. Moreover, no
complex mathematical model of the SRM or extensive look-
up table is required for control purposes.
I. INTRODUCTION
The recent advances in power electronics and control
systems have elevated the Switched Reluctance Machines
(SRMs) from obscurity and at present SRM drives offer
an interesting alternative for variable speed applications.
Given the numerous advantages of the SRMs, extensive
research is being carried out on overcoming their main
disadvantages, which are: highly nonlinear magnetics,
torque ripples and acoustic noise, need of a power
converter to operate and need of rotor position
information. For this purpose, the majority of existing
papers propose improved control techniques that enhance
SRMs performance [1],[2],[3],[7],[8].
Due to the nonlinearities involved, modeling and
simulating a SRM is a demanding task. In order to
acquire an accurate model for our prototype 6/4 SRM, an
extensive and detailed analysis by means of finite
elements was carried out. The FEMM software was used
to solve the magnetostatic problem for various rotor
positions and current levels. The acquired results for the
flux linkage and electromagnetic torque (evaluated via the
weighted stress tensor volume integral) are presented in
Fig. 1 and 2 respectively. These characteristics constitute
a detailed description (model) of the SRM, which is
necessary for simulation purposes.
In essence, three are the main modes of operation for a
SRM: voltage control, current control and single pulse
control [9]. For a high performance SRM drive the
current control mode is chosen for controlling the torque
efficiently in the low speed range and thereafter it
naturally falls into single pulse mode to acquire the
maximum available voltage for high-speed operation. In
this paper a novel nonlinear pulse width modulation
technique for the current control of high performance
SRMs is proposed and applied in a speed control drive.
Satisfactory dynamic response and robustness is obtained,
with constant switching frequency and reduction of torque
ripples.
978-1-4244-1668-4/08/$25.00 2008 IEEE
1230
Figure 3. Topology and switching states of the single phase asymmetrical inverter
(1)
(2)
(4)
(5)
Figure 4. Equivalent per phase circuit of the SRM
as described in detail by (4)
Figure 5. Block diagram of the proposed current control scheme
II. PROPOSED CURRENT CONTROL TECHNIQUE
Switched Reluctance Machines (SRMs) are doubly
salient motors, in which torque is produced by the
tendency of the movable part to move to a position, where
the inductance of the excited winding is maximized [3].
As a result unipolar phase currents are required to be
switched on and off when the rotor is at precise positions,
thus a power converter is necessary for their operation.
The simplest and more common converter that can meet
these requirements is the single phase asymmetrical
inverter. The topology and the four possible switching
states are presented in Fig.3.
By defining the variables:
1
1
1
1
A
,when S ON
u
,when S OFF
=
=

=

2
2
1
1
B
,when S OFF
u
,when S ON

=
=

=

the single phase asymmetrical inverter has the following

dynamic model:
( )
2
DC
AB A B
V
V u u = =
0
0
DC
DC
V
V

The converters load is the phase coil of the SRM,
which has the following mathematical model:
( )
m
m m m
,i
m
d
V R i
dt
u |
= + =
( ) ( )
m
m m m m
,i ,i ,
m m
di
R i L E
dt
u u e = + +
The above equation can be described by the equivalent
per phase circuit of the SRM depicted in Fig. 4.
Evidently, this is a nonlinear model with parameters that
are dependent on position, current and speed. Combining
(3) and (4) yields the full per phase mathematical model
of the electrical part of the SRM drive, which is
formulated in the state space as follows:
( )
2
m m m DC
m m A B
m m m
di R E V
i i u u
dt L L L
-
= = +
The proposed current control technique, which is
presented in Fig. 5, will have to exhibit a nonlinear
pulse width modulation that will provide robust current
control over the parameter variations, satisfactory
dynamic performance, reduced torque ripple, constant
switching frequency and uniformly distributed losses
between the utilized semiconductor switches. By
examining SRMs unipolar current control demands, we
distinguish three operation regions: The rapid current
build-up region when the phase is energized, the current
limiting/profiling region and the rapid current zero-out
region when the phase is turned off. Current control in the
two first regions can be achieved by switching between
positive voltage and freewheeling (soft-switching mode),
while in the third region only negative voltage needs to be
applied. At this point it should be noted that there is no
essential difference between the two freewheeling modes,
excepting the switch utilization. Hence, if the reference
current is zero both switches remain turned off and
negative voltage is naturally applied through the
conducting diodes D
1
and D
2
, until the phase coil is fully
discharged. Then the applied voltage naturally becomes
zero until the phase is energized again. On the other
hand, for positive current reference one switch is always
on and the other is chopping (Fig. 5). In the latter case
equation (5) is formed as follows (regardless of the switch
that is always on S1 or S2):
, S
1
=ON, S
2
=ON Positive Voltage, Fig. 1(a).
, S
1
=ON, S
2
=OFF Freewheeling 1, Fig. 1(b).
, S
1
=OFF, S
2
=ON Freewheeling 2, Fig. 1(c).
, S
1
=OFF, S
2
=OFF Negative Voltage, Fig. 1(d).
(3)
1231
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17)
Figure 6. Continuous approximation of the discrete control law u
(18)
(19)
(20)
(21)
(22)
(23)
Figure 7. Sliding Mode PWM block diagram
( ) 1
2
m m DC
m m
m m m
R E V
i i u
L L L
-
= + + =
2 2
m m DC DC
m
m m m m
R E V V
i u
L L L L
= + + , { } 1 1 u , e +
where u is the state variable of the chopping switch. By
defining:
*
s i i
m m m
=
equation (6) can be formed as follows:
2 2
* * m m DC m DC
m m m m
m m m m m
R E V R V
s s i i u
L L L L L
-
-
= + + + =
2
m m DC
m
m m m
R E V
s F u
L L L
= + +
where F stands for the forced response. Considering
equation (8) as a forced motion of the state variable s
m
and by defining:
x f
u u u = +
this motion can be separated into a free and a forced
oscillation controlled by
x
u and
f
u respectively. The
condition for stabilizing both oscillations is:
0
m m
s s
-
s
If we choose:
m
x x m
m
E
u K sgn( s )
L
=
f f max m
u K F sgn( s ) =
( )
max
F max F =
{ } 1 0 1 0 sgn( x ) , x ; , x = > <
the condition (10) for stabilization of the two oscillations
yields:
Free Oscillation:
0
2
2
m m
(max)
s s m m DC m
m m x x
m m m DC
R E V L
s s u K
L L L V
-
-
s
= + >
Forced Oscillation:
0
2
2
m m
(max)
s s DC m
m f f
m DC
V L
s F u K
L V
-
-
s
= >
Thus, according to Sliding Mode theory the control
variable:
( ) ( )
m
x f max m m m
m
E
u K K F sgn s K sgn s
L
| |
= + =
|
|
\ .
with the conditions (15) and (16) forces the systems
motion to slide on 0
m
s = . The discrete control law u is
then approximated by the continuous function:
m
* m m
m m m
m
K
s K
u K sat s
K

| |
= =
|
\ .

depicted in Fig. 6.
The proposed PWM method for controlling the current
given in (6) is the Sliding Mode PWM (SMPWM)
technique, depicted in Fig. 7. According to this method
the following switching function is selected:
( )
0
t
*
m m m
u Gu dt o =
)
where ( )
1 0
1 0
m
m m
m
,
u sgn
,
o
o
o
+ >
= =

<

Then in the ideal case:

( )
*
m m m
u Gsgn o o
-
=
and the demand for stabilization (10) yields the condition:
*
m
G u >
Therefore, under the above selections the systems
dynamics are governed by the function 0
m m
o o
-
= = and
the switching frequency is infinite. In Fig. 7, a more
realistic and practical solution is indicated, by utilizing a
delta modulator with hysteresis. In this case the sliding
motion on 0
m
o = is achieved only in average and the
switching frequency is given by the formula:
2
4 4
*
m
s
u G
f
G
=
A A
For =0.0001 and G=8,
s
f varies between 19678.5 and
20000Hz (i.e. beyond the audible range).
, when
m
s >
, when
m
s <
, when
m
s s
1232
(24)
(25)
Figure 8. Finite State Machine (FSM) for uniform switch utilization
Figure 9. (a) Speed Error Membership Function
s
, (b) Change of
Speed Error Membership Function
cs
, (c) Reference Current
Membership Function
i
*, (d) Compact Presentation of Knowledge
Base for
i
*
The signal m defined as:
( ) { }
1
1 0 1
2
m
m u , with m , = + e
can then be used for switching purposes. Finally to
achieve uniformly distributed losses between the two
switches (S1 and S2) the Finite State Machine (FSM) of
Fig. 8 is proposed. The switching between the two states
is governed by the function:
{1 L , = if 1 x( t ) x( t ) > , 0, if } 1 x( t ) x( t ) s
where x(t) is the first input of the FSM (Fig. 5) and x(t-1)
is the previous instance of x(t).
III. APPLICATION ON A SRMDRIVE SYSTEM
In order to exhibit the validity and verify the feasibility
of the proposed current control technique, we choose to
present its application on a SRM drive system.
Due to the nonlinear relationship between speed and
current a Mamdani-type fuzzy logic speed controller is
proposed, with the membership functions and rule base
presented in Fig. 9. Thus, the use of a detailed
mathematical model or an extensive look-up table to
determine the necessary reference current of each SRM
phase is avoided. As a result the computational and
memory requirements of the control algorithm are
significantly reduced. The speed controller observes the
rotor mechanical speed and its change and estimates the
necessary current that will drive the SRM towards its
speed reference. The sign of the produced reference
current defines the phase sequence, as SRMs phase
currents are unipolar, while its magnitude is fed to the
proposed nonlinear current controller of Fig. 5.
Two critical parameters that determine the performance
of the drive are the turn-on and turn-off angles for the
phase currents. In this work the turn-on and turn-off
angles are predefined and kept constant for every
operation point. Thus, they should not be considered as
optimum. It should be noted though, that an optimization
is possible.
The SRM drive system undergoes a detailed computer
aided simulation, by using the MATLAB/SIMULINK
software. The prototype 6/4 SRM is modeled accurately
and in detail based on the finite element analysis data,
depicted previously in Fig. 1 and 2. The drive system is
required to follow the demanded speed changes for both
directions of rotation, regardless of the load torque
variations. The key simulated waveforms of the SRM
drive are depicted below in Fig. 10 (a) (h).
1233
Figure 10. Key simulated waveforms for a 6/4 SRM drive: (a) Mechanical Speed, (b) Three phase currents, (c) Electromagnetic Torque, (d) Phase A
current, (e) Electromagnetic Torque (detail), (f) Phase A Switch S
1
current (detail), (g) Mechanical Angle, (h) Phase A Switch S
2
current (detail).
The reference values are depicted in red (this is not valid for Fig. 10(b))
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
(e) (f)
(g) (h)
1234
From the above presented waveforms it may be
remarked, that the proposed current control technique
exhibits satisfactory performance. The speed is controlled
accurately despite the inherent torque ripples, which
however, are substantially reduced. The dynamic
response to the speed commands is very fast and with no
overshoot or oscillations. The variations of the load
torque (two step changes on 0.05s and 0.25s from 0Nm to
1Nm and one step change on 0.35s from 0Nm to -1Nm)
are compensated by the control technique and have little
effect on the mechanical speed of the SRM. By
considering the precedent figure, one can also notice the
nonlinear current profiling, which is produced by the
control algorithm, and is a necessity, if we consider the
inherently nonlinear model of the SRM. Finally, by
observing in detail the currents of the two semiconductor
switches of SRMs phase A, in fig. 10(f) and 10(h), we
can confirm the almost constant switching frequency (set
in approximately 20kHz in this case) and the uniform
utilization of the semiconductor switches, achieved via the
use of the FSM.
IV. CONCLUSION
The proposed nonlinear current control technique
constitutes a significant improvement for high
performance SRM drives, compared to the common
hysteresis current control. It exhibits robust current
control over the parameter variations, satisfactory
dynamic performance, reduced torque ripple, constant
switching frequency and uniformly distributed losses
between the utilized semiconductor switches. The
application of this control technique in a 6/4 SRM speed
control drive with a fuzzy logic speed controller verified
the above characteristics. Finally, no complex
mathematical model of the SRM or extensive look-up
table was required for control purposes.
REFERENCES
[1] Blaabjerg F., Kjaer P.C, Rasmussen P.O., Cossar C., Improved
digital current control methods in switched reluctance motor
drives, IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 14, Issue
3, pp.563-572, May 1999..
[2] Kjaer P.C, Gribble J.J., Miller T.J.E., High grade control of
switched reluctance machines, IEEE Transactions on Industry
Applications, Vol. 33, Issue 6, pp.1585-1593, Nov.-Dec. 1997.
[3] Miller T.J.E., Optimal design of switched reluctance motors,
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 49, Issue 1,
pp.15-27, Feb. 2002.
[4] Kaletsanos A., Xepapas F., Xepapas S., Manias S.N., Nonlinear
control technique for three-phase boost AC/DC power converter,
IEEE 34th Annual Power Electronics Specialist Conference
(PESC03), Vol. 3, pp.1080-1085, 15-19 June 2003.
[5] Plekhanov S., Shkolnikov I.A., Shtessel Y.B., High order sigma-
delta modulator design via sliding mode control, Proceedings of
the 2003 American Control Conference, Vol. 1, pp.897-902, 4-6
June 2003.
[6] Utkin V., Gulder J., Shi J., Sliding Mode Control in
Electromechanical Systems, Ed. Taylor & Francis, 1999.
[7] Cheok A.D., Ertugrul N., Use of fuzzy logic for modeling,
estimation, and prediction in switched reluctance motor drives,
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 46, Issue 6,
pp.1207-1224, Dec. 1999.
[8] Xue X.D., Cheng K.W.E., Ho S.L., Cheung N.C., Investigation
of the effects of the control parameters and outputs on power
factor of switched reluctance motor drive systems, IEEE 33rd
Annual Power Electronics Specialist Conference (PESC02), Vol.
3, pp.1469-1474, 23-27 June 2002.
[9] [9] Miller T.J.E., Switched reluctance motors and their
control, Magna Physics Pub., 1993.