MOTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOTOR ASSEMBLY
20230039050 · 2023-02-09
Inventors
Cpc classification
H02P25/22
ELECTRICITY
H02P21/05
ELECTRICITY
H02M7/53876
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a motor assembly and a method for controlling the motor assembly. The motor assembly is characterized by comprising: a stator having a plurality of slots; a first coil and a second coil isolated from the first coil, the first and second coils being wound on each of the plurality of slots such that three-phase alternating currents are applied thereto; a rotor rotated by rotation magnetic fields generated by the first coil and the second coil; a first inverter unit for controlling the three-phase alternating current which is applied to the first coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field; and a second inverter unit for controlling the three-phase alternating current which is applied to the second coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field. Control signals for turning on and off the three-phase alternating currents applied to the first coil and the second coil are generated so as to be left-right symmetric by the first inverter unit and the second inverter unit during a preset switching cycle.
Claims
1. A motor assembly comprising: a stator having a plurality of slots; a first coil and a second coil isolated from the first coil, each of which is wound on each of the plurality of slots such that three-phase alternating currents are applied thereto; a rotor configured to rotate by rotation magnetic fields generated by the first coil and the second coil; a first inverter unit configured to control the three-phase alternating current that is applied to the first coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field; and a second inverter unit configured to control the three-phase alternating current that is applied to the second coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field, wherein the first inverter unit and the second inverter unit are configured such that control signals for turning on or off each three-phase alternating current applied to each of the first coil and the second coil are generated in a left-right symmetrical shape during a preset switching cycle.
2. The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the second coil has a phase difference of 30 degrees or −30 degrees with respect to the first coil.
3. The motor assembly according to claim 2, further comprising: a first winding, a second winding, and a third winding, each of which is configured to receive each single-phase alternating current of each of the three-phase alternating currents applied to the first coil and the second coil, wherein one winding is disposed in each of the plurality of slots; and single-phase windings of the first coil and the second coil are alternately arranged in the plurality of slots in a manner that the single-phase windings corresponding to each other are alternately arranged in the plurality of slots.
4. The motor assembly according to claim 1, wherein: each of the first inverter unit and the second inverter unit includes a first-phase switching unit, a second-phase switching unit, and a third-phase switching unit, each of which applies one single-phase alternating current from among three-phase alternating currents to a corresponding winding; and the control signals are signals for turning on or off the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the three-phase switching element according to a space vector pulse width modulation scheme.
5. The motor assembly according to claim 4, wherein: voltages, which are applied to single-phase windings of the first coil and the second coil according to on/off states of the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the third-phase switching unit, are generated to have a left-right symmetrical shape during the switching cycle.
6. The motor assembly according to claim 4, wherein: the voltage reference vector for rotating the rotor is formed using two active voltage vectors and two zero voltage vectors that are adjacent to the voltage reference vector in each of a first space voltage vector indicating a space vector of the first inverter unit and a second space voltage vector indicating a space vector of the second inverter unit.
7. The motor assembly according to claim 6, wherein: in the first space voltage vector, a half of a sum of a first dwell time, a second dwell time and a third dwell time is equal to a half of the switching cycle, wherein each of the first dwell time and the second dwell time is a time for which two active voltage vectors adjacent to the voltage reference vector are respectively applied, and the third dwell time is a time for which the zero voltage vectors are applied.
8. The motor assembly according to claim 7, wherein: the control signals, which are configured to turn on or off the first-phase switching unit of the first inverter unit, the second-phase switching unit of the first inverter unit, and the third-phase switching unit of the first inverter unit according to the first dwell time, the second dwell time, and the third dwell time, are generated to have a left-right symmetrical shape with respect to a point corresponding to a half of the switching cycle during the switching cycle.
9. The motor assembly according to claim 7, wherein: voltages, which are applied to windings for each phase of the first coil and the second coil in response to control signals for turning on or off the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the third-phase switching unit according to the first dwell time, the second dwell time, and the third dwell time, are generated to have a left-right symmetrical shape with respect to a point corresponding to a half of the switching cycle during the switching cycle.
10. The motor assembly according to claim 6, wherein: in the second space voltage vector, a half of a sum of a fourth dwell time, a fifth dwell time and a third sixth time is equal to a half of the switching cycle, wherein each of the fourth dwell time and the fifth dwell time is a time for which two active voltage vectors adjacent to the voltage reference vector are respectively applied, and the sixth dwell time is a time for which the zero voltage vectors are applied.
11. The motor assembly according to claim 10, wherein: the control signals, which are configured to turn on or off the first-phase switching unit of the second inverter unit, the second-phase switching unit of the second inverter unit, and the third-phase switching unit of the second inverter unit according to the fourth dwell time, the fifth dwell time, and the sixth dwell time, are generated in a left-right symmetrical shape during the switching cycle.
12. The motor assembly according to claim 10, wherein: voltages, which are applied to windings for each phase of the first coil and the second coil in response to control signals for turning on or off the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the third-phase switching unit according to the fourth dwell time, the fifth dwell time, and the sixth dwell time, are generated in a left-right symmetrical shape during the switching cycle.
13. A method for controlling a motor assembly which includes a stator having a plurality of slots, a first coil and a second coil isolated from the first coil, each of which is wound on each of the plurality of slots such that three-phase alternating currents are applied thereto, a rotor configured to rotate by rotation magnetic fields generated by the first coil and the second coil, a first inverter unit configured to control the three-phase alternating current that is applied to the first coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field, and a second inverter unit configured to control the three-phase alternating current that is applied to the second coil in order to generate the rotation magnetic field, wherein the first inverter unit and the second inverter unit are configured such that control signals for turning on or off each three-phase alternating current applied to each of the first coil and the second coil are generated in a left-right symmetrical shape during a preset switching cycle, the method comprising: applying a voltage reference vector based on space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) control, determining a magnitude and angle of the voltage reference vector in a d-q plane; determining a sector in which the voltage reference vector is currently located by referring to the angle of the voltage reference vector, from among 12 sectors distinguished from each other by a first space voltage vector of the first inverter unit and a second space voltage vector of the second inverter unit in the d-q plane; calculating, according to which sector includes the voltage reference vector, dwell times of active voltage vectors and zero voltage vectors required for rotation of the rotor from among first space voltage vectors and second space voltage vectors; and turning on or off the switching unit of the first inverter unit and the switching unit of the second inverter unit in order to generate space voltage vectors required for the calculated dwell times.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: calculating, when the voltage reference vector is located at a point corresponding to a (3n−1).sup.-th sector (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the first space voltage vectors and dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the second space voltage vectors by referring to Equation 1; calculating, when the voltage reference vector is located at a point corresponding to a (3n−2).sup.-th sector (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the first space voltage vectors and dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the second space voltage vectors by referring to Equation 2; and calculating, when the voltage reference vector is located at a point corresponding to a (3n).sup.-th sector (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the first space voltage vectors and dwell times of two active voltage vectors from among the second space voltage vectors by referring to Equation 3:
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: the dwell time of the zero voltage vector from among the first space voltage vectors is a time period obtained by subtracting, from the switching cycle, a time cycle corresponding to twice the sum of two dwell times required for two active voltage vectors from among the first space voltage vectors.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: the dwell time of the zero voltage vector from among the second space voltage vectors is a time period obtained by subtracting, from the switching cycle, a time cycle corresponding to twice the sum of two dwell times required for two active voltage vectors from among the second space voltage vectors.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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BEST MODE
[0050] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The configuration or control method of the apparatus to be described below is only for explaining the embodiments of the present disclosure and not for limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Throughout the disclosure, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures and embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0051] Specific terminology used in this specification is only for convenience of description and is not intended to be limiting of the illustrative embodiments. For example, expressions such as “same” and “identical” not only indicate the strictly identical state, but also indicate a state in which a tolerance or a difference in the degree of obtaining the same function exists. In addition, expressions such as “symmetry” indicate not only strictly mathematical symmetry, but also a state in which a difference exists to some extent in consideration of errors, noise, etc. depending on the sampling time that inevitably appears in the case of experimental observation or analysis.
[0052]
[0053] A typical AC motor includes an induction motor and a synchronous motor. The induction motor and the synchronous motor are designed to rotate their rotors by a magnetic field rotating by their stators, and this magnetic field is referred to as a rotation magnetic field. The motors designed to use the rotation magnetic field include induction motors and synchronous motors. The induction motor is a motor that generates an induced current in the rotor by the rotation magnetic field of the stator and rotates by electromagnetic force of the induced current. On the other hand, the synchronous motor rotates a rotor thereof by magnetic attractive force and repulsive force generated by the rotation magnetic field of the rotor.
[0054] There are two types of AC motors, one type of AC motor designed to use a three-phase AC as a power source and the other type of AC motor designed to use a single-phase AC as a power source. Generally, the AC motors may also be referred to as three-phase induction motors, three-phase synchronous motors, etc. according to the principle of rotation.
[0055] In particular, a rotation magnetic field generated using a three-phase alternating current (AC) is referred to as a three-phase rotation magnetic field. In the case of the AC motor, the rotation magnetic field is created by a fixed electromagnet. At this time, the magnetic field formed by three coils and the three-phase AC is referred to as a three-phase rotation magnetic field, and the three-phase rotation magnetic field is used in three-phase induction motors and the three-phase synchronous motors.
[0056] Three coils having the same number of turns, the same size, and the same performance are arranged at 120° intervals from the center point of the motor, and each phase current of three-phase alternating current (AC) flows through each coil, resulting in formation of a three-phase rotation magnetic field. The magnetic field of each coil becomes the same phase as the flowing single-phase AC, and is formed in a sinusoidal curve (sine curve).
[0057] The respective coils are arranged in a manner that the current flows through the coils in strong and weak manners and the reversal of magnetic poles is repeated. The coils are spaced apart from each other at intervals of a phase difference of 120° and the three-phase alternating currents flowing through the coils have a phase difference of 120° therebetween. Thus, the directions of composite magnetic fields created by magnetic fields of the coils can be sequentially changed.
[0058] In the induction motor, the AC power is supplied only to three-phase stator windings. The three-phase windings made of insulated copper (Cu) wire are arranged at 120° (120 electrical degrees) intervals in several slots of the stator core. Typically, the three-phase windings are Y-connected to each other (Y-connection) in a high voltage, and are Δ-connected to each other (Δ-connection) in a low voltage. However, this is only an example and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
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[0060] Each of the first inverter 15 and the second inverter 25 may include a three-phase inverter, which is a power conversion device that generates AC power having a predetermined voltage and frequency upon receiving constant or variable DC power (not shown). The three-phase inverters may be arranged in any format as long as they can control the three-phase double-winding motor 30 or a motor having a total of six phases. That is, each of the first inverter unit 15 and the second inverter unit 25 may be connected to the motor independently or separately. Alternatively, and the first inverter unit 15 and the second inverter unit 25 may be integrated and then connected to the motor.
[0061] In addition, the first inverter unit 15 and the second inverter unit 25 may be embedded in the motor 30. Alternatively, the first inverter unit 15 and the second inverter unit 25 may be located outside the motor and may then control the motor. Therefore, the above-described structures will hereinafter be collectively referred to as a motor assembly for convenience of description. That is, the motor assembly may conceptually include a motor composed of a coil, a stator, and a rotor, and first and second inverters for controlling the coil, stator, and rotor of the motor. Thus, even when the inverter units are included in the motor, the resultant motor including the inverter units may also be referred to as a motor assembly.
[0062] In
[0063] Also, the inverter unit may include a controller (not shown) called a motor control unit (MCU). In this case, the controller may sense the current or position of the motor, may perform calculation required for space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), and may turn on or off the switching elements of the inverters based on the result of calculation. Alternatively, the controller may be located outside the inverter units so that the motor 30 can also be controlled through a microcontroller or the like.
[0064] The control method according to the present disclosure can be applied to various motors with or without a current sensor, a speed sensor, or a position sensor for detecting the speed or position of the motors. In addition, the control method according to the present disclosure can also be applied to synchronous motors and/or asynchronous motors as necessary.
[0065] In order to generate and control one single-phase AC using the inverter units 15 and 25 as shown in
[0066] The first-phase AC of the first inverter unit 15, for example, the U-phase AC from among the three-phase (U-phase, V-phase, W-phase) ACs of the first inverter unit 15, may be generated by the first-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q101 and Q104) of the first inverter unit 15. The second-phase AC of the first inverter unit 15, for example, the V-phase AC from among the three-phase (U-phase, V-phase, W-phase) ACs of the first inverter unit 15, may be generated by the second-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q103 and Q106) of the first inverter unit 15. The third-phase AC of the first inverter unit 15, for example, the W-phase AC from among the three-phase (U-phase, V-phase, W-phase) ACs of the first inverter unit 15, may be generated by the third-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q105 and Q102) of the first inverter unit 15.
[0067] In addition, the first-phase AC of the second inverter unit 25, for example, the X-phase AC from among the three-phase (X-phase, Y-phase, Z-phase) ACs of the second inverter unit 25, may be generated by the first-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q201 and Q204) of the second inverter unit 25. The second-phase AC of the second inverter unit 25, for example, the Y-phase AC from among the three-phase (X-phase, Y-phase, Z-phase) ACs of the second inverter unit 25, may be generated by the second-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q203 and Q206) of the second inverter unit 25. The third-phase AC of the second inverter unit 25, for example, the Z-phase AC from among the three-phase (X-phase, Y-phase, Z-phase) ACs of the second inverter unit 25, may be generated by the third-phase switching unit (composed of two switching elements Q205 and Q202) of the second inverter unit 25.
[0068] For example, the first switching unit (Q101, Q104) has a structure in which two switching elements Q101 and Q104 are connected in series, and this connection structure is generally referred to as a pole, a leg, or an arm. The switching elements are alternately turned on/off in a complementary switching manner. DC power may be input to both ends of the first switching unit (Q101, Q104), and the AC voltage may be output from any point between the two switching elements. This AC output voltage is referred to as a pole voltage. Since the two switching elements control one phase, all three switching units (i.e., six switching elements) are required to control the three-phase AC.
[0069] As can be seen from
[0070] Representative examples of the switching elements used in such basic circuit may include a gate turn-off (GTO) thyristor, an insulated gate commutated transistor (IGCT), an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), etc., each of which is a power semiconductor device. The switching elements may be selected according to the power capacity and switching frequency required for the application field.
[0071] For example, the GTO thyristor and the IGBT that can handle the largest capacity are used in inverters of 10 MVA or more, but the possible switching frequency of each of the GTO thyristor and the IGBT is as low as 1 kHz or less. The IGBT can be used as the most popular element in medium-capacity classes of 10 MVA or less and can obtain a switching frequency of up to several tens of kHz. MOSFET is used as a small capacity class in low-voltage inverters of 600 V or less, and can maximally increase the switching frequency to operate in the range of up to hundreds of kHz.
[0072] In addition, diodes (D101 to D106, D201 to Q206) may be connected in inverse parallel to the switching elements so that the switching elements can be protected.
[0073] Generally, three-phase AC motors have been widely used in electric motors configured to use the alternating current. The three-phase motor or the three-phase induction motor refers to a device that obtains power by generating a rotation magnetic field using three single-phase alternating currents having different phases. In other words, the AC power flows in the motor windings that are arranged at 120° intervals, so that the motor can rotate with each frequency of the received power.
[0074] The three-phase inverter circuit configured to control the three-phase motor consists of three poles. The poles may be switched independently of each other, and each pole may be used for the output of one phase voltage.
[0075] The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a three-phase double-winding motor. Therefore, in the same manner as in
[0076] That is, the first inverter unit 15 and the second inverter unit 25, each of which switches three phases, may include 6 switching elements. The first inverter unit 15 may include six switching elements Q101 to Q106, and may include six diodes D101 to D106 respectively connected to the six switching elements Q101 to Q106. The second inverter unit 25 may include six switching elements Q201 to Q206, and may include six diodes D201 to D206 respectively connected to the six switching elements Q201 to Q206.
[0077] The present disclosure relates to a motor assembly including a three-phase double-winding motor and two inverter units, and a method for controlling the motor assembly. The reason for the use of the three-phase double-winding motor (also called a dual three-phase motor) is to use a double-winding-type three-phase AC through which a system required to be more stably driven can enable each inverter to control one three-phase alternating current using a dual inverter system.
[0078] Since the motor can be driven by the other inverter unit even if one inverter unit fails, the motor can also be driven in an emergency such as a failure or the like.
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[0082] The first coil 321 and the second coil 322, which are three-phase windings formed of an insulated copper (Cu) wire or conductor, may be concentrically disposed at 120° intervals therebetween in several slots 315 formed by the core 316 of the stator 330. However, as can be seen from
[0083] Referring to
[0084] The first coil 321 and the second coil 322 are physically arranged to have a phase difference of 30° or −30° therebetween. In the following description, the −30° phase difference will be described as having a phase difference of −30° between the first coil 321 and the second coil 322 because there is no conceptual difference in description between the −30° phase difference and the 30° phase difference. Also, unlike the U-phase AC and the W-phase AC, the V-phase AC is marked with ‘−V’ (see
[0085] The rotor 350 may also have a structure in which a conductor of thinly stacked ferromagnetic iron cores is inserted similarly to the stator 330. The stator 350 may have various types of rotors according to the induction motor or the synchronous motor, and the rotor 350 including a permanent magnet 317 is shown in
[0086]
[0087] On the other hand, as shown in
[0088] When harmonics occur in the motor, the motor may not start or accelerate during startup, or abnormal sound may occur during startup. Therefore, there is a need for the motor to be controlled in the direction of predicting and reducing such harmonics. Harmonics refer to a frequency that is an integer multiple of the fundamental wave. Harmonics generated during the motor operation may cause occurrence of mechanical vibration, and may deteriorate the operation efficiency caused by the increased noise and harmonic current, thereby ultimately shortening the lifespan of the motor due to insulation breakdown, deformation, and destruction of the motor.
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[0090] In order to explain
[0091] In the case of using a three-phase system such as a three-phase motor, reference frame transformation is performed using variables that are converted into variables of orthogonal coordinates (consisting of the d-axis, q-axis, and z-axis) rather than using a-, b-, c-phase variables as shown in
[0092] The d-axis (direct axis) of the transformed orthogonal coordinates refers to an axis in which the magnetic field flux of the motor occurs. The d-axis is a reference axis for vector control of the AC motor.
[0093] The q-axis (quadrature axis) or a horizontal axis of the transformed orthogonal coordinates is an axis perpendicular to the d-axis indicating a reference axis. The q-axis (quadrature axis) of the transformed orthogonal coordinates is an axis perpendicular to the d-axis indicating a reference axis. The q-axis is located ahead of the d-axis when the physical amount (such as a field magnetic flux) of the motor rotates counterclockwise over time. The q-axis becomes the axis of the current or counter electromotive force that generates torque during vector control.
[0094] The z-axis (i.e., a neutral axis or an n-axis) or the neutral axis (or an imaging axis) of the transformed orthogonal coordinates is an axis where the d-axis and the q-axis are orthogonal to each other in a three-dimensional (3D) space. These axes represent loss components. In this case, terms contributing to generation of mechanical output in the motor may be d-axis and q-axis components.
[0095] Typically, the magnitude of the output voltage of a three-phase square wave inverter (also called a six step inverter) is maximally fixed, and only the frequency of the three-phase square wave inverter is controllable. In the inverter capable of driving the AC motor, there is a need for this inverter to modulate the frequency of the output voltage as well as the magnitude of the output voltage. To this end, a pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme can be used.
[0096] Such PWM schemes may include an optimal/programmed PWM scheme, a carrier-based PWM scheme, and a space vector PWM (SVPWM) scheme.
[0097] Unlike other PWM schemes, the SVPWM scheme may express three-phase voltage references as a single space vector in a complex space on the d-q plane consisting of the d-axis and the q-axis so that the three-phase voltage references expressed as the single space vector are modulated. When the voltage modulated by this SVPWM scheme is applied to the motor through the inverters, the amount of harmonics included in the current and torque is smaller than those of other schemes, so that the SVPWM scheme is currently the most popular technique in associated technical fields.
[0098] In the SVPWM scheme, since a voltage reference related to the phase voltage is given as a space vector, the output voltages of the inverters of the inverter units 15 and 25 capable of generating the voltage reference can be expressed as a space voltage vector. This is because the phase voltage depends not only on the switching state of the corresponding pole, but also on the switching state of the other two poles. Thus, the phase voltage refers to a voltage determined by states of all switches of the inverters. As a result, in a situation where the switching functions of three phases (e.g., a-phase, b-phase, and c-phase) are denoted by S.sub.a, S.sub.b, and S.sub.c, if the above-described switches are turned on, the switching function of the corresponding switch may be denoted by ‘1’, and when the above-described switches are turned off, the switching function of the corresponding switch may be denoted by ‘0’. In the switching function, eight different switching states that can be output by three switching elements of each inverter unit are expressed using six active voltage vectors and two zero voltage vectors. Since the switching element of each phase has ‘0’ or ‘1’, there may be a total of eight switching states in the case of three phases. The above-described concept can be expressed as shown in
[0099] If the three-phase voltage references change with time, the voltage reference vector (V*) rotates counterclockwise in the complex space as described above. In this case, the voltage reference vector can make the same voltage on average as the voltage reference vector during a preset voltage modulation period (T.sub.s) using two adjacent active voltage vectors V.sub.n and V.sub.n+1 (where, n=1 to 5) and the zero voltage vectors (V.sub.0, V.sub.7). The process of synthesizing voltages in three phases may be repeated at intervals of a voltage modulation period (T.sub.s) determined by the switching frequency. The voltage modulation period may refer to a time cycle for modulating the space voltage vector within one switching cycle to indicate the voltage reference vector. There are the on-sequence voltage modulation period for turning on each switching element and the off-sequence voltage modulation period for turning off each switching element. If the switching function is formed in a horizontal symmetrical shape within one switching cycle, the on-sequence voltage modulation period and the off-sequence voltage modulation period become equal to each other, so that each of the two voltage modulation periods (i.e., the on-sequence voltage modulation period and off-sequence voltage modulation period) will hereinafter be referred to as a voltage modulation period (T.sub.s) for convenience of description.
[0100] Referring to
[0101] On the other hand, although the active voltage vectors and the zero voltage vectors are applied to the motor in any order within the voltage modulation period (T.sub.s), the average output voltage having the same magnitude can be obtained. However, various voltage modulation performances, such as harmonic characteristics, switching frequency, and voltage utilization rate, may vary depending on the order of the active voltage vectors and the zero voltage vectors. In particular, the ripple magnitude and the ripple frequency of load current may vary depending on the application position of the active voltage vector. Therefore, it is the most preferable that the active voltage vector be located at the center point within the voltage modulation period (T.sub.s). In this case, the switching frequency can be reduced. This scheme is called symmetrical SVPWM.
[0102] At this time, the sum of the on-sequence voltage modulation period for turning on the switches of the inverters and the off-sequence voltage modulation period for turning off the switches of the inverters may be referred to as a switching cycle. However, when the active voltage vector is located at the center point within the voltage modulation period (T.sub.s), a left-right symmetrical pattern can be formed, so that one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) is twice the two voltage modulation periods (T.sub.s), as represented by T.sub.sw=2.Math.T.sub.s. At this time, the switching frequency can be minimized, and the influence of harmonics can also be minimized. In addition, the voltage modulation period is used in the same manner as in the current control period.
[0103] In brief, a voltage reference vector for a constant voltage modulation period (T.sub.s) can be generated using six active voltage vectors and two zero vectors that can be output from one inverter, so that the on/off times of the respective switching elements can be determined. That is, the switching function can be determined.
[0104] Through calculation on three phases, the dwell times of the active voltage vectors and the zero voltage vectors can be calculated using Equation 4.
[0105] In Equation 4, ‘θ’ denotes the angle between the voltage reference vector and the active voltage vector in the counterclockwise direction in the d-axis (see
[0106] In addition, according to the switching functions S.sub.a, S.sub.b, and S.sub.c determined as described above, the ON sequence and the OFF sequence may appear as a symmetrical pattern within the switching cycle (T.sub.sw). That is, a pattern of the switching function for each phase according to the ON sequence and the OFF sequence corresponding to one switching cycle may be referred to as a switching pattern, resulting in formation of a symmetrical pattern in three-phase alternating current as described above.
[0107] That is, the switching pattern means that, according to the applied voltage reference vector, three switching states of each inverter unit are shown in one switching cycle according to the dwell time. Alternatively, the switching pattern means that, according to the applied voltage reference vector, the corresponding space voltage vectors (i.e., two active voltage vectors and zero voltage vectors which are adjacent to the voltage reference vector) is expressed according to the dwell time within one voltage reference vector.
[0108] In the three-phase AC, the switching patterns may always be formed in a symmetrical shape. This is because the order of turning on two active voltage vectors and the zero voltage vectors in one of the two voltage modulation periods within one switching cycle is opposite to the order of tuning off two active voltage vectors and the zero voltage vectors in the other one of the two voltage modulation periods within one switching cycle. This means that the control signals for turning on/off three phases by the inverters during the switching cycle are horizontally symmetrical to each other.
[0109] Specifically, signals for turning on/off the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the three-phase switching unit may be formed symmetrical in a horizontal direction within the switching cycle. This also means that the voltages applied to the phase windings of the first coil and the second coil according to the on/off states of the first-phase switching unit, the second-phase switching unit, and the third-phase switching units are horizontally symmetrical to each other during the switching cycle.
[0110] For example, as can be seen from upper three patterns from among the switching patterns of
[0111] So far, the SVPWM scheme using three-phase AC has been described above. If the SVPWM scheme is applied to a six-phase motor or the three-phase double-winding motor, it is possible to use only one inverter capable of simultaneously controlling six phases, but two conventional three-phase inverters instead of one inverter are generally used for more stable control. In this case, six sectors are formed by inverters of the two inverter units 15 and 25, and the six sectors are arranged to have a phase difference of 30° therebetween.
[0112]
[0113]
[0114] In more detail, among the first active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1 to V.sub.6.sup.#1) and the second active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#2 to V.sub.6.sup.#2) formed by 30° rotation of the first active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1 to V.sub.6.sup.#1), some active voltage vectors adjacent to each other can be combined and synthesized. For example, the first active voltage vector (V.sub.1.sup.#2) of the second inverter unit 25 is disposed between the first active voltage vector (V.sub.1.sup.#1) and the second active voltage vector (V.sub.2.sup.#1) of the first inverter unit 15, so that the adjacent vectors of the second active voltage vector (V.sub.1.sup.#2) are denoted by V.sub.1.sup.#1 and V.sub.2.sup.#1, respectively. Thereafter, the first active voltage vector (V.sub.1.sup.#2) is combined with each of the active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#1), resulting in formation of vectors V.sub.2 and V.sub.3. Similarly, if the remaining vectors other than the above-described vectors are combined with each other, a total of 12 synthetic vectors (V.sub.1 to V.sub.12) can be obtained. In this way, each of the regions capable of being separated from each other in the d-q plane by such 12 synthetic vectors may be referred to as a sector, resulting in formation of a total of 12 sectors.
[0115] In a situation where the obtained synthesized vectors are denoted by V.sub.1 to V.sub.12 and one region between the synthetic vectors V.sub.2 and V.sub.3 is first set to a first sector #1, 12 sectors are arranged in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the first sector #1. In this case, the z1-z2 plane may be represented as denoted by the z1-z2 plane of the conventional method of Table 1 below.
[0116] On the other hand, the conventional technique is modeled through the six-phase windings so that two independent planes from which vector interference components are removed are formed. Three sub-spaces or planes are decomposed into the d-q plane, the z1-z2 plane, and the o1-o2 plane. Here, the o1-o2 plane is always mapped to the origin because the first coil 321 and the second coil 322 are wound in a neutral manner, so that only the d-q plane and the z1-z2 plane need to be considered. That is, a plane where energy conversion is actually performed is referred to as the d-q plane, and a sub-space indicating either harmonics or an energy loss is referred to as the z1-z2 plane. The d-q plane may be represented by 12 synthetic vectors as described above, and a total of two planes (z1, z2) may be used for each of three phases, resulting in formation of the z-plane. The above-described technology is referred to as vector space decomposition.
[0117] Here, the prior art requires four synthetic vectors to calculate four independent values from the coordinate axes on each plane. In addition, a time (i.e., a turn-on time) for which the corresponding four synthetic vectors are applied to the motor must be calculated through the inverse matrix based on the result of calculation of the magnitude of each coordinate axis.
[0118] In this case, since four synthetic vectors use a total of five active voltage vectors, two active voltage vectors are used in one inverter, but three active voltage vectors must be used in the other inverter, so that it is impossible to form a symmetrical pattern. In addition, since it is necessary for the inverse matrix to be calculated through the selected synthetic vector, the amount of calculation unavoidably increases. As a result, a longer calculation time as much as the increased calculation amount must be guaranteed, so that the switching cycle also unavoidably increases.
[0119] For example, in order to display the voltage represented by a voltage reference vector A(Ref.A), a total of four synthetic vectors (V.sub.1, V.sub.2, V.sub.3, V.sub.4) is required (see V.sub.1, V.sub.2, V.sub.3, and V.sub.4 depicted in rectangles of
[0120]
[0121] In Equation 5, V.sub.d.sup.k denotes the magnitude on the d-axis of the k-th active voltage vector, and V.sub.q.sup.k denotes the magnitude on the q-axis of the k-th active voltage vector. V.sub.z1.sup.k denotes the magnitude on the z1-axis of the k-th active voltage vector, and V.sub.z2.sup.k denotes the magnitude on the z2-axis of the k-th active voltage vector. In addition, V.sub.d* denotes the d-axis magnitude of the voltage reference vector, and V.sub.q* denotes the q-axis magnitude of the voltage reference vector. Also, T.sub.s denotes a voltage modulation period, and T.sub.k denotes a dwell time of the corresponding vector. However, T.sub.5 is a dwell time of the synthetic vector selected at the zero voltage vector of the d-q plane.
[0122] The dwell times T.sub.1 to T.sub.4 of valid synthetic vectors are calculated so that examples of the switching patterns R1 to R12 for the 12 sectors can be represented as shown in
[0123] In order to observe the pattern of the switch function of each phase, signals from the output terminals of each inverter can be recognized through a waveform analyzer (e.g., an oscilloscope or a spectrum analyzer).
[0124] In contrast, according to the control method of the present disclosure, the switching patterns are formed symmetrically using two adjacent active voltage vectors for each inverter unit 15 or 25, instead of using four synthetic vectors, in the same manner as in the SVPWM scheme of the above-described three-phase inverter.
[0125]
[0126] Referring to
[0127]
[0128] Specifically, the first active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1 to V.sub.6.sup.#1) and the second active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#2 to V.sub.6.sup.#2) formed when the first active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1 to V.sub.6.sup.#1) are rotated by 30° in the counterclockwise direction can be summed as shown in
[0129]
[0130]
[0131]
[0132] In addition, as described above, one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) is twice the voltage modulation period (T.sub.s), and the switching function for applying each voltage vector during one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) may be formed symmetrically with respect to a specific time point T.sub.sw/2 after lapse of the time period (T.sub.s).
[0133] Also, the active voltage vectors are located at the center point during one switching cycle (T.sub.sw), so that the switching patterns are formed symmetrically in a horizontal direction.
[0134] If the dwell times of two voltage reference vectors and two zero voltage vectors adjacent to the voltage reference vector received from the first inverter unit 15 are denoted by a first dwell time T.sub.a, a second dwell time T.sub.b, and a third dwell time T.sub.o.sup.#1, and if the dwell times of two active voltage vectors and two zero voltage vectors adjacent to the voltage reference vector received from the second inverter unit 25 are denoted by a fourth dwell time T.sub.c, a fifth dwell time T.sub.d, and a sixth dwell time T.sub.o.sup.#2, the voltage modulation period for turning on three switching elements of one inverter unit and the other voltage modulation period for turning off three switching elements of the other inverter unit may be repeated during the switching cycle (T.sub.sw), so that the symmetrical patterns can be formed as shown in
[0135] Here, the third dwell time (T.sub.o.sup.#1) may represent the remaining time obtained by subtracting the first dwell time (T.sub.a) and the second dwell time (T.sub.b) from one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) for convenience of description. The third dwell time (T.sub.o.sup.#1) may be located at both ends and at the center part within one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) of the first inverter unit 15, and may be arbitrarily divided within the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) according to the voltage reference vector. That is, each of a time period corresponding to the center part of the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) and a time period corresponding to both ends of the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) need not be divided in half. Nevertheless, since the voltage modulation period is half of one switching cycle, the sum of a third dwell time, a double first dwell time, and a double second dwell time may be equal to the switching cycle or may be equal to twice the voltage modulation period.
[0136] The sixth dwell time (T.sub.o.sup.#2) may represent the remaining time obtained by subtracting the fourth dwell time (T.sub.c) and the fifth dwell time (T.sub.d) from one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) for convenience of description. The sixth dwell time (T.sub.o.sup.#2) may be located at both ends and at the center part within one switching cycle (T.sub.sw) of the second inverter unit 25, and may be arbitrarily divided within the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) according to the voltage reference vector. That is, each of a time period corresponding to the center part of the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) and a time period corresponding to both ends of the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) need not be divided in half. Nevertheless, since the voltage modulation period is half of one switching cycle, the sum of a sixth dwell time, a double fourth dwell time, and a double fifth dwell time may be equal to the switching cycle or may be equal to twice the voltage modulation period.
[0137] In
[0138] Accordingly, if the switching patterns are symmetrical to each other in the horizontal direction, this means that the orders of voltage vectors applied to the motor during the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) appear symmetrically, or means that the switching functions of the switching elements are horizontally symmetrical to each other during the switching cycle (T.sub.sw). Alternatively, it can be seen that each single-phase AC applied to the first coil 321 by the first inverter unit 15 and each single-phase AC applied to the second coil 322 by the second inverter unit 25 according to the switching function may be horizontally symmetrical to each other during the switching cycle (T.sub.sw).
[0139] The switching elements of the respective phases may be turned on or off during the switching cycle (T.sub.sw) according to the dwell times of the space voltage vectors, the ON/OFF operations of the switching elements may be referred to as switching functions, and these switching functions are denoted by S.sub.a.sup.#2, S.sub.b.sup.#2, and S.sub.c.sup.#2. As can be seen from
[0140] Here, since two time periods (T.sub.s) are included in one switching cycle (T.sub.sw), T.sub.o.sup.#1 or T.sub.o.sup.#2 appears twice, so that the magnitude of the time period T.sub.o.sup.#1 can satisfy ‘T.sub.o.sup.#1=T.sub.sw−2(T.sub.a+T.sub.b)’ or the magnitude of the time period T.sub.o.sup.#2 can satisfy ‘T.sub.o.sup.#2=T.sub.sw−2(T.sub.c+T.sub.d)’. In this case, in order to emphasize the appearance of symmetrical patterns, the time period (T.sub.o.sup.#1 or T.sub.o.sup.#2) at which the zero voltage is applied is indicated to appear at the front, center, and rear portions of the switching function (switching cycle) for convenience of description, but does not represent the overall magnitude of the switching cycle. The front and rear portions in one switching cycle are symmetrical and thus equal to each other, the ratio of the center portion and the front portion of one switching cycle may vary depending on the result of calculation.
[0141]
[0142] In the case of using the space vectors or the symmetrical patterns of the switching functions as described above, a method for calculating the dwell time (T.sub.a, T.sub.b) or (T.sub.c, T.sub.d) required for each of the inverter units 15 and 25 that decomposes the voltage reference vector to indicate two adjacent active voltage vectors has the following advantages. That is, in the case of using the synthetic vectors according to the prior art, an asymmetric pattern occurs so that the prior art has disadvantages in that the inverse matrix composed of 5 rows and 5 columns must always be calculated whenever the asymmetric pattern occurs. In contrast, if the active voltage vectors of each of the inverter units 15 and 25 are rotated and used according to the present disclosure, the resultant vectors can be classified into a total of three cases according to vector distribution shapes in the z1-z2 plane. As a result, in a situation where the inverse matrices for the three cases are previously calculated and the calculated inverse matrices are previously stored, if the inverse matrices are properly used according to the three cases, the amount of calculation required for each of the inverter units 15 and 25 can be greatly reduced. In other words, the embodiment of the present disclosure can perform calculation in advance using a predetermined table for three patterns, instead of using the inverse matrix to be calculated for each operation, so that the amount of calculation can be greatly reduced.
[0143] In addition, unlike the prior art, the present disclosure does not have to give up control of the z1-ze plane required for symmetric patterns. Three cases may be used according to how they are represented in the z1-z2 plane, so that the dwell times for the three cases can be calculated using different equations to be used for the three cases.
[0144]
[0145] As described above, when the switching function within the switching cycle is formed symmetrical, harmonics can be reduced and the number of switching actions (switching frequency) can be minimized. In this case, the dwell times (T.sub.a, T.sub.b) or (T.sub.c, T.sub.d) for the switching function may be calculated. Thereafter, ‘T.sub.o.sup.#1=T.sub.s−(T.sub.a+T.sub.b)’ or ‘T.sub.o.sup.#2=T.sub.s−(T.sub.c+T.sub.d)’ may be calculated to calculate the dwell times of the zero voltage vectors. In addition, T.sub.s is denoted by ‘T.sub.s=T.sub.sw/2’. Namely, the voltage modulation period is equal to half of one switching cycle (T.sub.sw).
[0146] However, if the voltage reference vector is moved after fixing the entire coordinate system in the d-q plane and the z1-z2 plane, the inverse matrix must be calculated whenever the voltage reference sector moves from one sector to another sector. If the voltage reference vector moves to another sector, the entire coordinate system is rotated and moved, so that four active voltage vectors for representing the voltage reference vector in the d-q plane can always be located in a first quadrant. At this time, according to the distribution pattern of the corresponding active voltage vectors in the z1-z2 plane, a total of three cases can be used as shown in
[0147]
[0148] Referring to the first case shown in Table 1, that is, when a sector in which the voltage reference vector is currently located is denoted by 3n−2 (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), a total of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.1.sup.#2, V.sub.2.sup.#2) is required to indicate the voltage reference vector located in the first sector of the d-q plane. If the fourth sector rotates by 90°, the seventh sector rotates by 180°, and the tenth sector rotates by 270°, the voltage reference vector can also be located in the same sector as the first sector. For the z1-z2 plane, a total of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.1.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.1.sup.#2, V.sub.2.sup.#2) is distributed in the z1-z2 plane (see Table 1 or
[0149] Referring to the second case shown in Table 1, that is, when a sector in which the voltage reference vector is currently located is denoted by 3n−1 (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), a total of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.1.sup.#2, V.sub.2.sup.#2) is required to indicate the voltage reference vector in the fourth sector of the d-q plane. If the fourth sector rotates by 90°, the seventh sector rotates by 180°, and the tenth sector rotates by 270°, the voltage reference vector can be located in the same sector as the second sector. In this case, if all active voltage vectors are rotated by 30°, the active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.1.sup.#2, V.sub.2.sup.#2) may all be displayed to be located in the first quadrant, so that the result of such vector rotation becomes equal to that of the first case. However, only distribution appearance of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.1.sup.#2, V.sub.2.sup.#2) in the z1-z2 plane may be changed (see Table 1 or
[0150] Referring to the third case shown in Table 1, that is, when a sector in which the voltage reference vector is currently located is denoted by 3n (where, n=1, 2, 3, 4), a total of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#2, V.sub.3.sup.#2) is required to indicate the voltage reference vector in the third sector of the d-q plane. If the sixth sector rotates by 90°, the ninth sector rotates by 180°, and the twelfth sector rotates by 270°, the voltage reference vector can be located in the same sector as the third sector. In this case, if all active voltage vectors are rotated by 60°, the active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#2, V.sub.3.sup.#2) may all be displayed to be located in the first quadrant. However, only distribution appearance of four active voltage vectors (V.sub.2.sup.#1, V.sub.3.sup.#1, V.sub.2.sup.#2, V.sub.3.sup.#2) in the z1-z2 plane may be changed (see Table 1 or
[0151] In the second case and the third case, the active voltage vectors are eventually disposed at the same positions in the d-q plane through rotation thereof, and three matrices denoted by Equations 1 to 3 have the same values in first and second columns, but have different values in third and fourth columns. This is because only values of the z1-z2 plane are changed in the second and third cases shown in Table 1.
[0152] As described above, voltage reference vectors of 12 sectors can be classified into the above three cases shown in Table 1. As a result, if only three matrices are stored in advance in a storage unit (e.g., a ROM) of the inverter unit, a necessary dwell time can be immediately calculated using the three matrices without the need to calculate the inverse matrix every time. As a result, the amount of calculation can be reduced, resulting in a shortened calculation time.
[0153]
[0154] Referring to
[0155] As described above, since the voltage reference vector is created using two active voltage vectors in the first space voltage vector of the first inverter unit, and two active voltage vectors in the second space voltage vector, the switching function for each phase for turning on or off the switching units may be formed symmetrically in a horizontal direction within one switching cycle.
[0156] Accordingly, the AC voltage of each phase applied to the first coil and the second coil can also be output to have a left-right symmetrical pattern within each switching cycle (S600).
[0157] In step S200 for determining the magnitude and angle of the applied voltage reference vector and step S300 for determining a sector in which the voltage reference vector is currently located, although
[0158] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.