Closed-loop Control of DC

Drives with Chopper

 Closed Loop Control of DC Drives with Choppers
 Current Control for DC Drives with Choppers
Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM) Controller
Hysteresis-Current Controller
Comparison between PWM and Hysteresis Controller
Closed Loop Control of DC Drives
• Closed loop control is when the duty cycle is varied automatically by
a controller to achieve a reference speed or torque
• This requires the use of sensors to feed back the actual motor speed
and torque to be compared with the reference values

Reference + Output
signal Controller Plant signal


Sensor
Closed Loop Control of DC Drives
Current Control for DC Drives
with Choppers
 Current control loop is used to control torque via armature current (ia)
 Output of current controller determines duty cycle (i.e. switching) of DC-DC
converter
 Current controller can be either:
 Pulse-Width-Modulation (PWM) Controller
 contain PI controllers, i.e. linear
 fixed switching frequency
 Hysteresis (bang-bang) controller
 on-off controllers, i.e. non-linear
 varying switching frequency
 Selection of controller affects current control loop transient response
 Hence, affects speed loop bandwidth.
Current Control for Chopper
Drives – PWM Controller vc > Vtri vc < Vtri
In the PWM circuit: Ttri
• vc is compared with a triangular
waveform
• if vc > Vtri  ‘on’ signal is produced (q
= 1)
• if vc < Vtri  ‘off’ signal is produced (q vc
= 0)
1 vc > Vtri
1
q
0 vc < Vtri
0
ton
Vdc
• Chopper switching frequency is fixed
by triangular waveform frequency
regardless of operating conditions 0
• Bandwith of current loop controller is
limited by frequency of Vtri q=1 q=0
T1 ‘on’, va = Vdc T2 ‘on’, va = 0
Current Control for Chopper Drives – PWM
Controller
In the PWM circuit: Ttri

• Average value of q over a cycle

determines duty cycle  of
chopper:
vc
t Ttri
1 ton, T 1

Ttri t q dt  Ttri 1

• Average armature voltage: 0

ton
Vdc
T
1
Va   va dt  Vdc
Va

T 0 0
va switches between Vdc and 0
average armature voltage Va depends on duty cycle (i.e. how long T1 is on)
Current Control for Chopper Drives – PWM
Controller
• PWM controls chopper duty cycle  once in every cycle
• Frequency of Va fixed by frequency of Vtri
• Hence, chopper is a variable voltage source with average current
control
• Instantaneous current control is not exercised
• Current can exceed maximum armature current between two
consecutive switching
Comparison between Bipolar & Unipolar
Switching

Vdc
• Current ripple = iripple 
f output voltage

• For same ftri and Vdc, unipolar scheme gives:

– better output voltage waveform (less ripple)
– lower current ripple
– better frequency response
Current Control for Chopper Drives –
Hysteresis Controller
• Instantaneous current control
1 ia  ia* - ia
• Current controlled within a q
0 ia  ia
* + i
a
narrow band of excursion from
the desired value ia* +

• Hysteresis window determines T1 D1 Vdc

allowable deviation of ia Vdc

ia

+
ia* D2
T2
ia Va
ia  -
ia i a* ierr q
q

ia
Current Control for Chopper Drives –
Hysteresis Controller
• Actual current i compared with
i i a a
* + ia
a
reference current ia* to obtain error
signal ierr
• If ia  ia* + ia  q = 0, T2 ‘on’ and Va = ia*
0 ia
• If ia  ia* - ia  q = 1, T1 ‘on’ and Va = ia
Vdc 1 ia  ia* - ia
q
0 ia  ia + ia
* ia

ia  ia* - ia q

• Value of ia can be externally

set or made to be a fraction of ia q=1 q=0
• Chopper switching frequency is T1 ‘on’, va = Vdc T2 ‘on’, va = 0
not fixed
Current Control for Chopper Drives –
Qualitative Comparison

Preferred method !