Tomorrow’s Mobility

Sustainable Technologies for the automotive sector

Week 2 – Session 7 – Electric Drive Management

Guillermo Ballesteros

Introduction

I- Electric drive management requirements

II- Electric drive management architecture
III- Electric drive control

Conclusion

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Introduction
This lesson on electric machine management, focusing on the link between the electric machine
current and the torque, will try to answer the following question: How is it possible to control the
torque of electric machines?

I- Electric drive management requirements

The driver needs to control the motion force of his vehicle, to accelerate, to stabilize his vehicle
speed, and decelerate. The acceleration or motion force is due to the torque of the electric
machine. The mechanical energy coming from the torque and rotation of the electric machine is
transmitted to the wheels by a transmission or gear box.
Torque Management
The driver needs to control the
motion force of his vehicle to:

• Accelerate
• Stabilize
• Decelerate

II- Electric drive management architecture

To control the torque of the electric machine, a drive control system is necessary. It is composed of
a Drive Control Unit, sensors and a power electronic converter, usually an inverter.
DMS : Drive Management System

Composed of:
• Drive Control Unit
• Sensors
• Power electronic converter

The main purpose of the drive control is not only to manage the torque of the electric machine, but
also to optimize the efficiency of the system. Maximizing efficiency means consuming a minimum of
electric energy to furnish maximum torque and power. The optimization of efficiency of the drive
system depends on the technology of the electric machine and on the software. The optimization of
efficiency of the drive system depends on the technology of the electric machine and on the control
software.

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 Efficiency and electric drive control
• Manage the torque of the electric machine
• Optimize the efficiency of the system

Maximizing efficiency

Consuming a minimum of electric

energy to furnish maximum torque and
power

III- Electric drive control

For a DC machine, the control is really easy because the current and the torque of the machine are
proportional. So, managing the torque means controlling the current flowing through the machine,
making a current sensor necessary.
The drive control compares the measured current with the current set point, and adjusts the
current by changing the duty cycle of the power electronic device. As seen in the previous lessons,
increasing the duty cycle means, increasing the average value of the voltage applied on the
terminals of the electric machine.
The value of the duty cycle will depend on two things: the voltage value of the battery and the
voltage induced in the DC machine. The latter is proportional to the speed and the intensity of the
excitation field. With a permanent magnet machine, the excitation is constant.

Control of a DC machine

With a synchronous machine, the torque is the result of the interaction of the magnetic field of the
rotor and the magnetic field of the stator. The two fields must rotate at the same speed with an
optimal angle of 90 degrees between them. Under these conditions, the torque is proportional to
the root mean square current value of the stator.
If the rotor is a winding rotor, there is a DC excitation current flowing through the rotor coils. The
torque is also proportional to the value of this current. This means, that a rotor position sensor is
necessary to control the torque.

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So, a sensor is needed to measure the position of the rotor magnetic field. Current sensors are also
necessary to measure the current flowing through the 3 stator phases. With these electric current
measurements, it is possible to know the position of the stator magnetic field.
This control is really complex, and needs machine modelling with mathematical equations to
simplify the control.
With the help of the inverter, the control is able to manage the frequency, the phase, and the
amplitude of the stator currents. In that case, the torque is proportional to the amplitude of the
stator current.
Control of a synchronous machine

With an induction machine, the rotor speed and the stator rotating magnetic field speed, are
different. This relative speed difference is called “slip”. There is a proportional relationship between
the “slip” of the machine and the torque produced. In motor configuration, the rotor rotates slowly
compared to the stator magnetic field, making a speed sensor necessary to control the slip.
Another condition is to maintain the flux constant in the machine, meaning that the ratio between
the amplitude of the voltage and the frequency of the current is constant.
Control of an induction machine

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Reluctant or magneto reluctant machine’s control is very similar to synchronous machine’s control
because the angle between the rotor position and the magnetic field position must be managed in
the same way.
Control of an reluctant or magneto reluctant machine

It is important to know that, for all machines, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the electric
drive with a software and hardware solution by controlling the position of the magnetic field of the
rotor and the magnetic field of the stator.

Conclusion
The facts to remember on Electric Drive Management are:
 Torque and electric current in a machine are proportional.
 As the torque of an electric machine is the result of the interaction between the rotor’s and
stator’s magnetic field, the relative position between these magnetic fields needs to be
controlled in order to control the torque.
 To control the torque, it is important to have a set of sensors, including a position and a
current sensor. These sensors depend on the machine technology.
 To have the best efficiency, the relative position of the magnetic fields must be measured
and controlled.

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