Design and implementation of a motor controller for a permanent magnet synchronous machine

Abstract

This thesis describes the design and implementation of a motor controller for use with a prototype Axial-Gap Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Machine (AGPMSM). The goal of this work is to design a controller to drive an AGPMSM "smart wheel" that will be used in a semiautonomous vehicle. Controllers in this application are typically vector or scalar controllers using a form of Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) sinusoidal control. These types of controllers allow an AC machine to behave as a DC machine, which greatly simplifies the control algorithms and eliminates the need to operate the machine as an induction motor to achieve the desired speed. The advantage of the vector controller over the scalar controller is the ability to run the motor beyond its rated speed. In this design only scalar control is implemented. The controller/motor is semiautonomous in that it only requires an external speed command. The closed loop controller will attempt to maintain that speed, even as the load on the motor changes. The complete design will be described, starting with a functional description and then an overview of the hardware and software design. Some experimental data will be presented to demonstrate a functioning prototype.