Advanced Control of Switched Reluctance Motors (SRMs): A Review on Current Regulation, Torque Control and Vibration Suppression

Abstract

With the increasing environmental concerns, a paradigm shift towards electric and hybrid electric vehicles is expected. Switched Reluctance Motors (SRMs) have emerged as a viable competitor to other established electrical machines. SRMs are known for their simple construction, robustness, inherent fault tolerant structure and low production and maintenance costs. Moreover, the machine has gained interest due to the absence of permanent magnets or windings in the rotor structure, which significantly reduces production costs when compared to other electric motors. The SRM, however, present some known drawbacks, such as increased torque ripple and acoustic noise production, as well as a highly nonlinear behavior. Through the use of adequate control strategies, however, the main challenges of the machine can be overcome. Thus, this paper presents a state-of-the-art review of the advanced control of SRMs, encompassing current regulation strategies, torque control strategies and vibration suppression techniques. First, two categories of current controllers are reviewed: model-independent and model-based. Next, indirect and direct torque control methods are explored. Then, three approaches to vibration suppression are discussed, namely active cancellation, current profiling and direct instantaneous force control. Lastly, a summary of each topic is presented and suggestions of future research topics are listed.