A Cross-Correlation Based Method for Open Phase Fault Detection in Multi-phase Electric Machines

In this paper is presented a method for open phase fault detection with applicability in electric drive trains. The strategy is simple and requires only a limited number of hardware components available on most common hardware platforms for power electronics. The method is based on the computation of cross-correlation between each phase current and is simple and robust enough to be used in real-time automotive applications. The algorithm is tested with recorded data acquired from a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (PMSM) motor-load test bench used for high power Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEV). The experimental results sustain the applicability of the algorithm to HEVs open phase fault detection.