A Universal-Input On-Board Charger Integrated Converter for SRM Drive Targeting Electric Vehicle Application

In this article, the implementation and design of a novel integrated power converter (IPC) for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive are presented, targeting electric vehicle (EV) as an application. The proposed IPC is reconfigured as a traction converter for controlling 4-phase SRM for the drive mode of operation. For charging the battery via a residential AC outlet, i.e., AC level-1 and AC level-2 charging, the proposed IPC is employed as an integrated on-board charger (OBC) by reconfiguring it into a buck cascaded buck-boost (BuCBB) converter. The active charging inductor/s for the BuCBB configuration is/are accomplished via the windings of the 4-phase SRM. Thus, the proposed IPC fully nullifies the need of an additional off-board circuit for battery charging purposes. The integrated OBC facilitates battery charging over a universally available input voltage range, i.e., 85–265 V RMS (root mean square), with acceptable performance and efficiency. In addition, the proposed IPC configuration results in zero torque production instantaneously from the current within the phase windings during the battery charging operation. Thus, keeping the rotor stationary without employing any external braking mechanism. Experimental verification and theoretical analysis on a prototype 4-phase SRM are demonstrated to assess the efficacy of the proposed IPCs during driving and charging.