A Systematic Approach to Digital Control Development for Four-Phase SRM Drive Using Single Current Sensor for Medium Power Applications

In the realm of medium-power high-volume applications, Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) drives hold great advantages over other motors. However, the SRM drive must be optimized to reduce cost without compromising the performance for medium power applications. This paper presents a novel SRM drive utilizing a Miller converter-fed SRM motor with a single current sensor, offering a comprehensive control development procedure encompassing system modeling, design procedures, dynamic simulation, analysis, and experimental validation. The SRM is characterized through finite element analysis (FEA) to derive a MATLAB Simulink simulation model, and the conduction angle is optimized for drive efficiency through parametric simulation studies. The linear SRM model for control design is obtained via small signal analysis. Speed and current controllers are designed using the K-factor method, and the efficacy of the proposed drive is rigorously evaluated across various operating modes in MATLAB Simulink. Additionally, a hardware prototype is developed and the digital control algorithm is implemented on the DSP microcontroller TMS320F28379D based on the designed controllers to further assess drive performance. The results obtained validate the robustness and dynamic performance of the SRM drive across variable speed, variable torque, and constant power modes of operation.