A novel switched reluctance motor drive with optical graphical programming technology

Due to magnetic nonlinearities, switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive control is complicated and normally requires a microprocessor or a digital signal processor. This paper presents a simple and reliable SRM drive using an innovative encoder based on optical graphical programming technology. There is no microprocessor in the drive, no A/D or D/A circuitry, with a drive system that matches the simplicity of the motor construction. It features a simple and effective control capability. Current waveform optimization for the encoder is carried out offline, for high efficiency, and programmed directly into the encoder. Experimental results validate the concept.