Rated parameters of the tested induction motor.
Abstract
This chapter deals with sliding mode application in control of an induction motor (IM) torque, speed, and position. Classical, direct approaches to control mentioned variables are described. Their drawbacks are presented and analyzed. Direct control structures are then compared with the proposed cascade sliding mode control structures. These structures allow to control all of the IM variables effectively, simultaneously ensuring supervision of all remaining variables. All of the analyzed structures are illustrated with block diagrams, as well as with simulation and experimental test results.
Keywords
- induction motor
- sliding mode control
- torque control
- speed control
- position control
1. Introduction
Sliding mode control (SMC) is a commonly recognized robust control method. It is known to be independent on external disturbances [load torque in case of the induction motor (IM)] and internal changes (e.g., variation of motor parameters, due to heating). It can be successfully applied in control of all IM variables like flux, torque, speed and position [1]. However, it suffers from some characteristic negative features, such as steady-state and dynamical errors, chattering and variable switching frequency.
Over the several past decades, researchers tried to eliminate or reduce the disadvantages of the sliding mode applied to the IM control. The steady-state speed control error has been eliminated using the sliding surface with an additional integral part in reference [2]. Integral part in the switching function has also been used to eliminate the dynamical and steady-state errors in the torque control [3].
Most of the papers focused on reducing the most negative feature of the SMC, i.e. chattering (large oscillations of controlled variables). Position control with adaptive continuous approximation of the sign function is proposed in reference [4]. Load torque estimator was introduced in reference [5] to reduce level of the discontinuous part of the control signal. One of the effective solutions to reduce the chattering is the application of higher-order sliding modes. They were introduced for all of the IM variables: torque in reference [6], speed (in a speed-sensorless approach) in reference [7] and position in reference [8]. The IM drive control, supplied from a current source inverter with the second-order SMC is introduced in reference [9]. Integral SMC of stator current components is shown in references [10–12] to reduce the chattering.
One of the chattering sources is a discretization caused by digital implementations of the drives’ control structures; therefore, the discrete SMC methods have been proposed. The IM position discrete control is proposed in references [13] and [14]. The discrete SMC of the IM speed is introduced in reference [15].
Another drawback of the SMC in a direct approach (when the control algorithm defines the transistors’ control signals directly) is a variable switching frequency. In order to eliminate this phenomenon, a voltage modulator can be applied. The classical direct torque control (DTC), SMC and space vector modulation (SVM) were combined in references [16] and [17]. Similarly, the indirect field-oriented control (IFOC) method and SMC were combined in reference [18].
In the past years, there have also been the attempts to extend the robustness of the IM control over the reaching phase, not only the sliding phase. The proposed approaches can be divided into two groups. In the first one, the switching line (or a surface) is designed to include the starting point: for speed control in reference [2] and for the position control in reference [19]. The second group consists of the methods with time-varying switching lines. They have been applied mainly in the position control [20], but also for the speed control [21].
In this chapter, a comparative analysis of the SMC of all IM state variables is presented. Direct approaches that define the transistor control signals directly are described and illustrated with simulation and experimental results. The cascade connection of sliding mode controllers is proposed for speed and position regulation, presented in a unified manner. The equivalent signal-based control is used to lower the level of the chattering in regulated variables.
This chapter consists of nine numerated sections. The following section presents the mathematical model of IM. Next three sections show the control of IM variables: torque, speed and position, respectively. Sections related to the speed and position control are divided into two subsections that include the direct and the cascade control. After short conclusions section, there is an appendix with experimental setup description and tables with tested IM parameters and base values, necessary to obtain the normalized unit system.
2. Mathematical model of induction motor drive
SMC algorithms are strictly based on the mathematical model of the controlled object, which is the IM in this research. This model will be shown in this section—it is created with commonly known simplifying assumptions [22]. It is written with normalized [per unit (p.u.)] units, in an arbitrary frame, rotating with the angular velocity ωk. Base values, required to the p.u. system transformation, are shown in the appendix.
Stator and rotor voltage equations:
Flux equations:
Electromagnetic torque and the motion equation are as follows:
It is assumed that the IM is supplied by an ideal voltage source inverter (VSI), which can be described by the following matrix equation:
3. Sliding mode direct torque control
In order to create a cascade connection of sliding mode controllers (for example torque and speed controllers), it is necessary to design first the sliding mode DTC. This method of control utilizes the IM mathematical model and its equations, shown in the previous chapter.
The first step in the designing is to define the so-called switching functions. The classical approach is first taken into account [1]:
The goal of the sliding mode controller will be to force the switching functions from Eqs. (9) to (11) to zero, which means that the real values will follow the reference ones. This goal can be achieved using the classical sliding-mode control formula, expressed as:
In order to check the usefulness of the proposed control algorithm and to verify the stability of the proposed control system, the Lyapunov function method is applied. A positive defined Lyapunov function is proposed as follows:
Its derivative can be calculated as:
The stability inequality [negative value of Eq. (17)] is defined as:
If the control parameters
Full SM-DTC block diagram is shown in Figure 1. The control structure defines the control signals
It is also necessary to provide the measurement of the DC-bus voltage [this value is present in the
The block diagram, shown in Figure 1, also emphasizes the digital implementation of the SM-DTC, together with the measurement delays (
Figure 2 shows a comparative study of performance of the SM-DTC structure for three different cases: ideal simulation study (Figure 2a), simulation study with the DSP discretization taken into account (Figure 2b) and experimental results (Figure 2c).
Figure 2a shows the ideal operation of the SM-DTC and proves its perfect dynamical features. The torque and stator flux amplitudes follow their reference values almost immediately and without any oscillations. The speed is a result of the motor and load torque difference [according to Eq. (6)] and therefore is changing in a triangular way. Three-phase currents are smooth and sinusoidal—their frequency is changed automatically by the control structure.
Unfortunately, one of the negative properties of the SMC structures is the phenomenon called chattering [24]. There are many sources of the chattering—one of them is the discretization, connected with limited sampling rate of modern processors [25]. In order to check the influence of this phenomenon, special simulation model has been built. Suitable results are shown in Figure 2b. Large chattering (sometimes called the discretization chattering) can be seen in the controlled variables. It is also visible in phase currents. Due to the moment of inertia of the drive system, speed signal is still smooth.
Simulation test results have been validated using an experimental setup (see Appendix). Obtained results illustrate the same situation in a very similar way—the chattering can be seen in torque, flux and currents. The level of the obtained oscillations is even higher than during the simulation tests—it causes mechanical stress, dangerous for the drive, and acoustic noise.
One of the efficient solutions to avoid the chattering, visible in Figure 2, is to use the continuous approximation of the sign function. One of them is a saturation function:
In this case, the control structure defines not the transistor control signals directly, but the duty cycle functions for each phase (relation of the switching-on time to the whole sampling period). Specific form of the Eq. (19) is imposed by the duty cycle feature—its values can vary between 0 and 1 (0% and 100%).
Effects of the saturation function usage are shown in Figure 3a. It can be seen that the oscillations level is greatly reduced. However, a significant and changing in time, regulation error can be seen in the electromagnetic torque transient. It can be eliminated using simple modification of the switching function [Eq. (9)], to obtain the following formula [3]:
where
Results of the integral part introduction in the switching function are shown in Figure 3b and 3c for simulation and experimental tests, respectively. The torque and stator flux are controlled perfectly, without any steady-state or dynamical errors. Additionally, the chattering phenomenon is reduced considerably—level of the oscillations in regulated signals is acceptable now.
Sliding mode DTC structure with the modified switching function, shown in this section, will be used to create the cascade speed and position control structures, shown in the following sections.
4. Sliding mode speed control
4.1. Direct sliding mode speed control
The direct IM speed control can be realized very similarly to the DTC. The most significant difference is another switching function that can be expressed as in [1]:
When the switching function is zero, the controlled object acts as first-order inertia with time constant
In this case, the same control algorithm [Eq. (12)] can be applied to regulate motor speed; however, the
The condition of the system stability remains the same as in Eq. (18).
The block diagram of the direct sliding mode speed control is shown in Figure 4. It is almost identical as the one shown in Figure 1; however, the speed switching function
Figure 5a shows the performance of the direct SM speed control structure in the ideal simulation case. The reverses of the speed are presented—the speed follows the reference value with the requested dynamics, which is indicated by the
In both the previously mentioned cases, direct SM torque and speed control, the torque becomes higher than the acceptable level and can be dangerous for the drive and its mechanical elements. This drawback can be eliminated reducing the desired dynamics, defined by
4.2. Cascade sliding mode speed control
In order to create the cascade connection of SM speed and torque regulators, the torque control loop has to be simplified to the first-order inertial element, described by the following transfer function:
The control signals’ vector becomes a scalar quantity
In the above equations,
If the equivalent signal-based control method is applied, then the reference torque signal consists of two parts [26]:
Continuous control signal part
Thus, if the control parameter is chosen properly, the stability of the proposed control system can be guaranteed. The block diagram of the cascade control structure described here is shown in Figure 6. Unlike the direct control from Figure 4, the speed controller output signal is the reference torque, and it consists of two parts. Furthermore, this signal can be limited at desired value. The reference torque is the input of the SM-DTC structure, described in the previous chapter.
Performance of the cascade SM speed control in presence of the passive load torque is shown in Figure 7. The obtained results are shown for the speed reverses. It can be seen that the speed follows the reference signal with required dynamics in all cases. First subfigure shows the relay control—the equivalent signal from Eq. (31) is not taken into account in this case and the control parameter is equal to
5. Sliding mode position control
5.1. Direct sliding mode position control
By the analogy to the torque and speed control, presented in previous sections, IM shaft position control can be designed using the direct approach [1]. The control algorithm [Eq. (12)] and the
The block diagram of the SM direct position control is presented in Figure 8. Performance of the SM direct position control during experimental tests is shown in Figure 9. It can be seen that the shaft position has the desired dynamics and tracks the reference value without almost any error. Unfortunately, the chattering visible in the torque is entirely unacceptable. Therefore, the saturation function is applied (Figure 9b)—the level of the undesired oscillations is greatly reduced. In both cases, similarly to the direct speed control, the electromagnetic torque is not supervised in this type of the control. Simultaneously, the speed does not exceed the accepted value, which is 120% of the nominal value in this research. The flux is kept constant (not shown in the figure).
5.2. Cascade sliding mode position control
According to the previous section, the cascade position control structure will now be analyzed. It is based on the assumption that the SM speed control works perfectly and ensures zero value of the speed switching function from Eq. (22). In such situation, the speed control loop can be described by the following transfer function:
Similarly, as for the speed control, the control signals vector and switching functions’ vector become scalars,
By analogy to equation (30), the reference speed control signal is as follows:
According to the methodology shown in previous sections, the position control system is stable if:
The block diagram of the proposed cascade position control structure is shown in the Figure 10. Performance of the control structure for nominal load operation is shown in Figure 11. First, the simulation study for the ideal case is shown (Figure 11a), the sign function is used in the control algorithm directly. It can be seen that the position follows the reference signal with required dynamics. Due to the torque constraint introduced, some small dynamical error of the position control is visible. In order to decrease the level of the chattering of torque and speed, visible especially when the digital operation is taken into account (Figure 11b), the saturation function is applied in Figure 11c. The oscillations level is reduced successfully, while the position dynamic error is maintained. Figure 11d shows the experimental results—because of the digital realization of the control structure and additional, parasitic dynamics (measurement delays), the controlled variables are characterized by larger chattering; however, its level is acceptable. The position dynamic error is slightly higher than in case of the simulation tests.
6. Conclusions
This chapter deals with the SMC of the most important IM variables: torque, speed and position of the shaft, simultaneously ensuring constant value of the stator flux amplitude.
First part of the chapter is connected with the sliding mode DTC for IM. It is proved that the classical DT-SMC approach gives undesirable torque chattering. In order to reduce the chattering, the saturation function is used instead of the sign function. However, the saturation function introduces large steady-state control error. An integral part in the torque switching function is successfully used to eliminate this error. Such designed torque control is then used in the cascade speed and position IM control.
Next part of the chapter is the IM speed control. It is shown that the sliding mode speed control in its classical, direct approach is characterized by a large steady-state error and chattering. It is proved using a specially prepared simulation model and experimental setup. Additionally, the torque value is not constrained in this direct speed control structure. Therefore, the cascade connection of speed and torque regulators is introduced. The equivalent signal-based control method is applied to reduce the chattering. This solution allows to supervise the value of the electromagnetic torque, while reducing the control error effectively.
The last part of the chapter shows the position control of the drive. Conclusions that come from the SM position control analysis are analogical to the ones from the speed control. Direct position control does not ensure the torque and speed supervision, that is solved by the cascade control structure. Simultaneously, the chattering can be reduced using the continuous approximation of the sign function and the equivalent signal-based approach.
All of these control concepts are illustrated using simulation and experimental study. Special attention has been paid to create a simulation model that allows to take the digital realization of modern DSP control applications and measurement delays into account.
Acknowledgments
This work has been financed by the National Science Centre (Poland) under project number 2015/17/B/ST7/03846.
Experimental tests were realized using the DSP dSpace 1103 with sampling time equal to 100 μs (10 kHz). The DSP controlled the transistors of the classical two-level VSI, which supplied the 3 kW tested motor. 6 kW DC motor was used to generate the load torque.
Tables 1–3 include rated values of the tested IM, its parameters and base values, necessary to make the transition from physical units to the p.u. system, respectively.
Name | Symbol | SI units | Normalized units [p.u.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Voltage | 400Δ/680Y | [V] | 0.707 | |
Current | 7.0Δ/4.0Y | [A] | 0.707 | |
Power | 3000 | [W] | 0.62 | |
Torque | 20.46 | [Nm] | 0.67 | |
Rotational frequency | 1400 | [rpm] | 0.933 | |
Frequency | 50 | [Hz] | 1 | |
Stator flux | 1.65 | [Wb] | 0.91 | |
Rotor flux | 1.55 | [Wb] | 0.86 | |
Pole pairs | 2 | [-] | 2 | |
Power factor | cos |
0.80 | [-] | 0.80 |
Efficiency | 0.778 | [-] | 0.778 |
Name | Symbol | SI units ([]) | Normalized units [p.u.] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stator resistance | 7.073 | [Ω] | 0.707 | |
Rotor resistance | 7.372 | [Ω] | 0.737 | |
Main inductance | 597.8 | [mH] | 1.87 | |
Stator leakage inductance | 31.2 | [mH] | 0.098 | |
Rotor leakage inductance | 21.2 | [mH] | 0.066 |
Name | Expression | Value | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Power | 4800 | [VA] | |
Torque | 30.55 | [Nm] | |
Speed | 1500 | [rpm] | |
Stator voltage | 565.7 | [V] | |
Stator current | 5.657 | [A] | |
Frequency | 50 | [Hz] | |
Angular velocity | 100π | [rad/s] | |
Flux | 1.80 | [Wb] | |
Inductance | 0.318 | [H] | |
Impedance | 100 | [Ω] |
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