Synergetic control for axial-flux PM motor drives

In this paper the application of the synergetic approach theory to the control synthesis for axial-flux permanent-magnet (AFPM) motor drives is presented. Many examples of high dynamic applications for AFPM motor drives can be found in aerospace and robotic fields, also in hybrid electric vehicles interest for this kind of electric drive is growing. Such kind of applications requires speed controllers providing accuracy and high performance which linear control approach very hardly can satisfy. The most critical disadvantage of linear control is related to the specific design associated to operation near a specific operating point. Synergetic control tries to overcome mentioned problem of linear control by explicitly using a model of the system for control synthesis; in this case the whole non-linear drive dynamics are considered in the control synthesis. A fixed-point 16-bits DSP with suitable cost/performances ratio has been chosen as calculus platform for the implementation of the proposed synergetic control laws; and, for experimental activity purposes, an axial-flux permanent-magnet machine already present in the laboratory has been used.