Direct instantaneous torque and force control: A novel control approach for switched reluctance machines

Switched-reluctance technology is appealing to the automotive industry due to its cost efficiency. Conventional research focuses on the two main issues torque ripple and acoustic noise. However, control schemes usually only address one of these two issues at a time. This paper unifies the approaches of direct instantaneous torque control and direct instantaneous force control to simultaneously tackle the two central drawbacks of the switched reluctance machine. A searching algorithm was used to determine appropriate reference values for each phase to keep torque and overall radial force smooth at any time. Simulation and measurement results confirmed that the control objectives were met so that the torque ripple was reduced and the acoustic behavior of the investigated automotive traction drive was improved. The new control approach thus provides future engineers with a powerful tool for adapting the switched reluctance machine to the requirements of the automotive sector.