Multi-channel motor winding configuration and pulse width modulated controller

• US 6,232,731 B1
• Filed: 06/26/1997
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electric Boat Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Electric Boat Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Chapman, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US08/883,056
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 318/280, 318/287, 318/291, 318/293, 318/432, 318/494, 318/495, 318/496, 318/519, 388/907.2
• US Class Current: 318/801
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/28 Arrangements for controlling current H02P6/10 takes precedence

Abstract

A multi-channel motor winding configuration providing low harmonic distortion and a PWM inverting controller for this type of winding configuration are disclosed. The motor winding configuration includes a plurality of individually insulated conductors wound in a group through the stator slots of a synchronous or induction type alternating current (AC) motor. Depending on the winding configuration, the group of conductors may constitute a portion of or the entire current carried by one phase of a single or polyphase motor. The PWM controller for this type of winding configuration connects each conductor in the group to its own dedicated set of power switching devices in an H-bridge configuration. The H-bridge configuration is powered by a direct current (DC) or rectified AC source. The power switching devices are switched on and off in sequence with the duration each switching device remains on being proportional to the difference between the total current in the group of conductors and a predefined target current waveform that is desired for each phase of the motor or portion of a phase.

Claims

1. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement comprising

an electromagnetic winding comprising at least one phase, each of the at least one phase comprising at least two channels including means for generating different current waveforms for each channel, each channel comprising at least one conductor wherein each conductor in each channel is electrically isolated from conductors in other channels,

at least one switching means controlling each channel and dedicated thereto, and

control means for controlling the switching means so as to produce a composite current waveform from the different current waveforms generated by each channel.

2. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a current sensor for measuring the composite current waveform produced from the current waveforms generated by each channel.

3. A multiple-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the switching means are four switches arranged into two groups, each group including two switches in series between high and low voltage rails and wherein the midpoint between two switches in one group is connected to one end of a conductor and the midpoint between the two switches in the other group is connected to the other end of the conductor.

4. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the controller comprises means for turning on and turning off each switch in a predetermined sequence for an interval which is varied in response to the magnitude of the difference between the composite current waveform produced from the current waveforms generated by each channel and a desired current waveform.

5. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising digital signal processing means which generates at least one digital waveform, a plurality of counters, each counter being clocked at the same frequency and having the same count range and different initialization values from any other counter, and a plurality of digital comparators for comparing the at least one digital waveform to the values of the plurality of counters for use in providing drive signals to the at least one switching means.

6. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement according to claim 5 further comprising a current sensor for measuring the composite current waveforms wherein the digital signal processing means generating a desired aimed waveform and calculates the difference between the composite and current waveform and the desired aimed waveform and modifies the waveform at least one digital to minimize the difference.

7. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the digital signal processing means includes proportional-integral-derivative control means.

8. A multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement according to claim 1 including a plurality of switching means arranged in sets, and at least one interphase transformer dedicated to at least one set of switching means, the interphase transformer including at least two inputs and at least one output, each output of each set of switching means connected to an input of the dedicated at least one interphase transformer and each output of each interphase transformer connected to at least one channel of the electromagnetic winding.

9. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement according to claim 8 comprising n interphase transformers and n pairs of switch means, the switch means switched on and off in a sequence given by 1, 2, 3, . . . , 2n, the switch means paired such that the outputs from switch numbers k and k+n in the sequence are connected to a common interphase transformer, for k equals 1 to n.

10. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement as in claim 8 further comprising at least one capacitor connected across at least one channel of the electromagnetic winding.

11. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the conductors of the at least one phase pass through a magnetically permeable material that is responsive to the vibratory excitation from the magnetic field generated by the composite waveform, the control means comprising at least one vibration sensing means for sensing vibration from the magnetically permeable material, the control means further comprising means to modify the composite current waveform to minimize the vibration sensed by the vibration sensing means.

12. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement according to claim 1 comprising at least one switch means for controlling current through each channel in a positive direction and at least one switch means for controlling current through each channel in a negative direction, the switch means for the positive direction and negative direction being controlled in a complementary manner.

13. A multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement according to claim 1 comprising at least one switch means for controlling current through each channel in a positive direction and at least one switch means for controlling current through each channel in a negative direction, the switch means for the positive direction and negative direction being controlled in a non-complementary manner.

14. A controller for producing different current waveforms in a multi-channel electromagnetic winding arrangement having a plurality of channels which are electrically isolated from each other and at least one switch for controlling current through each channel in the arrangement, the controller comprising means for turning on and turning off each switch in a predetermined sequence for an interval which is varied in response to the magnitude of the difference between a composite current waveform produced from different current waveforms generated by each channel and a desired current waveform.

15. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement comprising the steps of:

providing an electromagnetic winding including means for generating at least one current waveform, said means comprising at least two channels, each channel comprising at least one conductor wherein each conductor in each channel is electrically isolated from conductors in other channels, each channel including at least one switching means, and

producing a composite current waveform from different current waveforms generated by each channel by controlling the switching means with a controller.

16. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 15 comprising measuring the composite current waveform produced from current waveforms generated by each channel with a current sensor.

17. A method for providing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 15 comprising controlling each channel with a switching means comprising four switches arranged into two groups, each group including two switches in series between high and low voltage rails and wherein the midpoint between two switches in one group is connected to one end of the conductor and the midpoint between the two switches in the other group is connected to the other end of the conductor.

18. A method for providing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 15 wherein the controller includes digital processing means, a plurality of counters and a plurality of digital comparators and further comprising

generating at least one digital waveform from the digital processing means,

comparing the output values of the counters to the at least one digital waveform with the plurality of digital comparators,

obtaining the output from the plurality of digital comparators, and

providing drive signals from the digital processing means to the at least one switching means based on the output from the plurality of digital comparators.

19. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 18 wherein the controller includes a current sensor for measuring the composite waveform in each of a plurality of phases and further comprising,

generating a desired current waveform with the digital signal processing means,

determining the difference between the composite current waveform produced from current waveforms generated by each channel and the desired current waveform;

and

modifying the digital waveform to minimize the difference.

20. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 19 comprising

applying drive signals from the digital processing means to the at least one switching means which minimizes the difference between the composite current waveform produced from current waveforms generated by each channel and the desired current waveform.

21. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 19 wherein the controller turns each switching means off and on in a predetermined sequence at a rate which is varied in response to the magnitude of the difference between the composite current waveform produced from the current waveforms generated by each channel and a desired current waveform.

22. A method according to claim 15 comprising providing a plurality of switching means arranged in sets, and at least one interphase transformer dedicated to at least one set of switching means, the interphase transformer including at least two inputs and at least one output, each output of each set of switching means connected to an input of the dedicated at least one interphase transformer and each output of each interphase transformer connected to at least one channel of the electromagnetic winding.

23. A method for producing a current waveform in a multi-channel electromagnetic arrangement in accordance with claim 15 comprising

applying a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm to the difference between the composite current waveform produced from current waveforms generated by each channel and the desired current waveform to generate drive signals.