Fault-Tolerant Permanent Magnet Motor Drive Topologies for Automotive X-By-Wire Systems

Future automobiles will be equipped with x-by-wire systems to improve reliability, safety, and performance. The fault-tolerant capability of these systems is crucial due to their safety critical nature. Three fault-tolerant inverter topologies for permanent magnet brushless direct current motor drives suitable for automotive x-by-wire systems are analyzed. A figure of merit taking into account both cost and postfault performance is developed for these drives. Simulation results of the two most promising topologies for various inverter faults are presented. The drive topology with the highest postfault performance and cost effectiveness is built and evaluated experimentally.