Multiphase motor based electromechanical actuator for engine gimbal control -prospects & challenges

The paper presents a multiphase BLDC motor based electromechanical actuator system for higher capability engine gimbal control applications. The scheme proposed is based on the inherent advantages of the multiphase system together with the requirements of higher power capability actuation system. The paper details the generation of trapezoidal commutation logic for a five phase motor. The modeling of a five phase BLDC motor with sinusoidal back emf and its validation in closed loop as a position servo system is performed in MATLAB/SIMULINK. The evaluation of the inherent fault tolerant capability of the five phase motor based electromechanical actuator is also validated through simulations and the results are highlighted. The hardware implementation of the five phase BLDC motor drive is carried out and the experimental results are presented.