An FPGA based configurable I/O system for AC drive controllers

Modern AC drive control systems rely on advanced microprocessor techniques to implement the complex, real-time control algorithms necessary for high dynamic performance of the AC drive. The techniques employed generally have addressed the computational requirements of an AC drive controller, however little attention has been placed in the past on the provision of efficient I/O structures to deal with the numerous sensors and interfaces within the AC drive environment. This paper introduces the general interface requirements of a digital AC drive controller and then proposes an I/O coprocessor architecture capable of providing low level I/O support to a conventional microprocessor within an AC drive controller. The paper concludes by suggesting a possible route for the implementation of the I/O coprocessor architecture