Control challenges and mitigation techniques for sensor errors in modular motor drives with weakly-coupled distributed control architectures

Distributed controls have promising applications that include both highly fault-tolerant motor drives and modular drivesfor large machines. Communications speed limitations of these drive systems require each modular sub-drive to operate nearly independently over short timescales. As a result, sensor errors and system unbalances that cause only minor performance degradation in conventional drive systems can lead to complete loss of function in modular drives with distributed control architectures. This paper investigates alternative techniques such as calibration function compensation that can be applied to mitigate these challenges, making it possible for modular drives with weakly-coupled distributed controllers to deliver high-performance motor control. Simulation results are used to evaluate theeffectiveness of the proposed control techniques for addressing the special challenges posed by these distributed control architectures.