A fault-tolerant permanent magnet synchronous motor drive with integrated voltage source inverter open-circuit faults diagnosis

This paper presents a variable speed ac drive based on a permanent magnet synchronous motor, supplied by a three-phase fault-tolerant power converter. In order to achieve this, beyond the main routines, the control system integrates a reliable and simple algorithm for real-time diagnostics of inverter open-circuit faults. This algorithm performs an important role since it is able to detect an inverter malfunction and gives the information about its faulty phase. Then, the control system acts in order to first isolate the fault and then to proceed to a hardware and software reconfiguration. By doing this, a fully automated fault-tolerant variable speed drive can be achieved. Simulation and experimental results are presented showing the effectiveness of the proposed system under several operating conditions.