Current Spikes Minimization Method for Three-Phase Permanent Magnet Brushless DC Motor with Real-Time Implementation

Abstract

Due to their high efficiency and low cost of maintenance, brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) with trapezoidal electromotive forces (back-EMFs), have become widely used in various applications such as aerospace, electric vehicles, industrial uses, and robotics. However, they suffer from large current ripples and current spikes. In this paper, a new method for minimizing current spikes appearing during BLDCM start-up or sudden set point changes is proposed. The method is based on controlling the MOSFET gates of the motor driver using R-C filters. These filters are placed between the PWM control signal generator and the MOSFET gates to smooth these control signals. The analysis of the proposed method showed that the R-C filter usage affects the BLDCM steady-state performances. To overcome this limitation, the R-C filter circuit was activated only during current spikes detection. The effectiveness of the proposed method was analytically analyzed and then validated through simulation and experimental tests. The obtained results allowed a reduction of 13% in current spikes amplitude.