TI Motor Control Compendium 2010

2010-2011
Motor Control Compendium

By Dave Wilson
TI MCU Application Manager for Motor Control
Absolutely amazing! I wish I had a tool like this

when I was learning about motors. Five stars!
-Nikola Tesla
Inventor of the AC Induction Motor
Navigating the complexities of motor control

www.ti.com/motorcontrol
Copyright Texas Instruments 2011
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
A AC Induction Motor
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brush DC (BDC) Motor
Brushes
Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor
Brushless Permanent Magnet
(BPM)
C Center-aligned PWMs
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
Cycle-by-cycle current limit
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Dead-time Distortion
Digital Control
Direct Torque Control (DTC)
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Electronically Commutated
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Shunt current sensing
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
Space Vector Modulation (SVM)
SPM Motor
Stator
Stepper (Motor) (SM)
Switched Reluctance (SR) Motor
Synchronous Rectification
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Oriented Control (FOC)
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower
I Intelligent Power Module

(IPM)
Interior Permanent Magnet
Motor
Inverter
J K L Leakage Inductance
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Magnetizing Inductance
Microstepping
N Neodymium Iron Boron

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
Permanent Magnet AC Motor
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
Pulse Width Modulation
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Regenerative Braking
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Third-harmonic Modulation
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor
V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Vector Control
Voltage boost
Volts-per-Hertz Control
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Flux
In the mid 1800s Michael Faraday speculated that magnetic fields exist as lines of force, which we today
refer to as magnetic flux, which is measured in units of Webers. Essentially, the more flux there is,
the stronger the magnet will be. We conventionally think of flux leaving the north pole, and re-entering
the south pole of a magnet, as shown by the arrows in the diagram. If we measure how much flux cuts
through a surface area which is perpendicular to the flux path, then we have a measure of the flux
density at that particular spot in space. One Weber of flux cutting through one square meter of area
constitutes a flux density of one TESLA, named after the Serbian engineer, Nikola Tesla, who is ALSO
the inventor of the AC induction motor.
is flux, in Webers
A is area in meters 2
1M
1M
A = B in Teslas
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Right-hand Rule
current
In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted discovered that current flowing in a wire creates its own magnetic field, and when this field
interacts with a second magnetic field, the result is a force acting on the conductor. This force is proportional to the amount
of current flowing in the wire, the strength of the second magnetic field, and the length of wire that is affected by the second
magnetic field. The direction of the force can be determined by a technique know as the Right-hand Rule. If your right
hand is configured as shown below, where your thumb points in the direction of positive current flow, and your index finger
points in the direction of the second magnetic fields flux (i.e., flowing from the North pole to the South pole), then your
middle finger will be pointing in the direction of the force acting on the wire.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Left-hand Rule
A wire moving in a magnetic field will generate a voltage across it whose magnitude is proportional to how many flux lines
are cut by the wire per second. The polarity of this back-EMF voltage can be determined by the Left-hand Rule. If you
hand is configured as shown below where your index finger is pointing in the direction of the magnetic flux (pointing
towards the South pole), and your middle finger is pointing in the direction of motion, then your thumb will be pointing
towards the positive end of the wire.
EMF
Direction of Motion
Left Hand Rule

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Torque
The sum of all of the perpendicular magnetic forces acting on a rigid body (such as the rotor of a motor), times the radiuses
at which these forces are applied, results in torque. Pancake motors achieve high torque by maximizing the radius at which
the forces are applied to the rotor. On the other hand, longer motors with smaller radiuses can achieve the same torque by
maximizing the force that is applied. This trade-off allows a motor customer to select from a wide range of motor form factors
to meet their space constraints, and still have good torque performance.
Using the Right-hand Rule, we see that a force is exerted on a wire which
is carrying current in a magnetic field. This force is proportional
to the amount of current flowing in the wire, the strength of the
magnetic field, and the length of wire that is affected by
the magnetic field. In most motor topologies, the strength
of the magnetic field and the wire lengths exposed to the
magnetic field are fixed as a function of the motor design.
The current however is adjustable. So we can combine the
effects of the magnetic field strength and the wire lengths
into one term called the torque constant. This term, when
multiplied by the motor current results in motor torque.
So we see that in order to control motor torque,
we must control motor current.
Clockwise torque = r1 F1 + r2 F2 - r3 F3
Torque has units of distance times force, i.e., foot-pounds or newton-meters.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Torque Components
The torque produced by a motor can be divided into two different categories. The first one is called reaction torque or alignment torque.
This accounts for the torque created by the reaction between the magnets on the rotor and stator. All motors with the exception of the
switched reluctance motor exhibit reaction torque.
A lesser known torque component is called reluctance torque. This torque is generated as a result of a magnetic field trying to minimize
the reluctance of its flux path. For example, if you place a kitchen knife on a countertop, and approach one end of the knife with a
magnet, the knife will move toward the magnet in order to minimize the path of the magnetic field, even though the knife itself is not
magnetized. Since the switched reluctance motor does not use a magnet or an electromagnet on the rotor, reluctance torque is its only
torque component.
Both of these torque components are a function of the alignment between the rotor and stator. Consider for example Figure A, where
the rotor and stator magnetic fields are in attractive alignment. The force of attraction goes through the axis of the rotor, so no torque is
created. Likewise, Figure B shows repulsive alignment which also has a force vector going through the rotor axis, so again the torque is
zero. Between these two extremes, the motor produces reaction torque which peaks when the angle is halfway between 0 degrees and
180 degrees, (i.e., 90 degrees).
Some motors rely on BOTH torque components. For example, the Toyota Prius IPM traction motor is designed to have significant
contributions from both reaction and reluctance torque. Both torques are plotted as a function of rotor angle alignment to the stator
magnetic field, as shown below.
Torque (Nm)
Torque Curves for Toyota Prius Traction Motor

300
Composite Torque
Reaction Torque
150
Reluctance Torque
Fig. A
0 degree alignment
Fig. B
180 degree alignment
-150
0
180
90
Rotor/Stator Magnetic Field Alignment (degrees)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Saliency
Saliency is a measure of the difference in the stator inductance when the rotor and stator magnetic fields are perfectly lined up on the same
axis, compared to when they are offset by 90 degrees with respect to each other. This may seem like an esoteric measurement, but on a
permanent magnet machine, this difference gives rise to the reluctance torque of the motor. The higher this difference, the higher the
reluctance torque will be.
So, how can we increase saliency on a motor? There are several ways to do this, but for an IPM motor, it is most commonly accomplished by
changing the reluctance of the magnetic circuit when the rotor is aligned with the stator vs. when it is offset by 90 degrees. Reluctance is a
measure of the resistance to the flux in a magnetic circuit, just like a resistor resists current in an electric circuit. Some materials have high
reluctance, such as air or even permanent magnets. Other materials (such as iron) have low reluctance, and allow flux to flow through them
very easily. Inductance is related to reluctance with an inverse relationship (i.e., the higher the reluctance, the lower the inductance, and vice
versa).
To illustrate, consider the two figures below. In the first diagram, the rotor and stator magnetic poles are perfectly aligned. The flux from the
stator is shown via the red arrow, where it crosses the airgap and enters the rotor. However, it must pass through two magnets before the flux
returns to the stator south pole. Since the magnets are high reluctance, this results in low inductance.
In the second diagram, the stator magnetic field is rotated 45 mechanical degrees (90 electrical degrees). Now the flux flows unimpeded
through the rotor iron, which is manifest by a decrease in the reluctance, and increase in the inductance.
On surface permanent magnet (or SPM) machines, the saliency is very close to zero since the magnets are indistinguishable from the air in the
airgap as far as the stator magnetic circuit is concerned. As a result, permanent magnet motors with surface mount magnets have very little
reluctance torque.
N
N
S
S
N
S
Surface mounted magnets
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Horsepower
If the torque on the motor shaft results in the motor shaft moving, then WORK is done. The rate at which this work is done is
called POWER. The most common ways to rate power is either horsepower, or watts. For a motor, power is equal to the
rotating speed times the motor shaft torque. So you can affect horsepower through both parameters, where increasing either
the motor torque or the motor speed results in a proportional increase in the motor power.
Horsepower = Rotating Speed x Torque

You can do the same amount of work with a smaller horsepower motor,
it just takes longer.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Efficiency
All energy transducers have losses, and motors are no exception. Efficiency is the ratio of average output power divided by
average input power over the same time period, times 100%. With a motor, the mechanical output power is equal to the
motor shaft speed times the shaft torque, and is often expressed in horsepower. The input power is equal to the input volts
times input amps, and is often expressed in Watts. The difference in these power values is caused by motor losses. The
diagram below shows the electro-mechanical transduction process, with motor losses identified. The average power resulting
from the motor losses plus the average mechanical output power equals the average electrical input power.
Input Power
Electromechanical
Conversion
mechanical
power
Power Expended
Mechanical
output power
Power Stored
heat
Load Dependent
Motor
losses
Speed or Frequency Dependent
Iron Losses
Winding
(I2R)
Magnetic
Hysteresis
Eddy
currents
Shaft
Contact
friction
Motor Glossary
Windage
friction
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Power Factor
Most electrical power is transmitted via AC waveforms. A measure of how efficiently that power is being transmitted is called power factor,
which is the average power divided by the apparent power. The apparent power is calculated by taking the RMS value of the voltage and
current independently, and multiplying them together. For sinewaves, if the voltage and current are in perfect phase with each other, the power
factor is unity. This represents a very efficient way to transmit power. The power factor is reduced as the phase relationship changes, and
goes completely to zero for a 90 degree shift. Under this condition, the average power delivered to the load is zero (which means the
wattmeter isnt spinning), but current is still flowing in the power lines, resulting in heat dissipation. So if your motor has bad power factor, and
the power company is billing you based on the wattmeter reading alone, then they have to eat the costs associated with heat dissipation in the
power lines. To fix this problem, they also monitor the power factor at your factory location, and charge you a penalty if it is too low.
Pavg
1
0 P.F. =
(Vrms ) (Irms )
Heat is lost in the transmission

lines which is proportional to
load current squared.
When power factor is unity, the ratio of
delivered power to lost power is highest.
Voltage
Current
P.F. = 1 (Average Power

delivered to load is high)
Good
Voltage
Current
P.F. = 0 (Average Power

delivered to load is zero)
Bad
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Braking
One issue that motor control designers have to deal with is braking, or slowing down a motor. The reason this can be an issue is because a
rotating load has kinetic energy which is proportional to its rotational inertia and the square of the rotational speed. When the motor is slowed
down, this energy must go somewhere. If this energy is converted to electricity by the motor (which is now acting as a generator), and this
energy is supplied back to the drive electronics which is used to slow the motor, this is referred to as dynamic braking. One form of dynamic
braking is called resistive braking, where the drive electronics dissipates this energy by steering the excess current into a resistor as shown
below. Another form of dynamic braking is called regenerative braking. In this case the energy is not dissipated at all. With regeneration, the
energy is stored for later use, or converted into a form where it can be used by other electrical systems. The energy could be stored in the DC
bus capacitor (or a DC bus battery in the case of a hybrid vehicle). However, if too much energy is stored, you can blow up the storage device
(see picture below of DC bus capacitor for an electric vehicle where this actually happened!)
There is another type of braking called dc injection, which does not involve dynamic braking. Instead, a dc voltage (or zero volts in the case of
a DC motor) is applied to the motor windings by the drive electronics, which causes the energy associated with the rotating load to be
dissipated by the resistance in the motor windings. In other words, the energy is not recovered, and most of it never leaves the motor.
However, this technique is typically used for lower energy levels, since this can result in significant motor heating.
Finally, the most aggressive and potentially dangerous form of braking is called plugging. In this case, the polarity of a DC motor is suddenly
reversed, resulting in very high current levels. Its like driving down the highway at 70 mph, and then instead of slamming on the brakes, you
put the car in reverse! In an AC induction motor, plugging is performed by swapping two of the three phases, resulting in the flux vector rotating
in the opposite direction. As with dc injection, most of the energy is dissipated in the windings of the motor itself. Plugging should only be used
in current limited situations, as you can blow up your inverter, or in some cases, damage your motor from the high currents.
Resistive Braking
Energy Flow
Deceleration
AC In
Converter
E = CV2
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Brake
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Power Quadrants
Second Quadrant
negative speed-positive torque
reverse-braking
Torque
By defining speed to be the X axis, and torque to by the Y axis, you can define the operating power quadrants of a motor
drive since speed times torque equals power. The simplest drives are considered to be single-quadrant drives, operating in
quadrant 1 or 3 only. They can only make the motor spin in one direction and deliver power to the load. More advanced
drives can operate in both quadrants 1 and 3, and are therefore two-quadrant drives. They can make the motor spin in both
directions, but the power is still always flowing to the load. Finally, there are four-quadrant drives which can not only make
the motor spin in both directions, but they can control the power flow in both directions as well. In these systems, care must
be taken to properly deal with power that may be flowing from the load to the supply, or the drive may be damaged. The
operating quadrant capability of a drive is determined not only by the hardware configuration of the transistors, but also by
how the transistors are PWMd.
First Quadrant
positive speed-positive torque
forward-accelerating
Generating
Motoring
Motoring
II I
III IV
Third Quadrant
negative speed - negative torque
reverse-accelerating
Speed
Generating
Fourth Quadrant
Positive speed - negative torque
forward-braking
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Feedback and Feedforward

Control structures can generally be classified as one of two topologies. Feedback systems achieve a desired output
response by comparing the output signal to the input signal and generating an error signal. This error is then followed by a
high gain stage so that even a small error results in a large correction response. However, the higher the gain, the harder it is
to achieve a stable system. Feedforward systems use knowledge of the system dynamics to achieve a desired output
response. The thought process goes something like this: To achieve a desired output, I need to figure out what stimulation
signal is required on the input of the system to get that output. By knowing the system transfer function in the forward
direction [G(s)], I figure out what the transfer function is going backwards through the system [1/G(s)], and that becomes the
transfer function of my feedforward filter. While feedforward systems typically result in snappier response to a change in the
commanded input, they arent well suited to applications that must tolerate unexpected load disturbances.
More traditional approach

Best for disturbance rejection
Better stability
Best for trajectory tracking
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
PI Controller
PI Controllers are a type of feedback control where the error between the commanded input and the output measurement is split into two
paths. One is a straight gain path, where the error signal is simply amplified by a proportional amount (P). The other path includes an
integrator, and the integrated signal is amplified by an amount (I). Both signals are then summed together again to create a correction signal.
PI controllers are used extensively in current mode controllers. Since the transfer function between voltage and current for most motor
windings only contains a single pole (which is the electrical R/L pole of the winding), a PI control loop offers stable operation without the need
for phase lead compensation (e.g., the D term in a PID loop). In fact, a PI controller can be created from a PID controller by simply setting the
D term to zero.
The integrator in a PI controller has an interesting affect on the system response, as it causes the control system to be intolerant to any steady
state error in the system. Any dc error, no matter how small, results in a growing signal on the output of the integrator. Finally, the signal
reaches sufficient strength at the output to cause the system to fix the error. So, an integrator has the effect of always driving the steady
state error to zero.
The integrator also presents some interesting design challenges for the system designer. During a transition on the commanded input, the
integrator output can become quite large in an attempt to correct for the difference between the commanded and output values. When the
output finally does reach the commanded input value, all of the accumulated integrated error must now be dumped, which results in the
system overshooting (see below). This is called windup because it is similar to taking a clock spring, winding it up, and then suddenly
releasing it. For this reason. Many designers will only switch on the integrator when the error between the commanded and output values is
below a certain threshold. Other solutions include clamping the integrator during system saturation to mitigate windup.
Also, see the section on PID Controllers.
P
Commanded input
error(t)
Measured output
+
Correction signal
I
Accumulated Error
+
Accumulated Error is dumped
Unfortunately, the Integrator

exhibits windup under output
saturation conditions.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
PID Controller
A common feedback control topology used in many systems today is called the PID Controller. As seen from the diagram below, it gets its
name from the fact that the error signal is split into three separate paths which have gain coefficients of P, I, and D. P stands for
proportional, I stands for Integral, and D stands for differential. The P and I terms function as described in the section on PI Controllers.
The D path involves taking the derivative of the error signal, and then amplifying the derivative term by an amount D. This provides additional
stability to the control system by providing phase lead to cancel out the phase lag from other poles in the system.
For an intuitive explanation of why the derivative term is required in some systems, consider that you are driving your car, and you see a red
light up ahead. Your goal is to position your vehicle to stop just this side of the light. This represents a position servo problem, where the
derivative signal represents vehicle speed. Having a D term of zero means that speed information is not incorporated at all in your driving
decision-making process. Therefore the control system output wont go negative (i.e., you wont put on the brakes) until the position error goes
negative. So you would overshoot the stop light, and not start putting on your brakes until after you were past the desired stop destination.
This represents an underdamped control response. On the other hand, if the D term is too large, the vehicle speed is significantly amplified in
your driving decision-making process. This is like a person who is overly sensitive to how fast they are going, and ride their brakes all the way
up to the stop light. You wont overshoot your destination, but it will take a very long time to get there. This represents an overdamped control
response. If the goal is to get to the traffic light as quickly as possible without overshooting, then the correct value of D is somewhere inbetween these two extremes. The graph below represents the system response of an actual servo system to a step input command. The
responses are plotted for various values of D representing underdamped, overdamped and critically damped responses.
P
Error signal
d
dt
Output
Step response of system

for various values of D
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Observers
It is necessary to measure certain motor operating parameters in order for the motor control system to function properly. Unfortunately, some of
these parameters are difficult to measure. For example, trying to obtain a velocity signal that has high resolution and is frequently updated can be
problematic at low speeds when using an encoder. Another example involves trying to measure the back-EMF signal buried deep inside the
motor. Fortunately, many of these signals are mathematically related to other variables, which ARE observable. For example, the motor velocity
is the derivative of the motors position. So if we can measure the motor position accurately, we should be able to create a structure that
estimates the velocity.
The diagram below shows how to construct a velocity observer. We first monitor the output servo position, probably using an encoder. We then
compare that with the output of an integrator which is in the red block. The error in this position reading is then used to bias up the integrators
inside the red block to insure that the next guess of position <Yo(z)> is closer to the output servo position. Assuming that the integrator output
converges to the output servo position, then the observer forces the integrator input to converge to the actual servo velocity! Pretty neat!
Theres just one problem
Trying to follow the output servo position without any
knowledge of what is driving the input of the servo
system results in velocity lag. This can be best
understood with a simple example. Assume you are
driving behind a truck, and trying to regulate the
position between your front bumper and the trucks
rear bumper. If the truck suddenly slams on the
brakes, its velocity will decrease quickly before you
can even respond. But if you are following a car and
can see traffic patterns ahead of that car, you can
react more quickly when you see brake lights come on
ahead of the car you are following. If you know
something about how the driver ahead of you will
respond to this stimulation, you can almost precisely
mimic the velocity profile of that car with your vehicle
without any lag whatsoever. Thats because you are
responding to the same input stimulation that the car
ahead of you will respond to. This is called feedforward
compensation.
Returning to our example to the left, we must add a
feedforward path to our model in order to achieve
better position and velocity tracking with NO phase lag.
Integrator
Integrator
Model of H(z)
<Press space bar to see this effect>

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Digital Control
Most of us have lived the bulk of our lives in a society where processors have infiltrated almost every aspect of our environment. Control systems are no
exception. In order to adapt to the discrete time nature of processor systems, a whole new technology had to be developed based on digital control
techniques. First of all, the Laplace transform methodology we all learned as engineers in college does not work with discrete time systems, so a whole
new way of representing transfer functions had to be developed based upon Z-transforms. Z-transforms are based on a sampled system, and differ from
Laplace transforms in that no assumptions are made about the signal values in-between samples. Entire tables have been developed to convert Laplace
transforms of common functions to Z-transforms, allowing designers to use their favorite analog functions in digital controllers. An important design
specification in a digital control system is the sampling frequency. All of the Z-domain filters are scaled with respect to it. The sampling period T must
be held to a tight tolerance in most control systems, or the frequency responses expected by the digital filters will be off. In order to achieve this, most
digital control processes which depend on a reliable sampling frequency are implemented in an ISR, which is triggered at precise time intervals.
Below are the top 10 things you should know about a digital control system:
1. Sample often. There really isnt a downside to this, except

MIPS. 10KHz is a typical value for most motor control
systems.
2. Your motor control algorithm usually resides in an Interrupt
Service Routine, and should be your highest priority interrupt.
Interrupt latency is more important than MIPS in many cases.
3. In most motor control applications, floating point is a
convenience, not a requirement. Exceptions include
applications with a wide dynamic range.
4. Use IIR filters instead of FIR filters whenever possible in your
control loop. FIR filters exhibit too much phase delay in most
cases.
5. Use look-up tables with interpolation whenever possible
its more efficient than calculating math functions.
6. Velocity measurements often suffer from quantization at low
speeds. Use 1/X technique or observers whenever possible.
7. Dont forget about aperture time when looking at ADC specs,
especially in shunt current reconstruction applications.
8. TI has the best integrated ADC for motor control in the
industry, with up to 12M samples per second, and true 12-bit
resolution.
9. More and more designs are migrating to model based code
generation techniques such as MatLab Simulink.
10. However, Garbage in, Garbage out. NEVER blindly trust
simulation results just because the computer says so. Always
have a way to ground your simulation in reality.
Inside the processor

r(n)
+
-
e(n)
Controller
Gc(z)
h(n)
2T
g(n)
c(n)
H(z)
3T
4T
5T
6T
PWM Module
c(t)
Plant
Gp(s)
Z. O. H
ADC Module
Z. O. H
T is the sampling period

(Inverse of sampling frequency)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
With an AC induction motor, we can change the speed of the motor by changing the frequency of the sinewaves that are supplied to the stator
windings. Part of the stator current is required to create the magnetic field in the rotor, since the motor doesnt have any permanent magnets.
In most cases, this magnetizing current should be held constant, and the resulting flux is a function of the motor frame design. The schematic
below shows just one phase of a multiphase machine where this current is flowing through the magnetizing inductance. For the moment, lets
assume that all of the flux generated in the stator jumps through the airgap and into the rotor structure (i.e., the stator leakage inductance is
zero). We will also assume that the stator coil resistance is relatively small and can be ignored (see the section on voltage boost for an
exception to this assumption). As a result of these two assumptions, the input voltage is applied directly across the magnetizing inductance.
The control problem can then be summarized as trying to adjust the amplitude of the input voltage sinewaves in such a way to keep the
magnetizing current constant at all motor speeds.
The electrical impedance of an inductor is directly proportional to the frequency applied to it. So in order to keep the current through the
magnetizing inductor the same, this means that the amplitude of the sinewave must also increase in proportion to its frequency, as shown by
the plot below. This control technique is referred to volts-per-hertz control, since the ratio of the sinewave voltage and frequency is constant in
order to keep the magnetizing current constant. Since all we are concerned about is the amplitude of the applied sinewave voltages as a
function of frequency, and not concerned with vector relationships of the waveforms, this type of control is also referred to as scalar control.
Volts-per-hertz control is one of the simplest control techniques for variable speed AC induction motors, and can easily be accomplished with
an MSP430, or even less powerful processor. All you need to do is create variable frequency sinewaves at the appropriate amplitude, and the
motor tries to keep up with the waveforms. However, transient response is slow compared to other techniques like Field Oriented Control
(FOC). Considering that the system cost for scalar control and Field Oriented Control are about the same (the only difference being the cost of
the processor), many designers are moving to a FOC solution.
Stator
Leakage
Inductance
Stator Coil
Resistance
Rotor
Leakage
Inductance
Rotor Bar
Resistance
Magnetizing
Current
Mechanical
Load
Magnetizing
Inductance
Sinewave Amplitude
For more information, see the section on Slip Control.
Sinewave Frequency
One Phase of an AC Induction Motor

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Voltage Boost
Please first read the section on volts-per-hertz control for background information related to this discussion.
Stator
Leakage
Inductance
Stator Coil
Resistance
Rotor
Leakage
Inductance
Rotor Bar
Resistance
Magnetizing
Current
Mechanical
Load
Magnetizing
Inductance
Sinewave Amplitude
At higher sinewave frequencies, we made the assumption that the stator coil resistance and leakage inductance could be
ignored. However, as the sinewave frequency gets lower, the impedance of the magnetizing inductance also gets lower. At
frequencies typically around 10 Hz, the impedance of the magnetizing inductance gets so low that the stator resistance can
no longer be ignored, and more and more of the stator voltage will be dropped across this resistance. To keep the
magnetizing current constant and make up for the voltage drop across the resistor, a voltage boost must be applied, as
shown in the graph below. Most scalar based motor drives have the ability to add a voltage boost curve, and allow the user
to adjust it to conform with the particular motor being controlled.
Sinewave Frequency
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Slip Control
If you study the motor animation below, you will see that the speed of the rotor is not quite keeping up with the speed of the
rotating flux pattern. The difference between the flux rotating frequency and the rotor frequency is called slip frequency. As
the motor is loaded, the slip frequency increases in an effort to generate more torque. As the slip frequency increases, a
point is reached where the motor is generating all the torque it can, and further increases in slip frequency actually causes
the torque to go down. So there is a certain slip frequency on an AC Induction motor that results in maximum torque. It
turns out that there is another slip frequency (which is less than the slip frequency for maximum torque) which corresponds
to the condition of maximum efficiency. There is another slip frequency which causes maximum power factor. So you can
see that controlling slip frequency is an important parameter to control on an AC Induction Motor. It is so important that
some AC Induction motor drives are based on controlling the slip frequency, and are called slip controllers.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Clark Transform
The Clark Transform is one of the steps involved in performing Field Oriented Control (FOC) on a three-phase AC
motor. It is actually not a necessary step, but if you dont do it, the FOC process becomes more tedious. In essence,
the Clark transform is a set of mathematical relationships that allow you to represent a three-phase system as a twophase system, and vice-versa.
w(t)
Consider the three sinewaves u(t), v(t), and w(t), as shown below, which are applied to the C, A, and B stator
windings respectively of a three-phase machine. Each winding in the motor is separated spatially from the other
windings by 120 degrees, as indicated by the axes A, B, and C in the animation to the right. The instantaneous
amplitude of each of the three sinewaves is plotted in real time as a colored vector existing on the axis to which that
particular waveform is applied. By adding all of the vectors together, you end up with the resultant black vector,
which is rotating!
In order to control the instantaneous amplitude and angle of the resultant vector, we need to regulate the three
waveforms in real time. While you could do this task with three separate regulators, there is an easier way which is
enabled by the Clark transform. Consider the figure below the animation, where we have stopped the animation at a
particular location. The resultant black vector is the addition of the u, v, and w vectors. But we can get the SAME
resultant vector by only adding two vectors instead of three. In fact, for ANY resultant vector (not just the one
shown), we can represent it as the vector addition of an vector and a vector, which are at 90 degrees with respect
to each other as shown in the illustration. So if we can transform the u, v, and w vectors into equivalent and
vectors which yield the same resultant vector, then we would only have to regulate TWO values instead of THREE!
This is what the forward Clark transform does, as shown by the blue arrow and the blue equations below. The math
is very simple, consisting of only three multiplies and one addition.
In a typical application, we want to regulate the currents on a three phase motor to get a desired net current (or flux)
vector. So we capture the instantaneous three-phase current values with an ADC, and then convert them into
equivalent and current values using the blue equations below. We then supply these values to TWO current
regulators which generate two correction voltages, one for the axis, and one for the axis. To apply these two
correction voltages to the windings of a three phase machine, we must perform a reverse Clark transform. As you
might expect, the reverse Clark transform takes two orthogonal and values, and turns them into equivalent u, v,
and w values so that they can be applied to the windings of a three phase machine. This is also shown below by the
green arrow and green equations.
v(t)
u(t)
w
A
For more information, see the Park Transform, and Field Oriented Control.
u(t)
C
v(t)
A
w(t)
B
(t ) = 32 u (t )
(t ) =
3
2
v(t )
(t)
3
2
(t)
w(t )
forward
reverse
u (t ) = 23 (t )
v(t ) = 13 (t ) +
w(t ) = 13 (t )
Motor Glossary
1
3
1
3
(t )
(t )
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Park Transform
The Park Transform is the core step involved in performing Field Oriented Control (FOC). In essence, the Park transform is a reference frame
translation process that allows you to change from a stationary reference frame to a rotating reference frame, and vice-versa.
Assume that we want to create a stator current vector that has a constant magnitude, and rotates at a fixed angle with respect to the d-axis. If
we do a polar-to-rectangular conversion on this desired current vector, the X and Y values are given as iref , and iref respectively. As the
current vector spins, iref(t) and iref(t) will be a cosine and sine wave respectively, as shown below. One way to generate this rotating current
vector would be to create two current regulators (one for the axis, and one for the axis) . We then sample the motors stator currents,
perform a Clark transform which gives us i and i, and then regulate them independently to follow iref, and iref. But what if the rotor is
spinning really fast? Then the desired current vector would have to spin really fast too, and we would need fast current regulators to keep up.
Instead of decomposing the desired current vector on the and axes, what if we
decompose it on the d and q axes, which are rotating synchronously with the rotor? It
turns out that the desired d-axis and q-axis currents will NOT be sinewaves like they
were in the - reference frame, but instead will be DC VALUES! So lets put the
current regulators on THIS reference frame, because its a lot easier to design current
regulators to follow dc waveforms than to follow fast sinewaves.
i ref
B
is
iq
Theres just one problemhow do we get the motor currents up on this rotating
reference frame? And once we do, how do we get the correction voltage outputs from
each current regulator back down to a stationary frame so we can apply them to the
stator coils? This is where the Park Transform comes to the rescue. In Field Oriented
Control applications on a three-phase motor, we typically sample the three motor
currents, perform the forward Clark Transform, and once we have and values, we
use the forward Park transform to reflect them up on the d-q axes using the blue
equations shown below. We then do the current regulation of id and iq independently,
yielding two correction voltages, vd and vq respectively. We then perform the reverse
Park transform on vd and vq to reflect them back onto a stationary reference frame
using the green equations below. Finally, we perform a reverse Clark transform to turn
these into three voltages that we can apply to the motor windings, which should result
in moving the current vector closer to its desired value.
id
i ref
For more information, see the tutorial on Field Oriented Control.
id = i cos d + i sin d
See animation
iq = i sin d + i cos d
iq
forward
id
reverse
v = v d cos d v q sin d
v = v d sin d + v q cos d
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Park Transform Animation

Notice that the X and X values change sinusoidally
over time. However, the Xd and Xq values are DC!
Forward Park Transformation

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Field Oriented Control

The most popular control topology for AC motors is called Field Oriented Control (FOC), or sometimes referred to as vector control in European
literature. Vector control is not to be confused with Space Vector Modulation (SVM). Vector control is a control techniqueSpace Vector
Modulation is a modulation technique similar to PWM.
Field Oriented Control is used to control a motors torque. If you want to control the motors speed or position, you need to add these control
loops separately, since FOC does not regulate these parameters. The advantages of FOC over other AC motor control techniques are smooth
operation combined with fast transient response. The principle of how FOC operates is relatively simple to understand, although admittedly, the
mathematical transforms can be a little more complicated. Assume we have a two or three phase AC motor as shown in the bottom-left
animation. By properly controlling the motors sinusoidal currents in real time, you can create a smoothly rotating magnetic flux pattern as
shown, where the frequency of rotation corresponds to the frequency of the current sinewaves. If you then place a magnetized rotor inside the
stator frame, the magnetic attraction between the rotating stator flux and the rotor magnets will cause the rotor to follow this rotation. However,
the animation indicates a condition of relatively low motor loading, as indicated by the fact that the orientation of the rotor magnets and stator flux
are the same. As you load down the motor, you will see that the rotor angle will start to lag the stator flux angle. This effect is plotted in the
center diagram, where generated motor torque is plotted against this lag angle. When the rotor flux axis is lagging the stator flux angle by 90
degrees, this is the condition of maximum torque for a given amount of stator coil current. So depending on whether we would like clockwise or
counterclockwise torque, we would like the relative angle to be either -90 or +90 degrees.
It turns out that we cant instantaneously control the axis of the rotor magnets to be at +/- 90 degrees with respect to the angle of the stator flux.
But we CAN instantaneously control the angle of the stator flux to be at +/- 90 degrees with respect to the axis of the rotor magnets. This axis is
called the d or direct axis. All we need is some kind of measurement to tell us where the d-axis is at, (and consequently, what angle the rotor
flux is at), and from this information, we control the currents into the motor to produce a stator flux vector which is 90 degrees with respect to it.
This 90 degree axis is called the q or quadrature axis. As the motor is spinning, the d-axis is also spinning. So we need to constantly update
the stator currents accordingly so as to reposition the stator flux pattern to always be offset by 90 degrees from the d-axis. This is shown in real
time by the animation on the right, where the red vector represents the rotor flux on the d-axis, and the green vector represents the stator flux on
the q-axis. If you want more torque, you simply increase the stator flux intensity by increasing the instantaneous stator current levels, which in
effect makes the green vector longer. But you always want to keep that vector to be at 90 degrees with respect to the rotor flux vector. For more
details on the procedures involved with FOC, see the Clark transform, the Park transform, and the step-by-step tutorial on FOC.
V(treaction)
Torque
200V
Maximum
torque per amp
150V
100V
50V
0V
-50V
-100V
-150V
-200V
0.0s
-180
0.3s
0.6s
0.9s
1.2s
1.5s
1.8s
2.1s
2.4s
2.7s
3.0s
-90
0
90
Rotor flux angle stator flux angle
3.3s
3.6s
180
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Field Weakening
All magnetic motors use flux. It is the flux in the motor that leads to torque which leads to motor movement. The more flux, the more torque in
most cases. But there are situations where you can have too much flux.
A coil of wire will generate a back-EMF across its terminals if the flux through the loop of wire is changing. The amplitude of this voltage is
dependent on how much the flux cutting through the loop of wire is changing over time (i.e., d-flux/dt). As a motor goes faster and faster, the
d-flux stays the same, but the dt gets smaller and smaller. This tends to increase the back-EMF voltage of the coil. Back-EMF is usually a
good thing, as it limits the amount of current that will flow in the coil. Without back-EMF voltage, every motor would essentially draw its stall
current all the time. But because of the back-EMF effect, a speed is soon reached where the back-EMF voltage amplitude equals the supply
voltage that is driving the motor. At that point, the current goes to zero, and the motor cannot go any faster. If the motor has to go faster, the
d-flux/dt in the motor must be reduced. Since the dt part of the equation is fixed to the motor speed, the only way to decrease the back-EMF
is to decrease the amount of flux which is cutting through the winding. This is called field weakening.
Lets look at this effect on an AC induction motor. If the motor is being driven by a Volts-per-Hertz control topology, the ratio of voltage to
frequency is set in an attempt to keep the flux in the machine at a constant value. As the speed is increased, the sinewave amplitudes
increase proportionally, until you reach the point of rated line frequency, where you are applying maximum voltage. If the frequency increases
further, the voltage cannot follow it higher, and you get a natural field weakening effect as shown by the graph to the left. On the other hand, if
you are using Field Oriented Control, the flux in the machine is controlled directly. So when the rated speed of the motor is reached, you must
MANUALLY dial back the d-axis current to lower the flux in the machine to reduce the back-EMF voltage. The graph to the right shows a
simulation where a control-loop was used to monitor the voltage amplitude being applied to the motor, and adjust the d-axis reference current
accordingly. Other techniques simply use a look-up table designed for that specific motor, where the appropriate value for the d-axis reference
current is fetched from the table as a function of motor speed.
Motor Speed
Max Speed w/o Weakening

Flux Amplitude
Sinewave Voltage
Voltage at max.
Rated
speed
Motor Torque
Motor Flux
Sinewave Frequency
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Servo
In general terms, a servo describes any system where an output parameter is controlled using negative feedback. In most
cases however, the term is used to describe position control systems which must maintain accurate control over a wide speed
range, including standstill. For this reason, most servos use a sensor to measure output position and provide this information
back to the controller.
Servo motors come in a wide range of

types and sizes, including brush DC and
PMSM AC topologies.
Encoder
Despite these differences, they are almost

always characterized by high torque
capability, low torque ripple, and extremely
low inertia.
To the right is a picture of a DC servo
motor, including an encoder shaft position
sensor.
Brushes
Commutator
Gearhead
Rotor coil
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Airgap
All electric motors have an airgap, which is the circular space between the rotor and the stator. On one hand, the motor
designer needs to keep the airgap as small as possible in order to minimize the reluctance of the flux which is required to link
the rotor and stator together magnetically. On an AC Induction Motor, the flux which links both the rotor and the stator is called
the magnetizing flux, and is modeled by a magnetizing inductance which is common to the both the rotor and stator circuits. If
the gap is too large, many of the flux lines will not even try to jump it, and will simply find another path. This situation is called
magnetic leakage, which is modeled by leakage inductance in both the rotor and stator circuits. Leakage inductance is not
good, and should be minimized as much as possible.
However, if the airgap gets too small, the motor manufacturer will not be able to hold the tight tolerances required to keep the
rotor from rubbing against the stator while it is spinning. Due to the centrifugal forces acting on the rotor at high speeds, some
amount of flexing of the rotor material may occur which will expand into the airgap. So designing the motor to have a proper
airgap is like walking a tightrope where you dont want to err too much on either side.
Stator Leakage Stator Coil

Inductance
Resistance
Airgap
Rotor
Leakage
Inductance
Magnetizing
Inductance
Rotor Bar
Resistance
Load
Model
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Back-EMF
Back-EMF is the voltage generated in a loop of wire caused when the flux threading through that
loop is changing. So, what causes the flux in the loop area to change? It could be that the flux
level is being controlled by an adjustable source. Also, it could be caused if the flux field is
moving relative to the loop of wire, or if the loop of wire itself is rotating in the magnetic flux field,
or both. This effect was discovered by Michael Faraday in the early 1800s, and later led to the
famous Faradays Law, which states that the voltage generated in a loop of wire is equal to the
rate at which the flux treading through that loop of wire is changing.
Uniform Magnetic Field o
Michael Faraday
Back EMF Voltage
This effect was discovered by

Michael Faraday in the early
1800s
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Brush Motors
Brushed DC (or BDC) motors are one of the oldest motor topologies in existence today. They use stationary brushes mounted to the stator
(the frame of the motor which is not spinning) which rub against commutator segments on the rotor (the part of the motor that is spinning),
which in turn are connected to the rotating coil segments. As the rotor spins, different rotor coils are connected and disconnected in such a
way that the net magnetic field produced by the rotor is stationary with respect to the stator frame, and properly oriented with the stator
magnetic field so as to produce torque. As the commutator segments rotate past the brushes, sparks are produced between the brushes and
the commutator segments. These sparks result in many negative consequences, such as electrical noise, reduced efficiency, and in some
cases, hazardous operation. Furthermore, the brushes must be spring loaded against the commutator segments in order to insure good
electrical contact. This further reduces efficiency, and requires periodic maintenance to replace the brushes.
Despite these disadvantages, the brushed DC motor has one significant advantagecost. Since controlling a brushed DC motor is relatively
simple, they are still used extensively in applications where system cost is the primary driving factor. However, the falling cost of
semiconductor devices has resulted in lower costs for power conversion and control. Because of this, many DC motors are being replaced
with AC motors, which offer many advantages such as increased efficiency and reliability.
There are several variations on the brush DC motor theme, such as the DC shunt motor, and the universal motor, which both utilize a coil in
the stator instead of permanent magnets. In a DC shunt motor, the stator coil is connected in parallel with the rotor circuit, and the universal
motor has its stator coil connected in series with the rotor. The universal motor in particular is popular in household appliance applications
such as blenders and vacuum cleaners because of its high starting torque, high speed operation, and ability to run with AC as well as DC.
Speed control of universal motors is easily accomplished by simply adding a series thyristor and performing AC phase control. However, the
brush/commutator structure is common to all of these motor types, and as a result, they share the same disadvantages as the standard PM
brush DC motor.
Universal Motor
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
BPM Motors
One of the most popular categories of motors is the Brushless Permanent Magnet (or BPM) family. As the name implies, this
description applies to any motor which does not have brushes, and utilizes permanent magnets in the rotor. Technically, all
motors in this category are AC MOTORS, since the stator coils must be driven by AC waveforms to cause rotation. The most
common members of this family consist of the Brushless DC (or BLDC) motor, and the Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Motor (PMSM, which is sometimes referred to as the Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC) motor). BPM, PMSM, and PMAC
nomenclatures are often used interchangeably, since BPM motors are all AC, and they are all synchronous. However, PMSM
and PMAC variants usually imply that the windings are driven with sinewaves, which distinguishes them from BLDC motors
which are most commonly driven with squarewaves. If the magnets are mounted on the surface of the rotor, it is called a
Surface Permanent Magnet (SPM) motor. This topology results in very low torque ripple and very smooth performance.
Recently, a variation of the PMSM motor has become more popular, where the rotor magnets are buried inside the rotor
structure. These machines are called Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) motors. Technically, even the Stepper Motor (SM)
falls into the BPM category, but it is usually split out as a separate motor type.
The cost of BPM motors has fallen over the last decade, primarily due to the availability of an extremely powerful magnetic
compound known as Neodymium Iron Boron, or simply Neo for short. Neodymium is a rare earth element with incredibly
high flux density capabilities, making it ideally suited for permanent magnets . China is currently the largest supplier of
Neodymium, which has brought down the global price for this material, making BPM motors much more affordable.
A
BLDC Motor
SPM Motor
IPM Motor
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Brushless DC Motors
The brushless DC (BLDC) motor can be envisioned as a brush DC motor turned inside out, where the permanent magnets are on the rotor,
and the windings are on the stator. As a result, there are no brushes and commutators in this motor, and all of the disadvantages associated
with the sparking of brush DC motors are eliminated.
This motor is referred to as a DC motor because its coils are driven by a DC power source which is applied to the stator coils in a
predetermined sequential pattern. This creates trapezoidal waveforms (see below) via a process known as commutation. When the current in
a BLDC motor is commutated, it is essentially turned off on one phase, and simultaneously switched to another phase. However, BLDC is
really a misnomer, since the motor is really an AC motor. The current in each coil alternates from positive to negative during each electrical
cycle. Another name often used for the BLDC motor is the ECM, or Electronically Commutated Motor, as it is known by in the heating industry.
A common misconception about the BLDC motor is related to how it is driven. Unlike an open-loop stepper application where the rotor position
is determined by which stator coil is driven, in a BLDC motor, which stator coil is driven is determined by the rotor position. In other words,
knowledge of the rotor position is required in order to determine which stator coils to energize. Several techniques exist to do this, but the most
popular technique is to monitor the rotor position using hall-effect sensors. Unfortunately, these sensors and their associated connectors and
harnesses result in increased system cost, and reduced reliability.
In an effort to mitigate these issues, several techniques have been developed to eliminate these sensors, resulting in sensorless operation.
Most of these techniques are based upon extracting position information from the back-EMF waveforms of the stator windings while the motor
is spinning. However, techniques based on back-EMF sensing fall apart when the motor is spinning slowly or at a standstill, since the backEMF waveforms are faint or non-existent. As a result, the motor is often crudely started without knowledge of the rotor position until it gets up
enough speed to generate measurable back-EMF signals.
BLDC motors reign supreme in efficiency ratings, where values in the mid-nineties percent range are
routinely obtained. They also compete for the title of fastest motor in the world, with speeds on
some motors achieving several hundred thousand RPM.
The most common BLDC motor topology utilizes a stator structure consisting of three phases.
As a result, a standard 6-transistor inverter is the most commonly used power stage.
Depending on the operational requirements (sensored vs. sensorless, commutated vs.
sinusoidal, PWM vs. SVM, etc.) there are many different ways to drive the transistors to
achieve the desired goal, which are too numerous to cover here. This places a significant
demand on the flexibility of the PWM generator, which is typically located in the
microcontroller. The good news is that all of these requirements are easily achieved
in TIs motor control processors.
0o
60o
120o
180o
240o
300o
360o
Phase A
Phase B
Phase C
Trapezoidal Waveforms
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Surface Permanent Magnet Motors

On many BPM motors, the rotor magnets are mounted on the surface of the rotor, and extend into the airgap of the machine.
These designs are referred to as Surface Permanent Magnet (or SPM) motors. The permeability of these magnets (especially
rare earth magnets like Neodymium Iron Boron) looks more like air than it does like iron. By this it is meant that if a coil is
wound around a magnetic material, and the current in the coil is changed, you will not see the large change in flux that you
would get if the coil was wound around iron. In fact, the resulting change in flux would be similar to what you would expect to
see by using an air core.
As a result of this effect, the rotor magnets are practically indistinguishable from the airgap in terms of their reluctance to the
stator flux. This means the motor appears magnetically round from the stators perspective, and the reluctance torque will
be zero. A common characteristic of this type of motor is that torque ripple is usually very low, especially when the stator coils
are driven by sinewaves. As a result, these motors are a good choice for applications requiring low torque ripple, such as
industrial servos and Electric Power Steering (EPS) applications.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Interior Permanent Magnet Motors

One motor topology that is growing in popularity is the IPM (or Interior Permanent Magnet) motor.
This motor has recently been thrust into the arena of public awareness due to the fact that Toyota
uses this motor as the electrical traction muscle in its Prius hybrid vehicle. As seen be the rotor
cross section to the right, the Prius motor consists of 8 rotor magnets which are buried inside the
rotor structure. The permeability of these magnets (especially rare earth magnets like Neodymium
Iron Boron) looks more like air than it does like iron. By this it is meant that if a coil is wound around
a magnetic material, and the current in the coil is changed, you will not see the large change in flux
that you would get if the coil was wound around iron. In fact, the resulting change in flux would be
similar to what you would expect to see by using an air core. Therefore, from the vantage point of
the stator magnetic circuit, these rotor magnets look like air pockets in the rotor. As a result, the flux
lines from the stator poles will be more concentrated along certain axes (see the discussion on
saliency). This creates a reluctance torque component which assists the reactance torque caused
by the magnetic interactions between the rotor and the stator magnets. The result is a larger torqueper-amp capability in a smaller frame size, and also more efficient operation under certain operating
conditions.
Another advantage of this motor topology is that it is very difficult to demagnetize the rotor magnets
when the stator currents are very high, since the rotor iron surrounding the magnets acts as a
magnetic keeper. However, the presence of reluctance torque usually results in more torque ripple
(which can actually be felt on the Toyota Prius at very low speeds). Applications requiring extremely
low torque ripple will typically use an SPM motor instead.
Examples of IPM designs are shown below.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
AC Induction Motors
The AC induction motor (ACIM) is the most popular motor used in consumer and industrial
applications, and represented the muscle behind the industrial revolution. The concept of this
sparkless motor was first conceived by Nicola Tesla in the late nineteenth century. The motor
does not have a brush/commutator structure like a brush DC motor has, which eliminates all the
problems associated with sparking; such as electrical noise, brush wear, high friction, and poor
reliability. The absence of magnets in the rotor and stator structures further enhances reliability,
and also makes it very economical to manufacture. In high horsepower applications (such as 500
HP and higher), the AC induction motor is one of the most efficient motors in existence, where
efficiency ratings of 97% or higher are possible. However, under light load conditions, the
quadrature magnetizing current required to produce the rotor flux represents a large portion of the
stator current, which results in reduced efficiency and poor Power Factor operation.
Nikola Tesla
ACIMs perform best when they are driven with sinusoidal voltages and currents. One of the
advantages of ACIMs is the incredibly smooth operation they can provide as a result of low torque
ripple. Current is induced in the rotor circuit from the stator circuit; much the same way that
secondary current is induced from the primary coil in a standard transformer. This rotor current
produces its own flux, which interacts with the stator electromagnets to produce torque. However,
in order to achieve this d-flux/dt effect on the rotor bars, the rotor cannot rotate at the same speed
as the rotating stator field. Dont believe me? Check out the animation to the left. As a result,
induction motors are classified as asynchronous motors. The measure of the difference in
rotational speed between the stator flux vector and the rotor speed is called slip frequency. We
can define a dimensionless quantity called slip, which is the ratio of the slip frequency to the
frequency that the stator flux is rotating at. As more torque is required from the motor shaft, the
slip increases. In conclusion, the motor speed is a function of the number of stator poles, the
motor torque (and consequently motor slip), and the frequency of the AC input voltage.
AC induction motors are also available in single-phase versions. Most single phase versions
actually have two phases, where one phase is used to help get the motor started. Once the motor
reaches a certain speed, this phase can be disconnected, resulting in the motor operating on just
one phase.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Stepper Motors
Since their birth in the early 1960s as a replacement for servos in the computer peripheral industry, stepper motors
have enjoyed extensive use in applications requiring tight position control at an affordable price. Two reasons
attributing to the popularity of stepper-based designs are their ability to achieve accurate position control without the
requirement of position feedback (open-loop control), and the fact that they can be driven by squarewaves, which
can easily be supplied by a digital controller. However, making them behave is often more difficult than other
motors, as they are frequently plagued by resonance and acoustic noise problems.
Another common problem with stepper designs is their limited speed range. Consider that on a typical 200
step/rev. stepper, reversing the current in one of the stator coils results in only 1.8 of shaft movement, compared to
100 times that amount of movement when the current is reversed in the stator of a two pole AC machine. As the
step frequency increases, a point is reached (at a fairly low RPM) where the current simply cant commutate in and
out of the coils fast enough (due to coil inductance), and the motor torque decreases.
A simplified cross-section of a stepper motor is shown above-right. The rotor is magnetized axially instead of
radially, where the north pole is shown facing you, and the south pole is on the other end of the rotor. In reality, the
cross section looks more like the figure to the right, which shows a number of teeth on both the rotor and stator
structures. When coil A is energized, the stator pole pattern shown in red is impressed upon the stator. This
causes rotor teeth 1 and 26 on the rotor to align with stator teeth 1 and 25, as shown to the right. Next, coil A is
turned off, and coil B is turned on, resulting in the blue pole pattern on the stator. This causes the rotor to move one
step so that teeth 7 and 32 on the rotor line up with teeth 7 and 31 on the stator. The process continues through
step 3 and step 4, and then repeats back to step one. An animation of this process is shown by the left diagram
below. This is called full stepping. Another stepping option is to alternatively turn on one coil and then two coils, as
shown in the right animation below. This is called half stepping, which results in 8 states per electrical revolution vs.
4. As a result, half stepping has twice the position resolution as full stepping.
A
B
Both of the above techniques result in driving the

motor with square waves, which are rich in high
frequency harmonics which tend to seek out the
motors resonant frequencies and cause oscillatory
behavior. Driving the coils with sinewave currents
instead can result in significantly smoother
performance. You also get much finer step resolution,
which is a function of how finely you can control the
current steps in each sinewave. Such a technique is
known as microstepping.
B
A
1
Motor Glossary
2
Tutorials
4
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Switched Reluctance Motors

The switched reluctance (SR) motor is one of the oldest motors in the world. In 1838, a U.S. patent was filed for a device called the
electromagnetic engine, which in fact was the first switched reluctance motor. But is was plagued by excessive torque ripple (a problem
which is still associated with switched reluctance motors today), and was eventually replaced by the DC motor and later the AC induction
motor. However, its simple construction and lack of any magnets whatsoever make it a very robust and reliable motor. In fact, many SR
designs can tolerate a total failure of one phase (drive and motor) and STILL continue to operate. That makes this motor a popular choice for
high reliability applications, such as fighter aircraft.
The SR motor works on the principle that a magnetic circuit will attempt to minimize the reluctance of its flux path, and even produce force on
an object to do it. For example, if you place a kitchen knife on the countertop, and approach one end of the knife with a magnet, the knife will
move towards the magnet when it gets close enough. Have you ever wondered why this happens? Its because the magnetic field from the
magnet exerts a force on the knife in an attempt to reduce its flux path. This same effect is what drives the SR motor.
Referring to the diagram below, when phase A is energized, a quadrature-lobed flux pattern is created, as shown. In an effort to minimize the
reluctance of the magnetic circuit, the magnetic field exerts a force on the rotor so that its poles line up with the poles of phase A. To make the
rotor move in the clockwise direction, we commutate the current out of phase A and into phase C. This shifts the magnetic field counterclockwise by 30 degrees. Once again, the magnetic field tries to move the rotor to minimize the airgap distance. In this case, the nearest rotor
alignment occurs when the rotor moves clockwise 15 degrees. The process continues with phase B, and so on.
It is interesting to note that of all the motor topologies, the SR motor is the only motor that is truly a DC motor. Even a
brush DC motor relies on the commutator to change the current in the rotor coils to AC. With an SR motor, you can
reverse the current polarity if you want, but it doesnt change the way that the motor operates.
A
C
A
C
B
B
A
Source: Technical
Information on
Stepping Motors,
Oriental Motor
C
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
PWM
Motors are often driven with a variety of different voltage waveforms. To generate these waveforms with a linear amplifier (like a power
op-amp) requires that the amplifier dissipate large amounts of power when the current is high. Compare this to the power dissipation of a
transistor under the same current conditions when it is turned fully on, which is much less. Pulse Width Modulation, or PWM, is a
technique which generates output waveforms be simply turning transistors on and off, resulting in the motor voltage being high or low at
any given time. This waveform is then filtered by the inductance in the motor to essentially average the output waveform. This average
voltage is changed by adjusting the duty cycle (ratio of the ON portion time of the waveform compared to the OFF portion time). An
example of sinewave generation using PWM is shown below:
Blue Waveform Motor Voltage

Red Waveform Filtered motor voltage
The alignment of the PWM edges between motor phases is also important. In some cases, all of the PWM edges switch at the same
time. However, the most popular alignment is called Center-Aligned PWMs. In this case, each phases PWM waveforms are aligned
around the ON portion of the waveform, as shown below. This results in better distribution of all the switching edges throughout a PWM
cycle, and also pushes the PWM carrier harmonics up into higher frequencies, where they are more easily filtered by the motor
inductance.
The Piccolo family of motor control processors has one of the most sophisticated
PWM modules in existence. Designed specifically for motor control applications, the
ePWM (or enhanced PWM) module is built around a scalable architecture where
more PWM channels can be added to a new part by simply copying and pasting
additional half-bridge PWM control sections in silicon. With the ePWM module, the
user has complete control of every PWM edge, including how it will transition and
where it will be placed. Once these specifications are programmed into the ePWM
module, it generates the desired waveforms autonomously, and the software only
has to specify new duty-cycle values.
CL
Phase A
Phase B
Center-Aligned PWMs
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Dead-Time
With a half-bridge power structure, you must make sure that the bottom transistor and the top transistor NEVER get turned on at the same time.
Doing so will result in large currents flowing through the transistor pair, as a short is created across the DC bus. This condition is called shootthrough. When creating the PWM signals that will drive the transistors, it is not sufficient to simply invert the top signal to create the bottom
signal. Doing so may still result in shoot-through current, as most transistors take longer to turn off than they do to turn on.
To prevent shoot-through, a dead-time period must exist between the turn-off of one transistor, and the turn-on of the other. There are several
ways to generate this timeout period. Many gate drivers that are used in half-bridge circuits have this ability, where the dead-time can be
adjusted by additional discrete passive components connected to the gate driver. In the case of a digital PWM module (such as the ePWM
module on the Piccolo family), the dead-time can be designed into the PWM signals via software by how the PWM thresholds for the top and
bottom signals are specified. However, most customers prefer a more failsafe technique based on a separate hardware one-shot timer (which
is also included in the ePWM module). This timer can be set to generate a range of dead-time values. For power FET applications, dead-times
between 100 nS and 1 uS are common. For larger power systems based on IGBT switches, dead-time may typically vary between 500 nS and
5 uS. To determine the correct dead-time value, the designer must know the turn-off delay for whatever power switch they are using.
Unfortunately, adding dead-time to a pair of PWM signals can cause significant dead-time distortion when driving an inductive load such as a
motor. It turns out that during the dead-time interval when both transistors are off, the load inductance will drive the inverter output voltage
based on its current polarity. As a result, the pulse width at the output of the half-bridge will either be longer or shorter than desired by one
dead-time interval. The larger the dead-time is as a ratio to the PWM period, the more severe the waveform distortion will be. An example
current waveform showing this distortion was taken from a horsepower three-phase AC induction motor running at low speed. Not only are
the peaks of the intended sinewave clipped, but severe zero-crossing distortion can be seen. There are several techniques commonly used
which are reasonably effective in providing dead-time distortion correction. Some are based on a-priori knowledge of the distortion effect and
simply counter-modulate the PWMs to correct for this. Other techniques involve actually measuring the pulse width at the half-bridge output,
and using this information to correct the pulse width.
Current with Correction Disabled
V+
ON
ON
Top transistor
motor
Dead-Time
Bottom transistor
ON
ON
ON
Half Bridge
Example of Dead-time Distortion

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Third Harmonic Modulation

Fasten your seatbelts! You are going on a trip through the twilight zone, where we will seemingly break the laws of physics.
To set the stage for our trip, consider the three phase inverter shown below which is used to drive a three phase AC motor.
The voltage between the top and bottom rail of the DC bus is equal to Vbus, shown below. Therefore, it stands to reason that
if we want to create a sinewave on any given phase, the maximum amplitude it could have is shown by the black waveform
below, where the top peak corresponds to 100% PWM modulation, and the bottom peak corresponds to 0% modulation. But
what if I told you that we can actually get the blue waveform shown below, with no voltage boost hardwarejust by changing
the modulation technique? Your first response might be to say that it cant be done, since we would need to increase our
PWM modulation limits to +115% and -15%. After all, how can a PWM signal be ON for more than ALL the time, or off for
less than NONE of the time? That violates the laws of physics!
An engineer at GE in the mid-80s figured out how to do it. Lets take the blue sinewave and add a third harmonic component
to it (press spacebar to see the waveform). If we now add the blue and green waveforms together, we end up with the red
waveform (press spacebar to see the result of this addition). Notice that the red waveform does NOT violate the laws of
physics, as the entire waveform is contained within the limits of 0% to 100% PWM modulation. So lets use this red
waveform to drive each phase of the three-phase AC motor instead of just a pure sinewave. When we do this, something
magic happens, which is discussed in the next slide
Next Slide
PWM 1
PWM 3
PWM 2
PWM 4
PWM 5
Vbus
C
PWM 6
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Third Harmonic Modulation (cont.)

The voltages for all three phases are plotted on the right.
No laws of physics are broken, as the waveforms are
completely contained within the 0% and 100% PWM
range. Now, lets decompose each of these waveforms
back into its fundamental sinewave plus third harmonic
sinewave. (press spacebar to see this effect). The
fundamental sinewaves (the ones that are too big for the
bus voltage) are easily distinguishable for each phase,
and can be seen poking out the top and bottom limits of
0% and 100% PWM. But do you notice anything
interesting about the third harmonic waveforms for each
phase? They are all exactly the same waveform! All
three third harmonic waveforms are plotted to the right,
which share the same black waveform. In other words,
the third harmonic (black) waveform is a common-mode
waveform to all three phases.
100% PWM
0% PWM
Since the black waveform is common on all three phases of the motor, that means that every point in
the motor is going up and down at a third harmonic rate with respect to the DC bus. The motor center
node (neutral) is of particular interest, and also has this third harmonic waveform on it with respect to
the DC bus. The question now becomes, what is the phase-to-neutral voltage waveform across each
winding? In other words, if we take an oscilloscope probe, attach the ground clip to the motors center
node, and then attach the probe tip to each phase voltage, what would the waveforms look like?
Recall that the phase voltages consist of a big sinewave plus a third harmonic sinewave added
together. The scope will display the phase voltage minus the center node voltage. So doing a little
verbal mathematics, the scope will see a big sinewave plus the third harmonic sinewave (at the probe
tip) minus the third harmonic sinewave (at the probe ground). In other words, the third harmonic term
goes away! (Press spacebar to see what the scope will see). Presto! We have now created phase-toneutral sinewaves on the motor windings whose peak-to-peak amplitudes exceed the DC bus voltage!
And we did it perfectly legal, without breaking any laws of physics. Is that cool or what! We can
accomplish this feat of magic by allowing the motors center node voltage to move around with respect
to the DC bus.
Third
harmonic
waveform
Motor Glossary
B
A
C
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Space Vector Modulation

With standard sinusoidal PWM of a three-phase inverter, the goal is to calculate the required voltage for each leg of the inverter, and modulate
that voltage on top of a PWM carrier. However, a more modern technique used in many AC motor drives today is called Space Vector
Modulation (SVM). With this technique, the entire inverter is treated as a state machine having six binary inputs and three binary outputs. Six
binary inputs results in 64 possible states you can put the inverter in. However, many of them are discarded because they result in bad things
happening on the inverter (such as turning a top and bottom transistor on at the same time). The animation below shows all eight useful states.
Six of these states result in voltages being applied to the motor windings, and two states (the null vectors) result in zero voltage on the motor
windings.
If we plot the resulting voltage states on a space vector diagram overlaid on a motor, it shows not only the amplitude of each voltage state, but
its direction as well. These vectors show the direction that the inverter will attempt to establish a magnetic field on the motor for that particular
state. But to spin the motor, we need a rotating voltage vector. We could simply jump from one state to the next, as shown in the animation.
However, motor performance will be very rough, as the rotor lunges towards each new vector position as it occurs. We need a SMOOTHLY
rotating voltage vector. In other words, we must be able to establish the voltage vector at ANY angle, not just the 6 shown.
And now, for the trick! By switching between two adjacent voltage vectors really fast, the inductances in the motor can average the effect, and
make it feel like the vector is somewhere in-between the two vectors. Referring to the space vector diagram again, if we switch back and forth
between V1 and V2, spending an equal amount of time in each state, the motor will feel a voltage vector at 30 degrees. We can change this
angle by spending a different amount of time in each of the vectors. When the desired angle exceeds 60 degrees, we must then change the
switching strategy to go between vectors V2 and V3. So we can create a voltage vector at any angle we want, and we can rotate it smoothly
through a range of angles by simply changing the amount of time we spend in each adjacent vector. By re-ordering the switching states within
a switching period,
V2 = 110
V3 = 010
we can create all kinds of different SVM patterns, resulting in lower switching losses and the same
Sector 2
effective voltage increase that you can achieve with third harmonic modulation. To play with an interactive
SVM tool online, please visit the following site: http://www.ipes.ethz.ch/ipes/Raumzeiger/e_RZ4.html
Sector 3
V4 = 011
V1 = 100
T1V1
Sector 4
Sector 6
Sector 5
V6 = 101
V5 = 001
SWITCHING PERIOD
Vn
Vn+1
Null
T1
T2
T0
T1 = TmSIN(60 - )
T2 = TmSIN()
T0 = T - T1 - T2
m = desired modulation index
= desired angle between Vref and Vn
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Direct Torque Control

Direct Torque Control (DTC) is a sensorless AC Induction Motor control technique that combines space vector modulation with hysteretic
band-limiting control. The technique was made popular by ABB during the 1990s, but the patent has now expired which will allow this
technique to become more accessible.
There are several notable differences between DTC
and other sensorless techniques:
Vector
Selector
1. No PWM. When a change in the voltage vector is

requested either by the torque loop or the flux loop, it
happens immediately. As a result, DTC theoretically
has faster response time than systems utilizing
standard PWM or SVM since you dont have to wait
for the next PWM cycle for a desired change to
propagate to the output. The output voltage is
updated asynchronously, and the inverter switching
frequency is determined in part by the width of the
hysteretic bands. In most cases, the hysteretic
comparators, vector selector, and SVM stages are
implemented in a customer designed gate array.
2. Stator Flux referenced. The stator flux is much
easier to calculate from the motor voltage and current
than the rotor flux. In a stator flux referenced design,
the torque is determined by multiplying the stator flux
vector by the component of the stator current vector
which is orthogonal to the stator flux vector, which is
shown below.
3. No frame transformations required. While this is
technically a field oriented technique, no Clark/Park
transformations are required. All calculations are
done in the stationary reference frame, which
simplifies the calculations.
Please continue to the next slide for a discussion on
how the appropriate voltage vector is selected
Hysteretic
Band
increase
decrease
Hysteretic
Band
increase
decrease
Texas Instruments
Daves
Motor Control
Center
SVM
Angle
Commanded
Torque
+
Torque
Calculator
Tem =
p conj
Im s i s
2
Commanded
Flux
+
Stator Flux
Calculator
Magnitude
s = v s R s i s dt
Current vector
Torque
Producing
Current
Stator Flux vector
Continued on Next Slide

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Direct Torque Control

The Vector Selector block on the previous slide plays an important role in
how DTC works. When the stator flux vector is calculated, the angle
information is provided to the Vector Selector block, which determines
which ZONE the stator flux vector is in. There are 6 colored zones which
overlay the SVM sectors as shown below. For each zone, a unique table
exists which determines which voltage vector to apply to the motor based
on the error polarities of the torque and flux loops.
V2 (010)
Vector component of i s
which produces positive
torque.
Zone 1
V6 (110)
For example, consider the flux vector shown to the right. From the
calculated angle of the flux vector, we can determine that the vector lies in
ZONE 1. We then access the table for ZONE 1 to determine which voltage
vector to immediately apply to the motor windings, based on the four
possible combinations of the flux and torque error.
Lets pick an easy one. Lets say that we want both flux and torque to
increase (first entry in the table). The SVM controller will immediately
switch to voltage vector V3. If you look at the position of the V3 vector in
the upper right diagram, you can see that it will result in an increase in the
flux vector as well as an increase in the component of the current vector
that is at right angles to the flux vector.
You may ask why we didnt select voltage
vector V1 since it would have the same
effect on the vectors shown. However,
V1 will not work throughout ALL of ZONE
1. For example, if the flux vector is in
sector 1near the V3 vector, then voltage
vector V1 would actually DECREASE the
quadrature current component. Only
voltage vector V3 works throughout all of
ZONE 1.
As an exercise, go through the table to
the right and verify that the listed voltage
vectors will result in the desired affect on
both the flux and torque.
V2 (010)
Zone 3
V6 (110)
Zone 4
Zone 5
V4 (100)
V3 (011)
V1 (001)
V4 (100)
V5 (101)
Zone 1 Vector Table

V3 (011)
Flux
Torque
Voltage
Vector
Increase
Increase
V3
Increase
Decrease
V5
Decrease
Increase
V2
Decrease
Decrease
V4
Zone 2
Zone 1
V1 (001)
Zone 6
V5 (101)
Each zone has a different vector selection table.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Power Configurations
Half-bridge When two transistors are connected in a totem-pole arrangement as shown below, they are said to be in a halfbridge configuration. By turning each transistor on and off in a complimentary fashion, the half-bridge can drive the load
voltage alternately high and low to produce a PWM waveform at the motor terminal.
V+
motor
By putting two half-bridges together and connecting the motor in-between them, we create an H-Bridge. HBridges are named after the H shape created by the transistors and load, and are typically used with
brush-DC motors to accommodate bi-direction speed control, since you can reverse the voltage on the
motor terminals without needing two power supply voltages. They are also common with stepper motor
drives, where an H-Bridge is used to drive each coil of a stepper independently.
V+
V+
The diagram shows how to drive an H-Bridge using Bipolar PWMs,
which gets its name from the fact that the motor voltage is alternately
driven positive and negative during every PWM cycle.
A
Half Bridge
Motor
+
_
V+
Mod
Carrier
DC Bus
B
(Dead-Time not shown)
H-Bridge
motor
By putting three half-bridges together, we create a three-phase inverter,

which is used to create AC waveforms from the DC Bus.
GND
Inverter
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Intelligent Power Modules

A very popular solution with many motor drives designers is the Intelligent Power Module (or
IPM, not to be confused with the IPM motor). The most common configuration is a package
that contains the six inverter transistors of the motor drive, along with the supporting gate driver
components and self-protection circuitry. The brake transistor, and even the front-end
converter may also be integrated in the power module in some cases. Some of the more
dominant players in the IPM market include IXYS, International Rectifier, Fairchild, Semikron,
Powerex, and Mitsubishi.
IPMs are appealing to motor control designers for several reasons. First, all of the layout
hassles associated with the gate drivers and power switches are taken care of. The switching
edges associated with high power PWM generation contain high-frequency noise components
which make the layout of the power circuit critical. Smaller companies who dont have access
to power engineering design resources often feel intimidated by this, and are more comfortable
buying a tested prepackaged solution.
Next, IPMs offer a space savings in many cases due to the hybrid component integration.
However, the intractable dimensions may actually cause it to take up more board space since
you dont have the option to tuck smaller inverter components into free spaces on the board.
Large volume designers usually roll their own inverter stage, since IPMs typically represent a
more costly solution. But smaller companies continue to take advantage of IPMs to cut their
design and testing schedules, and get to market quicker.
Intelligent Power Module
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Bipolar PWMs
The animation to the right demonstrates the principle of Bipolar PWMs.
In this topology, the PWM signal connected to transistor 1 is also
connected to transistor 4. Also, the PWM signal connected to
transistor 3 is also connected to transistor 2. In the first portion of the
PWM cycle, transistors 1 and 4 are turned on. The motor current flows
down through transistor 1, through the motor, through transistor 4, and
then returns through the negative rail of the DC bus. During this time,
motor current and bus current are both positive. (Hit space bar to
observe this effect.)
For the next portion of the PWM cycle, transistors 1 and 4 are turned
off. Since the motor current is flowing from left to right through the
motor, the inductance fights to keep the current flowing in the same
direction. As a result, it forces the current to flow in the reverse
direction through the back-body diodes of transistors 2 and 3. This
results in negative bus current during this time. However, if we turn
transistors 2 and 3 ON during this interval, the current will flow
through the RdsON of FETs 2 and 3 instead of the diodes. This
results in less voltage drop than the forward diode drops, and
therefore less heat dissipation by the transistors. This is called
synchronous rectification, and is a technique commonly used in FET
based power stages. (Hit space bar to observe this effect.)
After transistors 2 and 3 are turned off and a suitable dead-time has
expired, transistors 1 and 4 are turned back on again. The process
then repeats, alternating back and forth between the two states
described above. (Hit space bar to finish the animation.)
This PWM technique results in a bipolar voltage being applied to the
motor terminals, which accounts for how it gets its name. The peakto-peak motor voltage is 2 times the dc-bus voltage, which results in
significant motor current ripple. But on the plus side, it is a very linear
modulation technique that is also regenerative. In addition, a shunt
placed in the return path to the negative rail of the dc-bus yields a
good current signal, since motor current flows through the shunt at all
times (i.e., there are no PWM states that result in recirculating current
in the bridge that cannot be measured by the shunt.)
on
off 1
on
off 2
on
3 off
+Motor -
on
Back emf
4 off
Motor
Voltage
Motor
Current
DC Bus
Current
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Unipolar PWMs
Below is a simplified schematic representation of driving a motor with unipolar PWMs. A triangle shaped carrier waveform
is compared against two threshold values. In TI microcontrollers, the triangle waveform is generated digitally via an
up/down counter, and its output is digitally compared against register values specified by software. Using an up/down
counter as shown below results in the PWM signals being center aligned. This has the effect of spreading the switching
edges more evenly throughout the PWM cycle. It also causes the PWM frequency seen by the motor to be twice the PWM
frequency seen by the transistors. This is usually advantageous since the motor inductance can do a better job of filtering
out the carrier frequency, resulting in less peak-to-peak current ripple. In addition, the peak-to-peak voltage amplitude is
equal to the dc-bus voltage, which is half of what it is compared to bipolar PWMs. This further reduces the current ripple
when compared to bipolar PWMs.
V+
Center Alignment
+
L
Left PWM level
Right PWM level

L
R
Motor Voltage
See Animation Next Slide

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Unipolar PWMs
on
off 1
on
3 off
+Motor on
off 2
Back emf
4 on
off
Motor
Voltage
Motor
Current
DC Bus
Current
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Drive Components
In order to make a motor spin at variable speeds, we need to drive it with waveforms at varying frequencies. So the job of
a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) is to convert the energy from a high power source (such as a power grid running at 50 or 60
Hz) into powerful output waveforms capable of operating at variable frequencies. The most common way to do this is to
first convert the input AC into a high power DC bus. The portion of the motor drive that does this is called the converter.
The name comes from the fact that it converts AC into DC. If the converter creates a DC bus voltage by rectifying or
boosting AC line voltage, it is called an off-line, or line driven converter. Simple converters consist of nothing more than a
rectifier bridge, while more sophisticated converters actually utilize transistors in place of the rectifiers. Converters may
also have components which allow the current draw from the AC line to be exactly in phase with the AC lines voltage.
Such a Variable Speed Drive is said to have a power factor corrected front end.
As you might expect, the portion of the drive that inverts the DC voltage back into AC is known as the inverter. This is most
commonly done by supplying each transistor in the inverter with a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal, resulting in each
output of the inverter generating a high voltage, high frequency square wave. The inductance in the motor filters out most
of the PWM carrier frequency harmonics, leaving only the lower frequency harmonic that the motor will spin at (see
diagram).
DC Bus +
AC In
Inverter
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Converter
Brake
DC Bus -
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Gate Drivers
Gate Driver
Gate Driver
Gate Driver
In many cases, the PWM signals in a motor drive originate from a microcontroller containing special hardware to create the
PWM waveforms. However, the drive capability of these PWM outputs is not sufficient to handle the current requirements
or the isolation requirements of the transistors in the inverter. For this reason, a gate driver is inserted between each
processor PWM output and each transistors input. The gate drivers control the turn-on and turn-off characteristics of the
transistors by regulating the charge and discharge rates of the gate-to-source capacitor of each transistor in the inverter.
PWM Signals
2112MC
2E72G
SSAC9616-A
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Encoders
One type of mechanical rotary shaft sensor is called an encoder. It gets its
name from the fact that it encodes shaft angle information into a set of
digitized output signals. The discs from two of the most popular encoders are
shown below. The one on the left is used with an incremental encoder. The
hardware for this type of encoder is shown to the right, where light from an
LED shines through the slits in the encoder disc and onto a photodiode array.
As the disc (which is mounted to the motor shaft) spins, the photodiode
signals are amplified and processed to generate two channels of squarewave
signals, as shown below. These signals are then fed to a special module
(such as the eQEP module on the Piccolo family) which is designed to
decode these signals into quadrature count information as indicated by the
table below. Notice that there is no absolute position information. The table
only specifies whether the position counter should be incremented or
decremented by one count. Thats why this encoder type is called
incremental. When using incremental encoders, the position count value
must be initialized at some point while the motor shaft is at a known angle.
The disc on the right is used with an absolute
encoder. Instead of two channels there are N
channels, and the resolving capability is 2N
discrete angles. Since absolute shaft angle
information is available at all times, this encoder
type does not require that the position angle be
initialized. However, it is usually more expensive,
and is not as popular is the incremental type.
Count
CH. A
1 2 3
4 5
6 7
9 10 11
12
CH. A
CH. B
Position
Low
Increment
Low
Decrement
High
Decrement
High
Increment
Low
Decrement
Low
Increment
High
Increment
High
Decrement
11 10 9 8
6 5
Source: Optoelectronics Designers Catalog,

Hewlett Packard, 1993
Incremental
encoder disc
Absolute
encoder disc
CH. B
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Resolvers
In certain applications that demand very rugged and reliable motor shaft position sensing, a rotating
transformer topology is used called a resolver. While resolver performance is unmatched for certain industrial
and military applications, so is the cost, with some units costing thousands of dollars. By using resolvers,
absolute shaft angle measurements can be obtained, and position resolution in the range of 212 to 216 bits per
motor revolution are common.
The rotor of the resolver is attached to the rotor of the motor that requires position sensing. On the resolver
rotor is a coil which is driven with a high carrier frequency, usually somewhere between 8-16 kHz. The stator
of the resolver has two coils which are wound in an orthogonal relationship to each other, as shown in the
figure bottom-left. When the angle is zero, the coupling between the rotor coil and the V1 coil is maximum,
and the coupling to the V2 coil is zero, as shown at the very start of the waveform plot below. As the rotor
rotates in the counter-clockwise direction, the coupling to the V1 coil decreases, and the coupling to the V2
coil increases. At 90 degrees, the V2 coil coupling is maximum, and the V1 coil coupling is minimum. In
effect, the cosine and sine values of the angle are modulated onto the V1 and V2 coils using amplitude
modulation; the same technology found in an AM radio.
By using an ADC with two simultaneously sampled inputs, the rotor shaft angle can be reconstructed by using
an angle demodulator running in software, as shown in the bottom-right diagram. If the ADC does not have
simultaneous sampling capability, there will be an angle error which is proportional to the conversion time of
the ADC. The carrier signal can be generated by a free timer channel on the processor. By connecting the
Cos[ (n)]
V1 and V2 signals to ADC inputs, and synchronizing the ADC sampling to the timer, the carrier can be
Sin[ (n)]
stripped off leaving only the red and blue cosine and sine waveforms shown below. The results are more
effective when using an ADC with high resolution and a short aperture window. The results of the ADC
conversion are then supplied to the inputs of the angle demodulator. By selecting and to be large, this
increases the gain of the demodulator so that the error signal converges rapidly to zero. Since the error signal
+
is the sine of the difference between the actual angle and the estimated angle, the only way it can converge to
zero is if the actual angle equals the estimated angle. Very clever, wouldnt you say?! The structure of the
angle demodulator also provides filtering for the angle estimate as well. Alternatively, you can
error (n ) = sin ( (n) (n) )
do a tan-1 calculation using the ADC results, assuming you have a floating point machine.
X
X
cos
sin
(n )
Z
+
Z-1
-1
(n ) +
Integrator
( )
Integrator
( )
sin (n) (n) = sin ( (n) ) cos (n) cos( (n) )sin (n)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Tachometers
Just about everybody knows what a tachometer is, since it is a very popular gauge in many automobiles. In a motor control
application, it does the same function, and refers to any sensor that is used to provide information about the motors speed.
Older control topologies based on analog components often used an analog tachometer, which consisted simply of a magnet
connected to the motor shaft and a pick-up coil. As the speed of the motor increased, the tachometer output voltage
amplitude also increased proportionally.
In modern motor control systems based on digital controllers, the tachometer output is almost always a pulse train whose
frequency is proportional to motor speed. Often this is achieved by optical techniques (such as one channel of an
incremental encoder), or it can be done magnetically as shown below. In this case, a magnetic disc is pressed onto the rotor
of a motor which has alternating north/south poles. A hall-effect sensor is used to monitor these magnetic poles as they pass
by, and it generates a square wave output whose frequency is proportional to the number of pole pairs and the motor speed.
Processing these signals is usually accomplished with an input capture pin on a
processor which takes measurements of the time between the edges of the square
wave. On the Piccolo family of devices, we have a specialized capture module called
eCAP (or enhanced CAPture) which is designed specifically for capturing multiple edges
on an input pulse train. When capturing the times associated with tach. signal edges,
care must be taken to address timer wrap-around effects when the motor speed gets
very low. The time values which are captured must be inverted (i.e., a divide operation
is required) in order to calculate the motors speed. This can be accomplished in real
time, or it can be done a-priori and loaded into a look-up table for various pulse-width
values.
Microcontroller
Input
Capture
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
The most common use for hall-effect sensors in motor

control applications is to obtain information about the
rotor position on BLDC motors, which can then be used
to commutate the machine. Hall-effect sensors are
comprised of a semiconductor material which outputs a
voltage proportional to the magnetic field through the
sensor.
In a LEM current sensor, this signal is used to measure
the flux in a toroid so that it can be nulled out, providing
extremely linear operation of the sensor. But in a
commutated BLDC application, the magnitude of the
magnetic field of the sensor disc is irrelevant, and only
the magnetic polarity is important. Therefore, most
hall-effect sensors used for commutating BLDC motors
have a saturated output stage, providing either a 1 or
a 0 to indicate a North pole or a South pole.
A typical commutated application is shown to the right,
where three hall-effect sensors are mounted with 120
degree spacing around the magnetic sensor disc. The
binary outputs of the hall-effect sensors form a three-bit
word, resulting in 8 possible position readings.
However, of these 8 digital codes, only 6 represent
valid positions. Readings of 000 and 111 are illegal
values, and must be flagged by the controller as fault
conditions. This could be indicative of a bad connector,
a wire harness that has been cut, or the hall-effect
power supply has died.
Controller
Hall-Effect Sensors
1
1
0
Source: Eastern Air Devices, Inc. Brushless DC Motor Brochure
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Sensorless Control
Many motor control applications require precise information about the motor shaft position and speed in order to control it properly. In some
applications, a sensor is mounted on the motor shaft to provide the controller with this information in real-time. Some of the more common
shaft sensors include hall-effect sensors, tachometers, encoders, and resolvers. While some of these sensors are relatively inexpensive (e.g.,
hall-effect sensors), others can easily cost more than the motor itself. In some cases, the shaft sensor must be carefully aligned with the motor
shaft in order to function properly, which increases manufacturing costs and reduces reliability. And then there are other problems, such as
sensor reliability in harsh environments, isolation of the sensor signals if the controller is not on the same ground, connector costs and
reliability issues, and wiring costs, especially if the motor and controller are separated by a great length.
Needless to say, a GREAT deal of activity has been devoted to the development of techniques which will allow the designer to eliminate the
shaft sensor in many cases. These techniques fall under the category of sensorless control. Actually, this nomenclature is not technically
accurate, since in just about all of these cases, the motor itself is used as the shaft sensor. By carefully monitoring the motor voltages and
currents, and combining this information with a parametric motor model running in software, the shaft speed and position can be calculated.
As you might expect, these models can get rather involved in some high-end systems, requiring a high speed microcontroller or DSP to
complete the calculations in a timely manner.
One of the most popular techniques used today is based on trying to measure or calculate the back-EMF signals of the motor. This is because
the back-EMF waveform contains information about the motors shaft angle and speed. Unfortunately, the back-EMF signal gets smaller and
smaller as the motor speed decreases, until finally at standstill, the back-EMF signal disappears entirely. This is why all sensorless techniques
based on back-EMF sensing cannot work down to zero speed.
Sensorless control continues to be a hotbed of activity in the motor control community. New techniques are continuously being developed to
provide better shaft angle measurement accuracy, less sensitivity to motor parameter variations, and better performance at lower speeds.
Variable
Speed
Drive
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Shaft Feedback
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Shunt Current Sensing

One of the most economical techniques used to measure motor current is to use resistors placed at strategic locations in the motor drive circuit.
It simplifies the electronics if one end of the shunt resistor is connected to the ADCs ground reference, thereby eliminating any common mode
signals which will have to be stripped off. In many cases, the processor is grounded to the negative rail of the drives DC bus, which is why
most shunts are usually referenced to this same point.
One technique involves placing multiple resistors at the bottom of at least two of the inverter legs as shown below. In a three phase motor,
assuming no winding shorts, it is only necessary to read two of the motor currents, since the third current will be the negative sum of these two
currents. However, some drives use an optional third resistor shunt so they can detect winding shorts and flag a fault condition.
The waveforms below show that when a bottom transistor is turned on, the current in the shunt follows the motor phase current. Right in the
middle of this time is when the motor current equals its average value as shown by the green waveform, which suggests this is the optimal time
to trigger the ADC to acquire the current sample. However, when the top transistor is turned on, the shunt signal no longer follows the motor
current. As a result, you can only obtain one current reading per PWM cycle. In most applications, this is not a problem. However, in some
high performance systems, it is necessary to acquire TWO samples per PWM period, where the second sample is taken in the center of the
pulse which turns on the top transistor. In this case, it is necessary to read the current through shunts which are in-phase with the motor
windings as shown below. However, this presents a problem that the signal is riding on top of a large common-mode PWM signal, which makes
reading the current signal difficult. Alternatively, you could use LEM sensors which can provide a high quality, isolated reading of the motor
phase currents, but at a substantially higher cost.
Finally, an alternative current sensing technique involves using only one resistor in the negative return current path of the inverter. During each
PWM cycle, there are two moments where the bus current equals two of the motor phase currents. The third current can then be calculated as
the negative sum of these two readings. However, these two time windows are constantly changing, and in some cases, they collapse to almost
zero. As a result, this places a severe constraint on the sample and hold specs of the ADC converter. The sample aperture window for the
Piccolo ADC is only 117 nS (assuming a 60MHz clock), which provides superior performance in single-shunt current applications.
In-phase Shunts
PWM top
PWM Bottom
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Motor Phase Current

Average Current
DC Bus Shunt
Optional
Shunt Resistor
Signal
Sample
Sample
Sample
One inverter phase with a bottom-side shunt

Inverter Leg Shunts
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
LEM Sensors
Simplified schematic representation
Hall Sensor
The LEM current sensor is an innovative in-line isolated current sensing technique with excellent linearity performance.
LEM is actually the name of the Swiss company who manufacturers these sensors. Just like the word Kleenex has
become synonymous with facial tissue, so has LEM become synonymous with any in-line flux-nulling current sensor.
Heres how it works. The primary wire carrying the current to be measured is passed through the center of a magnetic
toroid which has a slot cut in it where a hall-effect sensor is mounted perpendicular to the flux path. A magnetic field is
generated in the toroid which is proportional to the current flowing in the primary wire. The hall-effect sensor detects this
flux and outputs a voltage signal proportional to it. The voltage is used as an error signal for an amplifier, which in turn
drives a coil that is wound around the toroid with N2 turns. The error voltage will go to zero when the flux in the toroid goes
to zero. In other words, when the N2 times I2 product of the coil equals the N1 times I1 product of the primary wire, then
the flux will be zero. Therefore, the coil current is a scaled down isolated representation of the current in the main wire.
But here is the really neat partSince the flux in the toroid is always zero, you never have to worry about the nonlinear
magnetic saturation effects of the toroid material distorting your reading! What an incredibly clever idea!
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Cycle-by-Cycle Current Limit

From
Amplifier
PWMs come back

on line automatically
at the start of the
next PWM cycle.
Motor
Current
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Desired current limit
+
-
To PWM Disable
PWM
Current limit
0
Cycle-by-cycle current limiting is a hardware technique where the motor current is continuously compared to a maximum current limit
threshold. Whenever the current crosses the threshold, a fault signal is sent to the PWM generator which turns it off for the remainder of
the PWM cycle. However, at the start of the next PWM cycle, assuming that the over-current signal has gone away, the PWM module
rearms and the process repeats. One obvious advantage of this technique is that the current limit function is handled entirely in hardware,
which reduces the required software bandwidth. Another effect (which may or may not be an advantage, depending on your application)
is that it really limits the PEAK of your current signal, not the AVERAGE of your current signal. The average current will be a function of
the peak-to-peak current ripple, which changes as a function of your duty cycle. As a result, cycle-by-cycle limiting is most frequently
used for current limit protection, not current regulation.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
(ACIM)
Airgap
Alignment Torque
B Back-EMF
Bipolar PWMs
Braking
Brushes
(BPM)
Clark transform
Commutation
Commutator
Converter
Critically Damped
D d-axis
DC Bus
DC Injection
Dead-time
Digital Control
Duty cycle
Dynamic Braking
E eCAP
Efficiency
Motor (ECM)
Encoder
E continued
O Observers
S Saliency
ePWM
eQEP
Off-line
Overdamped
Sampling Frequency
Scalar Control
Sensorless Control
Servo
Shoot-through
Slip
Slip frequency
Slip Control
SPM Motor
Stator
F Feedback
Feedforward
Field Weakening
Flux
Flux Density
Full Stepping
G Gate Driver
H H-Bridge
Half Bridge
Half stepping
Hall-effect sensors
Horsepower

(IPM)
Motor
Inverter
Left-hand Rule
LEM sensor
M Magnetic Leakage
Microstepping

(Neo)
P Park Transform
Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motor
(PMSM)
(PMAC)
PI Control
PID Control
Plugging
Power
Power Factor
Power Quadrants
(PWM)
Q q-axis
R Reaction Torque
Regeneration
Reluctance
Reluctance Torque
Resistive Braking
Resolver
Right-hand Rule
Rotor
T Tachometer
Torque
Torque Constant
Trapezoidal
U Underdamped
Unipolar PWMs
Universal Motor

Vector Control
Voltage boost
W Windup
X Y Z Z-Transform
Tutorials
Exit
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Brush DC Motor Control:
Brushless DC Motor Control:
With Hall Effect Feedback
Sensorless
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Control

AC Induction Motor Control:

Volts per Hertz Control
Slip Control
Stepper Motor Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
50% to 60%
of all electricity
generated in most industrialized countries
is consumed by electric motors!
Industrial and Manufacturing
Approximately 2200 Billion

KWHours generated in the U.S.
each year to drive electric
motors.*
*EIA Energy Survey, 2008 data, U.S. DOE
Commercial,
Residential
Transportation and Other Motors
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Energy Crisis 2.0.

Solution: Generate MORE Energy?
Many renewable forms of
energy generation are only
supplemental in nature.
Even renewable forms of
energy generation have
environmental impacts!
Increased costs of energy
delivery infrastructure.
Electric delivery capacity in many areas is already maxed out!
How about using LESS energy???

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Low Hanging Fruit!

What if we
increase load
efficiencies?
Up to 40% energy
savings is possible
in many motor control
applications, with
minimal performance
impact!
Electronic
Control is
the ticket!
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Electronic Motor Control Saves Energy!

Electronic adjustable speed drives can control flow rates in
pump and blower applications, eliminating throttling valves
and dampers, with energy savings of 20%!
Electronic motor controllers can

reduce motor flux in applications which
are often lightly loaded, with electrical
energy savings up to 40%!
Electronic adjustable speed drives can reduce

refrigerant migration in compressor loads, with
electrical energy savings up to 30%!
(One out of three new home starts in the U.S. employ a heat pump.)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Appliance Opportunities for Motor Control
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
DC Bus
AC to DC
Converter
Three
Phase
Inverter
Gate
Drivers
Gate
Driver
Commanded id
Commanded iq
(t)
ia
ib
Field
Oriented
Controller
12 Bit
ADC
F2803x
Overcurrent
Power
Supplies
ePWM
Module
eQEP
Module
(t)
ic
V
V
Actual Speed
PI
Controller
Fault
ibus
Sync
Phase
Current
Reconstruction
Trigger
GPIO or PWM
Vbus
Bus Current
Analog
Conditioning
Typical AC Drive
Bus
OverVoltage
Motor PWMs
Processor Ground
Bus Voltage
AC In
Space
Vector
Modulation
Commanded Speed
Speed
Calculation
Serial
Interface
Motor Glossary
Isolation
Tutorials
Exit
Gazing into the Crystal Ball

Automotive
The Future is AC
Electric Power Steering

Combined Alternator/Starter
Throttle Control
Quieter Fan Controls
Quieter Wipers
Gauges
Hybrid/Electric Vehicles
AC Drives in 2008: $1.5B, 2013: $2.6B

DC Drives in 2008: $48M, 2013: $60M
Energy Efficiency
Further regulations expected
Commutated PM Applications
Out with the old: Trapezoidal
In with the new: Sinusoidal
System Design Tools

Model based software generation
(e.g., Simulink)
Humans are exiting
the coding business
Appliances
Silicon Carbide
FOC processors approaching $1.00
Up to 600oC operation
Variable speed washers
Rdson up to 300x lower than Si
Variable speed dryers
Breakdown voltages up to 30x that of Si
Variable speed compressors.
Freewheeling diodes with no trr
Increased efficiency!
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
Brush DC Motors
Single-loop motor example

The magnetic field produced by the current flowing through the loop of wire will interact with the stator permanent magnets to
create forces on the loop, causing the rotor to spin counterclockwise. However, when reaches 180 degrees, the force
vectors will line up through the center of the rotor, and the torque will be zero. To keep the motor spinning, we must reverse
the current in the loop of wire at precisely this point. But how do we know that we are at this point? Should we use a shaft
sensor of some type?
Actually, there is an easier way (next slide)
Source: Electric Drives, an Integrative Approach,

by Ned Mohan, University of Minn. Printing Services, 2000
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
The Commutator!
Although this may sound like an assassin robot from the future, it actually serves a much more useful (but less exciting)
purpose. The loop of wire in the previous slide is connected to a metal ring with a slit at the top and the bottom as shown
below. As the loop of wire turns, so does this metal ring. When the loop of wire gets to 180 degrees, the two sides of the
metal ring switch places, which automatically reverses the polarity in the loop of wire. Pretty cool stuff! And then when the
loop of wire gets all the way back to zero degrees, the commutator switches the current in the wire again. As a result, the
rotor just keeps going round and round.
Commutator

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Shorting the supply
You may have noticed that when the loop of wire

reaches 180 degrees, as shown by part (b) of the
diagram above, that it shorts out the power supply.
Not good. If you look at the waveforms, you see that
the torque also drops to zero during this time,
resulting in high torque ripple. How do we fix this?
(Next Slide)

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Adding More Coil Segments

In this case, we now have four coil segments, which means that
we also have to slice the commutator ring into four pieces instead
of two. Now when the rotor is oriented so that two commutator
segments are shorted together as shown in part (b) of the
illustration, it doesnt create a dead short across the supply. You
still have two coil segments that are conducting current and
generating torque. As a result, the torque ripple is improved, as
shown below.

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Six Commutator Segments

Referring to the figure to the left, all the green rotor poles are repulsed by the green stator pole, and attracted to the red stator
pole. Conversely, all the red rotor poles are repulsed by the red stator pole, and attracted to the green stator pole. Either way,
the result is to create clockwise rotation. To cause counterclockwise rotation, we simply need to change the polarity of the
input supply. This will cause all of the rotor poles to flip colors. Notice that if the rotor spins 60 degrees clockwise, the power
supply contacts (called brushes) will be connected to different commutator segments. This will cause the current in the 1 and
4 rotor poles to change direction, thereby changing the magnetic polarity for that rotor pole. So the current in any given coil is
AC as the motor spins. The commutator action guarantees that all of the left rotor poles are green, and all of the right rotor
poles are red.
By adding two more commutator segments compared to the last slide, shorting commutator segments together now results in
2/3 of the coils still conducting, which produces even better torque ripple performance. The animation to the right shows 18
commutator segments, which is even better. Just how far can we go with this strategy?...
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
129
Brush DC Motor Cutaway

Not sure how many commutator segments this motor has, but its a lot! Motors with this many commutator segments result in
very low torque ripple, and are usually used in servo applications where torque ripple is critical.
Brushes
Laminated Rotor
Commutator
Source: Electric Machinery, by A. E. Fitzgerald, Charles Kingsley Jr., and Stephen D. Umans, McGraw-Hill, 1990
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brush DC Motor Speed-Torque Curves

Increasing Voltage
Lets assume you have a constant torque load, as shown by the red vertical
line below. As you steadily increase the voltage on the motor terminals, the
speed will go up proportionally. Conversely, if you hold the speed constant
as indicated by the blue line, and steadily increase the motors current, the
torque will go up. So current controls the motors torque, but voltage
controls the motors speed.
Increasing Current
Speed-torque curves for terminal voltages

of 10, 20, and 30 V.
Source: DC Motors, Speed Controls, Servo Systems, Electro-Craft Corp., 1980
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Parameterized DC Motor Model Example

LOAD
Motor Model (Pittman DC Servo Motor

Model 14206 with 24V Winding)
Shaft_Torque
L2
M+
M+
V6
R15
{Rt}
{Kemf}
E5
{L}
Acceleration = left over torque / inertia
Speed RPM
{1/(Jmotor + Jload)}
E1
E2
24
Damping Torque Losses
i.c.
M-
{30 / pi}
R1
E6
M-
10k
{Kd}
Cut here to
X lock rotor
Load
Load Torque
Total Torque
V1
B2
V=I(L2)*Kt
max
Friction Torque Losses

Motor Bearings and Brushes
PWL(0 0 0.249999 0 0.25 0.8)
V2
V3
{Kf}
min
DC MOTOR MODEL
.tran 0 0.5 0 uic
{-Kf}
.param pi = 3.1415927
.param Kt = 0.072 Newton-Meters/Amp
.param Kemf = 0.072 Volts/(radian/sec)
.param Kf = 0.0128 Newton-Meters
.param Kd = 9.2E-6 Newton-Meters/(radian/sec)
.param Rt = 0.84 Ohms
.param L = 0.00136 Henries
.param Jmotor = 36.7E-6 Kilograms/Meter^2
.param Jload = 100E-6 Kilograms/Meter^2
Speed (Radians/sec)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brush DC Motor Construction

Armature
(Many!) Commutators
Carbon Brushes
Field Windings
(or permanent magnets)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brush DC Pancake Motor
Stator magnets produce

axial magnetic field
radial rotor current flow

Low rotor inertia (high acceleration)
No cogging (rotor is non-magnetic)
Long brush life (rotor inductance is low)
Source: Electric Machinery, by A. E.

Fitzgerald, Charles Kingsley Jr., and
Stephen D. Umans, McGraw-Hill,
1990
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brush DC Motor Summary

Advantages
Ease of control (self commutating).
Lowest rotor inertia (coreless rotors).
Lowest total system cost for basic motion.
Wound field motors exhibit high starting torque,
(series wound) and can run with AC or DC.
Disadvantages
Higher maintenance cost due to brush wear.
Electrical noise due to mechanical commutation.
Friction losses associated with mechanical commutation.
Not usable in intrinsically safe environments.
Heat is generated in armature, which is difficult to remove.
Risk of demagnetization in overcurrent conditions
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
Brushless DC Motors
Commutating a BLDC Motor

A
A brushless DC motor is like a brush DC motor turned
inside out. To make the motor spin, you must switch
the current from one set of coils to the next.
Unfortunately, this is not a very efficient way to use the

motor, as only one set of coils are turned on at a time.
The next slide shows the most popular way to
commutate a three phase BLDC motor
S
N
C
S
<hit space bar to watch the commutation process>
Current
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Commutating a BLDC Motor
The problem is knowing WHEN to switch the currents. To get maximum torque, we
want to have the coils that are about 90 degrees offset from the rotor angle to be
the ones energized. So we need to sense where the rotor is in order to know which
coils to turn on when.
Torque = ( 4 NBlr ) ( I )
= ( kT ) ( I )
Torque
In this example we turn on two coils at the same time in such a way that if one coil
has positive current, the other energized coil has negative current. We can reuse
the same current in both coils if we tie all the coils together inside the motor. This
results in a Y connected winding pattern. When we pull one coil high, we pull
another coil low, as shown in the waveforms to the right. The 6-step switching
pattern to the right will result in a full 360 degree rotation of the rotor. In each state,
two coils are on and one coil is off. Each coil has positive current for 120 degrees,
turns off for 60 degrees, negative current for another 120 degrees, and then off
again for 60 degrees. Also, the switching pattern for each phase is offset from the
other phases by 120 degrees.
B
C
B
A
S
C
B
C
Current
C
A
0
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Control of a Brushless D.C. Motor
The next slide shows which transistors get turned on

and off for each hall state. It also shows that you can
PWM the coils instead of simply turning them on with
full voltage. This results in the motor operating at a
slower speed.
The slide after that shows the stator magnetic pole
patterns that result from each of the commutation
states.
1
2
Controller
In this slide, we use hall-effect sensors to determine

where the rotor is, and then based on which direction
we would like to spin the motor, the controller uses the
hall-effect signals to determine which coils to turn on. In
this example we use three hall-effect devices and a 4pole magnetic disc mounted on the rotor. This will
result in 6 unique hall-effect states for every 180
degrees of motor rotation. So there are 12 hall-effect
states for every 360 degrees of rotation. At the end of
each state, the controller commutates the current out of
one coil and into another coil.
A
B
s
3
4
r
t
5
6
1
1
0

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
BLDC Commutation
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Hall A
Hall B
Hall C
Fault input signal
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Commutation of a Brushless DC Motor

C
A
N
B
A
1
S
N
N
S
N
B
S
A
S
N
N
C
N
N
S
A
N
N
N
S
N
N
S
5
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brushless DC Motor Animation

C
A
S
N
N
S
NS
A
S
N
N
S
S
N
<hit space bar to watch

the commutation process>
N
S
NS
N
S
S
N
N
N
S
N
S
A
C
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
The hall sensors add cost to the system,

especially when you include the costs of
the connectors and all of the harnessing
associated with them. For this reason,
there is a strong desire in many
applications to get rid of the sensors.
But we have already stated that in order
for the motor phase current to be
commutated properly, we need to know
where the rotor is. How can we do this
without a shaft sensor?
It turns out that we can use the motor
itself as a sensor.
Conditioning
Controller
Sensorless BLDC Control
Remember we said that one coil is

turned off during each commutation
zone. We can actually measure the
back-EMF waveform which the motor is
producing on this open phase, and use it
to extract shaft angle information.

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Sensorless Commutation
In each case for a coil that is not driven,
the back-EMF voltage will transition from a
positive voltage to a negative voltage, or
vice-versa. It will go through a zero
crossing half-way through the commutation
zone, creating the trapezoidal waveforms
shown to the right. We can sample this
voltage with an ADC, or run it through a
comparator and feed it to a timer pin.
Either way, we want to do an input-capture
and record the time that it crosses through
zero. We then record the time of the next
zero crossing on another phase. By
subtracting one time from the other, we
can determine the time it takes for the
motor to go through one commutation
interval. We then add one half of this time
onto the time value we just captured, and
set up a timer interrupt when the timer
reaches this value. Assuming that the
motor is spinning at a relatively constant
speed, we will get this output compare
interrupt when it is time to commutate the
motor.
The main problem is how to get this whole
process kicked off. The motor has no
back-EMF voltage when it is standing still,
so we cant measure a zero-crossing. In
most cases, we must start the motor open
loop, even though it often results in
inefficient and rough operation of the
motor. Once the motor gets up to a certain
speed, we can detect the zero-crossings,
and transition into sensorless closed-loop
mode at that point.
60
Rotor Electrical Position (Degrees)

120
180
240
300
360
Phase R
Phase S
Phase T
Zero
crossings
PWM 1
PWM 3
PWM 5
PWM 2
PWM 4
PWM 6
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Sensorless Control of BLDC Motors
In a sensorless BLDC system, only two coils are on at any moment in time. The
equivalent circuit of the motor with only two phases on is shown below
After the inductive flyback associated with Za has extinguished, The internal voltages are
visible when measuring Va. Assuming balanced windings where Zb and Zc are equal,
and Eb and Ec are equal, then the voltage at node N = Vdc_link/2. Therefore, the zerocrossing of Ea occurs when the Va reading is Vdc_link/2.
Vdc_link
Zb
Eb
Ea
Za
Ec
Va
Zc
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Sensorless Control of BLDC Motors
Full block diagram of the closed loop system

The Hall sensors have been eliminated giving cheaper system at the
expense of robust performance
The motor must be started in open-loop mode. Rougher performance
As the speed is increased, Ebemf becomes high enough to be used for
sensorless closed loop control
speed
calculation
Outer
Speed
Loop
PI
PI
30
delay
PWM
commutation
control
Ebemf
Zero crossing
detector
Voltage
Measurement
T1 VLink
T3
T5
T4
T6
T2
Inner
Torque
Loop
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
96% BLDC Motor Efficiency
100W
Using iron based amorphous core

material, Japanese researchers at
Tokai University break 96% efficiency
barrier at 100 Watts!
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Brushless DC Motor Summary

Advantages
High power output per frame size
Easy to control with trapezoidal commutation
High efficiency due to small rotor losses
Low profile designs possible
Excellent high speed performance
Structure inherently allows heat to be easily removed
Disadvantages
Slightly more torque ripple than PMSM motors
Uniform airgap flux density required for trapezoidal backEMF is difficult to achieve
Field weakening requires additional current
Permanent magnetic field causes viscous drag
Permanent magnets can be demagnetized at high temp.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
PMSM Motors
Torque Ripple from Commutation
30
60
90
120
150
180
210
240
270
300
330
360
390
id0
iA
30
60
90
120
150
180
210
240
270
300
330
360
390
Torgue
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
This motor exhibits a smoothly rotating magnetic field

where the magnetic gradient of the stator flux is
illustrated by the color shading. There is no
commutation to cause motor jerking. But how do you
create such a smoothly rotating magnetic field????
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Sinusoidal Winding Distribution
Phase A shown
Stator winding density is sinusoidally distributed,

thus creating a sinusoidally distributed flux density
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Adding More Phases

Phase A
Phase C
Phase B
Blue arrows show axes of

magnetism for each coil
C
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

This slide is very important, as it shows how the three phases interact to create a rotating magnetic field on the stator. Not
only are the coils spatially separated from each other by 120 degrees, but we will drive them with three-phase sine wave
currents which are also separated in phase by 120 degrees. This results in three magnetic vectors which pulsate back and
forth synchronously with their respective currents, on their respective magnetic axes. If we add these vectors together (as
shown by the space vector plot on the bottom-right), the result is a smoothly rotating magnetic vector shown in magenta. As
far as the rotor is concerned, the stator looks like it is spinning on the bottom-left, at a frequency equal to the sine wave
current frequency. More importantly, this slide shows that we can create a stator magnetic vector at any angle we want by the
application of stator currents in the proper ratios. This is the basis for field-oriented control. Simply put, we are orienting the
stator field with respect to the rotor field to achieve optimum performance on the motor.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Rotating Flux Pattern

The top animation shows all three current (or flux) vectors from the
three motor phases plotted on the same phasor diagram. As you can
see, the current for each axis is changing in a sinusoidal pattern. By
adding all of the current vectors together, the result is a rotating current
(flux) vector which is shown by the black resultant vector. This is really
just another affirmation of what we discussed in the previous slide.
The bottom-right animation shows the flux in the airgap of the machine
as a function of space vector angle. In other words, lets cut open the
motor down the length of its side, and unfold it so that the stator teeth
are lying face up on the table. This animation shows what the flux
concentration will be at each place on the stator. As you can see, this
animation also takes into consideration the sinusoidal distribution of the
phase windings.
The rotor doesnt care what flux is caused by what phase. It only sees
the total flux in the airgap. It could be a two phase motor, or a twenty
phase motorthe rotor doesnt care. So if we take the flux density
contribution from each phase, and add them together at each point, the
total flux is shown by the black waveform. Notice that it is moving. If we
fold the motor back together, the black waveform is basically a graphical
representation of the animation below, which shows not only a smoothly
rotating magnetic field, but a smooth transition between North and
South poles.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
PMSM Load Angle

In the previous slide, we illustrated that we can create a stator magnetic vector to be at
any angle we want by applying the proper ratio of stator currents. But what angle do
we want? The most popular control optimization used in FOC applications is to orient
the stator field with respect to the rotor magnets to achieve maximum torque per amp.
The animation to the right shows the case of zero torque when the stator and rotor
fields are perfectly aligned. The plot below suggests that if we rotate the stator flux
vector by either +/- 90 degrees, we achieve the condition of maximum torque for a
given current. So once the rotor angle is known, we can apply the currents in the
correct mix to create a stator vector that is 90 degrees with respect to the rotor
magnets. Of course, as the rotor spins, we must frequently update our stator currents
in order to keep the stator flux vector at 90 degrees w.r.t. the rotor magnets at all times.
The animation on the next slide shows this
Newton-Meters
Maximum torque per amp

Animation by
Ken Berringer
V(treaction)
200
200V
150
150V
Simulated Reactance Torque

as a function of angle delta
from 2005 Prius Traction Motor
100
100V
50
50V
0V
-50
-50V
-100
-100V
-150
-150V
-200
-180o
-200V
0.0s
0.3s
-150o
0.6s
-120o
0.9s
-90o
1.2s
-60o
1.5s
-30o
1.8s
0o
2.1s
30o
2.4s
60o
2.7s
90o
3.0s
3.3s
3.6s
120o 150o 180o

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Orientation of Field for Max Torque

The green vector represents the
stator flux vector which results
from the sinusoidal currents being
applied to the stator coils.
Axis of rotor flux is fixed with respect to the rotor,

i.e., it is synchronous.
(Reluctance torque assumed to be zero)
Source: Electric Drives, an Integrative Approach, by Ned Mohan, University of Minn. Printing Services, 2000
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Multi-pole Machines
Check out the animations shown below. The one on the left shows how the changing currents in the stator coils of a three-phase machine
cause a rotating magnetic field. As the sinewave currents go through one complete electrical cycle, the magnetic field rotates once around the
circumference of the machine. Each phase is made up of only one coil, and as a result, a two-pole magnetic field is formed.
Now study the animation on the right. This motor has twice as many coils, which produce twice as many magnetic poles. Its as if we took the
winding distribution pattern all the way around the left motor, and crammed them into only 180 degrees on the right motor, and then repeated
the pattern again for the remaining 180 degrees. Because of this increased pattern density, notice that the magnetic field on the right spins at
half the speed as the one on the left. In other words, if we put a permanent magnet rotor inside the left stator housing, and drive the coils with
60 Hz sinewaves, the rotor will spin at 3600 RPM. However, the same 60 Hz sinewaves will drive the rotor on the right at half that speed, or
1800 RPM. Some simple applications like household fans take advantage of this effect to adjust the speed of the motor. When the fan switch
is on high, the winding arrangement is configured to resemble the animation on the left. But when the fan switch is set to low, it reconnects the
windings to look like the right animation.
Another result of this increased pattern density is that electrical sinewave angles and mechnical rotation angles are no longer the same. In the
motor on the right, a sinewave going through X electrical degrees will result in X/2 mechanical degrees of movement. So when we talk about
field oriented control angles (e.g., angle for maximum torque is 90 degrees), those are ELECTRICAL degrees, not mechanical degrees.
Besides speed, there is another difference between the left and right motors. All things being equal, the motor on the right will have twice the
torque. The number of poles is a direct multiplier in the torque equation. Some motors have 8 or even higher numbers of poles. As a result,
they dont go very fast, but they have LOTS of torque!
A
B
A
C
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
PMSM Motors Summary

Advantages
High power output per frame size
High efficiency due to small rotor losses
Low profile designs possible
Very low torque ripple
Structure inherently allows heat to be easily removed
Zero speed sensorless operation possible with IPM motors
Disadvantages
More elaborate control required compared to BLDC
High rotor angle accuracy required vs. BLDC trapezoidal
Field weakening requires additional current
Permanent magnetic field causes viscous drag
Permanent magnets can be demagnetized at high temp.
(not as much of a problem with IPM motors)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
Field Oriented Control of PMSMs
How Do You Control Torque

on a DC Motor?
+24 V
PI
Controller
PWM1
2
Desired Current
Error Signal
Brush DC Motor
PWM1
PWM2
Texas Instruments
PWM2
Daves
Motor Control
Center
PWM2
Measured Current
PWM1
1
ADC1
Commutator keeps
rotor and stator fields
properly aligned!
0.015
<hit space bar to advance through the steps>
1.
2.
3.
4.
Measure current already flowing in the motor.

Compare the measured current with the desired current, and generate an error signal.
Amplify the error signal to generate a correction voltage.
Modulate the correction voltage onto the motor terminals.
Do you understand these 4 steps? If so, you are well on your way to understanding Field Oriented Control! These are the
same 4 operations you do for FOC (granted, there are some additional steps required since we dont have a commutator to
properly orient the field on an AC motor, but they all fall under the 4 categories listed here.) In fact, as we go through the FOC
process, look at the title of each slide. It will tell you which operation we are currently working on.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
How Do You Control Torque on a PMSM?

There are two factors which control
torque on a PMSM: The rotor flux (which
we will assume is constant for now), and
the amplitude of the current vector which
is at 90 degrees with respect to the rotor
magnet flux axis. So if we want more
torque, we increase this quadrature
current component:
<hit space bar>
For even higher torque, increase it again:
<hit space bar>
Thousands of times a second, the
processor samples the rotor position, and
recalculates the proper ratio of currents
to yield a quadrature current vector with
the requested amplitude. This is Field
Oriented Control.
Rotor flux
(Constant for now)
Constant
Torque =
3 Poles
dr I qs
2 2
Interrupt:
Measure rotor flux angle
Regulate current vector to be 90o wrt rotor flux
Exit ISR
Interrupt:
Measure new rotor flux angle
Exit ISR
Interrupt:
Measure new rotor flux angle
Exit ISR
Adjustable
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
1. Measure current already flowing in the motor.

Unlike a DC motor, we have three currents to measure instead of
just one. But notice we only have to really measure two of them. If
we know the current flowing into two of the motor phases, and we
assume there is no other path for the current to go, then it MUST all
be flowing out on the third phase. This is a fundamental law of
electricity that you probably learned back in circuits 101. The sum of
all currents flowing into a blob must equal zero.
Once we have these three currents, we are done with the first of four
operations. You can see from the space vector plot to the right that if
we combine the current readings with a knowledge of which phase
they are flowing in, we can establish what the net stator current
vector is.
A, B, and C axes are fixed with

respect to the motor housing. This
reference frame is also called the
stationary frame or stator frame.
ib
Texas Instruments
Daves
Motor Control
Center
Controller
with A/D
ia
ib
ic
ia
A
B
ib
net current vector
i c (implied)
ic
ia
C
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
2. Compare the measured current (vector) with the desired

current (vector), and generate error signals.
Is the stator current vector at the correct angle? We wont
know that until we measure the angle that the rotor is at.
We want the stator current vector to be at 90 degrees with
respect to the where the magnets on the rotor are
pointing. For example, lets say that the rotor flux is along
the red axis shown to the right. That means that we want
the stator current vector to be along the green axis. If it is
not, we must change the phase currents somehow so that
the stator current vector snaps into alignment with the
green axis.
is
B
ic
ib
So, lets go measure the angle of the rotor
ia
C
We must regulate the current vector magnitude AND angle

by regulating ia, ib, and ic.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

Measure the rotor angle to determine if the net

current vector is oriented at 90o with respect to the
rotor flux.
d
Phase A magnetic axis
Usually accomplished with a

resolver or encoder.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

Lets convert the three phase current vectors into
two orthogonal vectors that will result in the same
net current vector. In other words, convert the 3phase motor to a 2-phase motor, where the 2
coils are at 90 degrees with respect to each
other. Then we only have two current values to
regulate instead of three! This reduces the
required calculations.
ic
ib
This is often referred to as the FORWARD

CLARK TRANSFORMATION.
So, what two current vector amplitudes (one
along the axis, and one along the axis) are
required to yield the same resultant current
vector as the one shown to the right?
i a i
C
ib(t)
i = 32 ia
Hit space bar to see if you were right)
ia(t)
is
ic(t)
i(t) i(t)
i =
Motor Glossary
3
2 b
Tutorials
3
2 c
Exit

Next, we will perform a really, really
neat trick! This is the heart of Field
Oriented Control. As the rotor spins,
and consequently the stator current
vector spins with it, the i(t) and i(t)
values will be sinewaves, as shown
below. Regulating sinewaves to the
correct value is hard, especially for high
frequency sinewaves.
i
B
is
iq
But
id
If we can transform the blue stator

current vector into values that rotate
WITH the rotor, these values will be DC!
This is called the forward Park
Transform. Lets define this rotating
reference frame by lining up its X axis
with the direction the rotor magnets are
pointing, or the d-axis.
So, given the blue stator current vector
shown to the right, what two vectors
(one along the d-axis, and one along
the q-axis) will yield the stator current
vector when they are added together?
id = i cos d + i sin d
iq = i sin d + i cos d
A
Total
4 trig calulations
7 multiplications
3 additions
iq
id
(Hit space bar to see if you are correct)

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

and i q are handled independently. Since the
comparison is performed in the rotating frame, motor AC frequency
is not seen. Thus, they are DC quantities!
id
Under normal conditions, we have all

the d-axis flux we need supplied by
the permanent magnets in the rotor.
So commanded id is set to zero.
This is how much torque we want!
i d (commanded) +
id
errord(t)
(measured)
i q (commanded) +
i q (measured)
errorq(t)
i d can however be used to weaken the field of the machine.

i q controls amount of torque generated by the motor
Look at the number in

the title block above.
We are now done with
the second part of the
FOC process.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
3. Amplify the error signals to generate correction voltages.
i d (commanded) +
i d (measured)
error(t)
i q (commanded) +
i q (measured)
error(t)
vd
+
+
vq
+
+
The PI regulator is a good choice for current regulation

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
4. Modulate the correction voltages onto the motor terminals.
4th
We are now on the

and final operation
of the Field Oriented process. Now that we
have correction voltages Vd and Vq from
the two PI regulators, what do we do with
them? Somehow, we need to apply them
to the stator windings so they can correct
for the errors in id and iq. So we need to
jump off of the rotating reference frame,
and back down into the stationary
reference frame. This is known as the
REVERSE Park transform.
v
B
Voltage vector
vq
vd
v A
If we combine Vd and Vq, we end up with

the blue voltage vector shown here. So the
question becomes, for the present position
of the d-q reference frame, what two
voltage vectors on the - stationary frame
would result in the same voltage vector?
(Hit space bar to see the vectors

resulting from the reverse Park transform.)
v = v d cos d v q sin d
v = v d sin d + v q cos d
So DC values for Vd and Vq transfer to

sinewaves on the stationary frame.
vd (t)
v (t) v (t)
vq(t)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

If we had a two phase motor, we would be done
with the transforms. But since we used a three
phase motor in our example, there is one more
transformation we have to go through. We
need to convert the two phase vectors into
three voltage vectors corresponding to the three
phases of our machine. If we add these three
vectors together, they will give us the same blue
voltage vector that the vectors do. This
process is called the REVERSE Clark
transform.
vc
vb
v a v A
Hit space bar to see the resulting three phase

voltage vectors from the reverse Clark
transform.
To recap, these are the three voltage values
that when applied to the three stator windings,
will result in the blue voltage vector shown to
the right. And this voltage vector has been
calculated by the rotating reference frame
regulators to drive both id and iq closer to their
desired values.
v (t)
v (t)
Voltage Vector
v a = 23 v
C
va(t)
vb(t)
v b = 13 v +
1
3
v c = 13 v
1
3
vc(t)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Phase A - top
Phase A - bottom
Phase B - top
Phase B - bottom
Phase C - top
Phase C - bottom
Over time, under steady-state conditions, the correction voltages

va, vb, and vc will be sine waves phase shifted by 120o.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
The Whole Enchilada

P
Commanded id = 0
Commanded iq
(torque)
Reverse
Clark-Park
Transform
I
iq
id
Vq
Va
Vb
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Vc
Rotor Speed
P
+
PMSM
Commanded
Rotor
Speed
+
Vd
ia
d/dt
Forward
Clark-Park
Transform
ib
ic
Phase C
Current
Calculation
d
Control Diagram of a PMSM Variable Speed Control System Utilizing Field Oriented Control.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
FOC in a Nutshell
Va
Wilson
Torque Current
Vb
Reverse
Clark-Park
Transforms
Flux Current
Vq
Desired Torque +
-
Desired Flux +
-
Vd
+
-1
Vc
i
i
i
B
C
Forward
Clark-Park
Transforms
iq
id
PI
PI
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
DC Bus
AC to DC
Converter
Three
Phase
Inverter
Gate
Drivers
Gate
Driver
Processor Ground
Vbus
Commanded id
Commanded iq
(t)
ia
ib
Field
Oriented
Controller
ibus
12 Bit
ADC
V
V
F2803x
Overcurrent
Motor PWMs
Power
Supplies
ePWM
Module
eQEP
Module
(t)
ic
Actual Speed
PI
Controller
Fault
Phase
Current
Reconstruction
Sync
Bus
OverVoltage
Trigger
GPIO or PWM
Bus Current
Analog
Conditioning
Bus Voltage
AC In
Commanded
Speed
Space
Vector
Modulation
Speed
Calculation
Serial
Motor Glossary
Interface
Isolation
Tutorials
Exit
FOC in Electric Power Steering
PWMs
Torque
Power
Inverter
Current
Feedback
Vehicle Speed
CAN
Encoder I/F
torque assist
Texas Instruments
PMSM
Daves
Motor Control
Center
resolver
Motor feedback
Transmission
Controller
Essentially,
a torque amplifier!
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
AC Induction Motors
Induction Machines
Invented over a century ago by Nikola Tesla
No permanent magnets
Think of it as a rotating transformer.
Stator is the primary, rotor is the
secondary.
Rotor current is induced from
stator current
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Rotating Stator Fields on an ACIM

This slide is very important, as it shows how the three phases interact to create a rotating magnetic field on the stator. Not
only are the coils spatially separated from each other by 120 degrees, but we will drive them with three-phase sine wave
currents which are also separated in phase by 120 degrees. This results in three magnetic vectors which oscillate back and
forth synchronously with their respective currents, on their respective magnetic axes. If we add these vectors together (as
shown by the space vector plot on the bottom-right), the result is a smoothly rotating magnetic vector shown in magenta. As
far as the rotor is concerned, the stator looks like it is spinning on the bottom-left, at a frequency equal to the sine wave
current frequency. More importantly, this slide shows that we can create a stator magnetic vector at any angle we want by the
application of stator currents in the proper ratios. This is the basis for field-oriented control. Simply put, we are orienting the
stator field with respect to the rotor field to achieve optimum performance on the motor.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
AC Induction Motor Slip

As the stator magnetic field rotates, the flux lines jump
the airgap and cut through conductors in the rotor. This
causes voltages across the rotor conductors, when in
turn cause currents to flow in them. This current
causes the rotor to set up its own magnetic field, which
interacts with the stator magnetic field, causing the
rotor to spin. However, under its own power, the rotor
can NEVER spin at exactly the same speed that the
stator flux does. Dont believe me? Look at the
animation to the right. Follow one particular rotor pole
as it rotates, and see how it changes color. Can you
guess why the rotor cant spin as fast as the stator
field?
ANSWER: Because if the stator field and rotor are
spinning at exactly the same speed, then there will no
longer be flux lines cutting through the conductors in
the rotor. This means that the rotor current would be
zero, and thus the rotor magnetic field would be zero.
As a result, there is no torque, and the rotor starts to
coast to a stop. But as soon as it slows down just a
little bit, then once again you have stator flux cutting
through the rotor bars again.
The difference between the stator frequency and the
rotor rotational frequency is called SLIP FREQUENCY.
The more torque required by the load, the greater the
slip frequency will be.
Airgap
Rotor
Conductor
slots
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Speed-Torque Performance
Pull-out Torque
Torque (newton-meters)
-14KV
V(tem)
50V
40V
30V
20V
10V
Starting Torque
0V
-10V
-20V
-30V
-40V
-50V
-60V
-70V
0s
0
2s
0.2
4s
0.4
6s
0.6
8s
0.8
10s
1.0
12s
1.2
14s
1.4
16s
1.6
18s
1.8
20s
2.0
% Synchronous Speed
Continuing with the theme from the previous slide, we see that the torque is indeed zero if the rotor is spinning at exactly the same speed as the stator
field. But as we slow the motor down, the flux lines cut through the rotor conductors more quickly, resulting in more rotor current, a stronger rotor field,
and more torque. However, as we further reduce rotor speed, a point is soon reached where the parasitic elements in the motor come into play, and the
torque starts falling off.
What do you think will happen to the torque curve if something causes the rotor to spin FASTER than the stator magnetic field? (Hit space bar to find out).
The torque goes negative. Negative torque times positive speed equals negative horsepower. In other words, the AC induction motor turns into an AC
induction GENERATOR! In fact, some wind turbines use AC induction motors as generators.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Motoring and Generating Modes

As discussed in the previous slides, the sinusoidal stator currents produce a rotating magnetic field, which is shown by the brown vector in the
left animation below. Since the axis of the brown vector corresponds to where the magnetic field is most dense, it will generate the maximum dflux/dt on the rotor bars that are cutting through the flux on this axis. Assuming the rotor is purely resistive, and rotor leakage inductance is
zero, then this axis will also correspond to the axis on the rotor where the current is the greatest (see the larger Xs and dots). From looking at
just the rotor, you can see that it also has a sinusoidal distribution of current on its rotor bars, and that this current distribution will result in a
magnetic axis for the rotor (the magenta vector) which is 90 degrees offset with respect to the stator magnetic axis. The greater the load is on
the motor, the more slip will be created, which causes more d-flux/dt on the rotor bars, which causes the rotor currents to increase, which
causes the magenta mmf vector to get bigger. This new mmf from the rotor will attempt to change the flux in the stator. Assuming that the stator
windings are being driven by a low impedance source, the stator flux will not change, since it is defined to be the integral of the stator sinewave
voltages (assuming stator resistance and stator leakage inductance are both zero). So the stator circuit responds to this attempt by the rotor to
coerce the flux by creating an equal-but-opposite mmf to cancel out the rotor mmf, which is shown by the blue vector. In fact, this is the same
effect that happens in a transformer, and explains why primary current flows when a load is connected to the secondary. Therefore, the
resulting red stator current vector consists of two parts: the green vector, which is responsible for creating the magnetic field in the machine,
and the blue vector, which is required to cancel the rotor mmf, and also accounts for the real work being done by the motor.
The animation to the right shows the case where something is causing the rotor to spin faster than the synchronous speed of the magnetic field.
As a result, the d-flux/dt is in the opposite direction, which causes the magenta rotor mmf vector to flip by 180 degrees. The resulting red stator
current vector will also dramatically shift its angle, resulting in a large portion of the stator current sinewaves being 180 degrees out of phase
with the stator voltage sinewaves. In other words, the AC line power is now negative, and the motor is now acting as a generator.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
NEMA Motor Classifications

High Inertia loads
Poor operating efficiency
Compressors,
conveyors
High starting current

(6 to 8x full load current)
Fans, blowers, pumps,
machine tools
Typical torque-speed curves for 1800 rev / min general purpose induction motors
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
ACIM Motor Efficiency
At higher horsepowers, the energy losses

required to sustain the rotor magnetic field as a
percentage of the total energy become less and
less. As a result, AC Induction Motors start
approaching the same efficiencies as a
permanent magnet machine, but at a much
lower cost. The economics of this situation
usually dictate that an AC induction motor is
therefore a better choice at higher
horsepowers. Also, since AC induction
machines have no permanent magnets, they
are very rugged and can tolerate a lot of abuse.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/pdfs/mc-0382.pdf
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Full Load Efficiency (percent)
ACIM Motor Efficiency at Light Loads

75-100 hp
30-60 hp
15-25 hp
10 hp
1.5-5.0 hp
0-1 hp
100
80
60
40
20
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Full Load (percent)

Source: Electric Motor Efficiency under Variable Frequencies and Loads,
Dr. Charles Burt, Dr. Xianshu Piao, Franklin Gaudi, Bryan Busch, and Dr. NFN Tuafik, Oct., 2006.
Part of the stator current is used to sustain the rotors magnetic field. As you reduce the mechanical load on the motor shaft,
the output energy of the ACIM will go down. However, the portion of the stator current that creates the rotor magnetic field
remains close to the same. As a result, the motor efficiency goes down as the motor loading goes down.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
ACIM Power Factor

200-250 hp
150 hp
100-125 hp
40-75 hp
15-30 hp
5-10 hp
Power Factor (percent)
100
80
60
40
20
0
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
Full-Load Amperage (percent)

Source: Electric Motor Efficiency under Variable Frequencies and Loads,
Dr. Charles Burt, Dr. Xianshu Piao, Franklin Gaudi, Bryan Busch, and Dr. NFN Tuafik, Oct., 2006.
The part of the stator current that sustains the rotors magnetic field is close to 90 degrees out of phase with the stator voltage.
The part of the stator current that powers the mechanical load is in phase with the stator voltage. As you reduce the
mechanical load on the motor shaft, the in-phase portion of the current goes down. However, the quadrature stator current
remains close to the same. As a result, the power factor goes down as the motor loading goes down.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Per Phase Equivalent ACIM Circuit

Lls
magnetizing current
(try to keep constant)
Llr
Rs
Lm
Rr
rotor current
Rr(1-s)
s
Lls is stator leakage inductance

Rs is stator resistance
Lm is magnetizing inductance
Llr is rotor leakage inductance
Rr represents rotor resistance
Rr(1-s) is load represented by shaft torque, s is slip
s
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Single-phase AC Induction Motor

High starting torque!
300 uF (typical)
for 1/2 horse motor
AC electrolytic
APPLICATIONS INCLUDE:
compressors
pumps
refrigeration
hard to start loads
Capacitor-start motor: (a) circuit, (b) phasor diagram at starting,
and (c) typical speed-torque characteristic.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
V/f Control Block Diagram

Implemented in software with
dedicated libraries
r*
PI
DC link
V/f
PWM
3-phase
Inverter
Velocity feedback
ADC
Dedicated peripherals
on the MCU
Note: velocity feedback is not essential for V/f control
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Waveform Generation ISR

Look-up Table
Wave ()
1000
800
Notice that the look-up table does

not contain a sinewave. For an
explanation of why this is, see the
section on 3rd Harmonic Modulation.
Wave ( + 2/3)
600
400
Wave ( + 4/3)
200
0
0
F
Inputs
to
routine
Integrator
50
100
150
200
250
Sine Table Pointer
PWM 1
PWM U Top
PWM U Bottom
PWM 3
PWM
Module
PWM V Top
PWM V Bottom
PWM W Top
PWM 5
PWM W Bottom
Timely waveform updates are crucial to smooth motor performance.

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
V/Hz Control Software from TI
There is a complete system for this type of control in the TI libraries. See
ACI3_1. The block diagram is shown below:
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Slip Control
Voltage Limit
V/Hz Law
Commanded
Rotor
+
Speed
Max
Clamp
Volts
PI Controller
Waveform
Generator
Zero Speed Boost
Desired Slip
syn
+
+
Min
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Induction
Motor
Hertz
Actual Rotor Speed
Slip control is based on a Volts per Hertz control law.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
FOC Control
P
+
Commanded id
(flux)
(torque)
Vb
TI
Daves
Control
Center
Vc
I
iq
id
Vq
Va
Reverse
Clark-Park
Transform
P
+
ACIM
Commanded iq
Commanded
Rotor
Speed
+
Vd
ia
Forward
Clark-Park
Transform
ib
ic
Phase C
Current
Calculation
d
Commanded id
Commanded iq
Slip
Slip
Frequency +
Calculator
-
d
Actual Rotor Speed
Control Diagram of a Variable Speed Control System Utilizing Field Oriented Control.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
AC Induction Motor Summary

Advantages
Low cost per horsepower.
Direct operation from AC line.
Very low torque ripple.
No permanent magnets (very rugged).
No viscous drag from permanent magnets on rotor.
Efficient field weakened operation.
Available in wide range of power ratings.
Disadvantages
Inefficient at light loads.
Low profile form factors difficult.
Less efficient than same size PM rotor machine.
(rotor core and conductor losses)
Rotor parameters sensitive to temperature changes.

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
Stepper Motors
Stepper Motors
Introduced in the early 60s as an
economical replacement to
closed-loop DC servo systems.
Found immediate acceptance in
the emerging computer peripheral
industry.
Although open-loop stepper control is conceptually
easy, complex motor dynamics are often
underestimated.
Available in many topologies and step sizes.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Exploded View of a Stepper Motor
This is the stepper motor from our Stellaris motor

control kit. It has 48 stator teeth, and 50 rotor teeth.
Notice that the rotor is magnetized AXIALLY rather
than radially. Also notice that the teeth on the south
end of the rotor are displaced by of a pole pitch
from the teeth on the north end. Both of these
features make the stepper motor unique from most
other motor topologies.
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Stator-Rotor Teeth Alignment

This slide shows how a stepper motor moves.
We start out with coil A energized in such a
way that the A coil creates a North pole (red)
magnet in the airgap, and the A-bar phase
creates a south pole (green) magnet. Since we
are looking at the south end of the rotor, this
results in the teeth on the horizontal axis being
perfectly aligned due to the attraction of the
rotor/stator magnets, but the teeth on the
vertical axis are misaligned due to the
magnetic repulsion.
A
B
Unaligned
Aligned
B
B
If we now turn OFF the A coil, and turn ON the

B coil <press spacebar>, this results in rotor
movement until the teeth of the B coil are in
perfect alignment and the teeth of the B-bar
coil are misaligned. The resulting movement is
one step which is 1.9o counterclockwise.
However, we can get an even smaller step by
leaving coil A energized when we turn on coil B
<press spacebar>. This results in shifting the
axis of alignment to exactly half way between
the A and B coils, and the axis of misalignment
is halfway between the A-bar and B-bar coils.
This is called a half-step, and it corresponds to
0.8o of rotation.
So, if we switch the A and B coils ON and OFF
in rapid succession, the motor will move in
successive steps (or half-steps) in either a
clockwise, or counterclockwise direction,
depending on the specific sequence that the
coils are driven.
<Press spacebar to observe this effect>
Animations showing full-step and half-step
operation are shown in the following slide
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Full and Half-Step Operation
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Stepper Excitation Modes

One Phase
Waveform period is 4 steps

(Full Stepping)
+ Low power consumption
- Rarely used today
Two Phase
One-Two Phase

(Full Stepping)

(Half-stepping)
+ Higher torque output

- Large step oscillations
+ Better stepper resolution

+ Lower step oscillations
- Higher torque ripple
Source: Technical Information on Stepping Motors, Oriental Motor
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Current Vectors for Various Stepper

Excitation Modes
Source: Monolithic, Programmable, Full-Bridge Motor Driver Integrates PWM Current Control and Mixed-Mode Microstepping,
Paul Emerald, Roger Peppiette, and Anatol Seliversto,, Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. Technical Paper STP 97-5A
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Microstepped Current Waveforms

B
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Static Torque Curves

The torque generated can be thought of as coming from a mechanical spring,
where the K factor of the spring is proportional to this slope.
Source: Making Stepper Motors Behave, Timothy J. Harned,

Eastern Air Devices, Dover, NH, Reprinted from Machine Design, 1985
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
All Steppers are NOT Created Equal!

High cyclic errors
resulting from winding
impedance mismatch and
poor tolerances on
spacing of teeth.
Higher precision device

used for microstepping
applications.
Source: Monolithic, Programmable, Full-Bridge Motor Driver Integrates PWM Current Control and Mixed-Mode Microstepping,
Paul Emerald, Roger Peppiette, and Anatol Seliversto,, Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. Technical Paper STP 97-5A
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Stepper Resonance
Source: Technical Information on Stepping Motors,

Oriental Motor
Ways to reduce resonance

A. Damping
1. Use voltage drive instead of current drive
2. For L/nR drives, lower the value of n
3. Interphase capacitors
B. Excitation mode
1. Half-stepping
2. Micro-stepping (next slide)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Thats One Small Step for Man

AesahPiBesahPii
Phase B
Phase A
Microstepped Phase Currents
Step Response
Source: Compumotor Microstepping Linear Motor
Systems, 1986, Parker Hannifin Corporation
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Unipolar Drive Topology
Used primarily for

simple stepped mode operation
(Commutation diodes not shown)
Source: Airpax Stepper Motor Handbook, 1989
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Bipolar Drive Topology
Compatible with more

sophisticated control techniques
(Commutation diodes not shown)
Source: Airpax Stepper Motor Handbook, 1989
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Closed-loop Current Mode Control

+24 V
MSP430
sin( ot ) +
Gain
PWM1
PWM1
PWM2
PWM2
PWM1
PWM2
ADC1
0.015
Wavetable
Coil A
Texas
Instigants
Daves
Control
Center
Coil B
+24 V
cos( ot )
Gain
PWM3
PWM3
PWM4
PWM4
PWM3
PWM4
Ia
Ib
ADC2
0.015
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Current Waveforms
(50 uSteps per full Step)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Stepper Model
STEPPER MOTOR
L2
Va
Coil A Torque
{Ls}
COIL A
R15
{Rs}
Torque
sine
Detent Torque
E1
bemf_A
B3
Coil B Torque
bemf_A_ref
sine
V=I(L2)
B2
cosine
speed
V=-{Td}*sin((180/{step_angle})*V(angle))
L1
Vb
{Ls}
R1
{Rs}
COIL B
E4
1
bemf_B
B1
sine
cosine
V=I(L1)
B5
B6
cosine
bemf_B_ref
V=-K*sin((90/{step_angle})*V(angle))
V=K*cos((90/{step_angle})*V(angle))
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Stepper Model Results

Green waveform: Spice model prediction
Blue waveform: Actual measured back-EMF
Open Coil Voltage (Moving Motor)
MMT STYLE STEPPER MOTOR SINGLE FULL STEP MOVEMENT
(Single Phase Driven)
0.0045
0.4
0.4V
0.004
0.2
0.2V
0.0035
0.0V
0.003
-0.2
-0.2V
-0.4
-0.4V
-0.6
-0.6V
0.0015
-0.8
-0.8V
0.001
-1
-1.0V
0.0005
-1.2
-1.2V
Back EMF (V)
0.6V
0.0025
Non-Driven Coil back EMF
0.002
Flux (integral of back EMF)
125ms
175ms
225ms
275ms
325ms
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
Time (S)
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
0
0.25
375ms
Exit
Flux (V-S)
-V(bemf_A)
0.6
Stepper Motor Summary

Advantages
Very economical solution for position control systems.
Inherently high torque/position gain.
Easy to interface to digital controllers.
Heat is generated in stator: easy to remove.
Excellent holding torque.
Holding torque even when not energized.
Precise speed control economically achieved.
Inherent zero following error.
Disadvantages
Plagued by resonance problems.
High inductance and frequent commutation limit high speeds.
Certain speeds not permitted due to dynamic instabilities.
High vibration resulting from oscillatory behavior.
Low efficiency (often operates with high d-axis current) .
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
Tutorials
Market Overview:
Sensorless


Slip Control

Motor Glossary
Exit
Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit
TI Makes Motor Control Easy.

TI is a global market leader that leverages a rich history in advanced motor control expertise,
combines it with analog and embedded processing portfolios, and delivers complete
motor system solutions.
Choose TI for broadest motor expertise, breadth of selection, and comprehensive support
for efficient, reliable, cost-effective drive and control solutions.
Learn more at www.ti.com/motorcontrol

Motor Glossary
Tutorials
Exit

TI Motor Control Compendium 2010

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TI Motor Control Compendium 2010

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

TI Motor Control Compendium 2010

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2010-2011

Motor Control Compendium

Absolutely amazing! I wish I had a tool like this

Navigating the complexities of motor control

Copyright Texas Instruments 2011

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Left Hand Rule

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Torque Curves for Toyota Prius Traction Motor

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Surface mounted magnets

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Horsepower = Rotating Speed x Torque

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Speed or Frequency Dependent

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Heat is lost in the transmission

P.F. = 1 (Average Power

P.F. = 0 (Average Power

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Feedback and Feedforward

More traditional approach

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Unfortunately, the Integrator

I Intelligent Power Module

N Neodymium Iron Boron

V Variable Speed Drive (VSD)

Step response of system

I Intelligent Power Module