Methods and apparatus for fault-tolerant control of electric machines

• Main Author: SCHULZ STEVEN E.,PATEL NITINKUMAR R.,NAGASHIMA JAMES M.,JEONG YU-SEOK,SUL SEUNG KI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.09.2006
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC,OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWERSUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORSOR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF; CONTROLLING; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUTPOWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRICITY; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; GENERATION; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PHYSICS; REGULATING

A method for controlling an electric machine having current sensors for less than every phase of the electric machine includes operating a processor to perform a test to preliminarily determine whether a fault exists in one or more of the current sensors and a test to finally determine that the fault exists in the one or more current sensors. The method further includes operating the processor to utilize a state observer of the electric machine to estimate states of the electric machine, wherein the state observer is provided state input measurements from each non-faulty current sensor, if any. Measurements from the current sensor or sensors determined to be faulty are disregarded. The processor controls the electric machine utilizing results from the state observer.