Keeping cool while saving space and money: a semi-integrated, sensorless PM brushless drive for a 42

This article describes a semiintegrated permanent-magnet (PM) brushless drive for a 42-V electric compressor for automotive heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Electric compressors have the advantages of low refrigerant emissions, flexible packaging, and efficient variable-speed operation. These are intended for vehicles where the engine shuts off during stops, as in "stop and go" (starter generator), or for vehicles with auxiliary power units (fuel cells). A low-cost, semiintegrated position sensorless motor controller has been designed, build and tested over a wide speed range with overall system efficiencies of 85% or more over a significant portion of its operating range. Issues related to sensorless operation, packaging and thermal management, EMI abatement and performance of the drive are discussed.

[1]  Bimal K. Bose,et al.  Rotor position estimation scheme of a permanent magnet synchronous machine for high performance variable speed drive , 1992, Conference Record of the 1992 IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting.

[2]  T.M. Jahns,et al.  Design of an integrated motor/controller drive for an automotive water pump application , 2002, Conference Record of the 2002 IEEE Industry Applications Conference. 37th IAS Annual Meeting (Cat. No.02CH37344).

[3]  Nady Boules,et al.  A 3.4 kW, 42 V High Efficiency Automotive Power Generation System , 2000 .

[4]  R. Natarajan,et al.  Flip-chip flex-circuit packaging for 42 V/16 A integrated power electronics module applications , 2002, APEC. Seventeenth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (Cat. No.02CH37335).

[5]  James L. Kirtley,et al.  High-speed, high-power density PMSM drive for fuel cell powered HEV application , 2001, IEMDC 2001. IEEE International Electric Machines and Drives Conference (Cat. No.01EX485).

[6]  H. Murakami,et al.  Highly efficient brushless motor design for an air-conditioner of the next generation 42 V vehicle , 2001, Conference Record of the 2001 IEEE Industry Applications Conference. 36th IAS Annual Meeting (Cat. No.01CH37248).

[7]  Jianwen Shao,et al.  A novel microcontroller-based sensorless brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive for automotive fuel pumps , 2002, Conference Record of the 2002 IEEE Industry Applications Conference. 37th IAS Annual Meeting (Cat. No.02CH37344).

[8]  Hoang Le-Huy,et al.  A Self-Controlled Synchronous Motor Drive using Terminal Voltage System , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.

[9]  J. L. Oldenkamp,et al.  Automotive electrically driven air conditioner system , 1989, Automotive Power Electronics.

[10]  John G. Kassakian Automotive electrical systems-the power electronics market of the future , 2000, APEC 2000. Fifteenth Annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (Cat. No.00CH37058).

[11]  P.J. McCleer,et al.  Electric drives for pump, fan, and compressor loads in automotive applications , 1995, 1995 Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics.