Dynamic model reference PI control of permanent magnet AC motor drives

The permanent magnet AC motor drive (PMAC) is a multivariable, non-linear, closely coupled system subject to saturation due to finite DC supply voltage and hard current limits for protection of the drive hardware. Model following controls can be applied to this class of motor with PI current controllers enabling tracking of quadrature current command values. The presence of a finite supply voltage constraint results in reduced system performance when the current regulators saturate. A dynamic model reference controller is presented which includes the currents and voltage limits, constraining the magnitude of the command signals, operating the system to just within the bound of saturation, allowing the PI controllers to accurately track the commanded values and retain control of the current vectors. This regime ensures maximum possible dynamic performance of the system. The system and controller is simulated and experimentally verified, controller gain being found by Monte Carlo simulation.