USING INDUCTION MOTOR STATOR WINDINGS TO EXTRACT SPEED INFORMATION DONALD S.

ZINGER Universitv of Akron Akron, 6 H 44325 THOMAS A. LIP0 DONALD W. NOVOTNY University of Wisconsin 1415 Johnson Dr. Madison, WI. 53706 placing intermediate t a p s on some of the stator coils. By properly summing these voltages information can be obtained for use in flux control a s well a s s l o t ripples for s p e e d control 151. Switched capacitor filters 161 a r e then used t o isolate t h e desired slot harmonic and a frequency slave loop [7] is employed t o generate a signal related t o rotor speed. FLUX RIPPLE Ideally t h e windings a n d flux are sinusoidally distributed in a n induction motor. Real windings are, however, distributed in discrete s l o t s around t h e air g a p and therefore differ somewhat from a n ideal sinusoidal distribution. These nonsinusoidal distributions together with changes in permeance caused by t h e slots create harmonic distortions in the air g a p flux. For this application variationsin the flux due to slots on the rotor are of particular importance. The placement of rotor b a r s a t discrete intervals along the rotor create distortions in the flux wave t h a t vary with t h e motion of t h e rotor through t h e flux. The resulting flux harmonics produce time variations in t h e induced voltages. Since t h e s e harmonics a r e directly related to rotor speed, they can be used a s a means of measuring t h e s p e e d of t h e rotor. The voltages induced in a coil of wire c a u s e d by a fundamental flux wave with t h e s e harmonics is represented by

ABSTRACT Speed information is available from the moving flux wave in t h e air g a p of a n induction motor. The information t a k e s t h e form of ripples in t h e flux caused by t h e motion of rotor b a rs through the flux wave. This information is accessed by using voltages available from t a p s taken off the stator windings. I t is t h e n isolated using a switched capacitor filter and captured using a frequency slaved loop. A s p e e d regulator b a s e d on a field oriented control is t h e n constructed using this speed information.

INTRODUCTION The induction motor is a rugged device t h a t can be used in extremely h a r s h environments. For use in many applications where s p e e d control is desired i t is often necessary t o include additional devices for speed measurements. These devices a r e typically more fragile t h a n t h e induction motor t o which they a r e mounted, reducing t h e reliability of t h e overall system. I t is therefore desirable t o design a speed control without t h e use of such speed measuring devices. One method of operation t h a t does not require a n y s p e e d s e n s o r s is t o run t h e induction motor open loop with a variable frequency drive. T h i s method u s e s t h e frequency of the drive t o adjust t h e speed of t h e motor. Without any feedback, however, s p e e d droop will occur due t o slip under loaded conditions. Compensation for t h i s droop c a n be made by using t h e dc link current t o approximate t h e torque. Using this approximation, compensation for t h e slip c a n be made by adjusting the frequency appropriately. T h i s method works well for many applications but is only a n approximate method t h a t depends o n motor parameters. In some implementations t h e slip frequency can be directly calculated [ 11. This, however, is highly dependant on t h e motor parameters a n d gives results suitable in only a few applications. Slip information is, however, available from voltages t h a t c a n be measured. These voltages a r e t h e direct result of disturbances caused by rotor slots moving through t h e air g a p flux wave. Previous attempts t o utilize this slot frequency have met with some success [2,3]. These systems were, however, complex a n d dimcult t o implement. A new simpler approach h a s been developed t o use t h e se slot harmonics in a speed control. This method utilizes voltages generated in the s e p a r a t e coils of t he stator windings [4]. A typical placement of s u c h t a p s on t h e windings of a single p h a s e i s shown in Fig. 1. These voltages a r e measured by

v(0,wt) Bo k ,
2

o sin( at - 0

)
+

$+( o1) sin[ w i t - ( Nr 0 1 + -B 2 0 k, k,- ( w2 ) sin[ W2t - ( Nr -

+ l B k,

e]
e]

'A"

PHASE TAPS R E W I R E D

A.

A .

A,

Fig. 1. Coil placement a n d t a p s one phase of a double layer lap winding having 7/9 slot pitch.

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where
8

electrical position with re s p e c t t o t h e stator 0 1 = Nrwr + 1 0 2 = NrOr - 1 W r = mechanical speed in electrical r a d / s e c o supply frequency in electrical ra d / s e c Nr number of rotor slots per pole pair Bo = modulus of fu n d a m e n t a l c o m p o n e n t of flux density kn amplitude ratio ( d e p e n d a n t on rotor current) k B x = coil c o n f i g u ra t i o n c o n s t a n t f o r x harmonic
=

--

T h i s equation h a s a zero value for all values of h except integer multiples of 3. Since h c o r r e s ponds t o N r + l for t h e u p p e r side b a n d a n d N r - 1 for t h e lower s i d e b a n d , if t h e number of rotor slots is not a multiple of t h r e e t h e n one a n d only one of t h e rotor s l o t h a r m o n i c s will remain. Generally b e c a us e of noise a n d vibration problems, t h e number of rotor slots is a non multiple of t h r e e 12.81. By summing the t h r e e coil voltages all harmonics, except t h e desired slot harmonic a n d other harmonics t h a t are multiples of three, c a n be eliminated. Figure 3 s h o w s a s p e c t r u m of t h e waveform obtained when summing t h e voltages of a proper s e t of t h r e e of t h e flux s e n s i n g coils. By comparing this g r a p h t o Fig. 2 a large decrease in all harmonics not a multiple of 3 is easily discernible. The frequency of
U ) s t a n d s out clearly from t h e rest concern ( N w r i of t h e harmonics, larger t h a n all of t h e m except t he third.

T h i s equation s h o w s t h e o u t p u t voltage h a s c o m p o n e n t s t h a t are dependent on t h e rotor s p e e d in b o t h m a g n i t u d e a n d f r e q u e n c y . Speed i n f o r m a t i o n is difficult t o e x t ra c t from t h e flux voltage magnitude because t h i s magnitude depends n o t only on rotor s p e e d but also on flux level settings a n d loading conditions. In particular t h e amplitude ratio ( k, ) is a function of rotor current, increasing a s the rotor current increases a n d making the induced voltage magnitude d e p e n d a n t on t h e load conditions of t h e motor. Because t h e magnitude is dependent on t h e s e other parameters, s p e e d information c a n be more easily extracted from t h e frequency of t h e s e harmonics. I n o r d e r t o e x t r a c t t h e flux h a r m o n i c i t is desirable t o have a s t r o n g flux ripple component t o s t a r t with. Although t h e rotor ripple component in m o s t m o t o r s c a n b e u s e d t o find t h e r i p p l e frequency, motors a r e generally designed t o reduce t h e s e h a r m o n i c s . F o r e x a m p l e ro t or s l o t s a r e t y p i c a l l y s k e w e d t o reduce a u d i b l e n o i s e a n d eliminate a s y n c h r o n o u s crawling during line s t a r t s c a u s e d by t h e s e h a r m o n i c s . A m a c h i n e with unskewed rotor s l o t s would produce s t r o n g e r s l o t h a r m o n i c s a n d therefore would be more desirable for extracting frequency information. Although t h i s may c a u s e s o m e p r o b l e m with noise, line s t a r t s would n o t be required for t h e motor eliminating t h e problem of asynchronous crawling. ISOLATION O F SLOT HARMONIC I n a real s i t u a t i o n t h e s l o t h a r m o n i c s a r e smaller t h e n many o t h e r harmonics available from a s t a t o r coil. An example of a spectrum of t h e voltage from a s t a t o r coil is shown in Fig. 2. It is s e e n t h a t u n d e r no load t h e larger of t h e two slot harmonics is sm a l l e r t h a n t h e third, fifth a n d seventh harmonics a n d comparable t o the other harmonics. These undesired h a rm o n i c s have t o be reduced before t h e slot harmonic can be used in s p e e d control. One technique t h a t c a n be employed t o reduce m a n y of t h e s e h a r m o n i c s is to s u m voltages from t h r e e coils s e p a r a t e d by 120 electrical degrees [2]. F o r a given harmonic, h , t h e voltage resulting from s u c h a harmonic would have t h e general form of

Since s u m m i n g of t h r e e coils reduced many h a r m o n i c s , consideration was given t o using all six coils in t h e flux s e n s i n g s y s t e m t o further reduce u n d e s i r e d h a r m o n i c s i n c l u d i n g t h e third. By multiplying each coil by a gain t h e total voltage for a given harmonic c a n be represented by

SLOT HDRMONIC

>
n

-5
FREOUENCY ( K H Z )

Fig.

2. S p e c t r u m of voltage from a single t a p p e d s t a t o r winding. No load operation with 60 Hz. sine wave excitation.

SLOT HARMONIC

vh

k[ sin( A ) sin( A

2xh + sin( A - ) 3

21th +)1 3

( 2 )
214

Fig. 3.Spectrum of voltage from s u m of 3 coils under no load with 60 Hz sine wave excitation.

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switched at frequency f
(3)

c,

Programs were developed t o find optimum gain settings for reduction of different harmonics. The g a i n s t h a t were found, however, generally reduced t h e desired harmonic a s well a s t h e undesired harmonics. The net result showed little advantage over t h e use of a single coil. The b e s t isolation of t h e desired harmonic was therefore found by simply summing voltages from coils in each phase. Switched Capacitor Filters After summing the voltages of tapped winding flux se n so r s from each of the three phases, the third harmonic is t h e only major component other t h a n t h e desired slot harmonic. Since t h e slot harmonic frequency is typically on the order of five times t h a t of t h e third harmonic, it should be possible t o use a s h a r p filter t o isolate the slot harmonic. In variable sp e e d applications, however, t h e frequency could vary over a range of fifty t o one. Thus one filter with a c o n st a n t cutoff frequency could not be used in a typical variable speed application. One economical method of o b t a i n i n g a n a d j u st a b l e cutoff frequency is t o u s e switched capacitor filters. These allow for simple adjustment of the cutoff frequency by regulating t h e switching frequency of the switched capacitor integrators, the basic element in a switched capacitor filter. A schematic of a switched capacitor integrator is shown in Fig. 4. The operation of s u c h a n integrator is described in 1 6 1 . Essentially when switch Q is closed a n d ? is open a charge ( Q = V1 C 1) is accumulated on capacitor C1. When Q opens a n d T closes t h e charge is transferred t o capacitor Cf. For a switching period T t h e average current transferred to this capacitor is I = -Q =T
(4)

Fig. 4 . Simplified schematic of switched capacitor integrator.

Fig. 5. Spectrum of voltage from s u m of t a p p e d windings with a switched capacitor filter. No l o a d o p e r a t i o n with 60 Hz, s i n e wave excitation.
b e s t isolation of t h e desired slot harmonic. This is the method used in the final implementation. RETRIEVING FREQUENCY INFORMATION Once t h e desired slot harmonic is sufficiently i s o l a t e d , t h e frequency information m u s t be extracted from t h i s signal. Methods have been developed t h a t u s e zero crossing techniques t o determine t h e frequency of t h e slot harmonic [2,3]. These methods work well a t frequencies above 10 Hz b u t a r e complex t o implement. A s i m p l e r method of generating a n output voltage proportional t o t h e rotor s l o t frequency c a n be implemented using a frequency slaved loop (FSL). Circuits similar t o FSLs have been used for many years 171. A block diagram of such a system is given in Fig. 6. Without a n y input voltage (V,) t he VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) will generate a frequency related t o t h e b a s e frequency input (Vf). When a slot frequency is applied a t V, the signal is multiplied by t h e VCO signal t o create a b e a t frequency. If t h e VCO frequency a n d t h e s l o t frequency are close enough, t h e beat frequency will be low enough t o p a s s through the low p a s s filter and modify t h e VCO output. The VCO signal will continue t o be modified until it locks onto t h e signal a t Vs. The output voltage (V,,t) is always directly r e l a t e d t o VCO f r e q u e n c y a n d , u n d e r t h e s e conditions. would be related t o the frequency a t Vs. The base frequency input (Vf)was chosen t o be (Nr+1) times the s t a t o r frequency. Since this differs from t h e s p e e d s i g n a l by only N, t i m e s s l i p frequency. locking o n t o t h e signal was found t o occur quite reliably.

The average output voltage would be the integral of this current o r

(5)
Thus by changing t h e period of switching, t h e integrator gain (C 1/CfT) can be changed. Using such integrators a s energy storage devices in filters will allow for e a s y adjustment of cutoff frequencies. These types of filters a r e available commercially for many different configurations. The filter used for this study is a 6 pole Chebyshev band-pass filter. Figure 5 shows t h e spectrum resulting from the application of a switched capacitor filter t o the s u m of t h e t a p p e d s t a t o r windings from t h e three phases. From t h i s figure it is seen t h a t t h e desired sl o t harmonic 1s well isolated from all t h e o t h e r harmonics. Of t h e m e t h o d s c o n s i d e re d , u s i n g t h e switched capacitor filter with t h e s u m of voltages from a flux coil in each of t h e three phases gives t h e
Ll 15

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PASS

vco-

A
T

LOCKED RANGE DECREASING FREQUENCIES

CENTER FREQUENCY UNLOCKS
L
F

LOCKED RANGE INCREASING FREQUENCIES

When t h e circuit is locked t h e s y s t e m c a n be described by t h e linear system shown in Fig. 7. The transfer function for this system is

Fig. 8. I m p o r t a n t frequencies for frequency slaved

loop. Practically t h e c e n t e r frequency n e e d s t o be filtered t o e l i m i n a t e r i p p l e f r e q u e n c i e s in t h e calculated synchronous frequency. These ripples are c a u s e d by noise a n d offsets in t h e flux readings used in t h e frequency calculations. Without this filter t he FSL l o c k s only in ideal circumstances. T h e filter, however, c a u s e s t h e c e n t e r frequency for t h e FSL t o lag behind t h e desired center frequency. If t h i s lag is large enough t h e system c a n move beyond t h e holdin limit a n d become unlocked. For a first order low p a s s filter with a filter t i m e c o n s t a n t of zf t h e acceleration limit becomes

While t h e system re s p o n s e t o c h a n g e s in frequency will d e p e n d o n t h e p a r a m e t e r s e t t i n g s , s o m e i m p o r t a n t general observations c a n be made. F o r example, t h e r e is no s t e a d y s t a t e error for a s t e p change in speed. When choosing t h e p a r a m e t e r s t o c o n t r o l t h e t r a n s i e n t r e s p o n s e t h e t h e lock-in frequency range, t h e hold-in frequency range, a n d t r a n si e n t limits must also be considered.

The choice of lock-in a n d hold-in frequencies will therefore have a major effect on t h e acceleration rate. T h e lock-in r a n g e is usually s m a l l t o he l p prevent locking on undesired signals. The hold-in range is also fairly small t o keep t h e system relatively well d a m p e d . T h i s defines a limit on t h e rate of acceleration of t h e machine. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Fig. 7 . Linearized equivalent for frequency slaved

loop circuit. The hold-in range is t h e s p a n of frequencies from t h e b a s e frequency setting (Vf) t o t h e frequency where t h e FSL will remain locked after having been initially locked (see Fig. 8).This c a n be shown t o be t h e range in which t h e s t e a d y s t a t e p h a s e e r r o r r e m a i n s linearly c o n t i n u o u s [SI. T h i s c a n b e approximated a s (7) The lock-in range i s t h e s p a n of frequencies from t h e c e n t e r frequency t o t h e frequency where t h e s y s t e m will initially lock ( s e e frequency c a n be shown t o be given by A s p e e d c o n t r o l s y s t e m w a s i m p l e m e nt e d u s i n g t h e flux ripple detection s c h e m e described. The system, a s shown in the block diagram of Fig. 9, is built a r o u n d a field o r i e n t e d c o n t r o l ( F O C ) i m p l e m e n t e d o n a n IBM/AT. E x p e r i m e n t s were performed t o investigate t h e s y s t e m behavior for both steady state a n d transient operating conditions.

SPEED REGULATOR -b ("r

Fig. 8). T h i s

I7

CAPACITOR FILTER ~ M O T O 3

Fig. 9.
216

Block dlagram of s p e e d control system.

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Steady State Operation

The steady state operation of the FSL system was determined for both the straight and skewed rotor slot motors by measuring t h e speed under different load torques for different speed commands. An example of the speed-torque relationship for a frequency c o m m a n d n e a r t h e middle of t h e operating range is shown in Fig. 10. The FSL system with both the skewed and straight rotor slots show little change in speed until the current limit of the inverter t a k e s precedence around full load. I n comparison a frequency control system shows a gradual decrease in speed a s torque is increased. The commanded operating point for each condition varied slightly because of hardware and software adjustments. The overall range in which t h e system h a s good speed regulation i s shown in fig. 11. For this figure good speed regulation was defined a s a speed droop from no load to full load of less then 5.5 RPM with a standard deviation of less than 3 RPM and no noticeable speed transients. The system was limited a t high speeds because of a voltage limit on the drive. At high torques t h e system was limited by t h e current capability of the drive. At low speeds the steady state operation is limited because the slot ripple signal is reduced making it difficult t o get a reliable speed signal. This is especially true a t light loads when the rotor current is small. For the most part there was little difference in t h e operation a r e a between t h e unskewed a n d skewed rotor machines. The unskewed rotor was, however, able to regulate a t speeds approximately 50 RPM less t h a n the skewed rotor thus adding t o the overall operating range. Also with the unskewed rotor the boundaries for the regulation region are more regular creating a more definite boundary for the regulation limit.

1000

VOLTAGE

800
n

600
W

n
W

2 400
v)

REGULATlON

200
0I
0.40 0.60

0.80

1.00 1.20

TORQUE (PU) SKEWED ROTOR LIMIT STRAIGHT ROTOR LIMIT

Fig. 11. Steady state operating range for FSL system.

Transient Opera tion

One method of examining the overall system performance is to study the response of the system t o a s t e p in speed command. Typically the response t o a small s t e p in speed command was found to be acceptable a s shown in Fig. 12. The behavior is essentially t h a t of a linear system and by adjusting system gains trade-offs c a n be made between rise time and overshoot. F o r larger c h a n g e s in s p e e d c o m m a n d nonlinearities in the system become limiting factors in t h e response. One serious limitation i s t h a t the frequency slave loop output lags behind the actual speed rise. This lag exists because t h e frequency supplied t o t h e FSL is highly filtered t o eliminate noise problems. Because of t h i s lag, there i s a

500

T ROTOR

z n
v

480
WED ROTOR

460

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1 . 2 0

TORQUE (PU)
0
1

2 TIME (SEC)

Fig. 10. Speed-torque relationships for a FSL system with a speed command near the middle of its operating range
217

Fig. 12.Response t o a small s t e p in speed for the system with low gain settings.

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considerable overshoot in t h e system re s p o n s e t o a large change in s p e e d command. An example of this overshoot is shown in fig. 13. To reduce t h i s lag t h e bandwidth of t h e filter in t h e b a s e frequency of t h e FSL could be increased. When t h i s bandwidth is increased t h e overshoot is considerably reduced a s s e e n in Fig. 14. Because of t h e additional noise on t h e b a s e frequency, however, t h e FSL h a s more difficulty locking o n t o t h e s l o t ripple s e r i o u s l y degrading its steady state performance.

F o r a typical s p e e d control a p p l i c a t i o n i t is i m p o r t a n t t o have good s p e e d regulation u n d e r t o r q u e l o a d d i s t u r b a n c e s . Figure 15 s h o w s t h e s y s t e m r e s p o n s e for a large s t e p change of half t h e rated load. Initially t h e s p e e d d r o p s a b o u t 10% but recovers in 500 msec. T h i s r e s p o n s e is f a r from s e r v o g r a d e p e r f o r m a n c e b u t is r e a s o n a b l e for mode rat e performance a p p 1i c a t i o n s.

CONCLUSION S p e e d information is available from s t a t o r winding voltages u s i n g a s y s t e m t h a t includes a switched capacitor filter a n d a frequency slaved loop. With t h i s s p e e d information a s p e e d control s y st e m c a n b e built w i t h o u t t h e u s e of a t a c h o m e t e r . Although t h e s p e e d regulator developed was limited in its o p e r a t i n g range a n d showed only moderate performance s u c h a s y s t e m could be u s e d in many a p p l i c a t i o n s w h e r e h i g h p e r f o r m a n c e is n o t required. I t w a s also found t h a t some improvements c a n be made by u s i n g a m a c h i n e with unskewed rotor b a r s instead of t h e conventional skewed rotor.
1

1000

800 -

00

2 TIME (SEC)

REFERENCES

Fig.

13. r e s p o n s e for a large s t e p in s p e e d command.

[ I ] R. J o e t t e n a n d G. Maeder,' Control Methods for Good Dynamic P e r f o r m a n c e I n d u c t i o n Motor Drives B a s e d on Current a n d Voltage a s Measured Bu a n t iti es.' in Procee d i n e s o f In tern at ion a1
[ 2 ] M. I s h i d a a n d K. Iwata,' New Slip Frequency Detector of a n Induction Motor Utilizing Rotor Slot Harmonics,' in Proceedings o f the International Semicon ductor Power Con version Conference, 1982. pp. 408-415 [3]M. I s h i d a , K. H a y a s h i , a n d M. Ueda,' A S pe e d Detection Method of Squirrel-Cage I n d u c t i on Motor Utilizing Rotor Slot Harmonics in Air Gap a n d I t s Application t o Slip Frequency Control,' Electrical Engineering in Japan, Vol. 90. No. 3, pp. 74.84, 1979

1000

800 -

5
r n
w W n
0

i?

600 400 -

200 0,

Fig.

IA-22, No. 4, pp. 731-737, Julj/A;i 14. S p e e d r e s p o n s e for a large s t e p in s p e e d c o m m a n d with wide b a n d w i d t h In b a s e frequency f iI t e r.

1986.

[5] D. Zinger, F. Profumo, T. A. Lipo, a n d D. W.

Novotny,' A Direct Field Oriented Controller for Induction Drives Using T a p p e d S t a t o r Windings,' in PESC '88 Record, 1988, pp. 855-861. 1 6 1 B. J. H a s t i c k a , R. W. Broderso, a n d P. R. Gray, 'MOS S a m p l e d D a t a Recursive F i l t e r s Using Switched Capacitor Integrators,' IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, vol. SC-12, No. 6, pp. 600608, Dec. 1977. [7] C. M. Chie a n d W. C. Lindsey, eds., Phase Locked Loops, :New York IEEE Press,1986. [8] P. L. Alger, Induction M a c h i n e s : New York: Gordon a n d Breach, 1970. [9] Gadner,Phaselock Techniques : J o h n Wiley a n d S o n s , 1966.

800 -

9
U

400
200

0-I

1
0

'

I
1

2
TIME (SEC)

Fig. 15. Speed response t o a 0.5 P U s t e p increase in

load.
218

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