Centralized Power Distribution for Decentralized Inverters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In electric powertrains with multiple rotary electric machines, existing control strategies struggle to efficiently distribute power across decentralized systems while ensuring sufficient power reserves for fast actuator tasks like active damping and wheel-flare mitigation, especially under non-linear power constraints.
Innovation Solution
A centralized supervisory controller calculates a total required power level and distributes it to individual electric motors, incorporating a reserve power margin, using open-loop control logic to ensure each motor receives its allocated power without exceeding shared power supply limits, allowing for independent motor control and fast actuator operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a decentralized control strategy is used for multiple electric motors, then each motor can be controlled independently with fast response, but the shared power supply cannot be efficiently managed and power reserves cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides control into two segments: a centralized supervisory controller that manages overall power distribution and a decentralized motor control processors that execute local torque control. This segmentation allows independent motor control while ensuring coordinated power management from the shared power supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized supervisory controller acts as an intermediary between the shared power supply and multiple decentralized motor controllers. It calculates total power requirements, distributes power allocations to each motor, and ensures power reserves are maintained, thereby coordinating the decentralized control system.
2Productivity
If power is distributed to all electric motors without reservation, then maximum power utilization is achieved, but no power reserve remains for fast actuator tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The supervisory controller performs preliminary calculation of total power requirements including a reserved power margin before distributing power to individual motors. This preliminary action ensures that fast actuator tasks have guaranteed power availability while maximizing power utilization for propulsion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts power distribution parameters based on operating conditions, modifying the power allocation to each motor while maintaining a reserved power margin. This allows optimal power utilization during normal operation while ensuring reliability for fast actuator tasks when needed.
3Productivity
If a centralized control system manages all motor control, then power distribution is optimized, but communication latency increases and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Control functions are segmented between a centralized supervisory controller for power distribution decisions and decentralized motor control processors for local torque execution. This segmentation reduces communication latency by keeping fast torque control local while maintaining centralized optimization for power management.
Solution Approach 2:
The decentralized motor control processors execute partial control actions independently for fast torque response, while the centralized supervisory controller performs the necessary power distribution calculations. This partial decentralization minimizes communication requirements and reduces latency.
4Reliability
If the shared power supply is protected with strict power limits, then power supply reliability is ensured, but motor performance is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The power distribution system dynamically adjusts power allocation to motors based on real-time operating conditions, total power requirements, and available power reserves. This dynamic approach ensures power supply protection while allowing motors to achieve maximum performance when power is available.
Solution Approach 2:
The supervisory controller continuously monitors and adjusts power distribution parameters, modifying the power limits for each motor based on the state of the shared power supply. This allows the system to protect the power supply while maximizing motor power output when conditions permit.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for distributing electrical power to electric motors in an electric powertrain, in which the electric motors are electrically connected to a shared power supply, includes receiving input signals via a supervisory controller. The input signals include a total torque request of the electric powertrain and electrical limits of the power supply. The method includes determining an open-loop torque command for each respective motor in response to the input signals. In response to the total torque request and the power supply limits, the controller also determines maximum and minimum power limits of motor, with the maximum and minimum power limits including a calibrated power reserve for executing a predetermined torque operation. The method includes transmitting the open-loop torque command and the power limits to a respective motor control processor of each motor to thereby control the torque operation.