Electric Drive System Redundant Control Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric drive systems are unreliable as they can be halted by the failure of a single master unit, making them unsuitable for applications requiring high reliability.
Innovation Solution
The electric drive system includes a torque controller for each drive and a shared speed controller that generates a common output torque signal, allowing each drive to operate independently, with redundant control units ensuring continued operation even if multiple drives fail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a master-slave control structure is used with one master unit and several slave units, then the system can be controlled centrally and operation is simplified, but failure of the master unit stops the whole electric drive system
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into independent control units, each capable of autonomous operation. Each electric drive has its own control unit that can function independently, eliminating the single point of failure in master-slave architectures. This segmentation allows the system to maintain operational continuity even when individual control units fail.
2Adaptability or versatility
If one electric drive is designated as master and others as slaves, then coordination is achieved, but the system lacks redundancy and high reliability
Solution Approach 1:
Each control unit is designed with universal functionality, capable of performing both master and slave roles as needed. This multi-functionality allows any control unit to take over coordination responsibilities if another unit fails, providing inherent redundancy and high reliability while maintaining coordination capabilities through dynamic role assignment.
3Reliability
If electric drives operate independently with individual torque controllers, then failure of one drive does not affect others, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining independent torque controllers for each electric drive, the system merges the speed control functionality into a shared resource that can be accessed by all control units. This combining approach reduces overall system complexity by eliminating redundant speed control algorithms while preserving the operational independence and reliability benefits of individual torque control.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric drive system comprising several electric drives, each of which comprises an electric motor, and a control system which is arranged to control said several electric drives and comprises a first outer controller and a first speed controller. A signal supplied to the input of the first speed controller is generated by using the output signal of said first outer controller, and the first speed controller is arranged to generate an output torque signal at its output. The control system further comprises a torque controller per each electric drive, which torque controller is arranged to control the torque of the corresponding electric motor. A signal supplied to the input of each torque controller is generated by using the output torque signal of the first speed controller.