IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics
Special Section Papers on Sensorless
Control of Synchronous Machine Drives
1. P.P. Acarnley, J.F. Watson, "Review of position-sensorless operation of brushless permanent-magnet machines," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 352- 362, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: The operation of a brushless permanent-magnet machine requires rotor-position information, which is used to control the frequency and phase angle of the machine's winding currents. Sensorless techniques for estimating rotor position from measurements of voltage and current have been the subject of intensive research. This paper reviews the state of the art in these sensorless techniques, which are broadly classified into three types: motional electromotive force, inductance, and flux linkage.
2. S. Ichikawa, M. Tomita, S. Doki, S. Okuma, "Sensorless control of permanent-magnet synchronous motors using online parameter identification based on system identification theory," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 363- 372, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: An online parameter identification method and sensorless control using identified parameters were realized in surface and interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (SPMSMs and IPMSMs, respectively). As this method does not use rotor position or velocity to identify motor parameters, the identified parameters are not affected by position estimation error under sensorless control. The proposed method can be applied to all kinds of synchronous motors. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by experiments in both SPMSMs and IPMSMs.
3. C. Silva, G.M. Asher, M. Sumner, "Hybrid rotor position observer for wide speed-range sensorless PM motor drives including zero speed," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 373- 378, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of wide speed-range sensorless control of a surface-mount permanent-magnet (SMPM) machine including zero-speed operation. A hybrid structure integrating a flux observer and signal-injection techniques is proposed, which results in a rotor position signal independent of motor parameters at low and zero speed. Although the SMPM machine typically has a very low geometric saliency, the injection technique is effective in tracking the saturation-induced saliency produced by the stator flux. Experimental results are presented showing an excellent performance for both the sensorless speed and position control using an off-the-shelf SMPM machine.
4. M. Jansson, L. Harnefors, O. Wallmark, M. Leksell, "Synchronization at startup and stable rotation reversal of sensorless nonsalient PMSM drives," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 379- 387, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: In this paper, a variant of the well-known "voltage model" is applied to rotor position estimation for sensorless control of nonsalient permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Particular focus is on a low-speed operation. It is shown that a guaranteed synchronization from any initial rotor position and stable reversal of rotation can be accomplished, in both cases under load. Stable rotation reversal is accomplished by making the estimator insensitive to the stator resistance. It is also shown that the closed-loop speed dynamics are similar to those of a sensored drive for speeds above approximately 0.1 per unit, provided that the model stator inductance is underestimated. Experimental results support the theory.
5. S. Shinnaka, "New sensorless vector control using minimum-order flux state observer in a stationary reference frame for permanent-magnet synchronous motors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 388- 398, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper proposes a new sensorless vector control method that can be applied to both of salient-pole and nonsalient-pole permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). The proposed method estimates the phase of a rotor flux by a newly developed state observer in a stationary reference frame for sensorless vector controls of PMSMs. The flux state observer has the following attractive features: 1) it requires no steady-state conditions for the dynamic mathematical model of the motor; 2) its order is the minimum second; 3) a single observer gain is simply constant over a wide operating range and can be easily designed; 4) it utilizes motor parameters in a very simple manner; and 5) its structure is very simple and can be realized at a very low computational load. The proposed speed-estimation method, which exploits the inherent physical relation of integration/derivation between phase and speed, is very simple and can properly estimate rotor speed. The usefulness of the proposed method is examined and confirmed through extensive experiments.
6. Jul-Ki Seok, Jong-Kun Lee, Dong-Choon Lee, "Sensorless speed control of nonsalient permanent-magnet synchronous motor using rotor-position-tracking PI controller," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 399- 405, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper presents a new velocity estimation strategy of a nonsalient permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive without a high-frequency signal injection or special pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) pattern. This approach is based on the d-axis current regulator output voltage of the drive system that has the information of rotor position error. Rotor velocity can be estimated through a rotor-position-tracking proportional-integral (PI) controller that controls the position error to zero. For zero and low-speed operation, the PI controller gains of rotor position tracking controller have a variable structure according to the estimated rotor velocity. In order to boost the bandwidth of the PI controller around zero speed, a loop recovery technique is applied to the control system. The proposed method only requires the flux linkage of the permanent magnet and is insensitive to parameter estimation error and variation. The designers can easily determine the possible operating range with a desired bandwidth and perform vector control even at low speeds. The experimental results show the satisfactory operation of the proposed sensorless algorithm under rated load conditions.
7. C. De Angelo, G. Bossio, J. Solsona, G.O. Garcia, M.I. Valla, "Mechanical sensorless speed control of permanent-magnet AC motors driving an unknown load," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 406- 414, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A new sensorless scheme for high-performance speed control of permanent-magnet ac motors (PMACMs) driving an unknown load is proposed. This scheme uses an extended nonlinear reduced-order observer to estimate the induced electromotive force (EMF) and load torque. From the estimated variables, the rotor position, the rotor speed, and the position derivative of flux are calculated and are used to close the control loop. In order to improve the drive performance, the estimated load torque is incorporated as a feedforward signal in the closed control loop. In addition, the proposed sensorless PMACM drive allows the torque-ripple and copper-loss minimization for motors with an arbitrary EMF waveform. Simulation and experimental results to validate the proposal are presented in this paper.
8. M. Morimoto, K. Aiba, T. Sakurai, A. Hoshino, M. Fujiwara, "Position sensorless starting of super high-speed PM Generator for micro gas turbine," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 415- 420, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Position sensorless speed control of super high-speed permanent magnet (PM) motor for micro gas turbine generation system is described. Mechanically robust surface PM (SPM) generator is installed in a turbine system. This generator is used as the starting motor. The sensorless control of the synchronous generator/motor is done by using voltage/frequency (V/F) control strategy without current loop. After the simulation of the proposed strategy, no-load starting test of the generator and actual starting test of the gas-turbine system are done. The proposed sensorless-control system can start and control the PM motor from zero to 30 000 r/min. The results show that the proposed system is robust for accelerating the generator even in the existence of the disturbance caused by the ignition of the turbine.
9. J.X. Shen, S. Iwasaki, "Sensorless control of ultrahigh-speed PM brushless motor using PLL and third harmonic back EMF," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 421- 428, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) ML4425 is often used for sensorless control of permanent-magnet (PM) brushless direct current (BLDC) motor drives. It integrates the terminal voltage of the unenergized winding that contains the back electromotive force (EMF) information and uses a phase-locked loop (PLL) to determine the proper commutation sequence for the BLDC motor. However, even without pulsewidth modulation, the terminal voltage is distorted by voltage pulses due to the freewheel diode conduction. The pulses, which appear very wide in an ultrahigh-speed (120 kr/min) drive, are also integrated by the ASIC. Consequently, the motor commutation is significantly retarded, and the drive performance is deteriorated. In this paper, it is proposed that the ASIC should integrate the third harmonic back EMF instead of the terminal voltage, such that the commutation retarding is largely reduced and the motor performance is improved. Basic principle and implementation of the new ASIC-based sensorless controller will be presented, and experimental results will be given to verify the control strategy. On the other hand, phase delay in the motor currents arises due to the influence of winding inductance, reducing the drive performance. Therefore, a novel circuit with discrete components is proposed. It also uses the integration of third harmonic back EMF and the PLL technique and provides controllable advanced commutation to the BLDC motor.
10. P. Guglielmi, M. Pastorelli, A. Vagati, "Impact of cross-saturation in sensorless control of transverse-laminated synchronous reluctance motors," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 429- 439, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Synchronous reluctance (SyR) motors are well suited to a zero-speed sensorless control, because of their inherently salient behavior. However, the cross-saturation effect can lead to large errors on the position estimate, which is based on the differential anisotropy. These errors are quantified in the paper, as a function of the working point. The so-calculated errors are then found in good accordance with the purposely obtained experimental measurements. The impact of the amplitude of the carrier voltage is then pointed out, leading to a mixed (carrier injection plus electromotive force estimation) control scheme. Last, a scheme of this type is used, with a commercial transverse-laminated SyR motor. The robustness against cross-saturation is shown, in practice, and the obtained drive performance is pointed out proving to be effective for a general-purpose application.
11. A. Arias, C.A. Silva, G.M. Asher, J.C. Clare, P.W. Wheeler, "Use of a matrix converter to enhance the sensorless control of a surface-mount permanent-magnet AC motor at zero and low frequency," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 440- 449, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper addresses the use of a matrix converter (MC) with high-frequency voltage injection for zero- and low-speed sensorless control of surface mount permanent magnet alternating current motors. This paper also proposes a dual compensation technique that can practically eliminate zero-current-crossing distortions in MCs, discusses the effect of such distortions on sensorless control using injection techniques, and presents experimental results that illustrate the enhanced low-speed sensorless performance that can be obtained from exploiting the effective linearity of the MC operation.
Power Electronics
12. K. Borisov, T.E. Calvert, J.A. Kleppe, E. Martin, A.M. Trzynadlowski, "Experimental investigation of a naval propulsion drive model with the PWM-based attenuation of the acoustic and electromagnetic noise," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 450- 457, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: An extensive experimental investigation of a 40-hp ac drive was conducted with the focus on mitigation of the acoustic and electromagnetic noise, and vibration, by means of random pulsewidth modulation (RPWM) employed in the drive's inverter. The drive was a laboratory model of an electric propulsion system for naval vessels, particularly electric submarines, in which the noise mitigation is crucial for survivability. Three PWM methods were compared: 1) the classic deterministic PWM, characterized by a constant switching period equal to the sampling period of the digital modulator; 2) the known RPWM technique, referred to as RPWM I, in which the switching and sampling periods are varied simultaneously in a random manner; and 3) a novel RPWM method, referred to as RPWM II, with a constant sampling period and the switching periods randomly varied around an average value equal to the sampling period. The experimental results have confirmed the mitigating properties of RPWM with respect to the acoustic and electromagnetic noise, and vibration. Because of the fixed sampling frequency, the RPWM II technique is technically more convenient than the classic RPWM I method and only marginally less effective in flattening the peaks of noise spectra. Importantly, conclusions drawn from the described study are valid for ac drives in general.
13. L.G. Franquelo, Ma.A.M. Prats, R.C. Portillo, J.I.L. Galvan, M.A. Perales, J.M. Carrasco, E.G. Diez, J.L.M. Jimenez, "Three-dimensional space-vector modulation algorithm for four-leg multilevel converters using abc coordinates," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 458- 466, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: In this paper, a novel three-dimensional (3-D) space-vector algorithm for four-leg multilevel converters is presented. It can be applied to active power filters or neutral-current compensator applications for mitigating harmonics and zero-sequence components using abc coordinates (referred from now on this paper as natural coordinates). This technique greatly simplifies the selection of the 3-D region where a given voltage vector is supposed to be found. Compared to a three-level modulation algorithm for three-leg multilevel converters, this algorithm does not increase its complexity and the calculations of the active vectors with the corresponding switching time that generate the reference voltage vector. In addition, the low-computational cost of the proposed algorithm is always the same and it is independent of the number of levels of the converter.
14. C.B. Jacobina, T.M. Oliveira, E.R.C. da Silva, "Control of the single-phase three-leg AC/AC converter," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 467- 476, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper investigates the control of a single-phase three-leg ac/ac reversible converter in which a leg is shared by both the grid and the load side. Pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) techniques based on scalar and vector approaches are developed, introducing the concept of local and general apportioning factor and, also, a complete equivalence between scalar and space vector PWM. A hysteresis current controller capable of taking into account the shared leg is developed and a zero current error linear controller is presented. Furthermore, a control strategy to obtain maximum utilization of the dc-bus voltage is proposed. In addition, several relevant characteristics of the converter are addressed, such as voltage rating, harmonic distortion, shared leg and capacitor currents, and power rating. The converter is compared to four-leg and two-leg converters. Experimental results are presented.
15. M.E. Ortuzar, R.E. Carmi, J.W. Dixon, L. Moran, "Voltage-source active power filter based on multilevel converter and ultracapacitor DC link," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 477- 485, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A new topology for active power filters (APF) using an 81-level converter is analyzed. Each phase of the converter is composed of four three-state converters, all of them connected to the same capacitor dc link voltage and their output connected in series through output transformers. The main advantages of this kind of converter are the negligible harmonic distortion obtained and the very low switching frequency operation. The single-phase equivalent circuit is analyzed and their governing equations derived. The dc link voltage control, based on manipulating the converter's voltage phase, is analyzed together with the circuit's characteristics that determine the capability to draw or deliver active and reactive current. Simulation results for this application are compared with conventional pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) converters, showing that this filter can compensate load current harmonics, keeping better-quality sinusoidal currents from the source. The simulated configuration uses a 1-F ultracapacitor in the dc link, making it possible to store energy and deliver it during short voltage dips. This is achieved by applying a modulation control to maintain a stable ac voltage during dc voltage drops. A prototype of the filter was implemented and tested, and the obtained current waveforms showed to be as good as expected.
16. E. Koutroulis, K. Kalaitzakis, "Design of a maximum power tracking system for wind-energy-conversion applications," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 486- 494, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A wind-generator (WG) maximum-power-point-tracking (MPPT) system is presented, consisting of a high-efficiency buck-type dc/dc converter and a microcontroller-based control unit running the MPPT function. The advantages of the proposed MPPT method are that no knowledge of the WG optimal power characteristic or measurement of the wind speed is required and the WG operates at a variable speed. Thus, the system features higher reliability, lower complexity and cost, and less mechanical stress of the WG. Experimental results of the proposed system indicate near-optimal WG output power, increased by 11%-50% compared to a WG directly connected via a rectifier to the battery bank. Thus, better exploitation of the available wind energy is achieved, especially under low wind speeds.
17. K. Kobayashi, H. Matsuo, Y. Sekine, "An excellent operating point tracker of the solar-cell power supply system," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 495- 499, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: When the solar array is used as an input power source, the excellent operating point tracker is often employed to exploit more effectively the solar array as an electric power source and to obtain the maximum electric power at all times even when the light intensity and environmental temperature of the solar array are varied. Usually, the excellent operating point is determined by computing the electric power from the solar-array power supply with a microcomputer, digital signal processor, etc. However, such a method has the following problems: 1) complex control-circuit configuration; 2) high cost; and 3) low control speed. From this viewpoint, this paper proposes a new excellent operating point tracker of the solar-cell power supply system, in which inexpensive p-n junction diodes are used to generate the reference voltage of the operating point of the solar array. Using the proposed method, the high degree of the solar-array excellent point tracking performance can be obtained even when the light intensity and environmental temperature of the solar array are varied. Furthermore, this paper provides the operation principle, design-oriented analysis, etc., of the proposed solar-cell power supply system.
18. Chien-Ming Wang, "A new single-phase ZCS-PWM boost rectifier with high power factor and low conduction losses," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 500- 510, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper proposes a new single-phase high-power-factor rectifier, which features regulation by conventional pulsewidth modulation (PWM), soft commutation, and instantaneous average line current control. A new zero-current switching PWM (ZCS-PWM) auxiliary circuit is configured in the presented ZCS-PWM rectifier to perform ZCS in the active switches and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) in the passive switches. Furthermore, soft commutation of the main switch is achieved without additional current stress by the presented ZCS-PWM auxiliary circuit. A significant reduction in the conduction losses is achieved because of the following reasons: 1) the circulating current for the soft switching flows only through the auxiliary circuit; 2) a minimum number of switching devices are involved in the circulating current path; and 3) the proposed rectifier uses a single converter instead of the conventional configuration composed of a four-diode front-end rectifier followed by a boost converter. Seven transition states for describing the behavior of the ZCS-PWM rectifier in one switching period are described. The PWM-switch model is used to predict the system performance. A prototype rated at 1 kW, operating at 60 kHz, with an input alternating current voltage of 220 V/sub rms/ and an output voltage of 400 V/sub dc/, has been implemented in laboratory. An efficiency of 98.3% and a power factor over 0.99 have been measured. Analysis, design, and the control circuitry are also presented in this paper.
19. B. Choi, W. Lim, Sanghyun Bang, Seungwon Choi, "Small-signal analysis and control design of asymmetrical half-bridge DC-DC converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 511- 520, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper presents the small-signal modeling, dynamic analysis, and control design of the asymmetrical half-bridge dc-dc converter that employs a clamp capacitor and a magnetizing inductor to accommodate pulsewidth-modulated operation with asymmetrical duty ratios. The circuit averaging technique is applied to extract the small-signal dynamics of the power stage, and a graphical loop-gain method is used to design the feedback compensation and analyze the closed-loop performance of the converter. The distinctive power-stage dynamics of the converter are addressed and design guidelines for voltage feedback compensation are established. The results of the control design and closed-loop analysis are substantiated by experiments using an experimental converter.
20. J.J. Nelson, G. Venkataramanan, A.M. El-Refaie, "Fast thermal profiling of power semiconductor devices using Fourier techniques," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 521- 529, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Accurate prediction of temperature variation of power semiconductor devices in power electronic circuits is important to obtain optimum designs and estimate reliability levels. Temperature estimation of power electronic devices has generally been performed using transient thermal equivalent circuits. In the presence of varying load cycles, it has been typical to resort to a time-domain electrical simulation tool such as P-Spice or SABER to obtain a time series of the temperature profiles. However, for complex and periodic load cycles, time-series simulation is time consuming. In this paper, a fast Fourier analysis-based approach is presented for obtaining temperature profiles for power semiconductors. The model can be implemented readily into a spreadsheet or simple mathematical algebraic calculation software. The technique can be used for predicting lifetime and reliability level of power circuits easily. Details of the analytical approach and illustrative examples are presented in this paper.
21. F. Forest, J.-J. Huselstein, S. Faucher, M. Elghazouani, P. Ladoux, T.A. Meynard, F. Richardeau, C. Turpin, "Use of opposition method in the test of high-power electronic converters," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 530- 541, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: The test and the characterization of medium or high-power electronic converters, under nominal operating conditions, are made difficult by the requirement of high-power electrical source and load. In addition, the energy lost during the test may be very significant. The opposition method, which consists of an association of two identical converters supplied by the same source, one operating as a generator, the other as a receptor, can be a better way to do these test. Another advantage is the possibility to realize accurate measurements of the different losses in the converters under test. In the first part of this paper, the characteristics of the method concerning loss measurements are compared to those of the electrical or calorimetric methods, then it is shown how it can be applied to different types of power electronic converters, choppers, switched mode power supplies, and pulsewidth modulation inverters. In the second part, different examples of studies conducted by the authors, and using this method, are presented. They have varying goals, from the test of soft-switching inverters to the characterization of integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) devices mounted into 2-MW choppers.
Emerging Technology
22. Jun-Young Lee, Myung-Joong Youn, "An advanced sustaining technology for plasma display panel using voltage-balancing method," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 542- 553, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A cost-effective plasma display panel (PDP) sustainer employing current injection method (CIM) for energy recovery is proposed. Using a voltage-balancing technique, driver cost can be reduced by about 20%-30% compared with that of the conventional H-bridge driver by using low-voltage switches. The energy recovery performance can be improved by the current that is built up before the energy recovery operation. This buildup current is utilized to change the polarity of the panel electrode and provides additional variable to determine pulse slopes. Experimental results show that the voltage stress of switches connected in series is identically clamped to sustain voltage during sustain operation and that light is emitted more stably by independent control of the rising and falling slopes using CIM. Therefore, the proposed sustainer is expected to be suitable for a low-cost PDP sustaining driver requiring stable discharge characteristics.
23. R. Amirifar, N. Sadati, "Low-order H/sub /spl infin// controller design for an active suspension system via LMIs," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 554- 560, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: An application of a new controller order reduction technique with stability and performance preservation based on linear matrix inequality optimization to an active suspension system is presented. In this technique, the rank of the residue matrix of a proper rational approximation of a high-order H/sub /spl infin// controller subject to the H/sub /spl infin//-norm of a frequency-weighted error between the approximated controller and the high-order H/sub /spl infin// controller is minimized. However, because solving this matrix rank minimization problem is very difficult, the rank objective function is replaced with a nuclear-norm that can be reduced to a semidefinite program so that it can be solved efficiently. Application to the active suspension system of the Automatic Laboratory of Grenoble provides a fourth-order controller. The experimental results show that the control specifications are met to a large extent.
24. Kapjin Lee, Chulsoo Kim, Kyihwan Park, "Development of an eddy-current-type magnetic floor hinge," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 561- 568, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A magnetic floor hinge is suggested to use a magnetic damping characteristic obtained by the eddy-current effect. It has a superior advantages compared to the conventional hydraulic floor hinge. First, there exists no wear in the magnetic damper since the disk rotates between the magnets without contact. Second, the deviation of the damping torque is very small in varying seasons due to the low temperature dependence of the conductivity of the disk to which the magnetic damping torque is proportional. The analytical models obtained for the damping torque and the recovering torque are experimentally investigated. The cost optimal design is carried out using the analytical models while satisfying the performance requirements. The analytical results are compared with experimental results. Finally, a prototype of the magnetic floor hinge is built.
25. Rong-Jong Wai, Kuo-Ho Su, "Adaptive enhanced fuzzy sliding-mode control for electrical servo drive," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 569- 580, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: The design and properties of an adaptive enhanced fuzzy sliding-mode control (AEFSMC) system for an indirect field-oriented induction motor (IM) drive to track periodic commands are addressed in this study. A newly designed EFSMC system, in which a translation-width idea is embedded into the FSMC, is introduced initially. Moreover, to confront the uncertainties existed in practical applications, an adaptive tuner, which is derived in the sense of the Lyapunov stability theorem, is utilized to adjust the EFSMC parameter for further assuring robust and optimal control performance. The indirect field-oriented IM drive with the AEFSMC scheme possesses the salient advantages of simple control framework, free from chattering, stable tracking control performance, and robust to uncertainties. In addition, numerical simulation and experimental results due to periodic sinusoidal commands are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, and its advantages are indicated in comparison with FSMC and EFSMC systems.
26. C.H. Lo, Y.K. Wong, A.B. Rad, "Intelligent system for process supervision and fault diagnosis in dynamic physical systems," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 581- 592, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: In recent years, the increasing complexity of process plants and other engineered systems has extended the scope of interest in control engineering, which was previously focused on the development of controllers for specified performance criteria such as stability and precision. Modern industrial systems require a higher demand of system reliability, safety, and low-cost operation, which in turn call for sophisticated and elegant fault-detection and isolation algorithms. This paper develops an intelligent supervisory coordinator (ISC) for process supervision and fault diagnosis in dynamic physical systems. A qualitative bond graph modeling scheme, integrating artificial-intelligence techniques with control engineering, is used to construct the knowledge base of the ISC. A supervisor provided by the ISC utilizes the knowledge in the knowledge base to classify various system behaviors, coordinates different control tasks (e.g., fault diagnosis), and communicates system states to human operators. The ISC provides a robust semiautonomous system to assist human operators in managing dynamic physical systems. The proposed ISC has been successfully applied to supervise a laboratory-scale servo-tank liquid process rig.
27. A. Kusiak, S. Shah, "Data-mining-based system for prediction of water chemistry faults," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 593- 603, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Fault monitoring and prediction is of prime importance in process industries. Faults are usually rare, and, therefore, predicting them is difficult. In this paper, simple and robust alarm-system architecture for predicting incoming faults is proposed. The system is data driven, modular, and based on data mining of merged data sets. The system functions include data preprocessing, learning, prediction, alarm generation, and display. A hierarchical decision-making algorithm for fault prediction has been developed. The alarm system was applied for prediction and avoidance of water chemistry faults (WCFs) at two commercial power plants. The prediction module predicted WCFs (inadvertently leading to boiler shutdowns) for independent test data sets. The system is applicable for real-time monitoring of facilities with sparse historical fault data.
28. F. Jatta, G. Legnani, A. Visioli, "Friction compensation in hybrid force/velocity control of industrial manipulators," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 604- 613, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper deals with the implementation of a hybrid force/velocity controller for the automatic edge following of two-dimensional unknown planar contours performed by an industrial robot manipulator. In particular, the authors address the problem of compensating the joint friction effects that have to be taken into account in the controller design in order to achieve a reasonable performance with regards to normal force and tangential velocity errors. For that reason, two model-based friction-compensation methods are compared: a static method, based on a previously identified model, and an adaptive method, where joint friction parameters are recursively updated. By means of an extensive experimental activity, it is shown that, in spite of its simplicity and despite the friction effects changing in time during the robot operations, the devised adaptive procedure obtains a high performance in different operating conditions.
29. J. Moreno, M.E. Ortuzar, J.W. Dixon, "Energy-management system for a hybrid electric vehicle, using ultracapacitors and neural networks," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 614- 623, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A very efficient energy-management system for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), using neural networks (NNs), was developed and tested. The system minimizes the energy requirement of the vehicle and can work with different primary power sources like fuel cells, microturbines, zinc-air batteries, or other power supplies with a poor ability to recover energy from a regenerative braking, or with a scarce power capacity for a fast acceleration. The experimental HEV uses lead-acid batteries, an ultracapacitor (UCAP) bank, and a brushless dc motor with nominal power of 32 kW, and a peak power of 53 kW. The digital signal processor (DSP) control system measures and stores the following parameters: primary-source voltage, car speed, instantaneous currents in both terminals (primary source and UCAP), and actual voltage of the UCAP. When UCAPs were installed on the vehicle, the increase in range was around 5.3% in city tests. However, when optimal control with NN was used, this figure increased to 8.9%. The car used for this experiment is a Chevrolet light utility vehicle (LUV) truck, similar in shape and size to Chevrolet S-10, which was converted to an electric vehicle (EV) at the Universidad Catolica de Chile. Numerous experimental tests under different conditions are compared and discussed.
Control And Signal Processing
30. K. Ohno, T. Hara, "Adaptive resonant mode compensation for hard disk drives," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 624- 630, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper is concerned with a mechanical resonant mode compensation problem for hard disk drives. Conventional notch filters must have deep and wide enough frequency characteristics in order to accommodate all possible resonant mode characteristic perturbations, which result in deterioration in positioning accuracy and residual vibration after seeking. This paper proposes an easy-to-implement adaptive notch filter of which the center frequency follows the resonant frequency change. The basic idea of this adaptive filter is to balance two kinds of frequency weighted variances of the control input signal.
31. N. Muskinja, B. Tovornik, "Swinging up and stabilization of a real inverted pendulum," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 631- 639, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: The basic aim of the present work was to swing up a real pendulum from the pending position and to balance stably the pendulum at the upright position and further move the pendulum cart to a specified position on the pendulum rail in the shortest time. Different control strategies are compared and tested in simulations and in real-time experiments, where maximum acceleration of the pendulum pivot and length of the pendulum rail are limited. A comparison of fuzzy swinging algorithm with energy-based swinging strategies shows advantages of using fuzzy control theory in nonlinear real-time applications. An adaptive state controller was developed for a stabile, and in the same time optimal balancing of an inverted pendulum and a switching mechanism between swinging and balancing algorithm is proposed.
32. Rong-Jong Wai, Ching-Hsiang Tu, "Adaptive grey control for hybrid resonant driving linear piezoelectric ceramic motor," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 640- 656, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper presents an adaptive grey control (AGC) system for a linear piezoelectric ceramic motor (LPCM) driven by a newly designed hybrid resonant inverter. First, the motor configuration and the driving circuit of an LPCM are introduced, and its hypothetical dynamic model is described briefly. The hybrid resonant drive system has the merits of high voltage gain from a parallel resonant current source and the invariant output characteristic from a two-inductance two-capacitance (LLCC) resonant driving circuit. Since the dynamic characteristics and motor parameters of the LPCM are highly nonlinear and time varying, an AGC system is therefore investigated based on the principle of computed torque control and grey method to achieve high-precision position control under wide operation range. In this control system, a grey uncertainty predictor is utilized to estimate the lumped uncertainty on line to relax the requirement of the unknown uncertainty in the design of a computed torque position controller. In addition, the effectiveness of the proposed drive and control system is verified by numerical simulations and experimental results in the presence of uncertainties.
33. Rong-Jong Wai, Kuo-Ho Su, "Supervisory control for linear piezoelectric ceramic motor drive using genetic algorithm," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 657- 673, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: This paper presents a supervisory genetic algorithm (SGA) control system for a linear piezoelectric ceramic motor (LPCM) driven by a two-inductance two-capacitance resonant driving circuit. First, the motor configuration and driving circuit of an LPCM are introduced, and its hypothetical dynamic model is described briefly. Since the dynamic characteristics and motor parameters of the LPCM are highly nonlinear and time varying, an SGA control system is therefore investigated to achieve high-precision position control. The proposed SGA control system is composed of two parts. One is a GA control that is utilized to search an optimum control effort online via gradient descent training process, and the other is a supervisory control to stabilize the system states around a predefined bound region. Compared with conventional GA control systems, the proposed control scheme possesses the salient advantages of simple structure, fewer executing time, and good self-organizing properties. The effectiveness of the proposed driving circuit and control system is verified with numerical simulations and hardware experiments under the occurrence of uncertainties. In addition, the advantages of the proposed control scheme are indicated in comparison with a traditional integral-proportional position-control system.
34. Rong-Jong Wai, Li-Jung Chang, "Adaptive stabilizing and tracking control for a nonlinear inverted-pendulum system via sliding-mode technique," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 674- 692, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Since the system behaviors of a dual-axis inverted-pendulum mechanism including actuator dynamics are highly nonlinear, it is difficult to design a suitable control system that realizes real-time stabilization and accurate tracking control at all times. In this paper, an adaptive sliding-mode control system is implemented to control a dual-axis inverted-pendulum mechanism that is driven by permanent magnet synchronous motors. First, the energy conservation principle is adopted to build a mathematical model of the motor-mechanism-coupled system. Moreover, an adaptive sliding-mode control system is developed for stabilizing and tracking control of the dual-axis inverted-pendulum system, where an adaptive algorithm is investigated to relax the requirement of the bound of lumped uncertainty in the traditional sliding-mode control. In addition, numerical simulation and experimental results show that the proposed control scheme provides high-performance dynamic characteristics and is robust with regard to parametric variations, various reference trajectories, and different initial states.
35. Z. Salcic, Jiaying Cao, Sing Kiong Nguang, "A floating-point FPGA-based self-tuning regulator," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 693- 704, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Recursive-least-square (RLS) algorithm is widely used in many areas with real-time implementation using digital signal processors. In this paper, the authors present a pure hardware implementation of a self-tuning regulator (STR) that uses a real-time RLS algorithm as the parameter estimator. The STR contains a controller design circuit and a controller circuit. Due to RLS computation-precision and dynamic-range requirements, the hardware implementation uses a floating-point format. The floating-point processing elements presented in this paper use parameterized design, where the number of exponents and mantissa bits can be changed as the data range and the accuracy of a specific application require. The strategies for overcoming the covariance matrix asymmetrical problem during the hardware computation and the covariance matrix resetting is introduced when the system is poorly exciting are presented. The design was verified with real-time experiments using a new testbed. The experiment results are presented.
Letters To The Editor
36. M.M. Hernando, A. Fernandez, J. Garcia, D.G. Lamar, M. Rascon, "Comparing Si and SiC diode performance in commercial AC-to-DC rectifiers with power-factor correction," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 705- 707, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Improvements in power electronics are basically the result of research in two main fields, namely: 1) new topologies and 2) new devices. Researchers' efforts to achieve improved topologies are necessarily limited by the characteristics of the devices. As a result, both topologies and devices must move forward jointly and at same time. This letter studies the impact of silicon carbide diodes on a classic structure of power-factor correction-the boost converter.
37. Sang Kyung Kim, Hee Seok Han, Young Jin Woo, Gyu Hyeong Cho, "Detection and regulation of CCFL current and open-lamp voltage while keeping floating condition of the lamp," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 707- 709, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: A new simple balanced circuitry using four printed circuit board trace capacitors effectively detects the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp current and the transformer voltage of the inverter without grounding either side of the lamp. The inverter employing this circuit is free from the problems caused by grounding one side of the lamp, and it provides a stable and wide dimming control as well as an open-lamp voltage regulation with a better efficacy.
38. A.F. Zobaa, "Maintaining a good power factor and saving money for industrial loads," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 710- 711, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: Power quality has been gaining importance in the last few years and, more so, because of the deregulation of electricity. Harmonic distortion at a load bus is of paramount importance to both utility and customers. For the utility, a power factor (PF) improvement reduces system losses and increases the portion of generation capacity available for productive uses. This letter introduces a mathematical model to select the size of a compensating capacitor with minimum total cost including limitation of the PF, avoiding resonance condition, and satisfying the IEEE Std 18-1992 limits.
39. Yongqiang Ye, D. Wang, "Learning more frequency components using P-type ILC with negative learning gain," IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 712- 716, April 2006. Full Text Link
Abstract: In this paper, through the analysis on error contraction conditions in the frequency domain, it is found that a negative learning gain can be used in iterative learning control (ILC). The proper use of negative learning gain can increase the learnable frequency range. The conventional P-type learning control with both positive and negative gains is used over multichannel learnable bands. The design procedure is demonstrated via an example of robot joint control. Two channels, one uses a positive learning gain and the other a negative learning gain, substantially increase the frequency components to be learned by the P-type controller. Experimental results verify the effectiveness of using a negative learning gain.