Multiphase Motor Drive Control Strategies

Multiphase motor drive control strategies represent an advanced class of power electronic and control system techniques designed to harness machines that employ more than the conventional three-phase winding arrangement. By increasing the number of phase windings, these drives afford greater fault tolerance, smoother torque production and enhanced power density. The surplus degrees of freedom inherent in five-, six-, nine- or higher-phase topologies enable novel modulation schemes, refined flux and torque control, and the redistribution of currents to mitigate harmonics and suppress common-mode voltages. Modern implementations employ field-oriented control, space-vector and predictive modulation approaches to regulate the electromagnetic torque and flux linkage with high dynamic performance. In parallel, robust fault-tolerant architectures and reconfiguration algorithms ensure continued operation under open-circuit or short-circuit anomalies. Such multiphase systems find application across electric-vehicle traction, renewable generation conversion and aerospace starter-generator units, where high reliability, compactness and efficiency are paramount. Ongoing research focuses on the optimisation of converter topologies, advanced sensorless control methods and the integration of wide-bandgap semiconductors to achieve further gains in switching performance and thermal resilience.

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Multiphase Motor Drive Control Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in multiphase motor drive control strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Multiphase drive: An electric motor drive system utilising more than three phase windings to increase control freedom and fault tolerance.

Field-oriented control: A vector control technique that decouples torque and flux control by aligning stator currents with rotor flux vectors.

Space-vector modulation: An algorithm for synthesising reference voltage vectors by appropriately switching inverter legs to minimise harmonic distortion.

Fault tolerance: The capability of a drive system to detect, isolate and reconfigure in response to component failures while maintaining safe operation.

Predictive control: A model-based strategy that optimises control actions over a future time horizon to achieve desired current or torque trajectories.

References

1. A review of multiphase energy conversion in wind power generation. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2021).
2. A Comprehensive Survey on Fault Tolerance in Multiphase AC Drives, Part 1: General Overview Considering Multiple Fault Types. Machines (2022).
3. A Comprehensive Survey on Fault Tolerance in Multiphase AC Drives, Part 2: Phase and Switch Open-Circuit Faults. Machines (2022).
4. Multiphase Traction Inverters: State-of-the-Art Review and Future Trends. IEEE Access (2022).
5. Multiphase Motors and Drive Systems for Electric Vehicle Powertrains: State of the Art Analysis and Future Trends. Energies (2023).
6. Design and Analysis of a Five-Phase Fault-Tolerant Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor for Aerospace Starter-Generator System. IEEE Access (2019).
7. Symmetrical/Asymmetrical Winding Reconfiguration in Multiphase Machines. IEEE Access (2020).