AN LQI-BASED HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPEED CONTROL STRATEGY FOR SWITCHED RELUCTANCE MOTOR DRIVES

Abstract

The growing demand for high-performance electric drive systems has led to increased interest in Switched Reluctance Motors (SRMs) due to their simple construction, robustness, and suitability for variable speed applications. However, SRMs exhibit nonlinear characteristics and significant torque ripple, making precise speed control a challenging task. This project presents the design and implementation of a Linear Quadratic Integral (LQI) controller for efficient speed control of SRMs. The proposed control strategy eliminates the need for an inner current control loop by directly generating voltage commands, thereby simplifying the system architecture and reducing computational complexity. The LQI controller is designed using a linearized statespace model of the SRM, enabling optimal control by minimizing a quadratic cost function that balances performance and control effort. The system is implemented using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques to reduce torque ripple and switching losses. A comparative analysis with conventional Proportional-Integral (PI) and Hysteresis Controllers (HC) demonstrates the superior performance of the LQI controller in terms of dynamic response, disturbance rejection, and robustness under varying operating conditions. Experimental and simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing reduced torque ripple, improved speed tracking, and enhanced system stability. The findings indicate that the LQI-based control approach is highly suitable for modern high-performance applications such as electric vehicles, robotics, and industrial automation systems.