A Basic Understanding of Motor Control System used in Automotive Industry

If you are an automotive and more specifically electric vehicle enthusiast, you would understand how important electric motors are for the automotive industry.

From a humble power window to a complicated electric vehicle drivetrain, it is the smart application of electric motors that has brough disruption. Electric motors have themselves evolved over the year. The first electric motor to be used in an automobile can be traced back to 1828 when Ányos Jedlik, a Hungarian drove a small model car with an electric motor. Subsequently, 2-phase, 3-phase, DC motors, AC induction motors were developed by the inventors.

In the modern era of automotive advancements, car manufacturers have a choice of electric motors that they can deploy to suit their requirements. With the advancement in electric motor, the commutation of motor is now done electronically through motor control system. This provides better control over the motors, enhanced efficiency, and smoothness of operation.

A Deep Dive into Motor Control System and its Development

 A typical electric motor rotates due to electro magnetic flux generated when electricity is passed to magnetic rotors. However, when it comes to controlling these motors in a smart manner, you need a motor control system. It is an electronic solution comprising a microcontroller with motor control algorithms and a bunch of hardware components such as inverter, DC-DC converters, MOSFETS etc.

Have you ever wondered?

·       How does an electronic power steering adjust to the force applied by the driver on the steering wheel?

·       Or, how does a power window stop the moment it detects an obstruction while rolling up?

There are several such use cases where an electronic system called the motor control system operates the electric motor, be it an BLDC, PMSM or an AC induction motor. And of course, it is the electric vehicle that has brough motor control system into discussion once again.

Motor control system is the brain behind the electric motors. It is essentially an electronic control unit or a part of the ECU that controls the rotation of the motor in order to execute a specific action. Examples of such actions/tasks are- Automatic seat adjustment, anti-lock braking system, power steering, automated steering adjustment control etc.

A motor control system is designed to implement drive logic with the help of hardware and software components. The drive logic generates pulse width modulation signals (PWM) that ultimately instruct the motor to run in a specific manner.

 

Conclusion

There is a continuous evolution in motor control system both in terms of hardware and software capabilities. Algorithms like Field-oriented control (FOC) and regenerative braking are making motor control system much more efficient and as a result, we are witnessing the automation of several mechanical functions in the vehicle.