Vector analysis of the current commutation in PM BLDC drives

The vector approach in either stationary or synchronous plane is commonly used for the analysis of the AC drives like induction and PM brushless AC drives whilst it has been hardly ever used for the PM brushless DC (BLDC) drives. A possible reason is that they require injection of square-wave currents into the motor phases, which are non-sinusoidal in nature. Recently, the PM BLDC drives have been analyzed by the help of the vector approach in the stationary plane. This paper applies such an approach to an in-depth analysis of the operation of the PM BLDC drives during the current commutations, illustrating the potentialities of the approach in giving a better insight into the current transients and the ensuing torque characteristics. At last, two voltage control strategies proposed to eliminate the torque ripple due to the current commutations are considered, showing that they can be readily understood by the vector approach.