Advanced Commutation Engineering
Accelerate torque. Elevate performance.
Precision controlled commutation improvements can significantly transform how electric motors deliver power at high speed of operation.
By optimising voltage modulation index and synchronising the switching frequency into the motor power frequency, the technique can optimise transition of control scheme and voltage/current control between motor phases, ensuring efficiency improvement, enhancing drivetrain operating power of up to 30%, and extending constant power region of the torque/speed/power characteristics curve.
Bringing experience of digital simulation and modelling, and real world validation from projects across the globe, our specialists will work alongside your teams through every step of the process to produce a bespoke approach specific to the characteristics of your products.
Our approach can help to deliver:
- Enhanced power production through improved voltage modulation
- Reduced operating switching losses, enabling more efficient operation
- Optimised performance, including superior acceleration, better hill-climbing, improving vehicle range.
- A smaller, lighter, and more compact motor
- Reduced gearbox complexity that can eliminate the need for multi-speed transmissions
- Improved efficiency across driving cycles
From concept definition to production‑ready implementation, we will support your team with:
- Detailed motor and inverter simulation and analysis
- Digital modelling based on MATLAB/Simulink platform
- Customisation and optimisation of motor control/commutation algorithm development
- Assessing improvement of the advanced commutation scheme on motor performance based on simulation model
- Performing dyno practical validation test to ensure motor performance improvement
- System integration and optimisation
Why choose Ricardo for electric and hybrid powertrain innovation
Unrivalled technical experience
Our depth of strategic knowledge and technical experience enables customers to move quickly from concept to production.
World-class facilities
Access to our world-class hybrid and electric vehicle development resources and facilities.
Flexible approach
Flexible and collaborative approach, delivering high value, high quality solutions to time and within budget, while meeting client expectations for training and technology transfer.
Proven expertise
A deep technical understanding and proven expertise to develop, validate and implement into production virtually any vehicle architecture. Trusted by OEMs and suppliers.
Thermal optimisation for electric vehicles
A research programme to reduce the energy required by the thermal systems in battery electric vehicles.
Immersion cooled battery technology for electric vehicles
Developing a new immersion-cooled battery technology for electric vehicles.
Flexible VCU for Hybrid and Electric Commercial Vehicles
A production-ready Vehicle Control Supervisor to manage a vehicle’s energy efficiency, safety and performance.
What are commutation techniques in inverter control?
In three-phase inverter control, the commutation refers to the conduction angle of each switching device (SiCs, GaNs or IGBTs) over a 360-degree electrical cycle during which each swich conducts current. Control techniques determine how the semiconductor switches in a bridge inverter turn on and off to generate an AC output from the applied DC bus voltage.
There are three main commutations schemes, 120-degree, 180-degree, and PWM (pulse width modulation) schemes:
- 120-degree commutation, where each switch conducts for 120 electrical degrees, with 60 degrees of interval where neither the top nor bottom switch in a leg is on.
- 180-degree commutation where each switch conducts for 180 electrical degrees.
- PWM commutation where PWM method rapidly switches the devices on and off at a high frequency (as example at 20kHz) to create an average AC output that simulates a sinusoidal waveform.
The primary differences between PWM and 180-degree commutations relate to their harmonic contents, operating efficiency, and switching strategies. The 180-degree method offers higher torque/power profile and better voltage utilization from the same DC bus voltage system.
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