An integrated switched reluctance motor drive topology with voltage-boosting and on-board charging capabilities for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

Abstract

This paper presents a new topology of switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Six operating modes can be achieved as a result. Three of those modes are applied for driving and the others for charging. During the driving mode, the topology can be converted to a four-level one. During the charging mode, two battery packs are charged in parallel with the boost circuit by the external AC source or generators. The main contributions of the proposed topology are as follows: 1) A four-level converter is formed by adopting different ways of connection (series or parallel) of the two battery packs (or the two capacitors), which can accelerate the excitation and demagnetization procedures of SRMs. Moreover, the topology contributes to decreasing the switching losses and extending the constant torque region to improve the drive performance as well. 2) The state of charge (SOC) of the two battery packs (or the voltages of two capacitors) can keep balance on their own by parallel operation of the two battery packs. Furthermore, a detailed comparison between two drive modes of the proposed topology and asymmetric half bridge inverters is undertaken with simulation and experimental studies, the results of which demonstrate the validity of the proposed topology.