An Unequal Split Dual Three-Phase PMSM With Extended Torque-Speed Characteristics for Automotive Application

High gradability and wide operating speed range are critical requirements for heavy-duty trucks and off-road electric vehicles. The motor power rating used for such applications can be reduced by selecting a motor with a wide constant power speed range (CPSR). However, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) with wide CPSR have limited overloading capability. The operating speed range, as well as the overloading capability, can be improved by increasing the base speed of a low CPSR three-phase PMSM, which results in overdesign. Further, using multigear transmission to achieve a wide operating speed range with a low power motor increases system weight, drivetrain complexity, and maintenance requirement. This article proposes a dual three-phase interior PMSM with an unequal split winding configuration and zero degree winding displacement (uneq0-PMSM) to extend the constant power region and improve the overloading capability without any machine overdesign. The winding split ratio for the proposed configuration is decided to achieve the desired torque-speed characteristic shape for a given requirement. Further, a transition algorithm for smooth changeover between two-winding operation during low-speed and one-winding operation for high-speed is also proposed. The proposed concepts are experimentally validated on a 1.5-kW uneq0-PMSM with 1:3 winding split ratio.