Method for Diffusing Carrier Noise under Zero-Speed Condition using a Zero-Sequence Voltage

In this paper, a technique is proposed to reduce the carrier noise of pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters for a permanent magnet motor drive. The carrier noise is generated by the motor and the reactor driven by the inverter and affected by the switching frequency. When a motor rotates and drives a machine, the carrier noise is hidden by the machine noise. However, when the motor speed is approximately zero, the carrier noise becomes dominant and raucous. The typical method to reduce the noise employs a switching frequency higher than the audible frequency of human hearing. However, the increase in switching frequency results in the inverter suffering a higher switching loss and lower efficiency. In particular, when the permanent magnet motor operates at approximately zero-speed and full-load, for example, in the hill-start conditions of electric vehicles and the start and stop conditions of elevators, the current flows in specific power devices and the switching loss further increases. The proposed technique uses a zero-sequence voltage, which is generated randomly with the M-sequence signal, and diffuses the frequency components of the ripple contained in the current. The technique is able to reduce the noise without increasing the switching frequency of the inverter when the motor speed is almost zero. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed technique can diffuse the carrier noise and the cycle of the M-sequence signal changes the diffusion effect of the carrier noise.