Active Cancellation of PMSM Torque Ripple Caused by Magnetic Saturation for EPS Applications

This paper deals with a control method to reduce the torque ripple of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) for electric power steering (EPS) systems. Such an application requires a very low torque ripple in order to maintain a good steering feel. However, because of spatial limitations, it cannot help having a partial saturation in the iron core of the PMSM for an EPS system, and this saturation results in a significant torque ripple. Thus, this paper analyzes the torque ripple caused by the magnetic saturation of a PMSM and proposes a method with respect to inductance measurement to verify the partial saturation. In addition, it is shown that a compensation current is needed in order to minimize the torque ripple when a PMSM is driven in the high torque region. The estimation process of the current and the torque ripple decreased by the current are presented and verified with test results.