High performance AC drives using passivity based controllers

The energy-based approach, also known as "passivity based", is becoming a popular nonlinear control method allowing precise and stable control of the induction motor and more in general of AC motors. Its main features are: simple formulation; the actual possibility of the use of inexpensive microprocessors for its implementation; its global stability in the whole operating range including zero speed region; satisfactory tracking capabilities of position, speed, torque and flux; and high robustness in case of parameter variations. This paper, after a short theoretical background presents and discusses several experimental results.