Computationally Efficient Design of 16-Poles and 24-Slots IPMSM for EV Traction Considering PWM-Induced Iron Loss Using Active Transfer Learning

The efficiency of the traction motor is highly concerned with the PWM-induced iron loss, so the PWM-induced iron loss should be considered in designing the traction motor. However, analyzing the PWM-induced iron loss requires a high computational cost because the inverter-motor model should be included in the calculation process. In surrogate-based design optimization, collecting a large amount of data is essential. However, for PWM-induced iron loss, extremely small time steps are required to accurately capture high-frequency components, resulting in a significantly high computational cost for data acquisition and making the optimization process inefficient. From this point of view, we propose a computationally efficient design process for the traction motor considering the PWM-induced iron loss. By using the proposed method, it is possible to train the accurate surrogate model for predicting the PWM-induced iron loss with a small amount of PWM-induced iron loss using active transfer learning. After training the surrogate model, multi-objective optimization was conducted for designing a high efficiency 14.5 kW traction motor for personal mobility. In order to verify the design result, an optimized traction motor was fabricated, and experiments were conducted. As a result, the performance of the trained surrogate model was verified by measuring the no-load back electromotive force, PWM current, and main drive efficiency.