2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)
PWM Speed Control of DC Motor based on Singular
Perturbation Technique
Valery D. Yurkevich
Automation Department
Novosibirsk State Technical University
Novosibirsk, Russia
Abstract – The problem of regulation for a DC motor with
autonomous voltage inverter is discussed. The considered control
system consists of two feedback loops. In the first one, the armature
current control for a DC motor is provided by means of pulse-width
modulated control of such autonomous voltage inverter as the H-
bridge. In the second one, DC motor speed control is maintained.
Proportional-integral (PI) controllers are designed for armature
current and motor speed control based on singular perturbation
technique such that multi-time-scale motions are artificially induced
in the closed-loop system. Multi-time-scale motions analysis allows
getting analytical expressions for selection of controller parameters.
Simulation results are presented as well.
Keywords – DC motor speed control, DC-DC converters, pulse-
width modulation, PI controller, multi-time-scale motions.
I. INTRODUCTION
DC motor is the key element of mobile robots and
autonomous systems [1-3]. There is a set of various robotics
applications where it is necessary to control the speed of the DC
motor subject to the DC motor load variations over a speed range
and demand of high-speed control accuracy and good dynamic
responses. It is well known, the speed of the DC motor can be
controlled by the using a variable resistor in series with the
motor. However, this approach to a problem of speed control
leads to a lot of energy waste and one generates a great deal of
heat in the resistor. From point of view of energy efficiency and
flexibility of practical implementation using a microcontroller,
the most widely used approach at present to control the speed of
the DC motor is based on Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) [4-6].
By using PWM the average power delivered to a load can be
easily controlled and by that the desired speed of the DC motor
can be effectively provided. In order to implement the PWM
technique, the DC motor should be equipped by voltage
converter, for example, such as the H-bridge. Particular features
caused by pulse-width modulated control for DC-DC voltage
converter (H-bridge) should be taken into account during the
control system design.
Despite that PWM controllers for DC motors are widely
used in industry, the most part of the recent publications in this
area is related with issues of practical hardwire implementation,
computer simulations and experimental results [7-10].
There is a set of research works devoted to control design
methodologies such as DC motor sliding mode control [11], DC
motor control based on optimization technique [12], fuzzy logic
controllers design methodology [13], Ziegler-Nichols method
[14]. However, theoretical issues of control law structure
justification, controller design methodology, tuning of controller
parameters contain the great number of still open problems.
978-1-4799-5291-5/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE
978-1-4799-5291-5/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 434
Nikita A. Stepanov
Automation Department
Novosibirsk State Technical University
Novosibirsk, Russia
In this paper the cascaded control system structure is
discussed [7], where in the first control loop the armature current
control for DC motor is provided. In the second one the DC
motor speed control is maintained. Another example of the
cascaded control system structure can be found in [11] where
sliding mode control design methodology to control the speed of
the DC motor was presented.
The switching control strategy for the armature current
control loop is provided in this paper based on pulse-width
modulation and the existence of equivalence between sliding
modes of variable structure control and PWM control responses
under the high frequency sampling is taken into account [15,16],
where it is assumed that PWM controller is not saturated and the
sampling frequency is high enough, such that the response of
discontinuously controlled system coincides with average model
[17] where control variable is represented by continuous-time
duty ratio function.
In this paper, the parameters of proportional-integral (PI)
controllers of inner and outer control loops are selected based on
singular perturbation technique [18,19] where two-time-scale
motions are artificially induced in the closed-loop system. The
analysis of the closed-loop system properties is provided via the
method of singular perturbations [20,21]. The advantage of time-
scale separation technique for closed-loop system analysis is that
analytical expressions for parameters of controller can be easily
derived.
The paper is organized as follows. First, the cascaded
control system structure with PWM in control loop is discussed.
Second, the Filippov's average model of the armature circuit
equipped by the H-bridge voltage converter is introduced and PI
armature current controller with an additional low-pass filtering
is designed via singular perturbation technique. Third, the outer
DC motor speed controller is designed based on the discussed
two-time-scale design methodology. Finally, simulation results
of the designed control system are included from which it follow
that the desired transients performance specifications are
provided for the motor speed.
II. CONTROL PROBLEM STATEMENT
The discussed control system consists of two feedback loops
as shown on Fig.1. In the first one the armature current control
for DC motor is provided by means of pulse-width modulated
control of the H-bridge voltage converter. In the second one the
DC motor speed control is maintained. Both of controllers for
armature current and motor speed are designed based on singular
perturbation technique such that multi-time-scale motions are
artificially induced in the closed-loop system.
The DC motor is connected with H-bridge convertor and
PWM as shown on Fig.2, where control signal of the each
 2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)
switch on Fig.2 is defined by symbol 𝑆. If the switch is
turned on, then 𝑆 = 1. If the switch is turned off, then
𝑆 = 0.
Fig. 1. Block diagram of control system
Fig. 2. Block diagram of DC motor connected with H-bridge convertor and PWM
The current controller is being designed so that to maintain
the desired average value of the DC motor armature current 𝑖 ,
that is
lim → 𝐼 (𝑡) = 𝑖 ,
where 𝑖 is the desired value (reference input) of the armature
current, 𝐼 is the average current in the armature circuit.
The speed controller is being designed so that to maintain the
desired value of the DC-DC motor speed ω, that is
lim → 𝜔(𝑡) = 𝜔 ,
where 𝜔 is the desired value (reference input) of the DC motor
speed. Moreover, the controlled transients of ω and 𝑖 should
have the desired settling time without overshoot.
III. ARMATURE CURRENT CIRCUIT
The load on the output of the H-bridge voltage converter
consists of series connection inductance 𝐿 , the total active
resistance 𝑅 , and the total reverse electromotive force (back
EMF) 𝐸 in the armature circuit
𝑈 =𝐿 𝑖
( )
+𝑅 𝑖 +𝐸 ,
where 𝐸 = 𝑘 𝜔 and 𝑖𝑎 is instantaneous current in the armature
circuit, 𝑈 = 𝐸𝑈, the signal 𝑈 is the output of the pulse-width
modulator, 𝐸 is the voltage source.
Electrical part of the system will be described by the following
equation:
𝑖 =− 𝑖 − + 𝑈.
A discontinuous control strategy is provided by the pulse-width
modulator, where the input signal of the modulator is defined as
the scalar variable 𝜒 which takes values in the interval (-1, 1).
The magnitude of 𝜒 is the duty ratio function. The output signal
of the modulator is defined as the switching function U. The
switching function U and control signals of the switches on Fig.2
are generated in accordance with the following rules:
𝑈 = 1, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 1, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 0,
𝑖𝑓 𝑡 < 𝑡 ≤ 𝑡 + |𝜒(𝑡 )|𝑇 , 𝜒(𝑡 ) > 0;
𝑈 = 0, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 1, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 0,
𝑖𝑓 𝑡 + |𝜒(𝑡 )|𝑇 < 𝑡 ≤ 𝑡 + 𝑇 , 𝜒(𝑡 ) > 0;
𝑈 = 0, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 1, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 0,
𝑖𝑓 𝑡 < 𝑡 ≤ 𝑡 + 𝑇 , 𝜒(𝑡 ) = 0;
𝑈 = −1, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 0, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 1,
𝑖𝑓 𝑡 < 𝑡 ≤ 𝑡 + |𝜒(𝑡 )|𝑇 , 𝜒(𝑡 ) < 0;
𝑈 = 0, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 0, 𝑆 = 𝑆 = 1,
𝑖𝑓 𝑡 + |𝜒(𝑡 )|𝑇 < 𝑡 ≤ 𝑡 + 𝑇 , 𝜒(𝑡 ) < 0.
By definition, 𝑇 is the PWM sampling period, 𝜒(𝑡 ) is the value
of the function 𝜒(𝑡) in the time instant 𝑡 = 𝑡 , , where 𝑡 = 𝑘𝑇
and k=0,1,2,3...
Assumption 1: The pulse-width modulator is not saturated, that
is the following inequality −1 < 𝜒 < 1 holds.
Assumption 2: The sampling period 𝑇 is assumed to be
sufficiently small in compare with time constants associated with
(1) the dynamics of the DC motor.
From Assumptions 1 and 2, following that, the response of
discontinuously controlled armature circuit coincides with
average model
𝐼 =− 𝐼 − + 𝜒. (4)
(2) IV. CURRENT CONTROLLER
The current regulator is being designed for the discussed inner
control loop equipped by the H-bridge voltage converter so that
to maintain the desired average value of the armature current 𝑖
that is (1). Consider the continuous-time current controller given
by the following differential equation
( )
𝜇 𝜒( ) + 𝑑 𝜇 𝜒( )
=𝑘 (𝑖 − 𝑖 ) − 𝑖 , (5)
where 𝜇 is a small positive parameter of the controller, 𝜇 > 0,
𝑑 > 0, and 𝜏 > 0. The control law (5) can be expressed in
terms of the Laplace transform that is the structure of the PI
controller with an additional low-pass filtering given by
𝜒(𝑠) = ( ∙ )
[ [𝑖 (𝑠) − 𝑖 (𝑠)] − 𝑖 (𝑠)].
The closed-loop system analysis is provided below based on
the consideration of the average model (4) with controller (5)
where the instantaneous current 𝑖 is replaced by 𝐼 .
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 2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

( ) V. DC MOTOR SPEED CONTROLLER

The replacement of 𝑖 in (5), where we take 𝑖 = 𝐼𝑎 and
( )
𝑖 = 𝐼(1)
𝑎 , by the right member of the equation (4) yields the
The average model of the armature circuit and mechanical
averaged closed-loop system in the form part of the DC motor are described by the system of differential
equations
( ) 𝑅 𝐸 𝐸
𝐼 =− 𝐼 − + 𝜒,
𝐿 𝐿 𝐿 𝐼 = 𝜒− 𝐼 − 𝜔,
(10)
𝜇 𝜒( ) + 𝑑 𝜇 𝜒( ) = 𝜔= 𝐼 − − ,

𝑘 (𝑖 − 𝐼 ) + 𝐼 − 𝜒+ . (6) where 𝐽 is the moment of inertia, 𝑇 is an external load torque

𝜏
and 𝑇 = 𝑘 𝜔. So, the load torque 𝑇 is considered to vary with
the motor speed.
Since 𝜇 is the small parameter, the above equations (6) are the
Let us assume that the transients of the armature current 𝐼 in
singularly perturbed differential equations. Hence, fast and slow
system (4) with controller (5) are much faster than the transients
modes are artificially forced in the closed-loop system (6)
of the speed ω such that the requirement (1) holds. Hence, take
as 𝜇 → 0.
Denote 𝐼 = 𝑖 , and on purpose of motor speed controller design, instead
of (10), the following reduced model of DC motor will be treated
𝜒 = 𝜒, 𝜒 = 𝜇 𝜒( ) .

The degree of time-scale separation between these modes 𝜔= 𝑖 − − , (11)

depends on the parameter 𝜇 . From (6), the averaged fast-motion
subsystem (FMS) where 𝑖 is considered as the new control variable of the motor
speed feedback loop.
( ) The DC motor speed controller is being designed so that to
𝜇 𝜒 =𝜒
maintain the desired value of the motor speed ω, that is (2).
( ) 𝐸 Consider the continuous-time motor speed controller given by
𝜇 𝜒 =− 𝑘 𝜒 −𝑑 𝜒 the following differential equation
𝐿
( )
+𝑘 (𝑖 − 𝐼 ) + 𝐼 + . (7) 𝜇 𝑖 =𝑘 (𝜔 − 𝜔) − 𝜔 ( )
, (12)
𝜏

results, where 𝐸, 𝐼 , 𝐸 are treated as the frozen variables during.
Remark 1: The stability of FMS transients of (7) is provided by
selection of the gain 𝑘 such that the condition 𝑘 𝐸 > 0 holds
given that 𝜇 > 0 and 𝑑 > 0.
Assume that the control law parameters 𝑘 , 𝜇 , and 𝑑 have
been selected such that the FMS (7) is stable as well as time-
scale decomposition is maintained in the closed-loop system (6).
Take, for example,
𝑘 = 𝐿 /𝐸,
then the FMS (7) characteristic polynomial is given by
where 𝜇 is a small positive parameter of the controller, 𝜇 > 0,
𝜏 > 0.
The control law (12) can be expressed in terms of the Laplace
transform that is the structure of the conventional PI controller
given by
𝑖 (𝑠) = [ [𝜔 (𝑠) − 𝜔(𝑠)] − 𝜔(𝑠)].
The closed-loop system analysis is provided below based on
the consideration of the reduced model (11) with controller (12).
The replacement of 𝜔 ( ) in (12) by the right member of (11)
yields the closed-loop system

μa2 s 2 + da μa s + 1. (8)
𝜔( ) =
𝑘 𝑇
𝑖 − −
𝑇
,
𝐽 𝐽 𝐽
From (6), the averaged slow-motion subsystem (SMS) given by
( )
𝜇 𝑖 =𝑘 (𝜔 − 𝜔) − 𝑖 + + . (13)
( )
𝐼 = (𝑖 − 𝐼 ). (9)
The systems of equations (13) are the singularly perturbed
results, where the parameter 𝜏 is selected in accordance with the differential equations where fast and slow modes are artificially
desired settling time 𝑡 for the average armature current 𝐼 forced as 𝜇 → 0. The degree of time-scale separation between
such that 𝜏 ≈ 𝑡 /3. these modes depends on the parameter 𝜇 .
The time-scale decomposition is maintained in the system (6) From (13), the fast-motion subsystem (FMS)
by selection of the parameter 𝜇 such that the condition 𝜇 ≈
( )
𝜏 /𝜂 holds, where 𝜂 is the degree of time-scale separation 𝜇 𝑖 =− 𝑘 𝑖 +𝑘 (𝜔 − 𝜔) + + (14)
between fast and slow modes, for instance, 𝜂 ≥ 10. The
desired damping of the FMS transients is provided by selection
results, where ω is treated as the frozen variable.
of the parameter 𝑑 , for example, 𝑑 = 2.
Assume that the control law parameter 𝑘 has been selected
such that 𝑘 = 𝐽/𝑘 ,then the FMS (14) characteristic polynomial

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 2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

is given by
𝜇 𝑠 + 1. (15)
From (13) it follows that the averaged slow-motion subsystem
(SMS) is given by
𝜔 = (𝜔 − 𝜔). (16)
So, after damping of fast transients of (14), we get from (13),
the slow-motion subsystem (16). As the result, the behavior of
the motor speed ω is prescribed by the stable reference equation
(16) and by that, the requirement (2) is maintained.
Note, time-scale decomposition between the both control loops
is maintained by selection of controller parameters such that the
conditions
𝜇 ≪𝜏 ≪𝜇 ≪𝜏
hold. Fig. 5 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑖 (A)

VI. SIMULATION OF CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM

Let the DC motor parameters are as the following ones:
E=1500V, La=0.0015, Ra=0,16Ω,
J=150kg·m2, kL=0,002.
The sampling period of the pulse-width modulator is selected
as Ts=0,0001s. In accordance with the presented above design
methodology, the following controller parameters were selected:

𝜇 =0,001s, 𝑑 =2, τa=0,01s, 𝑘 =10-6,

𝜇 =0,1s, τω=1s, kω = 5,44.
k1 = 5, k2 = 27,56
So, we have
𝜇 = τa /10, τa=𝜇 /10, 𝜇 = τω /10. Fig. 6 Simulation results: Plot of 𝜒
The results of simulation are displayed on Figs. 3-8, where the
simulation results confirm the analytical calculations.

Fig. 7 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑈

Fig. 3 Simulation results: Plots of ω and 𝜔 ( rad/s)

Fig. 8 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑇

In order to show the effect of time-scale separation degree

reduction on the closed-loop system behavior, the results of
Fig. 4 Simulation results: Plot of ia (A) simulation are represented on Figs. 9 – 14, where the controller
parameters were selected as following ones:

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 2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

𝜇 =0,008s, 𝑑 =2, τa=0,04s, 𝑘 =10-6,

𝜇 =0,2s, τω=1s, kω = 5,44.
So, we have
𝜇 = τa /5, τa=𝜇 /5, 𝜇 = τω /5.

Fig. 12 Simulation results: Plot of 𝜒

Fig. 9 Simulation results: Plots of ω and 𝜔 ( rad/s)

Fig. 13 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑈

Fig. 10 Simulation results: Plot of ia (A)

Fig. 14 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑇

From comparison of Fig. 3 with Fig. 9, it is easy to see that the

time-scale separation degree reduction leads to effect of
performance degradation in the output transients behavior.
Additional simulation results are shown on the Figs. 15 – 20
where the desired value of motor speed has step change from 70
rad/s to -70 rad/s and the controller parameters were selected as
the following ones (the same values as in case of Figs. 3-8):

𝜇 =0,001s, 𝑑 =2, τa=0,01s, 𝑘 =10-6,

Fig. 11 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑖 (A) 𝜇 =0,1s, τω=1s, kω = 5,44.
k1 = 5, k2 = 27,56
So, we have
𝜇 = τa /10, τa=𝜇 /10, 𝜇 = τω /10.

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 2014 6th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

Fig. 15 Simulation results: Plots of ω and 𝜔 ( rad/s)

Fig. 19 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑈

Fig. 16 Simulation results: Plot of ia (A)

Fig. 20 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑇

VII. CONCLUSION
The advantage of the presented singular perturbation technique
of controller design for the discussed DC motor equipped by the
H-bridge voltage converter is that the desired transients of the
motor speed are provided. The increase of the time-scale
separation degree allows providing the desired output transients
specifications with more high accuracy.
The other advantage is that analytical expressions for selection
of controller parameters are derived, where controller parameters
depend explicitly on the specifications of the desired behavior of
motor speed.

Fig. 17 Simulation results: Plot of 𝑖 (A) VIII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This work was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic
Research (RFBR) under grant no.14-08-01004а and by
Novosibirsk State Technical University under academic mobility
grant of the strategic development program.

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