Sensorless flux-weakening control of permanent-magnet brushless machines using third harmonic back EMF

The sensorless control of brushless machines by detecting the third harmonic back electromotive force is a relatively simple and potentially low-cost technique. However, its application has been reported only for brushless dc motors operating under normal commutation. In this paper, the utility of the method for the sensorless control of both brushless dc and ac motors, including operation in the flux-weakening mode, is demonstrated

Improved speed estimation in sensorless PM brushless AC drives

The application of flux-observer-based sensorless control to permanent-magnet brushless AC motor drives is described. Current methods of speed estimation are assessed, both theoretically and experimentally, and an improved method, which combines the best features of methods in which speed is derived from the differential of rotor position and from the ratio of the electromotive force to excitation flux linkage, is proposed. Its performance is verified experimentally

Sensorless Control of Switched-Flux Permanent Magnet Machines

This thesis investigates the sensorless control strategies of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs), with particular reference to switched-flux permanent magnet (SFPM) machines, based on high-frequency signal injection methods for low speed and standstill and the back-EMF based methods for medium and high speeds

A general magnetic-energy-based torque estimator: validation via a permanent-magnet motor drive

This paper describes the use of the current–flux-linkage ($i{-}psi$ ) diagram to validate the performance of a general magnetic-energy-based torque estimator. An early step in the torque estimation is the use of controller duty cycles to reconstruct the average phase-voltage waveform during each pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) switching period. Samples over the fundamental period are recorded for the estimation of the average torque. The fundamental period may not be an exact multiple of the sample time. For low speed, the reconstructed voltage requires additional compensation for inverter-device losses. Experimental validation of this reconstructed waveform with the actual PWM phase-voltage waveform is impossible due to the fact that one is PWM in nature and the other is the average value during the PWM period. A solution to this is to determine the phase flux-linkage using each waveform and then plot the resultant $i{-}psi$ loops. The torque estimation is based on instantaneous measurements and can therefore be applied to any electrical machine. This paper includes test results for a three-phase interior permanent-magnet brushless ac motor operating with both sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal current waveforms