Sensorless control for switched reluctance motor based on special position detection.

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Power Electronics
• Control Systems

Background:

• Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) offer advantages in robustness and cost but typically require position sensors for control.
• High-speed operation of SRMs presents challenges for traditional sensorless control methods due to complex electromagnetic dynamics.
• Existing sensorless techniques may require additional hardware, complex computations, or are sensitive to magnetic saturation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel sensorless control approach for switched reluctance motors (SRMs) operating in single pulse control mode at high speeds.
• To enable accurate rotor position estimation without the need for physical position sensors.
• To present a method that is robust against magnetic saturation and computationally efficient.

Main Methods:

• The proposed sensorless method utilizes the cross-point position of transformer electromotive force (EMF) and motional back electromotive force (BEMF) for rotor position estimation.
• This reference position is derived from the inductance model of the SRM.
• Rotor position is calculated by detecting a specific electrical cycle signature.

Main Results:

• The sensorless position estimation method is demonstrated to be unaffected by the magnetic saturation of the SRM.
• The approach requires no additional hardware, complex computations, or significant memory storage.
• Simulations and experimental results on a three-phase 12/8-pole SRM validate the proposed sensorless scheme.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensorless control strategy effectively estimates rotor position in SRMs during high-speed, single-pulse operation.
• The method offers a cost-effective and hardware-efficient solution for SRM control by eliminating the need for position sensors.
• The proposed technique is robust and suitable for practical implementation in various SRM applications.