Flexible Sensorless Position Control of Switched Reluctance Motors considering Both Embrace Design and Magnetic Saturation

Precise estimation of position is essential in the control of switched reluctance motors (SRMs). Traditionally, the intersection of the adjacent inductance can be utilized to estimate the rotor position, however, magnetic saturation brings about variations in the intersection position when the motor is operated at heavy load. To solve this problem, this paper develops a sensorless position estimation strategy considering magnetic saturation and the embrace design. Sensorless control approaches can be chosen interchangeably according to the characteristics of the intersection. Rotor position estimation is achieved by employing six typical inductance positions. No additional position sensor and other detection devices are required. Through simulation and experiment, the feasibility and validity of the proposed position estimation method are verified. The proposed sensorless method is verified for acceleration, constant operated state, and load mutation.