Low- and zero-speed sensorless control of synchronous reluctance motors

This paper presents a position sensorless vector control able to drive synchronous reluctance motors in any working condition, including low- and zero-speed operations. The proposed control scheme is based on calculating the rotor position from the measurement of an additional high-frequency stator current component and allows a low-cost implementation; moreover, it does not require the knowledge of any motor parameter, nor particular care for motor starting. Simulation and experimental results on a 1.5-kW prototype are presented to evaluate the consistency of the developed technique.