An improved flux observer based on PLL frequency estimator for sensorless vector control of induction motors

This paper presents an improved method of flux estimation for sensorless vector control of induction motors based on a phase locked loop (PLL) programmable low-pass filter (LPF) and a vector rotator. A PLL synchronized with the voltage vector is used for stator frequency estimation. The pure integration of the stator voltage equations is difficult to implement and LPFs with a fixed cutoff provide good estimates only in the relatively high frequency range - at low frequencies, the estimates fail in both magnitude and phase. The method proposed corrects the above problem for a wide range of speeds. Simulations and experimental results on a 0.25-hp three-phase induction machine verify the validity of the approach.