IJCAS

Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) have gained widespread attention across various industries due to their inherent advantages, including simple construction, high efficiency, and the absence of permanent magnets. However, a critical aspect of SRM operation is the need for position sensors. Consequently, extensive research has been conducted on position-sensorless control techniques for SRMs. However, unexpected faults are critical for achieving position-sensorless control performance. This paper proposes a fault-tolerant position-sensorless control method for SRMs based on an adaptive sliding mode observer (ASMO) that specifically addresses the issue of converter faults. The proposed method estimates the faulty phase voltage in real-time, enabling the design of a dynamic model of the SRM that accurately reflects the fault conditions. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the convergence condition of the estimation error. As a result, the proposed method can accurately estimate the faulty phase voltage and the rotor position using only phase current measurements, without the need for a dedicated position sensor. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed control method and its superiority compared to the existing sliding mode observer-based position-sensorless control method.

Keywords: Adaptive observer, converter faults, position-sensorless control, robust control, switched reluctance motors.