Application of a Sliding Mode Observer for Sensorless Operation of Switched Reluctance Motors

The rotor speed and position control of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) needs an encoder or resolver to obtain information about the rotor position. These sensors may deteriorate in harsh environments, and increase the size and cost of the drive. This paper presents an evaluation of the sliding-mode observer to estimate a switched reluctance motor speed and rotor position. A new concept of observer based on a simple but quite accurate model of SRM has been proposed. A non-linear model of an SRM is used and a computer simulation is developed based on data from an experimental motor system. The implication of discrete–time implementation with various sample rates was examined