Simulation of MRAC based speed control of brushless DC motor with low-resolution hall-effect sensors

Abstract: A novel speed estimation approach with control system based on model reference adaptive control (MRAC) is presented for low cost brushless dc motor drives with low-resolution hall sensors. The back EMF is usually used to estimate speed. But the estimation result is not accurate enough at low speeds because of the divided voltage of stator resistors and too small back EMF. Moreover, the stator resistor is always varying with the motor‟s temperature. A speed estimation algorithm based on MRAC was proposed to correct the speed error estimated by using back EMF. The proposed algorithm‟s most innovative feature is its adaptability to the entire speed range including low speeds and high speeds and temperature and different motors do not affect the accuracy of the estimation result. The effectiveness of the algorithm was verified through simulations and experiments.

Keywords: Brushless dc motor, low-resolution hall sensor, model reference adaptive control, speed estimation