Indirect Speed Estimation of High Speed

Brushless DC Motor Drive Using Fuzzy Logic

Current Compensator
Mohammad Divandari1, Behrooz Rezaei1, Ebrahim Amiri2
1
Department of Electrical Engineering and computer science. Babol University of technology, Babol, Iran.
m.divandari@stu.nit.ac.ir , brezaie@nit.ac.ir
2
Department of Electrical Engineering. University of New Orleans, New Orleans, USA.
eamiri@uno.edu

Abstract— In this paper, a new indirect speed estimation of
high speed brush-less DC motor drive using fuzzy logic current
compensator is proposed. In this method, brush-less DC motor
currents are first measured and by using a brush-less DC motor
model, current errors of each phase are calculated. Current errors
and their derivative are inputs of fuzzy logic current compensator.
This compensator modifies the motor currents by generating a
compensating signal. Compensated currents are applied to torque
estimation of each phase and therefore, speed and rotor position
can be easily obtained. In order to decrease the processing time, a
speed proportional integral controller is utilized. Proposed high
speed sensor-less scheme is simulated by MATLAB/SIMULINK
software. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed sensor-
less scheme can effectively estimate speed and rotor position with
high resolution. Also, time response of the proposed algorithm
shows that indirect speed estimation is useful for fast drive
applications.
Keywords— BLDC motor, estimation, fuzzy logic, compensator
I. INTRODUCTION
The permanent magnet Brush-Less DC (BLDC) motors have
advantages such as long-life, simple structure, low maintenance,
operating in very high speeds that makes it to play an important
role in industrial applications [1]. To implement speed controller
in BLDC drive, it is required to know the position sensor. The
usage of position sensor not only increases drive costs but also
decreases drive reliability [2]. In recent years, numerous sensor-
less methods have been proposed by many researchers that show
a high demand of sensor-less drives in speed control applications
[3-6]. In [7], the authors proposed a novel position sensor-less
control method for BLDC motors by calculating difference of
the average voltages in RC circuits. Also, simulation of a new
method of a sensor-less control of BLDC motor has been
presented in [8]. In this method, flux linkage estimation has been
calculated based on measured phase currents, voltages and using
them, an observer estimates speed and rotor position. Sliding
mode observers are proper solutions in sensor-less scheme, but
they are based on model which may increase the estimation error
due to the existence of uncertainty in the model parameters. In
[9], a novel dynamic observer for high speed BLDC motor has
been proposed. In order to remove shortcomings of the sliding
observer, a fuzzy logic regulated observer has also been used.
Furthermore, in [10] and [11], two hybrid sliding mode
observers for BLDC drives and Switched Reluctance Motor
(SRM) drives have been proposed respectively. These hybrid
observers consist of two sections; in the first section, motor
current has been estimated and current error converging respect
to measured current, has been guaranteed. In the last section,
using estimated current and measured voltage, speed estimation
has been obtained. In [12] and [13], current profile has been
applied to estimate speed of BLDC drive using current model.
Also, in [14], a sensor-less SRM drive with hybrid observer and
torque ripple minimization using fuzzy login current
compensation has been presented. The last methods have
focused on current model or hybrid observer while motor torque
has principle rule in speed estimation.
In this paper, speed estimation of a high speed BLDC drive
is indirectly calculated using torque estimation. To estimate of
BLDC torque, measured actual current is compensated by
estimated current error. In order to estimate of current,
mathematical non-linear model of BLDC motor is parallel
applied to BLDC motor and current estimation error is used to
measured current compensation by a new simple fuzzy logic
current compensator (FLCC).
This paper is organized as follows; Section II presents the
non-linear model of BLDC motor. In section III, a sensor-less
scheme is provided that consists of two sub-sections; (III.A)
torque estimation and (III.B) FLCC. Results of the proposed
method are given in section IV. Finally, conclusion of this study
is presented in section V.
II. NONLINEAR MODEL OF BLDC MOTOR
BLDC motors can be modeled similar to the Permanent
Magnet (PM) motors with the difference that PM motors are
excited by AC source while BLDC motors are excited by DC
source. Also, BLDC rotor has one pair pole and speed of rotor
can be considerably increased compared with the other electrical
motors. Fig.1 shows the principle of operating of the BLDC
motor. BLDC motor is excited by external DC source and back-
EMF waveforms of motor have trapezoidal shape. In this study,
a three-phase BLDC motor with star connection has been
applied. As shown in Fig. 1, three-phase energizing can be done
by back-EMF waveforms construction and phase voltages.
Energizing decision of all phases must be done in 60º interval.

978-1-5090-4281-4/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE

 ʹߨ
‫ͳ ۓ‬ǡ Ͳ ൑ ߠ ൏
ۖ ͵
͸ ʹߨ ʹߨ
ۖ ͳ െ ሺߠ െ ሻǡ ൑ߠ൏ߨ
݂ሺߠሻ ൌ ߨ ͵ ͵ (5)
‫ ۔‬െͳǡߨ ൑ ߠ ൏ ͷߨ
ۖ ͵
ۖ ͸ ͷߨ ͷߨ
‫ ͳە‬െ ߨ ሺߠ െ ͵ ሻǡ ͵ ൑ ߠ ൏ ʹߨ
Total torque of three-phase of BLDC motor is defined as:
ଷ

ܶ௘ ൌ ෍ ܶ௝ (6)
௝ୀଵ
݇௧ ʹߨ
ܶ௝ ൌ Ǥ ݅௝ Ǥ ݂ሺߠ െ ሺ݆ െ ͳሻሻ (7)
(a) ʹ ͵
where, ݇௧ is torque coefficient. Finally, speed and position of
BLDC motor using torque equation can be obtain as:
݀߱
‫ܬ‬ ൌ ܶ௘ െ ܶ௟ െ ‫߱ܤ‬ (8)
݀‫ݐ‬
݀ߠ
ൌ߱ (9)
݀‫ݐ‬
The fundamental equation of three-phase current is:
ଷ

෍ ݅௝ ൌ Ͳ (10)
௝ୀଵ

Therefore, number of voltage equations can be decreased to two

equations. By substituting Eq.(10) in Eqs. (1)-(3), new voltage
equations can be obtained as:
݀
(b) ‫ݒ‬ଵଶ ൌ ܴሺ݅ଵ െ ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ‫ܮ‬ ሺ݅ െ ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ݁ଵ െ ݁ଶ (11)
݀‫ ݐ‬ଵ
Principle of operating of the BLDC motor. (a) Cross section of ݀
‫ݒ‬ଶଷ ൌ ܴሺ݅ଵ െ ʹ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ‫ ܮ‬ሺ݅ଵ െ ʹ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ݁ଶ െ ݁ଷ (12)
the three-phase star-connected, (b) Back-EMF and voltage ݀‫ݐ‬
waveforms.
III. SENSOR-LESS SCHEME
To realize of BLDC model, voltage differential equations of In Fig. 2 block diagram of BLDC sensor-less scheme has
each phase are required. Voltage differential equations of three- been shown. The output of PI speed controller is used as the
phase can be described as [9]: input of both BLDC motor and the motor model. Torque
estimator acts on the actual current and the estimated current of
݀ the motor as current error of each phase is calculated. Actual
‫ݒ‬ଵଶ ൌ ܴሺ݅ଵ െ ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ‫ܮ‬ ሺ݅ െ ݅ଶ ሻ ൅ ݁ଵ െ ݁ଶ (1)
݀‫ ݐ‬ଵ current of motor is compensated by current error and using
݀ Eq.(8) and Eq.(9), each phase estimated torque can be obtained
‫ݒ‬ଶଷ ൌ ܴሺ݅ଶ െ ݅ଷ ሻ ൅ ‫ ܮ‬ሺ݅ଶ െ ݅ଷ ሻ ൅ ݁ଶ െ ݁ଷ (2) as:
݀‫ݐ‬
݀ ݀߱௘௦௧
‫ݒ‬ଵଷ ൌ ܴሺ݅ଵ െ ݅ଷ ሻ ൅ ‫ ܮ‬ሺ݅ଵ െ ݅ଷ ሻ ൅ ݁ଵ െ ݁ଷ (3) ‫ܬ‬ ൌ ܶ௘೐ೞ೟ െ ܶ௟ െ ‫߱ܤ‬௘௦௧ (13)
݀‫ݐ‬ ݀‫ݐ‬
݀ߠ௘௦௧
where, ܴǡ ‫ܮ‬ǡ ݅௝ ƒ†݁௝ are resistance, inductance, current and ൌ ߱௘௦௧ (14)
back EMF of the jth phase, respectively. Back EMF of the jth ݀‫ݐ‬
phase is expressed as: A. Torque Estimation
݇௘ ʹߨ
݁௝ ൌ ߱Ǥ ݂ ቆߠ െ ሺ݆ െ ͳሻቇ ǡ ݆ ൌ ͳǡʹǡ͵ (4) The BLDC sensor-less scheme estimates speed and position
ʹ ͵ of rotor by the torque estimator. Current error of each phase has
where, ݇௘ ǡ ߱ƒ†ߠare back-EMF coefficient, speed and rotor a principle role in torque estimation. In this method, current error
position respectively. Also, function of ݂ሺߠሻ can be described for each phase ݁௜ೕ is defined as:
as:
 Fig. 1. The block diagram of BLDC sensor-less scheme.

Fig. 2. FLCC and torque estimation.

݁௜ೕ ൌ ݅௝ െ ݅௝೐ೞ೟Ǥ (15) Therefore, using Eq. (13) and Eq. (14), speed and rotor position
of BLDC are indirectly estimated by torque estimation.
Torque estimation of each phase is done using FLCC that acts
on the current error and the current error derivative. In this B. Fuzzy Logic Current Compensator
method, compensated current described as:
Fig. 3 shows the FLCC and torque estimation of the jth
݅௝೎೚೘೛Ǥ ൌ ݅௝ ൅ ‫ܮܨ‬ሺ݁௜ೕ ǡ ݁ሶ௜ೕ ሻ (16) phase. In this figure, the estimated torque of each phase can be
obtained using Eq. (18) and compensated current. To provide
fast computation in high speed BLDC sensor-less drive, we
where the second term is the fuzzy current compensator
applied three member functions for current error and current
described by: error derivative and compensator signal (NS: negative small, Z:
zero, PS: positive small). Mamdani fuzzy-logic membership
‫ܮܨ‬ሺ݁௜ೕ ǡ ݁ሶ௜ೕ ሻ=݂݈ሺߙǤ ݁௜ೕ ǡ ߚ݁ሶ௜ೕ ሻ (17) functions have been shown in Fig. 4. In this Figure, current error
(input 1), current error derivative (input 2) and compensator
where Į and ߚ are current error coefficient and current error signal (output) are considered in the range between -0.4 to 0.4.
derivative coefficient in fuzzy logic scheme, respectively. By Furthermore, inputs and output are normalized 0 to1.
Fuzzy logic rules have been shown in Table I. Also, in this
substituting ‹୨ౙ౥ౣ౦Ǥ in Eq. (7), torque of each phase is estimated
study, singleton fuzzifier, center average defuzzifier and product
by, fuzzy inference engine has been applied in the structure of the
fuzzy system.
݇௧ ʹߨ
ܶ௝೐ೞ೟ ൌ Ǥ݅ Ǥ ݂ሺߠ௘௦௧ െ ሺ݆ െ ͳሻሻ (18)
ʹ ௝೎೚೘೛Ǥ ͵
 TABLE II
BLDC MOTOR PARAMETERS
P=2 Number of poles
W=1.2 Power(W)
Vs=6 Voltage(V)
N=40000 Speed(RPM)
R=12.50 Resistance (Ohm)
L=0.091e-3 Inductance(H)

(a) In=.5 Current(A)

ke=1.05e-3 Back-EMF coefficient (V/(rad/s))
kt=1.05e-3 Torque coefficient (N.m/A)

J=0.005e-7 Rotor inertia (kg.m2)

B=1.38e-8 Friction coefficient N/(rad/s)

(b)

(c)
Fig. 3. Fuzzy logic member functions; (a) input 1: current error,
(b) input 2: current error derivative, (c) output: compensator
signal. (a)

TABLE I
FUZZY LOGIC RULES

Current error
NS Z PS
Current NS PS PS Z
error Z PS Z NS
derivative PS Z NS NS

IV. SIMULATION RESULTS

In this method, a three-phase high speed BLDC motor with
the parameters in Table II has been simulated. Fig. 5, Fig. 6 and
Fig. 7 show the simulation results of BLDC motor in 40000
RPM. As shown in Fig. 5, estimated speed and actual speed,
speed estimation error in high speed are bounded between -80 to
60 RPM. Also, Fig. 6 illustrates the actual current and current
estimation error of one phase of BLDC motor that are bounded
between -0.02 to 0.02 A. In the Fig.7, estimated torque, actual (b)
torque, and torque estimation error illustrate that torque Fig.5 Simulation results of BLDC motor speed in 40000 rpm; (a) speed and
estimation is done by fast estimator as torque estimation error is estimated speed, (b) speed estimation error.
bounded between -0.6 to 0.6 ߤN.m.
 (b)
(a)
Fig.7 Simulation results of BLDC motor torque in 40000rpm; (a) torque and
estimated torque, (b) torque estimation error.

V. CONCLUSION

This study proposed a sensor-less high speed BLDC drive

based on FLCC. In this method, by using measured current and
voltage, actual current was compensated by FLCC and applied
to mechanical torque estimation. Using torque estimation in
indirect speed estimation by FLCC both increased precision of
estimation and estimation time was considerably decreased and,
thereby high speed BLDC drive performance was improved.
Simulation results in high speed have shown that speed
estimation error, current estimation error and torque estimation
error can be minimized easily by using FLCC. In summary, this
new method have presented a fast, new, and simple technique to
indirect estimate speed of the BLDC drives with high accuracy.
(b)

Fig.6 Simulation results of BLDC motor current in 40000 rpm; (a) current
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