Analysis of Inherent Magnetic Position Sensors in Symmetric AC Machines for Zero or Low Speed Sensorless Drives

This paper presents an analysis of inherent position sensors in ac machines. In ac machine drives, the attachment of a mechanical transducer or a structural modification is necessary for zero or low speed operation where the back electromotive force (EMF) is zero or low. However, designs for introducing a measurable saliency in the spatial impedances of structurally symmetrical ac machines without any periodic modulation will make it possible to build sensorless drives at zero or low speed. Thin bridges in the core slots of a stator or rotor take the role of inherent magnetic sensors in ac machines. In structurally symmetric ac machines, such as a surface mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine (SMPMM) or induction machine (IM), the saliency in the spatial impedances is built by the spatial saturation on the leakage flux paths. This can be explained by a machine model that considers the spatial saturation, analyzed by the finite element method, and verified experimentally on test machines. Employing this phenomenon in the design or selection of symmetric ac machines will enable zero- or low-speed operation in sensorless drives.