Virtual Third Harmonic Back EMF-Based Sensorless Drive for High-Speed BLDC Motors Considering Machine Parameter Asymmetries

This article investigates the virtual third harmonic back electromotive force (EMF)-based sensorless drive method for high-speed brushless dc (BLDC) motors. Conventional zero-crossing point (ZCP) detection methods of virtual third harmonic back EMF require hardware low-pass filters and voltage comparators, causing serious phase lag. To avoid the undesired phase lag of hardware, the proposed method employs algorithmic oversampling technique to reconstruct the envelope of virtual third harmonic back EMF. Besides, the number of sampling points is dynamically adjusted according to the pulsewidth modulation duty ratio to guarantee the accuracy of ZCP detection. In addition, the influence of asymmetric motor parameters, i.e., phase resistance and inductance, on sensorless commutation is analyzed in depth. With asymmetric impedances, ZCPs of virtual third harmonic will deviate from their ideal positions. Consequently, the commutation events, which are searched based on ZCPs, will also be triggered at inaccurate positions and then the control performance will be deteriorated. In order to suppress the negative influence, a novel phase compensation method is proposed. All the theoretical analyses are validated by experiments at a 60 000 r/min BLDC drive platform.