Speed sensorless vector control of an induction motor using an extended Kalman filter

The vector control of an induction motor by speed estimation using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) is described. The rotor speed is regarded as a parameter, and the composite state is composed of the original state and the rotor speed. The EKF is employed to identify the speed of an induction motor and rotor magnetic flux based on the measured quantities such as stator currents and DC link voltage. The estimated speed is used for vector control and overall speed control. The current control is performed in the synchronous rotating reference frame, and the estimated speed information is used for reference frame transformation of the current controller. Computer simulation of the speed control has been carried out to confirm the usefulness of the speed estimation algorithm. The error between the real speed and the estimated speed is within a few RPM even in the low speed range of about 20 RPM