Parallel Sensorless Speed Control using Flux-axis Current for Dual SPMSMs Fed by a Single Inverter

This paper proposes a sensorless speed control algorithm for parallel-connected dual Surface-mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (SPMSMs) fed by a single inverter. For stable parallel operation of synchronous motors with a single inverter, each motor has to be constantly kept in the synchronization state regardless of load torque. If the master motor with the larger load is controlled, the synchronous state will be maintained. Therefore, detection of the master motor is essential. Conventionally, the master motor is determined by comparing the rotor position error from the relation between the back-EMF for torque angle and the flux position; consequently, the position sensor is deemed essential for finding the rotor position. The parallel sensorless speed control method proposed in this paper uses no position sensor, instead it compares the flux-axis current from the connection between the back-EMF for torque angle and current in unbalanced load conditions. The results of simulation and experiment conducted verify the efficacy of the proposed method.