Design of the speed controller for sensorless electric drives based on AI techniques: a comparative study

Abstract

The paper investigates applicability of different artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in the design of a speed controller for electric drives. A speed-sensorless drive system is considered. A controller structure consisting of a load torque observer, a speed estimator and a speed predictor is developed. Next, different AI based approaches to speed controller design are investigated. The speed controllers based on (1) feed-forward neural network, (2) neuro-fuzzy network, and (3) self-organising Takagi–Sugeno (TS) rule based model are designed. A comparative analysis of the drive behaviour with these three types of AI based speed controllers is performed. In addition, a comparison is made with respect to the drive performance obtained with a conventional optimised PI controller. A detailed simulation study of a number of transients indicates that the best performance, in terms of accuracy and computational complexity, is offered by the self-organising Takagi–Sugeno controller. The controllers are developed and tested for a plant comprising a variable-speed separately excited DC motor.