Backstepping Control Design in Conjunction with an EKF-based Sensorless Field-Oriented Control of an IPMSM

The collector and brushless electronic commutation machines have gained widespread utilization in industrial applications. Among these machines, internal permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs) have become increasingly popular due to their numerous advantages, including high torque/current and torque/inertia ratios, robust construction, high efficiency, and reliability. However, the incorporation of position sensors in IPMSMs has introduced challenges concerning their application, performance, mass production, and cost. Consequently, the implementation of sensorless control techniques has become essential in drive systems and various applications. This paper proposes a backstepping control approach for achieving speed sensorless control of IPMSMs, employing an extended Kalman filter (EKF). The first step involves developing a comprehensive nonlinear dynamical model of the IPMSM in the direct and quadrature (d-q) rotor frame and obtaining its corresponding state-space representation. Subsequently, backstepping controllers for rotor speed and current tracking are designed to ensure precise tracking and anti-disturbance performance. These controllers are integrated into the field-oriented control (FOC) scheme. The Lyapunov stability theorem is employed to guarantee the asymptotic stability condition of the backstepping controller. To address the challenge of estimating immeasurable mechanical parameters of the IPMSM and accurately tracking the system states, an EKF is designed. This filter enables the estimation of mechanical parameters and achieves high steady-state precision within a finite time. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through simulations conducted under various dynamic operating conditions, including sudden torque load changes, command speed changes, and parameter variations.