This paper studies the local observability of synchronous machines using a unified approach. Recently, motion sensorless control of electrical drives has gained high interest. The main challenge for such a technology is the poor performance in some operation conditions. One interesting theory that helps understanding the origin of this problem is the observability analysis of nonlinear systems. In this paper, the observability of the wound-rotor synchronous machine is studied. The results are extended to other synchronous machines, adopting a unified analysis. Furthermore, a high-frequency injection-based technique is proposed to enhance the sensorless operation of the wound-rotor synchronous machine at standstill

This paper reviews the stator flux estimation algorithms applied to the alternating current motor drives. The socalled voltage model estimation, which consists of integrating the back-electromotive force signal, is addressed. However, in practice, the pure integration is prone to drift problems due to noises, measurement error, stator resistance uncertainty and unknown initial conditions. This limitation becomes more restrictive at low speed operation. Several solutions, reported in the literature, are reviewed and compared. Emphasis is placed on the low-pass filter based algorithms that show good performance in steady-state as well as in transient operating conditions.