To simplify the system structure of permanent magnet synchronous linear motor (PMSLM), optimize the kinematic performance of the control system, and further improve the speed tracking accuracy of PMSLM, a model-free speed regulation system design of PMSLM based on the adaptive observer is proposed. Aiming at the control instability problem caused by the parameter uncertainty of PI control in PMSLM, a model-free speed controller (MFC) based on the ultra-local model is proposed, which has strong robustness to the uncertainty of motor parameters. Meanwhile, the actual model of PMSLM is used to build the reference model of the adaptive observer, and the adjustable model is designed with the current equation of PMSLM, to identify the speed of PMSLM. The design not only reduces the dependence of the speed controller on the motor parameters, but also simplifies the complexity and cost of the control system, and improves the control performance and anti-interference ability of the control system. The MFC and the observer based on the model reference adaptive system (MRAS) are built by simulation software and applied to the PMSLM system to verify the superiority of the designed control system. Compared with PI controller, sliding mode controller (SMC), and sliding mode observer (SMO), this control method not only simplifies the control system in structure, but also improves the accuracy of PMSLM tracking speed, improves the dynamic response performance of PMSM control system, and optimizes the control ability of the control system.