Gopinath Model-Based Voltage Model Flux Observer Design for Field-Oriented Control of Induction Motor

For field-oriented control (FOC) of induction motors, accurate estimation of flux is important. Among the various flux estimation methods, the voltage model flux observer exhibits superior performance in situations where there is detuning of rotor parameters, such as rotor resistance and mutual inductance, because this model is robust to the detuning of these parameters. However, it is difficult to implement the voltage model, which includes pure integration, because of the dc saturation and dc drift problems. A number of methods have been developed to overcome this problem, including the Gopinath model flux observer, which can completely solve these problems. However, this model has a critical weakness in terms of parameter sensitivity in the mid-speed region because of the property of its characteristic function. In this paper, an analysis of parameter sensitivity of existing flux observers is discussed. A method for a voltage model flux observer design based on the Gopinath model is presented. Through an analysis of the characteristic function of the observer, the voltage model is designed. Finally, the operation of the proposed method is proven by simulations and experiments.