Brushless DC (BLDC) motors are becoming increasingly common in various industrial and commercial applications such as micromobility and robotics due to their high torque density and efficiency. A BLDC Motor is a three-phase synchronous motor that is very similar to a non-salient Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) with key differences lying in the non-ideal characteristics of the motor; the most prominent of these is BLDC motors have trapezoidal-shaped Back-Electromotive Force (BEMF). Despite their advantages, a present weakness of BLDC motors is the difficulty controlling these motors at standstill and low-speed conditions that require high torque. These operating conditions are common in the target applications and almost always necessitate the use of external sensors which introduce additional costs and points of failure. As such, sensorless based methods of position estimation would serve to improve system reliability, cost, and efficiency. High Frequency (HF) pulsating voltage injection in the direct axis is a popular method of sensorless control of salient-pole Interior-mount Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (IPMSM); however, existing methods are not sufficiently robust for use in BLDC and small Surface-mount Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (SPMSM) and are accompanied by other issues, such as acoustic noise. This thesis proposes novel improvements to the method of High Frequency Voltage Injection to allow for practical use in BLDC Motors and small SPMSM. Proposed improvements include 1) a hybrid frequency generator which allows for dynamic frequency scaling to improve tracking and eliminate acoustic noise, 2) robust error calculation that is stable despite the non-ideal characteristics of BLDC Motors, 3) gain engineering of Proportional-Integral (PI) type Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) trackers that further lend stability, 4) observer decoupling mechanism to allow for seamless transition into state-of-the-art BEMF sensing methods at high speed, and 5) saliency boosting that allows for continuous tracking of saliency under high torque load. Experimental tests with a quadrature encoder and torque efficiency calculations on a dynamometer verify the practicality of the proposed algorithm and improvements.

Three-Phase brushless DC motors (BLDC) have become increasingly popular in many fields including industrial controls and remote-control hobby toys. They offer many advantages over their brushed counterparts such as smaller size, longer service life, and increased efficiency; however, one drawback is that commutation must be handled electrically using a controller rather than by a mechanical commutator. Rotor position must be estimated in order to accurately commutate the motor, this is calculated either by sensors (sensored) or by measuring the generated Back-Electromotive Force (sensorless). There are two primary methods of brushless DC motor commutation, trapezoidal and sinusoidal. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, as well as unique sets of rotor position estimation strategies. This paper will discuss in detail the development of a novel motor control algorithm that employs one method of sensorless trapezoidal control of BLDC motors where the BEMF is integrated after a zero-crossing event, the various challenges associated with direct BEMF measurement, and demonstrate a practical implementation of the new algorithm. Using a robust, high frequency sampling scheme and on-the-fly detection strategies, this new algorithm overcomes many of the shortcomings of similar control algorithms currently available on the market. As a result, this new algorithm provides even more robust control over BLDC motors, increased efficiency, and improved dynamic performance compared to its counterparts while simultaneously requiring little to no additional hardware in practical implementations. Topics investigated include BLDC motors, sensored and sensorless rotor estimation, PWM strategies, terminal voltage sensing, third harmonic voltage sensing and integration, sample timing, switching noise, and current recirculation.