Sensorless Control of Brushless Exciter Synchronous Starter Generator Using Extended Kalman Filter

The use of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) as a velocity and position nonlinear observer for synchronous motors is a mature research topic. Notwithstanding, the application of EKF in the aircraft domain is still restricted due to the complexity of the systems. This paper presents a study for using an EKF to estimate the position and speed of a brushless exciter synchronous starter/generator in electrical aircrafts. This type of machine is commonly used in this domain due to its autonomy, robustness and dual functioning. In spite of the machine complexity and the critical choice of the EKF covariance matrices, the EKF observer presents satisfying simulation results in estimating the position and the velocity of the mentioned motor during the starting operation. This is promising for the implementation and its use in the aircraft domain.