Broken rotor symptoms in the sensorless control of induction machine

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the need for a universal method for sensorless controlled induction motor drive diagnosis. The increasing number of sensorless control systems in industrial applications require a universal method for the drive diagnosis, which provides reliable diagnostic reasoning independent of control system structure and state variables measurement or estimation method.Design/methodology/approach – Simulations and experimental investigation has been done with assumptions of multiscalar control system as a generalized vector control method, voltage source inverter application, sensorless control system based on selected speed observer structure and squirrel cage induction motor. Broken rotor symptoms are analyzed in the state variables and control system variables using DSP processing without outside measurement devices.Findings – Symptoms of rotor asymmetry caused by broken rotor in the state and control variables was identified and symptoms amplitudes were compar...