Compact Sensorless Control for Underwater Propulsion Using Single-Current-Sensor Reconstruction

WANG Yu; SUN Guo Rui; XU Lei; WANG Yuankui

doi:10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0174

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Article Navigation > Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems > 2026 > Accepted Manuscript

WANG Yu, SUN Guo Rui, XU Lei, WANG Yuankui. Compact Sensorless Control for Underwater Propulsion Using Single-Current-Sensor Reconstruction[J]. Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems. doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0174

Citation:

WANG Yu, SUN Guo Rui, XU Lei, WANG Yuankui. Compact Sensorless Control for Underwater Propulsion Using Single-Current-Sensor Reconstruction[J]. Journal of Unmanned Undersea Systems. doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0174

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Compact Sensorless Control for Underwater Propulsion Using Single-Current-Sensor Reconstruction

doi: 10.11993/j.issn.2096-3920.2025-0174

1.
Xi’an Precision Machinery Research Institute, Kunming 650101, China
2.
Navy Military Representative Office in GuangZhou, Kunming 650500, China

Received Date: 2025-12-30
Accepted Date: 2026-02-09
Rev Recd Date: 2026-02-02

Available Online: 2026-09-14

Abstract

Abstract

The propulsion system of underwater operating platform is typically integrated within narrow compartment, imposing severe constraints on spatial layout. Traditional vector control system for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor relies on multiple current sensor and a position sensor. This not only occupies the thermal dissipation space required for power device but also increases the risk of sensor failure in harsh deep-sea environment characterized by high pressure and corrosion.To address these challenges, this paper proposes a compact sensorless control scheme that integrates single current sensor technology with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to simplify the hardware architecture. To overcome the measurement blind spot inherent in single current sensor sampling, the scheme optimizes Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation timing. Specifically, when the duration of the effective voltage vector is insufficient for sampling, a non-zero measurement vector is dynamically inserted to create a stable current sampling window. This effectively suppresses distortion in the reconstructed phase current waveform.Furthermore, to enhance the system response speed under dynamic load, this paper improves the EKF observer by incorporating the load torque as an extended state variable for real-time estimation. A feedforward compensation mechanism is employed to bolster the system ability to suppress load disturbance.Experimental results demonstrate that the reconstructed current waveform closely matches the actual current waveform. Compared to traditional EKF, sliding mode observer (SMO) and Luenberger sliding mode observer (L-SMO), the improved EKF exhibits superior performance in suppressing speed fluctuation and achieving faster recovery.The proposed solution successfully simplifies the hardware structure while achieving control performance with high precision and strong robustness, making it highly suitable for complex underwater operating environment.
- Propulsion Motor,
- Single-Current Sensor,
- Phase Current Reconstruction,
- Extended Kalman Filter

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References(25)

References

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