Fault Diagnosis Method for Position Sensors in Multi-Phase Brushless DC Motor Drive Systems Based on Position Signals and Fault Current Characteristics

Multi-phase brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) have broad prospects in the power propulsion systems of electric vehicles, submarines, electric ships, etc., due to their advantages of high efficiency and high power density. In the above application scenarios, accurately obtaining the rotor position information is crucial for ensuring the efficient and stable operation of multi-phase BLDCMs. Therefore, by analyzing the fault conditions of position sensors in this paper, a fault diagnosis method for position sensors in multi-phase brushless DC motor drive systems based on position signals and fault current characteristics is proposed, with the aim of improving the reliability of the system. This method utilizes the Hall state value determined by the Hall position signal and the current characteristics under the fault state to achieve rapid fault diagnosis and precise positioning of the position sensor. Its advantage lies in the fact that it does not require additional hardware support or complex calculations, and can efficiently identify the fault conditions of position sensors. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, this paper conducts experiments based on a nine-phase brushless DC motor equipped with nine Hall position sensors. The results of steady-state and dynamic experiments show that this method can achieve rapid fault diagnosis and location.