Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are widely used in various fields due to their high efficiency and power density. To further enhance reliability and reduce cost and volume, sensorless control techniques have been extensively investigated over the past few decades. This article provides a review of major sensorless control methods, categorizing them into low-speed and high-speed methods. Virtual frequency methods, saliency-based methods, and model-based methods, along with their developments, are analyzed and compared. In addition, application-oriented analysis, implementation insights, as well as the challenges and future development trends are discussed at the end of the article.
An et al. (2026) studied this question.