Progressive Regenerative Braking using Real Time Speed Sensing

One of the most interesting features of electric motors when used in drive train application is that they can also behave as generators, and thus recharge the vehicle's battery while braking. Roboteq's motor controllers can easily be programmed to take advantage of this characteristic to create regenerative braking in a controlled and progressive manner. This paper describes the theory behind a simple and very effective technique that uses the motor speed sensing. It describes a practical implementation on an electric scooter using a brushless motor connected to a Roboteq controller.