SENSORLESS FIELD ORIENTED CONTROL OF BRUSHLESS ...

Acknowledgements
I am greatly indebted to my major professor Jim DeVault for offering his guidance through the
various challenges encountered in completing this degree, handling each situation with candor
and tact. His organizational skills and technical thoroughness are second to none, and his labs and
lectures have served as an exemplary model of true engineering brilliance whose importance to
me cannot be described. I am grateful to John Devore for his gusto and originality in teaching and
for his endeavors to constantly improve lectures, even though they are already tops. With every
lecture or discussion I learn that there is always a simpler and better algorithm than what I have in
mind, and that there is always one more trick in bit twiddling that I would have never discovered
on my own. I am very appreciative of Chris Lewis for understanding that asking ‘dumb
questions’ is sometimes the best way to learn, and for having the patience to endure countless
such questions about controls. I had already taken the controls course prior to his joining our
department, but in seeing some of his material and in knowing that he teaches real-world controls
backed by experience, I cannot help but be a bit envious of his students. I am thankful to all of
these professors for their dedication to quality engineering instruction, for serving on my graduate
committee, and for tying up the ends of the degree on such short notice.
I am also thankful to the great folks at ICE Corporation of Manhattan, KS, for sponsoring part of
this research and for their cooperating and understanding as the trajectory of the research
continuously changed. The practical insights gained and the many ‘whiteboard discussions’ are
much appreciated. Their commitment to quality engineering and their concern for employees are
remarkable to say the least.
Finally, I am thankful to everyone involved for being patient, understanding, and willing to work
with me through the tough spots and delays in the research as well as those in my own life.
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