Switched reluctance machine with toothed-wheel rotor sensor

An apparatus and method for estimating rotor position in and commutating a switched reluctance motor (SRM), using both a flux/current SRM angle estimator and a toothed wheel generating a magnetic pickup. Commutation is based on the flux/current SRM at startup and lower speeds. At higher speeds, when magnetic pickup sensed from the toothed wheel is sufficiently large in amplitude to create frequent reliable interrupts, commutation is based on signals from the toothed wheel magnetic pickup. Phase errors can be compensated by adjusting the angle input to the commutator as a function of estimated speed. Alternatively, the flux/current SRM angle estimator can be run in a background mode to tune the toothed wheel interrupt angle signal at different speeds.