The present disclosure broadly relates to apparatuses and methods for generating electric power. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a self-excited electric generator. The self-excited electric generator may include auxiliary windings to provide a source of electricity to an associated generator control unit (GCU). The apparatuses and methods of the present invention may provide added benefits of reducing excitation requirements from the GCU. Thereby, the apparatuses and methods may reduce cost, weight, and size of an electric generator, and may increase reliability of associated systems.

The invention relates to a drive system (1) with electromagnetic energy transfer. The system (1) comprises a track (3) comprising a plurality of stators (4), each stator (4) having at least one winding adapted to generate a magnetic field having a fundamental harmonic (8) and at least one further harmonic (9) when fed with an varying current, and a movable element (2) comprising a primary magnetic element (5) adapted to receive said fundamental harmonic (8) to drive said movable element (2) along said track. The system (1) is characterized in that said movable element (2) further comprises a secondary magnetic element (6a-6c) adapted to receive said at least one further harmonic (9) to generate power onboard of said movable element (2). The invention also relates to a linear fractional slot synchronous machine and a rotational synchronous machine.

A magnetless rotating electric machine has an outer stator, an inner stator, and an annular rotor interposed between the outer stator and the inner stator. A plurality of outer-inner salient pole pairs are provided in the annular rotor along a circumferential direction of an annular rotor yoke. A rotor yoke coil is wound around one side of the rotor yoke and around another side of the rotor yoke along the circumferential direction with the respective outer-inner salient pole pairs sandwiched therebetween. Rectifying elements make a magnetic pole polarity of the outer salient poles and magnetic pole polarity of the inner salient poles, which are magnetized by an induced current of the rotor yoke coil caused by magnetization of the outer stator and the inner stator, identical with each other, and also make magnetic pole polarities of the adjacent outer-inner salient pole pairs opposite each other.

A magnetless rotating electric machine has an outer stator, an inner stator, and an annular rotor interposed between the outer stator and the inner stator. A plurality of outer-inner salient pole pairs are provided in the annular rotor along a circumferential direction of an annular rotor yoke. A rotor yoke coil is wound around one side of the rotor yoke and around another side of the rotor yoke along the circumferential direction with the respective outer-inner salient pole pairs sandwiched therebetween. Rectifying elements make a magnetic pole polarity of the outer salient poles and magnetic pole polarity of the inner salient poles, which are magnetized by an induced current of the rotor yoke coil caused by magnetization of the outer stator and the inner stator, identical with each other, and also make magnetic pole polarities of the adjacent outer-inner salient pole pairs opposite each other.

A rotor portion of a synchronous machine includes a rotor. The rotor carries a field winding and a re-chargeable power storage device. The re-chargeable power storage device is electrically connected to the field winding to provide electrical power to the field winding while in generate or motor mode, and to provide electrical power to the re-chargeable power storage device while in a charge mode.

A rotor portion of a synchronous machine includes a rotor. The rotor carries a field winding and a re-chargeable power storage device. The re-chargeable power storage device is electrically connected to the field winding to provide electrical power to the field winding while in generate or motor mode, and to provide electrical power to the re-chargeable power storage device while in a charge mode.

A reluctance motor has: a stator provided with drive coils to which multiphase drive currents are inputted; and a rotor provided with a plurality of salient poles which receive primary rotating force when magnetic fluxes generated in the drive coils are interlinked with the rotor, and the rotor has: inductor pole coils which are placed on magnetic paths on which spatial harmonic components superimposed on the magnetic fluxes generated in the drive coils are interlinked with the rotor side so that induced currents can be generated in the inductor pole coils due to the spatial harmonic components of the magnetic fluxes; rectifier elements which rectify the induced currents generated in the inductor pole coils; and electromagnet coils as defined herein, and the inductor pole coils and the electromagnet coils do not serve for each other's purposes but are placed on the rotor individually.

An auxiliary winding for use in an engine-driven generator system is disclosed. The auxiliary winding is separate from but resides with the main winding in the stator slots of an alternator in the generator system. The auxiliary winding is configured to utilize the fundamental component of the flux in the airgap of the alternator along with selected spatial harmonic components to provide power to an automatic voltage regulator during all operating conditions.

A field winding type synchronous machine has a stator having a stator core to which a stator coil is wound, and a rotor that rotates while facing a peripheral surface of the stator with an electromagnetic gap therebetween. The rotor includes a rotor core having a plurality of main pole portions and interpole portions, main pole windings wound around the main pole portions, interpole windings wound around the interpole portions, and a full-wave rectifier circuit for energizing the field current to the main pole windings. The interpole windings produce the induced current by a magnetic flux generated by a time harmonic current superimposed on a fundamental wave of the stator coil. The electromagnetic gaps between the interpole portions and a circumferential surface of the stator are configured larger than electromagnetic between the main pole portions and the circumferential surface of the stator.

A field winding type synchronous machine has a stator having a stator core to which a stator coil is wound, and a rotor that rotates while facing a peripheral surface of the stator with an electromagnetic gap therebetween. The rotor includes a rotor core having a plurality of main pole portions and interpole portions, main pole windings wound around the main pole portions, interpole windings wound around the interpole portions, and a full-wave rectifier circuit for energizing the field current to the main pole windings. The interpole windings produce the induced current by a magnetic flux generated by a time harmonic current superimposed on a fundamental wave of the stator coil. The electromagnetic gaps between the interpole portions and a circumferential surface of the stator are configured larger than electromagnetic between the main pole portions and the circumferential surface of the stator.