Apparatus and methods are provided for operating an electric motor, comprising selectively energising the coils of a stator having a plurality of stator teeth, each stator tooth having a said coil mounted thereon. The stator coils of a subset of the stator teeth are energised during a given time period to attract a corresponding rotor tooth into alignment with each of the stator teeth in the subset over the given time period. The stator coil of at least one stator tooth in the subset is energised during a portion of the given time period before the at least one stator tooth overlaps the corresponding rotor tooth.

Apparatus and methods are provided for operating an electric motor, comprising selectively energising the coils of a stator having a plurality of stator teeth, each stator tooth having a said coil mounted thereon. The stator coils of a subset of the stator teeth are energised during a given time period to attract a corresponding rotor tooth into alignment with each of the stator teeth in the subset over the given time period. The stator coil of at least one stator tooth in the subset is energised during a portion of the given time period before the at least one stator tooth overlaps the corresponding rotor tooth.

A method for controlling switched reluctance machine (SRM) utilizing a SRM control system. The method allows for adaptive pulse positioning over a wide range of speeds and loads. An initial rotor position is provided for the SRM utilizing an initialization mechanism. A pinned point on a phase current waveform is defined during an initial current rise phase of the current waveform. A slope of the current rise is determined as the current waveform reaches the pinned point. The slope is then fed to the commutation module of the SRM control system. An error signal from calculated inductance or current slope is used as an input to a control loop in the SRM control system. The time determining module determines an optimum time signal to fire a next pulse. The optimum time signal is fed to the SRM for turning the plurality of SRM switches to on and off states.

A braking torque closed-loop control system and method for a switch reluctance motor. The closed-loop control system comprises a torque regulator, a mode selector, a current regulator, an angle optimization controller and a torque estimator. On the basis of the rotating speed of the motor, the mode selector implements a phase current soft chopper control in a low rotating speed region and an angle position control in a high rotating speed region. The current regulator performs soft chopper hysteretic current regulation. The angle optimization controller optimizes a turn-on angle and a turn-off angle of a power converter master switch to reduce torque pulsation and improve braking energy feedback efficiency. The torque estimator conducts an on-line estimation of an actual braking torque estimated value of the motor based on an actual phase voltage and current of the motor to achieve braking torque signal feedback.

A braking torque closed-loop control system and method for a switch reluctance motor. The closed-loop control system comprises a torque regulator, a mode selector, a current regulator, an angle optimization controller and a torque estimator. On the basis of the rotating speed of the motor, the mode selector implements a phase current soft chopper control in a low rotating speed region and an angle position control in a high rotating speed region. The current regulator performs soft chopper hysteretic current regulation. The angle optimization controller optimizes a turn-on angle and a turn-off angle of a power converter master switch to reduce torque pulsation and improve braking energy feedback efficiency. The torque estimator conducts an on-line estimation of an actual braking torque estimated value of the motor based on an actual phase voltage and current of the motor to achieve braking torque signal feedback.

A method for controlling switched reluctance machine (SRM) utilizing a SRM control system. The method allows for adaptive pulse positioning over a wide range of speeds and loads. An initial rotor position is provided for the SRM utilizing an initialization mechanism. A pinned point on a phase current waveform is defined during an initial current rise phase of the current waveform. A slope of the current rise is determined as the current waveform reaches the pinned point. The slope is then fed to the commutation module of the SRM control system. An error signal from calculated inductance or current slope is used as an input to a control loop in the SRM control system. The time determining module determines an optimum time signal to fire a next pulse. The optimum time signal is fed to the SRM for turning the plurality of SRM switches to on and off states.

The invention suppresses the generation of an excessive current in a SR motor during switching between drive control and brake control. This motor control device is for controlling rotation of a multiphase SR motor, and is provided with a control unit that controls the rotational speed of the SR motor while switching between drive control for generating drive torque in the SR motor and brake control for generating braking torque in the SR motor, wherein the control unit performs switching from the drive control to the brake control or vice versa under the condition that the current flowing through a winding wire of an energized phase is less than a prescribed value.

An SR motor includes a rotor including N rotor salient poles where N is an integer of 2 or more, a stator including M stator salient poles where M is an integer of 3 or more, a shaft rotatably connected to the rotor, a sensor magnet that is fixed to an outer circumference of the shaft and includes an S pole and an N pole alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft, and three magnetic sensors opposed to the sensor magnet. The number of poles of the sensor magnet is N.

An SR motor includes a rotor including N rotor salient poles where N is an integer of 2 or more, a stator including M stator salient poles where M is an integer of 3 or more, a shaft rotatably connected to the rotor, a sensor magnet that is fixed to an outer circumference of the shaft and includes an S pole and an N pole alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the shaft, and three magnetic sensors opposed to the sensor magnet. The number of poles of the sensor magnet is N.

A haptic system includes a haptic engine in which a reluctance motor is driven by a driver controller operated in conjunction with an impedance-estimator that uses amplitude-modulated calibration signals. An enveloped-calibration signal is superimposed on a haptic-drive signal to quickly, and accurately, estimate the driving coil's impedance, while minimizing power penalty.