Techniques and apparatus for determining the temperature of a permanent magnet on a rotor of an electrical motor. An example techniques involves determining a first set of parameters for controlling the electrical motor. A temperature of the rotor during a runtime of the electrical motor is determined, based at least in part on the first set of parameters and a first back-electromotive force (back-emf) associated with the electrical motor. A first estimate of a magnetic flux of the permanent magnet is determined based on the temperature of the rotor. An operation of the electrical motor is controlled based at least in part on the first estimate of the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet.

A device estimates the electromagnetic torque of a three-phase synchronous electric machine including permanent magnets. The device includes: a first flux estimator including two integrators of electromotive force for estimating the respective components of the flux in a fixed two-phase coordinate system tied to the stator, an estimator for estimating the torque from the respective estimated-flux components, a second flux estimator that uses currents expressed in a rotating two-phase coordinate system tied to the rotor, with an observer for determining variables that characterize magnetic uncertainties of the machine with a view to correcting the flux estimation of the second estimator, and a detector for generating a signal for resetting initial flux conditions of the two integrators based on the flux estimation delivered by the second estimator, when the discrepancy between the estimated torque and a setpoint torque is higher than a predefined threshold.

The present invention relates to a method of determining the magnetic flux φ of an electric machine, based on measurements (MES) of currents and voltages in the phases of the electric machine, on a dynamic model (MOD) of the magnetic flux and on an adaptive Kalman filter (KAL).

A controller includes: a connection switch that switches a connection state of a winding of a synchronous motor during a rotating operation of the synchronous motor; a current detector that detects a rotary machine current flowing in the synchronous motor; a position/speed estimator that estimates a magnetic pole position and speed of a rotor; a voltage applicator that applies a voltage to the synchronous motor; and a control circuitry that generates a voltage command given to the voltage applicator on the basis of the magnetic pole position and the speed, and outputs a switching operation command for switching the connection state to the connection switch. The control circuitry generates the voltage command to bring the rotary machine current close to zero before the connection state of the winding is switched.

Described is a method of controlling operation of a synchronous motor. The method comprises, during constant power/speed motor operation, determining a value of a stator voltage (v.sub.s.sup.2) for an orthogonal rotating reference frame of the motor. Comparing the value of the determined stator voltage (v.sub.s.sup.2) to a threshold voltage (v.sub.s_max1.sup.2), said threshold voltage (v.sub.s_max1.sup.2) having a value between that of a maximum stator voltage (v.sub.s_max0.sup.2) for a basic speed mode of operation of the motor and that of a maximum stator voltage (v.sub.s_max2.sup.2) of the motor closed loop controller. If the determined value of the stator voltage (v.sub.s.sup.2) is greater than or equal to the value of the threshold voltage (v.sub.s_max1.sup.2), then controlling operation of the motor in a flux weakening mode of operation until a value of a current component (i.sub.d−Δi.sub.d) in a d-axis reaches a maximum negative value (−i.sub.dmax), or until the value of the stator voltage (v.sub.s.sup.2) is less than the value of the threshold voltage (v.sub.s_max1.sup.2).

An electric machine disposed within a housing includes a stator, a rotor, and one or more point field detectors. The stator receives current from an inverter. The rotor is connected to and rotating a shaft based on a magnetic field generated by the stator. The one or more point field detectors are configured to detect leakage flux within the housing. The stator, the rotor and the one or more point field detectors are disposed within the housing.

A dual-wound machine comprises a dual-wound generator supplying power to two separate powered zones. The generator comprises a wound rotor with a field winding and a stator with two sets of phase windings and a field control loop that controls the excitation voltage applied to the field winding and therefore the magnetic field produced by the rotor, in order to maintain a constant field flux in the generator and mitigate dynamic coupling between the two sets of phase windings when supplying power to unbalanced loads.

A rotary machine control device includes: a flux estimator that estimates a rotary machine flux; a command amplitude specifier that generates a command amplitude that is an amplitude of a command flux, by executing feedback control using a product of an estimated flux or an estimated magnet flux and a detected current; a command flux specifier that generates the command flux using the command amplitude; and a switcher that controls switching from a current synchronous operation to a flux control operation. When the switcher controls switching to the flux control operation, the flux estimator gives, to the feedback control, an amplitude of the estimated flux estimated before switching to the flux control operation, as an initial value of the command amplitude immediately after switching to the flux control operation.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for real-time estimation of full parameters of a permanent magnet synchronous motor. According to this method and apparatus, it is possible to estimate in real time all four parameters of a permanent magnet synchronous motor without additional signal injection. In addition to the state equation, the “stator current ripple model” is additionally used to fundamentally solve the rank deficiency problem in the state equation without injecting additional signals. All four parameters of a permanent magnet synchronous motor can be estimated in real time.

A closed-loop method of starting a permanent magnet synchronous motor comprises driving the rotor by energizing stator windings using motor control signals based on an initial standstill rotor angle. Periodically estimating values of rotor flux linkage magnitude and/or angle based on back-electromotive force (emf) induced in the stator windings by the rotating rotor. The estimated values of rotor flux linkage magnitude are used to estimate respective new rotor angles which are used to generate updated motor control signals to drive the rotor. Control of the motor is switched-over to a closed-loop synchronous operation motor control algorithm in response to any one or any combination of the following conditions: at a predetermined period of time from initiation of the closed-loop start-up method; or upon determination that the rotor has reached a minimum operating speed; or upon determination that the estimated value of rotor flux linkage magnitude reaches or exceeds a threshold value.