The disclosure relates to a method for determining an incorrect operating state of an electrical machine with the aid of an electronic circuit having at least one comparator. The electrical machine is controlled with a pulse width modulation signal. The pulse width modulation signal is demodulated. A first signal, which represents the demodulated pulse width modulation signal, is compared with a second signal. The second signal represents a rotational speed or a rotational angle of the electrical machine and/or a current intensity of the electrical machine. This comparison is carried out with the aid of the at least one comparator. An error signal is generated based on the comparison in order to determine the incorrect operating state of the electrical machine.

The invention involves a switched reluctance motor, comprising a stator and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The stator comprises several circumferentially arranged coils and stator poles, the stator poles forming the cores of the coils. The rotor comprises several counter poles for interacting with the stator poles for applying a reluctance torque on the rotor. The motor comprises phase inputs for receiving an actuation signal for actuating one or more phase stages. Each stator coil is associated with a phase stage, such that each phase stage comprises at least two coils. Each phase stage comprises a circuit stage including a switching arrangement comprising switches for selectively switching the coils of said phase stage in either one of a parallel, a serial, or a parallel-serial electrical configuration.

The invention involves a switched reluctance motor, comprising a stator and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The stator comprises several circumferentially arranged coils and stator poles, the stator poles forming the cores of the coils. The rotor comprises several counter poles for interacting with the stator poles for applying a reluctance torque on the rotor. The motor comprises phase inputs for receiving an actuation signal for actuating one or more phase stages. Each stator coil is associated with a phase stage, such that each phase stage comprises at least two coils. Each phase stage comprises a circuit stage including a switching arrangement comprising switches for selectively switching the coils of said phase stage in either one of a parallel, a serial, or a parallel-serial electrical configuration.

An electric motor may comprise a rotor and a stator comprising rotor and stator teeth, respectively. A non-uniform angular spacing or grouping of rotor teeth may facilitate desired rotational speeds of the rotor.

Systems and methods for position determination in an electric machine are provided. Aspects include a DC power source connected to an inverter circuit, an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator, wherein an output of the inverter circuit is connected to a plurality phase of windings, and a controller configured to operate the electric motor and the inverter circuit, wherein the controller is further configured to determine one or more inactive phase windings from the plurality of phase windings, supply a voltage to the inactive phase windings, receive, from a current sensor connected to the electric motor, a current for each inactive phase winding of the inactive phase windings, determine an inductance for each inactive phase winding of the inactive phase winding based on the current, and determine a position of the rotor in the electric motor based on the inductance for each inactive phase winding.

An example converter for a switched reluctance (SR) generator includes one or more gate driver circuits that are not only used to synchronously control switches, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) of the converter, but also used to provide priming function during start-up of the generator. Since, an SR generator does not have to ability to self provide magnetic flux, priming current is provided to coils of the SR generator to initiate a magnetic flux. By using the gate drive circuit to provide the priming current, an additional priming circuit is not required. As a result, the converter design is more streamlined, with reduced complexity, cost, and size. When a bus voltage of the converter is below a threshold level, the one or more gate drive circuits can provide the priming current on the bus to initiate the SR generator.

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.

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.

A reluctance motor has salient teeth on both the stator and the rotor. The reluctance motor includes electrical coils that are usable to generate magnetic flux to drive rotation of the rotor. Concentrated coil windings are wound around each stator tooth. The electrical coils are arranged across all the stator teeth of the reluctance motor to enable the reluctance motor to be driven by alternating current. The electrical coils are arranged so that, when excited with alternating current, the number of magnetic half-poles is equal to the number of teeth on the rotor. The reluctance machine can operate using an inverter instead of an asymmetric bridge.

A reluctance motor has salient teeth on both the stator and the rotor. The reluctance motor includes electrical coils that are usable to generate magnetic flux to drive rotation of the rotor. Concentrated coil windings are wound around each stator tooth. The electrical coils are arranged across all the stator teeth of the reluctance motor to enable the reluctance motor to be driven by alternating current. The electrical coils are arranged so that, when excited with alternating current, the number of magnetic half-poles is equal to the number of teeth on the rotor. The reluctance machine can operate using an inverter instead of an asymmetric bridge.