An apparatus for controlling an AC power supply for an electric motor, said AC power supply being derived from a DC voltage. The apparatus including a comparer configured to provide a comparison of a modulation index of a motor control signal with a reference value. This current data provider is configured to provide current data based on a torque demand signal; a speed signal indicating the speed of rotation of the AC motor; and an indication of the DC voltage modified on the comparison for control of the motor control signal which is based on the motor current data.

An electric machine includes a rotor, a stator, at least one measurement circuit, and a controller. The rotor includes a plurality of salient poles arranged radially around a rotation axis of the electric machine and spaced apart from the rotation axis of the electric machine. The stator includes a plurality of coils configured to selectively align with the plurality of salient poles of the rotor. The at least one measurement circuit is configured to measure at least one current through at least one of the plurality of coils. The measured current includes a current ripple. The controller configured to compute a position of the rotor based on a characteristic of the current ripple.

An apparatus for estimating a motor RPM in an electronic brake system may include: a current signal amplifier configured to amplify a voltage applied across a motor driver by a current which flows while the motor driver is turned on, the motor driver being included in a motor driving circuit configured to apply motor driving power to a motor or remove the motor driving power according to a switch-on/off of the motor driver; and a controller configured to detect a waveform with a one-period time from periodically repeated waveforms by processing the signal waveform amplified by the current signal amplifier, calculate a one-rotation time based on the one-period time and the number of commutators of the motor, and calculate a motor RPM using the one-rotation time.

An apparatus for controlling an AC power supply for an electric motor, said AC power supply being derived from a DC voltage. The apparatus comprises a comparer configured to provide a comparison of a modulation index of a motor control signal with a reference value. This current data provider is configured to provide current data based on a torque demand signal; a speed signal indicating the speed of rotation of the AC motor; and an indication of the DC voltage modified on the comparison for control of the motor control signal which is based on the motor current data.

A control device includes a motor driving unit that supplies electric power to a motor according to a magnetic-pole-phase signal output from the motor; and a rotational-position detecting unit that converts the magnetic-pole-phase signal into a rotational-position detection signal and outputs the rotational-position detection signal. The rotational-position detection signal indicates a rotation amount and a rotation direction of an output shaft of the motor and has a higher resolution than the magnetic-pole-phase signal.

A method for determining a movement of a rotor of an electric motor, comprises supplying a drive signal to a drive coil of the electric motor, sensing a coil current of the drive coil, detecting current ripples of the sensed coil current caused by the rotor of the electric motor crossing ripple generating positions, inferring the movement of the rotor from the detected ripples, braking the motor by reducing the drive signal supplied to the drive coil from an initial signal value to zero according to a braking curve specifying a non-zero fall time during which the drive signal is reduced from the initial signal value to zero. The braking curve is adapted so that the rotor does not cross a ripple generating position after the drive signal has been reduced to zero.

An electric machine includes a rotor, a stator, at least one measurement circuit, and a controller. The rotor includes a plurality of salient poles arranged radially around a rotation axis of the electric machine and spaced apart from the rotation axis of the electric machine. The stator includes a plurality of coils configured to selectively align with the plurality of salient poles of the rotor. The at least one measurement circuit is configured to measure at least one current through at least one of the plurality of coils. The measured current includes a current ripple. The controller configured to compute a position of the rotor based on a characteristic of the current ripple.

A method for determining a movement of a rotor of an electric motor, comprises supplying a drive signal to a drive coil of the electric motor, sensing a coil current of the drive coil, detecting current ripples of the sensed coil current caused by the rotor of the electric motor crossing ripple generating positions, inferring the movement of the rotor from the detected ripples, braking the motor by reducing the drive signal supplied to the drive coil from an initial signal value to zero according to a braking curve specifying a non-zero fall time during which the drive signal is reduced from the initial signal value to zero. The braking curve is adapted so that the rotor does not cross a ripple generating position after the drive signal has been reduced to zero.

The present invention relates to a method (200) and system (100) for controlling a rotary electric machine wherein a state of the rotary electric machine is determined between a low speed state and a high speed state. In the low speed state, a first rotor position (P1) and a first rotor speed (S1) are estimated based on intra-PWM current ripple (ΔX), a mean current vector (Y) and an inductance vector. A second rotor position (P2) and second rotor speed (S2) is estimated based on average current flowing through stator phase windings. State of rotary electric machine is selected based on estimated first rotor speed (S1) and/or estimated second rotor speed (S2). At low speed state, PWM signals are updated based on estimated first rotor position (P1), and at high speed state, PWM signals are updated based on estimated second rotor position (P2).

A method for determining a speed of an electronically commutated electric motor, in particular an electric motor of a fan. The current measured values are acquired at multiple points in time, which describe an amperage of a drive current supplied to the electric motor, after which a speed of the electric motor is determined as a function of the acquired current measured values.