Reluctance machine with auxiliary field excitations
First Claim
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1. A reluctance machine system comprising:
- (a) a reluctance machine including;
a stator defining a plurality of stator poles;
a rotor defining a plurality of rotor poles, the rotor being mounted for rotation with respect to the stator, the stator poles and the rotor poles being configured such that the total area of overlap between the rotor and stator poles is constant as the rotor rotates with respect to the stator;
at least N, separately energizable phase windings, where N is an integer greater than 2, each phase winding including a plurality of winding coils, where each winding coil surrounds a stator pole;
a full pitch auxiliary field winding, the auxiliary field winding comprising one or more full pitched coils, where each full pitched coil encircles a group of N stator poles, and wherein the group includes, for each of the N phase windings, a stator pole surrounded by a winding coil from that phase winding; and
(b) a power converter coupled to the reluctance machine, the power converter including;
a DC bus;
power switching devices coupling the phase windings to the DC bus for providing phase energization currents to the phase windings; and
circuitry for providing continuous energization current to the auxiliary field winding, wherein the magnetic flux produced by the auxiliary field winding is relatively constant.
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Abstract
A reluctance machine system including a reluctance machine having a rotor and a stator including at least one phase winding and a full pitch auxiliary filed winding where constant currents are established in the auxiliary field winding to assist in the establishment of a magnetic field in the machine so as to improve the machine'"'"'s performance.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A reluctance machine system comprising:
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(a) a reluctance machine including; a stator defining a plurality of stator poles; a rotor defining a plurality of rotor poles, the rotor being mounted for rotation with respect to the stator, the stator poles and the rotor poles being configured such that the total area of overlap between the rotor and stator poles is constant as the rotor rotates with respect to the stator; at least N, separately energizable phase windings, where N is an integer greater than 2, each phase winding including a plurality of winding coils, where each winding coil surrounds a stator pole; a full pitch auxiliary field winding, the auxiliary field winding comprising one or more full pitched coils, where each full pitched coil encircles a group of N stator poles, and wherein the group includes, for each of the N phase windings, a stator pole surrounded by a winding coil from that phase winding; and (b) a power converter coupled to the reluctance machine, the power converter including; a DC bus; power switching devices coupling the phase windings to the DC bus for providing phase energization currents to the phase windings; and circuitry for providing continuous energization current to the auxiliary field winding, wherein the magnetic flux produced by the auxiliary field winding is relatively constant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A reluctance machine system comprising:
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(a) a reluctance machine including; a stator defining a N*6 stator poles, where N is an integer; a rotor defining a N*4 rotor poles, the rotor being mounted for rotation with respect to the stator; three phase windings, each phase winding including a plurality of winding coils, wherein each winding coil surrounds a stator pole; a full pitch auxiliary field winding, the auxiliary field winding comprising at least one full pitch auxiliary winding coil surrounding a group of 3 stator poles, and wherein the group includes, for each of the phase windings, a stator pole surrounded by a winding coil from that phase winding; and (b) circuitry for providing continuous energization current to the auxiliary field winding. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A reluctance machine system comprising:
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(a) a reluctance machine including; a stator defining a N*8 stator poles, where N is an integer; a rotor defining a N*6 rotor poles, the rotor being mounted for rotation with respect to the stator; four phase windings, each phase winding including a plurality of winding coils, wherein each winding coil surrounds a stator pole; a full pitch auxiliary field winding, the auxiliary field winding comprising at least one full pitch auxiliary winding coil surrounding a group of 4 stator poles, and wherein the group includes, for each of the phase windings, a stator pole surrounded by a winding coil from that phase winding; and (b) circuitry for providing continuous energization current to the auxiliary field winding. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A reluctance machine system comprising:
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a reluctance machine comprising a rotor, a stator defining a plurality of stator poles, at least N separately energizable phase windings, N being an integer greater than 2, wherein each phase winding surrounds a plurality of non-adjacent stator poles and wherein each stator pole surrounded by a given phase winding is separated from each other stator pole surrounded by the given phase winding by at least two stator poles; the stator poles being configured in relation to a plurality of rotor poles such that the total area of overlap between the rotor and stator poles is constant as the rotor rotates with respect to the stator; a full pitch auxiliary winding, wherein the full pitch auxiliary winding comprises at least one full pitch coil, wherein the full pitch coil encircles a group of N stator poles and where the group includes, for each of the N phase windings, at least one stator pole encircled by that phase winding; and circuitry for maintaining constant current in the auxiliary winding during normal operation of the machine, wherein the magnetic flux produced by the auxiliary field windings is relatively constant. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A reluctance motor system comprising:
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a reluctance machine including a rotor, a stator, a plurality of phase windings and a full pitch auxiliary winding; circuitry for energizing one or more of the phase windings with bi-polar current as a function of the rotor'"'"'s position with respect to the stator; circuitry for energizing the auxiliary winding with uni-polar current so as to maintain continuous current in the auxiliary winding, wherein the magnetic flux produced by the auxiliary field winding is relatively constant. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A method of energizing a reluctance motor including a plurality of phase windings and a full pitch auxiliary winding, the method comprising the steps of:
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energizing the phase winding with bi-polar current as a function of the rotor'"'"'s position with respect to the stator; and energizing the auxiliary winding with uni-polar current so as to maintain continuous current in the auxiliary winding, producing relatively constant magnetic flux in the auxiliary field winding.
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29. A reluctance machine system comprising:
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(a) a reluctance machine including; a stator defining a plurality of stator poles; a rotor defining a plurality of rotor poles, the rotor being mounted for rotation with respect to the stator; a plurality of phase windings, each phase winding including a plurality of winding coils, where each winding coil surrounds a stator pole; a full pitch auxiliary field winding, the auxiliary field winding surrounding a plurality of stator poles; and (b) a bi-polar power converter coupled to the reluctance machine, the power converter including; a DC bus; power switching devices coupling the phase windings to the DC bus for providing phase energization currents to the phase windings, where the phase energization currents vary in polarity over time and circuitry for providing continuous energization current to the auxiliary field winding, wherein the magnetic flux produced by the auxiliary field winding is relatively constant. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification