Abstract: A method of commutating a motor includes calculating an adjustment electrical angle, and utilizing the adjustment electrical angle in a common set of commutation equations so that the common set of commutation equations is capable of producing both one and two dimensional forces in the motor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for providing a trigger signal in response to the commutation of a mechanically commutated electric motor (1). The method comprising the steps of providing a mechanically commutated electric motor (1), providing a power supply for said mechanically commutated electric motor via electrical supply leads (10, 11) from power supply circuitry, providing a filter (15) connected to said electrical supply leads (10, 11), detecting with said filter (15) a voltage spike occurring at commutation, outputting from said filter (15) said trigger signal.

Abstract: A permanent-magnet electrical machine is disclosed in which the rotor or stator have at least one movable iron segment. A magnetic field of the electric machine is weakened when the movable iron segment is moved a position away from the rotor or stator, respectively. When the movable iron segment is in a first position, such as in contact with the rotor or stator, the field strength is high. When the movable iron segment is in a second position in which the movable iron segment is displaced away from the rotor or stator, the field strength is low. The ability to weaken the field strength causes the constant-power, speed ratio to be increased and thereby increases the utility of the electric machine for applications in which a wide speed range is desired. The electric machine may be used as both a permanent-magnet motor and generator.

Abstract: A permanent-magnet electrical machine is disclosed in which the rotor has a fixed back iron and movable back iron segments. When the movable back iron segments are in a first position, such as in contact with the fixed back iron, the field strength is high. When the movable back iron segments are in a second position in which the movable back iron segments are displaced away from the fixed back iron, the field strength is low. The ability to weaken the field strength causes the constant-power, speed ratio to be increased and thereby increases the utility of the motor for applications in which a wide speed range is desired. The disclosure applies to both permanent-magnet motors and generators. In an alternative embodiment, the stator ring is provided with a fixed portion and at least one movable stator segment.

Abstract: a method and a device for detecting the rotation of a brush-operated d.c. motor comprising a number of winding branches which are electrically connected between brushes, during the operation of the motor, by means of plates, according to the rotational angle. According to the invention, an alternating voltage signal is modulated on the basis of a supply direct voltage for the brushes, by which means the course of the complex resistance of the direct current motor is determined and used for the detection of rotation. In this way, the invention enables a cost-effective rotation detection that can be used in motor vehicle technology without requiring additional mechanical components.

Abstract: A combined motor-battery system comprising an electric power source adapted to convert self-originating electrical current to mechanical power utilizing a set of common functional structures. Preferred embodiments include an electrochemical cell comprising field reactive electrodes that directly produce extractable mechanical forces in the presence of a magnetic field.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus accurately detect a rotor angle of a DC brushless motor by using a first-order difference of a detected value of a phase current. A periodic signal causing the total sum of output voltages in three control cycles to become zero is superposed over a drive voltage under current feedback control. The drive voltage is held at a constant level during the three control cycles. The phase difference between an actual value and an estimated value of a rotor angle is calculated, using the first-order differential current in each control cycle, and the estimated value of the rotor angle is calculated by follow-up computation of an observer, using the phase difference.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a fan comprises measuring power usage of the fan, determining a derivative of the measured fan power usage, tracking the derivative over time, and predicting impending fan failure based on the tracked fan power usage derivative.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pole-change type motor that provides a variable-speed (two-pole or four-pole type) operation system capable of reducing the load of the motor of the normal operation system and improving the cooling efficiency. In case of a quick operation, the motor switches over to the two-pole type according to the control of a relay section. At this time, the load of the motor is reduced by offsetting an abnormal magnetic field distribution formed due to the same polarity of adjacent main windings using compensation windings of an opposite polarity. If the quick operation is needed, the motor switches over to the two-pole type, and operates at a high speed to achieve the quick cooling. Then, if a standard operation is possible with the lapse of the predetermined time, the motor switches over to the four-pole type, and operates at a low speed to achieve an effective cooling.

Abstract: A direct-current motor is provided with an armature, which includes a core and coils, a commutator, which has segments, a first, second, and third brushes, and a pair of magnets. The core includes teeth, which form teeth groups. The tooth located at the most advancing end in a teeth group in the rotation direction of the armature is the most advancing tooth. Each coil is wound about one of the teeth groups. One of the magnets includes a reverse flux portion. When the third brush starts to establish a short circuit between an adjacent pair of the segments during the rotation of the armature, the most advancing end of the most advancing tooth in the teeth group that corresponds to the coil connected to the pair of the segments starts circumferentially overlapping the reverse flux portion. This suppresses the interference caused by a short circuit established by the third brush.

Abstract: A method and circuit is disclosed for soft-commutation of a direct current (DC) motor. An attenuation circuit is connected through auxiliary brushes A, A', B and B' to the commutator (16) to drain circuit from successive armature coils (15) before the main brushes (27, 28) disconnects from each of the coils (15). This prevents the spark generation that normally occurs in conventional DC motors. The attenuation circuit may also be connected before energization of the coil (15) for a soft turning on operation.

Abstract: A bidirectional DC motor comprising a commutator (6) which can be connected to a constant voltage source by a first and a second brush. The second brush is disposed opposite one side of the first brush in a spaced disposition with respect to the periphery of the commutator, which spacing correlates with a desired motor characteristic to provide a relatively convenient arrangement for switching the direction of rotation of a DC motor. In addition to the second brush (8) provided for one direction of rotation, the commutator (6) also has a third brush (9) for the counter-direction of rotation and is disposed in a spaced disposition with respect to the periphery of the commutator (6), which spacing correlates with the desired motor characteristic for the counter-direction of rotation. The first brush (7) is connected to one pole (+) of the constant voltage source (10) and the two other brushes (8, 9) are connected to the other pole (-) of the constant voltage source (10) by a switch (S1, S2) respectively.

Abstract: The invention discloses a controller for controlling an electric motor having a stator and an armature, the stator includes stator magnetic poles, the armature includes multiple two-node, open circuit armature windings. The armature windings are inductively linked the armature and insulated from the armature and from each other. The motor has at least one repeatable section, each repeatable section includes a group of poles and windings. The stator has two stator magnetic poles per repeatable section.

Abstract: A circuit for recovering electromagnetic energy from multiple windings electrical motor open circuit armature windings when interrupted while contacted through coupled commutator segments by brushes of the two groups. This energy recovery circuit includes, for one group brush, a half bridge circuit composed of a plurality of diodes coupled between the group brush and positive and negative polarity terminals of a DC electrical energy coupling means, and two or more group brushes are so connected.

Abstract: A method and a device for controlling a brush-commutator assembly of a machine under application of an electrical processing and control unit, by sensing one or more operating parameters of the electric machine, the sensing values being processed and converted into one or more control signals controlling the operation of the brush-commutator assembly to provide an optimal commutation process of the machine current. The machine current is sensed and the pressing exerted on the brushes is controlled by a fluid under pressure; the brush tracks, moreover, being engaged and disengaged upon increase and decrease of the machine current respectively in order to maintain an optimal current density in the brushes. One or more sensors for sensing operating parameters of the electric machine are used and a processing and control unit to process the signals sensed by the sensors and to supply control signals to one or more control means controlling the operation of the brush-commutator assembly.

Abstract: A brush wear indicator for a dynamoelectric machine including a brush holder for slidably mounting a brush, a self-winding, brush-biasing spring having one of its ends mounted in fixed relationship on the brush holder, in combination with a circuit board having a dielectric member on which a plurality of electrical contacts are mounted in spaced relationship to be electrically engaged by the spring when it is fully extended to accept a new brush in the brush holder. As the brush wears, the spring moves downward to continue exerting a biasing force on the brush, and sequentially moves out of engagement with the contacts on the circuit board responsive to predetermined degrees of brush wear occurring. Such movement of the spring causes the contacts to be sequentially disengaged from the spring, thereby causing associated signal means, such as glow lamps, to be de-energized thus indicating the occurrence of the predetermined degrees of brush wear.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method is described for smoothing the acceleration and deceleration of an electric motor. This is accomplished by using a pair of brush springs (strong and weak) for each brush of an electric motor. At low speeds, the strong spring is retracted so that the force with which the brush is applied to the motor commutator is greatly reduced. This reduced frictional force improves the smoothness of the acceleration and deceleration characteristics of the motor at low speeds.

Abstract: This control supplies varying amounts of d-c voltage to a load, such as a motor, to control the speed of the motor, as for example in a battery powered vehicle. A rotating commutator-type switch supplies voltage during portions of each revolution depending upon the position of an adjustable pair of brushes relative to a stationary pair of brushes. An inductance stores energy during the voltage-on intervals and discharges this energy through the motor during the voltage-off intervals in each revolution of the commutator so as to supply a fluctuating voltage to the motor.