Abstract: A reluctance-type motor comprises, for each of its rotor and stator, a core that has a cylindrical ring and a plurality of salient poles protruding from the ring in a radial direction of the ring. Each pole has a bottom width and a top width in a circumferential direction of the core at its bottom and at its top, respectively. The bottom width is sized to be larger than the top width, and the ring has a width sized to be larger than a half of the top width of the pole. The pole may be shaped to have a round corner at the bottom or in a trapezoid in which the bottom width is larger than the top width. The core may have a plurality of thin magnetic plates stacked in an axial direction of the core, each plate has a plurality slits in each protrusion which forms the pole, and each plate has a thickness which is less than 5 times of a maximum width of each slit.

Abstract: In a q phase-reluctance type motor including a rotor having 2n rotor protrusions with an arc angle X°, a stator having 2m stator protrusions with an arc angle Y° and m pairs of exciting coils, each of the pairs of exciting coils is disposed around one of the stator protrusions spaced apart at 180° in mechanical angle, and the following conditions are met: q≧5, X°, Y°>360°/(n×q), X°+Y°=180°/n−&agr;°, where &agr;° is a counter torque marginal angle which is larger than 0°.

Abstract: A reluctance type motor apparatus comprises switching devices for energizing phase coils of a motor, diodes for circulating discharge currents of the phase coils, a current sensor for detecting a sum of currents flowing in the phase coils, and a control circuit for controlling energization of the phase coils so that the detected sum of the currents equal a predetermined reference current. The current sensor is positioned between the phase coils and junctions between the phase coils and the diodes. Phase currents supplied to energize the phase coils are varied in dependence on the rotational position of the rotor so that the output torque of the motor does not include ripple.

Abstract: A wiper device is composed of a wiper blade and a wiper arm connected to the wiper blade, a first drive link having a stationary joint rotatably secured to a portion of a vehicle, a second drive link having a first movable joint and a second movable joint connected to the wiper arm. The second drive link and the wiper arm are arranged so that the first movable joint can move along a track crossing a straight line connecting the stationary joint and the second movable joint. The first and second drive links are folded when the wiper arm is going to turn and reverse its course.