Abstract: The present invention provides a mover traveling along a track, the mover system having a mover frame supporting a mover sensor element and a track frame providing a path for which the mover frame travels and supporting track sensor elements for interacting with the mover sensor element of the mover frame. The interaction between the mover sensor element and track sensor elements provides an identification signal of each mover and the identification signal of each mover on the track is arranged according to a cyclic sequence where unique contiguous substrings occur only once within the sequence.

Abstract: A linear and curvilinear encoder is provided in which absolute mechanical position and high resolution position determination can be obtained using a cart having a mover with “hybrid” teeth, configured in a curvilinear profile or shape, moving along a curvilinear track with a stator having teeth. The absolute mechanical position and high resolution position determination can be detected on the track by applying an excitation signal to a coil surrounding particular teeth of the stator to produce an electromagnetic (EM) field which can be influenced by the profile or shape of the teeth of the mover. A resulting pick-up signal can then be detected in a pick-up coil surrounding particular teeth of the stator with different harmonics in the pick-up signal corresponding to harmonics of the profile or shape of the teeth.

Abstract: A curvilinear encoder is provided in which an incremental or absolute position for a cart can be detected on a track by applying one or more excitation signals and receiving one or more pick up signals. Analogous to a transformer arrangement, an encoder mover can be placed on the cart moving along the track, and an encoder stator can be placed on the track separated by a gap. The one or more excitation signals can be applied to the one or more excitation coils on the mover or the stator to generate one or more magnetic fields, and the one or more pick up signals can he received by one or more pick up coils on the mover or the stator for sensing changes in the magnetic fields produced by motion of the mover on the track.

Abstract: An electric motor in which at least one of the rotor and the stator has, an asymmetric design is disclosed. The electric motor is divided into a number of segments, where each segment has an equal number of windings and an equal number of poles. The physical construction of each pole within a segment is identical and the number of turns of each winding within a segment is identical. The asymmetry is formed by varying the physical construction of the either the rotor or the stator within one segment from the corresponding construction of the rotor or stator in the other segments. The asymmetries are designed to improve one or more operating characteristics such as sensorless performance, torque ripple, or cogging torque in the motor.

Abstract: An IPM motor in which the absolute position of the rotor may be determined is disclosed. The IPM motor includes asymmetries in both the rotor and the stator. The rotor includes an asymmetrical pole configuration for one of the pole pairs in the rotor, and the stator includes a different number of turns for each winding of one phase of the motor. The different number of turns on each winding causes a different magnitude of flux to be generated with each winding. The flux interacts with the asymmetrical pole pair to identify to which winding the asymmetrical pole is proximate. A position sensing routine identifies an angular position with respect to each winding. The position sensing routine, in combination with the flux interaction between the windings and the asymmetrical pole provide an absolute position of the rotor within the IPM motor.

Abstract: A system and method for cooling an enclosed position feedback device mounted to a motor is disclosed. An active cooling device is mounted between the position feedback device and the housing enclosing the position feedback device. A compliant mount is provided to accommodate vibration in the position feedback device. The compliant mount may be a compliant thermal pad positioned between the feedback device and the active cooling device. Optionally, the compliant mount may be provided between the motor and the position feedback device.

Abstract: For reducing volume requirements and magnetic flux leakage, a compact inductor includes a first planar core with a first core thickness along a first axis orthogonal to a plane of the first planar core. In addition, the inductor includes a second planar core disposed parallel to the first planar core with a second core thickness along the first axis. The inductor further includes a plurality of electrical windings disposed between and adjacent to an inside plane of the first planar core and an inside plane of the second planar core. The electrical windings may include insulated electrical wires. No magnetic teeth may be disposed between the first planar core and the second planar core. The first axis is parallel to a magnetic axis of each electrical winding.