IP Library Granted Patent US 12700817
Granted Patent B2
US 12700817 · App. 18/649,903 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Method and system for controlling an electric machine

Inventors: Mohamed Ayeb (Kassel, DE); Florian Bethke (Kassel, DE); Ludwig Brabetz (Lehre, DE); Thomas Waldmann (Kassel, DE)
Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
H02P21/22H02P21/18H02P21/30H02P2207/05
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12700817
App. No.
18/649,903
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for controlling an electric machine using measurement coils arranged in an air gap situated between a stator and a rotor of the electric machine, a plurality of phase windings assigned to different electrical phases being present. Magnetic linkage fluxes are measured in the air gap via the measurement coils, Magnetic linkage fluxes are determined of the plurality of phase windings of the different phases. The determined magnetic linkage fluxes are transformed into a stator-fixed orthogonal coordinate system in order to obtain orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes. Phase currents flowing through the plurality of phase windings are measured. The measured phase currents are transformed into the stator-fixed orthogonal coordinate system in order to obtain orthogonal phase currents. An instantaneous torque and/or a flux-forming component of a phase current vector are ascertained. The electric machine is controlled based on the instantaneous torque and/or the flux-forming component.

Claims (24)

1 . A method for controlling an electric machine using measurement coils arranged in an air gap situated between a stator and a rotor of the electric machine, a plurality of phase windings assigned to different electric phases being present, the method comprising:

measuring magnetic linkage fluxes in the air gap via the measurement coils;

determining magnetic linkage fluxes of the plurality of phase windings of the different phases;

transforming the determined magnetic linkage fluxes of the plurality of phase windings into a stator-fixed orthogonal coordinate system in order to obtain orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes;

measuring phase currents flowing through the plurality of phase windings;

transforming the measured phase currents into the stator fixed orthogonal coordinate system in order to obtain orthogonal phase currents;

ascertaining, from the orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes and the orthogonal phase currents, an instantaneous torque, and/or ascertaining, from the orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes and the orthogonal phase currents, a flux-forming component of a phase current vector formed from the orthogonal phase currents; and

controlling the electric machine based on the instantaneous torque and/or the flux-forming component thus determined,

wherein each of the measurement coils is arranged on a tooth face of a stator tooth of the stator, the tooth face facing the air gap, and

wherein the measurement coils are planar coils applied to foil.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the instantaneous torque is ascertained by a cross product of the orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes and the orthogonal phase currents.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the instantaneous torque is compared with a predetermined torque setpoint.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the flux-forming component of the phase current vector is determined by a projection of the phase current vector onto a linkage flux vector formed from the orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the flux-forming component of the phase current vector is compared with a component setpoint, the component setpoint being determined by the torque setpoint.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the component setpoint is determined using a predetermined table based on the torque setpoint.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control is designed as a field-oriented control.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control is designed as direct torque control.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a rotor position and/or a rotor speed is determined from the orthogonal magnetic linkage fluxes.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic linkage fluxes of the plurality of phase windings of the different phases are determined from measured values of the measurement coils by taking into account a previously known winding scheme of the phase windings around the stator teeth.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measured phase currents and/or the magnetic linkage fluxes of the plurality of phase windings of the different phases are compared with each other, with expected values and/or with previously determined values for diagnostic purposes.

12 . A system for controlling an electric machine with the aid of measurement coils arranged in an air gap situated between a stator and a rotor of the electric machine, the system comprising:

an evaluator to evaluate measured values of the measurement coils; and

a control connected to the evaluator with actual value inputs,

wherein the evaluator and the control are configured to carry out the method according to claim 1 .