Electrical machine and method of controlling the same

1. A method for controlling an electrical machine having a stator and a rotor, the stator including a core having a plurality of phase windings disposed on the core, the rotor disposed adjacent to the stator and including a plurality of magnetic poles such that the rotor is misaligned at an unknown position with respect to the stator, the method comprising:

generating a first moving force to cause rotation of the rotor with respect to the stator from the unknown position;

thereafter generating a first braking force to at least slow rotation of the rotor with respect to the stator;

thereafter generating a second moving force for rotating the rotor with respect to the stator; and

thereafter generating a second braking force for stopping rotation of the rotor at a known position with respect to the stator.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating at least one of the first moving force and the second moving force includes exciting at least one of the plurality of phase windings to generate an attracting magnetic force between the excited at least one of the plurality phase windings and at least one of the plurality of magnetic poles.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein generating at least one of the first braking force and the second braking force includes exciting a second at least one of the plurality of phase windings to generate a force opposite to the rotational direction of the rotor with respect to the stator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the first moving force includes generating the first moving force for a first period of time, generating the first braking force includes generating the first braking force for a second period of time, generating the second moving force includes generating the second moving force for a third period of time, and generating the second braking force includes generating the second braking force for a fourth period of time, and wherein a fifth period of time includes the first period of time and the second period of time, and a sixth period of time includes the third period of time and the fourth period of time.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fifth and sixth periods of time are about 900 ms and the first and third periods of time are about 350 μs.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fifth period of time is greater than the sixth period of time.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fifth period of time includes a first coast period of time, and the sixth period of time includes a second coast period of time.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second period of time is different from the fourth period of time.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein

generating the first moving force uses at least one of the plurality of phase windings, and

generating the first braking force uses at least a different one of the plurality of phase windings.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the generating the first moving force,

sensing back electromotive force (BEMF) of at least one of the plurality of phase windings,

determining whether the rotor is moving based on the sensed BEMF, and

defining a state of the electrical machine based on the determining step.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein defining the state of the electrical machine includes defining among at least a no moving state, a slow moving state, and a fast moving state.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising stopping movement of the rotor when the electrical machine is in the slow moving state.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising

generating a count indicative of the number of consecutive times the state of the electrical machine is defined as the slow moving state and movement of the rotor is stopped as a result thereof, and

comparing the count to a value, such that if the count is greater than the value then the method of operating the electrical machine proceeds to generating the first moving force to cause rotation of the rotor.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

causing rotation of the rotor from the known position,

thereafter determining a period indicative of rotational speed of the rotor, and

thereafter determining a rotational direction of the rotor.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, subsequent to determining the rotational direction of the rotor,

comparing the rotational speed of the rotor to a predetermined speed, and

electrically commutating the electrical machine in response to the rotational speed of the rotor being lesser than the predetermined speed.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

sequentially applying a predetermined number of pulses to the plurality of phase windings to initiate rotation of the rotor in a desired direction from the known position;

monitoring BEMF from the plurality of phase windings; and

wherein each of the predetermined number of pulses is applied for a period of time based on monitoring BEMF.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein sequentially applying the predetermined number of pulses includes applying one of the predetermined number of pulses to a first phase winding and a second phase winding, the first phase winding and the second phase winding being part of the plurality of phase windings; and wherein monitoring the BEMF includes monitoring BEMF of a third phase winding, the third phase winding being part of the plurality of phase windings and different from the first and second windings.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein monitoring BEMF includes

obtaining a first monitored value of BEMF;

obtaining a second monitored value of BEMF after the obtaining the first monitored value;

comparing the first monitored value to the second monitored value to determine a delta value; and

stopping the sequentially applying step when the determined delta value is indicative of a predetermined parameter.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating the first moving force causes the rotor to rotate in a first rotational direction, and wherein generating the second moving force causes the rotor to rotate in a second rotational direction,

the first rotational direction being different than the second rotational direction.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

causing rotation of the rotor from the known position,

thereafter monitoring back electromotive force (BEMF) of at least one phase of the plurality of phase windings;

obtaining a first monitored value of BEMF as a result of the monitoring step;

obtaining a second monitored value of BEMF at an interval after the obtaining the first monitored value;

comparing the second monitored value with the first monitored value; and

determining whether the rotor is rotating based of the comparisons.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising

determining a period indicative of rotational movement of the rotor in response to the first monitored value being less than the second monitored value by at least an amount; and

determining a rotational direction of the rotor.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising

determining a rotational speed of the rotor in response to the rotational direction of the rotor being in a desired rotational direction; and

electrically commutating the electrical machine in response to the rotational speed of the rotor being lesser than a predetermined parameter.

23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising

preventing movement of the rotor in response to the second monitored value being substantially similar to or greater than the first monitored value.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising

preventing movement of the rotor in response to determining the rotational direction of the rotor being different than a desired rotational direction.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of phase windings includes a first phase, a second phase, and a third phase having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal, respectively, the method further comprising

applying a pulsed voltage differential from the first terminal to the second terminal resulting in movement of the rotor from the known position;

after the applying step,

monitoring the back electromotive force (BEMF) of each of the first, second, and third phases to determine the direction of rotation of the rotor,

determining whether the rotor is rotating in a desired direction, and

electrically commutating the electrical machine when the rotor is rotating in the desired direction and zero or more other conditions exist.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising, between the applying and monitoring steps, monitoring the BEMF of the third phase to sense rotor movement.

27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the applying and monitoring steps occur at least partially simultaneously.

28. The method of claim 25 , further comprising:

after the applying and monitoring steps, monitoring the BEMF of each of the first, second, and third phases to determine the speed of rotation of the rotor.

29. The method of claim 25 , wherein monitoring the BEMF of each of the first, second, and third phases comprises monitoring for changes in at least one of the following conditions

whether the BEMF of the first phase is greater than the BEMF of the second phase, and

whether the BEMF of the second phase is greater than the BEMF of the third phase, and

whether the BEMF of the third phase is greater than the BEMF of the first phase; and

wherein the method further comprises determining the direction of rotation of the rotor based on the monitoring for changes step.

30. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

generating a third moving force for moving the rotor with respect to the stator,

generating a third braking force to at least slow rotation of the rotor with respect to the stator, and

alternating the steps of generating the first, second, and third moving forces with generating the first, second, and third braking forces.