IP Library Granted Patent US 9,634,585
Granted Patent B2
US 9,634,585 · App. 14/970,670 · Granted Apr 25, 2017

Control method for reducing torque ripple in an electrical machine

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,634,585
App. No.
14/970,670
Granted
Apr 25, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine that includes a field winding for creating nominally constant field current using DC current and an armature winding for creating a rotating magnetic field using AC current, calls for superimposing a spatially varying current component on to the DC current of the field winding. Other methods are also disclosed that are suitable for electrical machines that have a winding that is excited with nominal DC current including SRMs, FSMs, and wound-field synchronous motors.

Claims (44)

1. A method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine, the method comprising:

splitting each phase winding of an electrical machine into an AC winding and a DC winding;

exciting the AC winding of each phase winding with symmetrically displaced sinusoidal currents;

exciting the DC winding of all phase windings with a varying DC current based on spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine; and

calculating the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine, wherein the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine are represented as

f (δ)=1+ k 3 [sin(3δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(3δ+γ)]+ k 6 [sin(6δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(6δ+γ)],

wherein δ is angular degrees (position), k 3 and k 6 are constants, and γ is a phase angle.

2. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 1 , wherein the varying DC current is represented as i o =√{square root over (3)}If(δ), wherein I is a nominal DC current.

3. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 1 , wherein exciting the AC winding of each phase winding with sinusoidal currents comprises projecting the phase currents into a reference frame that moves synchronously with the electrical machine rotor.

4. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 3 , further comprising calculating the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine, wherein the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine are represented as

f (δ)=1+ k 3 [sin(3δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(3δ+γ)]+ k 6 [sin(6δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(6δ+γ)],

wherein δ is angular degrees (position), k 3 and k 6 are constants, and γ is a phase angle.

5. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 4 , wherein the varying DC current is represented as i o =√{square root over (3)}If(δ), wherein I is a nominal DC current.

6. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical machine comprises a synchronous machine having a field winding.

7. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 6 , wherien the sychronous machine having a field winding comprises one of: switched reluctance machine (SRM), a flux switching machine (FSM), and a conventional sychronous machine having a wound rotor.

8. A method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine, wherein the electrical machine includes a field winding for creating nominally constant field current using DC current and an armature winding for creating a rotating magnetic field using AC current, the method comprising:

superimposing a spatially varying current component on to the DC current of the field winding, thereby reducing torque ripple in the electrical machine, wherein the spatially varying component is prescribed by an equation.

9. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 8 , wherein the spatially varying component is determined by a real-time controller.

10. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 8 , wherein the spatially varying component is determined adaptively.

11. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 8 , wherein the equation is as represented as

f (δ)=1+ k 3 [sin(3δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(3δ+γ)]+ k 6 [sin(6δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(6δ+γ)],

wherein δ is angular degrees (position), k 3 and k 6 are constants, and γ is a phase angle.

12. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 11 , further comprising exciting the DC winding of each phase winding with a varying DC current, wherein the varying DC current is represented as as i o =√{square root over (3)}If(δ), wherein I is a nominal DC current.

13. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 11 , wherein at least one of constants, k 3 and k 6 , are determined by a real-time controller.

14. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 8 , wherein the electrical machine comprises a synchronous machine having a field winding.

15. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 14 , wherien the sychronous machine having a field winding comprises one of: switched reluctance machine (SRM), a flux switching machine (FSM), and a conventional sychronous machine having a wound rotor.

16. A method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine, the method comprising:

splitting each phase winding of an electrical machine into an AC winding and a DC winding;

exciting the DC winding of all phase windings with a varying DC current based on spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine;

exciting the AC winding of each phase winding with symmetrically displaced sinusoidal currents that vary in response to a rotor position; and

calculating the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine, wherein the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine are represented as

f (δ)=1+ k 3 [sin(3δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(3δ+γ)]+ k 6 [sin(6δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(6δ+γ)],

wherein δ is angular degrees (position), k 3 and k 6 are constants, and γis a phase angle.

17. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 16 , wherein the varying DC current is represented as i o =√{square root over (3)}If(δ), wherein I is a nominal DC current.

18. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 16 , wherein the electrical machine comprises a synchronous machine having a field winding.

19. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 18 , wherien the sychronous machine having a field winding comprises one of: switched reluctance machine (SRM), a flux switching machine (FSM), and a conventional sychronous machine having a wound rotor.

20. A method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine, the method comprising:

splitting each phase winding of an electrical machine into an AC winding and a DC winding;

exciting the AC winding of each phase winding with symmetrically displaced sinusoidal currents; and

exciting the DC winding of all phase windings with a varying DC current based on spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine, wherein exciting the AC winding of each phase winding with sinusoidal currents comprises projecting the phase currents into a reference frame that moves synchronously with the electrical machine rotor.

21. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 20 , further comprising calculating the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine, wherein the spatially varying magnetic properties of the electrical machine are represented as

f (δ)=1+ k 3 [sin(3δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(3δ+γ)]+ k 6 [sin(6δ+γ)+tan(γ)cos(6δ+γ)],

wherein δ is angular degrees (position), k 3 and k 6 are constants, and γ is a phase angle.

22. The method of controlling torque ripple in an electrical machine according to claim 21 , wherein the varying DC current is represented as as i o =√{square root over (3)}If(δ), wherein I is a nominal DC current.

Assignments (5)
QUITCLAIM ASSIGNMENT Recorded Apr 9, 2026
From: EDISON INNOVATIONS LLC
To: BUNKER HILL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 074326/0549 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2025
From: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
To: GE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 070636/0815 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 26, 2025
From: GE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSING, LLC
To: DOLBY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 070643/0907 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2025
From: DOLBY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSING, LLC
To: EDISON INNOVATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 070293/0273 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 16, 2015
From: TORREY, DAVID ALLAN
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 037302/0415 →