Motor with rotor-mounted control circuitry

1. A method of fabricating an electrical rotating machine, the method comprising:

disposing at least one current-carrying circuit on a rotor of an electrical rotating machine;

mounting on the rotor at least one rotor-mounted sensor configured to sense an electrical machine property during machine operation; and

mounting on the rotor rotor-mounted electrical circuitry responsive to the rotor-mounted sensor; and

configuring a controller to supervise operation of the at least one rotor-mounted sensor and the rotor-mounted circuitry, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to dynamically modify a property of the current-carrying circuit during machine operation in response to the sensed electrical machine property and wherein the controller is configured to receive data inputs, settings, and commands from off-rotor sensors or external sources.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rotor-mounted sensor is configured to sense at least one of a circuit voltage, a circuit current, a magnetic field, a magnetic permeability, a temperature, a speed, a rotation rate, a rotation angle and/or an angular acceleration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes one or more electronic switching devices.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic switching device includes one or more of a triac, a silicon-controlled rectifier, solid state relay, and/or a thyristor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes a linear electronic device and/or circuit.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the linear electronic device and/or circuit includes at least one of a MOSFET, an IGBT, and/or a bipolar transistor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes one or more active or passive electronic devices placed in series and/or parallel with all or part of the current-carrying circuit.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes a voltage source, and/or a current source, a source of electrical reactance, and/or energy storage/supply device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the energy storage/supply device includes one or more of an inductor, a capacitor, a primary and/or secondary battery.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the energy storage/supply device includes a device that is rechargeable during machine operation.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to modify one or more of real and/or reactive impedance, capacitance, reluctance, magnetic saturation, inductance and/or mutual inductance of the current-carrying circuit.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit as a function of rotor angle or position, rotation rate, and/or angular acceleration.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit as a continuous function.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit between a set of discrete property values.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit in response to a time history of sensor values.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit includes a switch-mode regulator.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the switch-mode regulator switches the property of the current-carrying circuit at a rate higher than a nominal frequency.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nominal frequency of the electrical machine is the rotor's angular frequency or a pole frequency of the electrical machine.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nominal frequency is about 15 KHz.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nominal frequency is about 100 KHz.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the nominal frequency is about 1 MHz.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to regulate a machine operating parameter.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the machine operating parameter is one of a starting current, a running current, a rotor speed and/or acceleration, a temperature at a rotor location, a power consumption, and/or a torque.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes one or more rotor-mounted controller components and/or off-rotor controller components.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein off-rotor components are configured to communicate with the rotor-mounted circuitry, the at least one rotor-mounted sensor and/or the one or more rotor-mounted controller components via optical, RF, acoustic, ultrasound, inductive, capacitive, and/or conducting means.

26. A method of fabricating an electrical rotating machine, the method comprising:

disposing at least one current-carrying circuit on a rotor of an electrical rotating machine;

mounting on the rotor at least one rotor-mounted sensor configured to sense an electrical machine property during machine operation; and

mounting on the rotor rotor-mounted electrical circuitry responsive to the rotor-mounted sensor, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to dynamically modify a property of the current-carrying circuit during machine operation in response to the sensed electrical machine property, wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes a voltage source, and/or a current source, a source of electrical reactance, and/or energy storage/supply device.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least one rotor-mounted sensor is configured to sense at least one of a circuit voltage, a circuit current, a magnetic field, a magnetic permeability, a temperature, a speed, a rotation rate, a rotation angle and/or an angular acceleration.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes one or more electronic switching devices.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes a linear electronic device and/or circuit.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the linear electronic device and/or circuit includes at least one of a MOSFET, an IGBT, and/or a bipolar transistor.

31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to modify a property of the current-carrying circuit includes one or more active or passive electronic devices placed in series and/or parallel with all or part of the current-carrying circuit.

32. The method of claim 26 , wherein the energy storage/supply device includes one or more of an inductor, a capacitor, a primary and/or secondary battery.

33. The method of claim 26 , wherein the energy storage/supply device includes a device that is rechargeable during machine operation.

34. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to modify one or more of real and/or reactive impedance, capacitance, reluctance, magnetic saturation, inductance and/or mutual inductance of the current-carrying circuit.

35. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit as a function of rotor angle or position, rotation rate, and/or angular acceleration.

36. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit as a continuous function.

37. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry is configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit in response to a time history of sensor values.

38. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rotor-mounted circuitry configured to vary the property of the current-carrying circuit includes a switch-mode regulator.

39. The method of claim 26 , further comprising, a controller configured to supervise operation of the at least one rotor-mounted sensor and the rotor-mounted circuitry.

40. A method of fabricating an electrical rotating machine, the method comprising:

disposing at least one current-carrying circuit on a rotor of an electrical rotating machine;

mounting on the rotor at least one rotor-mounted sensor configured to sense an electrical machine property during machine operation; and

mounting on the rotor rotor-mounted electrical circuitry responsive to the rotor-mounted sensor; and

configuring a controller to supervise operation of the at least one rotor-mounted sensor and the rotor-mounted circuitry, wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to dynamically modify a property of the current-carrying circuit during machine operation in response to the sensed electrical machine property and wherein the controller is configured to receive data from off-rotor data sources.