Electric motor and motor controller
An electric motor controller having a front face and a rear face, the front face carrying a plurality of AC output couplings and the controller carrying a converter configured to convert a received DC supply into an output AC supply for controlling an electric motor, the AC output couplings being disposed symmetrically about an axis of symmetry of the controller on the front face of the controller. Also described is an apparatus comprising: a DC series motor; and a first current supply configured to supply a first current to an armature of the DC series motor; a second current supply configured to supply a second current to a field winding of the DC series motor; and a controller configured to control the first current supply to supply the first current based on a required torque output for the motor, and to control the second current supply to supply the second current based on the first current.
1. An electric vehicle motor controller system, the system comprising a first electric vehicle motor controller and a second electric vehicle motor controller, wherein the first electric vehicle motor controller comprises:
a first power provider;
a first health indicator configured to provide a first indicator signal only in the event that operation of the second electric vehicle motor controller is consistent with safe operation of the vehicle, and to check said safe operation by comparing a drive direction of the second electric vehicle motor controller with information obtained from a CANBUS of the vehicle;
a first failsafe, comprising a signal receiver for receiving a second indicator signal from the second electric vehicle motor controller, wherein the first failsafe is configured to enable activation of the first power provider based on the received second indicator signal; and
a first processor, wherein the first processor is arranged to control operation of the first power provider based on the second indicator signal received from the second electric vehicle motor controller,
and wherein the second electric vehicle motor controller comprises:
a second power provider;
a second health indicator configured to provide a second indicator signal only in the event that operation of the first electric vehicle motor controller is consistent with safe operation of the vehicle, and to check said safe operation by comparing a drive direction of the first electric vehicle motor controller with information obtained from the CANBUS of the vehicle;
a second failsafe, comprising a signal receiver for receiving the first indicator signal from the first electric vehicle motor controller, wherein the second failsafe is configured to enable activation of the second power provider based on the received first indicator signal; and
a second processor, wherein the second processor is arranged to control operation of the second power provider based on the first indicator signal received from the first electric vehicle motor controller.
2. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 in which at least one of the first failsafe and the second failsafe is configured not to enable activation of the power provider if the indicator signal is not received.
3. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 in which at least one of the first failsafe and the second failsafe is configured to activate the power provider in response to receiving the indicator signal.
4. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 in which at least one of the first processor and the second processor is configured to determine at least one parameter of the indicator signal and to control the power provider based on the at least one parameter.
5. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 4 in which the at least one parameter comprises one of: a DC voltage level; a frequency; a phase; peak to peak amplitude; RMS amplitude; and a duty cycle.
6. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 in which at least one of the first indicator signal and the second indicator signal is a time varying signal.
7. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 6 in which the at least one time varying indicator signal comprises at least one of a pulsed output signal and a square wave.
8. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 in which at least one of the first health indicator and the second health indicator is configured to provide the indicator signal based on a determination of at least one operational parameter.
9. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 8 in which the at least one operational parameter is selected from a list comprising: the direction of a DC current of the first motor controller; the direction of a DC current of the second motor controller; a key switch voltage; the temperature of the power transistors (IGBTs) of at least one of the first controller and the second motor controller; the temperature of control logic of at least one of the first motor controller and the second motor controller; the voltage and/or temperature of DC link tracks associated with at least one of the first motor controller and the second motor controller; ADC calibration voltages; analogue inputs; one or more programmable or non-programmable supply voltage (Vcc) monitors; sin-cos encoder data; resolver measurements; speed feedback measurements; other digital inputs and motor PTC inputs.
10. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 8 in which the determination comprises comparing the at least one operational parameter with a threshold value.
11. The electric vehicle motor controller system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first power provider and the second power provider is operable to provide a power supply for an electric traction motor.