IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,107,522
Granted Patent B2
US 12,107,522 · App. 18/576,699 · Granted Oct 1, 2024

System and method for controlling a motor

Inventors: Walter Wesley Pennington, III (Menlo Park, CA); Ethan Bagget Swint (Redwood City, CA); Anthony Da Costa (Los Altos, CA); Matthew J. Rubin (Indianapolis, IN)
Assignee: TAU MOTORS, INC.
H02P21/14H02P6/32H02P6/34H02P21/22H02P2207/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,107,522
App. No.
18/576,699
Granted
Oct 1, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for controlling and simulating a motor. An electronic motor controller determines present motor information and a motor control parameter set based on the present motor information and a rotating reference frame of the motor. The rotating reference frame has independent input channels that decouple an intended output response in a stator D-axis component and a rotor field (R) component of a direct-quadrature-null-rotor (DQNR) reference frame. The electronic motor controller further controls the motor based on the motor control parameter set.

Claims (46)

1. A method for controlling a motor, the method comprising:

determining, by an electronic motor controller, present motor information, wherein determining the present motor information comprises:

determining a rotor position angle of a rotor of the motor, and

determining, by the electronic motor controller, motor currents including a rotor field current of the rotor and stator currents through respective coils of a stator of the motor;

determining, by the electronic motor controller, a motor control parameter set based on the present motor information and a rotating reference frame of the motor, wherein the rotating reference frame has independent input channels that decouple an intended output response in a stator D-axis component and a rotor field (R) component of a direct-quadrature-null-rotor (DQNR) reference frame of the motor, wherein the stator D-axis component corresponds to the stator and the rotor field (R) component corresponds to the rotor, wherein the rotating reference frame of the motor is an SM/DM reference frame having a summation mode axis (SM-axis) and a difference mode axis (DM-axis), wherein the SM-axis represents a sum of the stator D-axis component and the rotor field (R) component and the DM-axis represents a difference of the stator D-axis component and the rotor field (R) component; and

controlling, by the electronic motor controller, the motor based on the motor control parameter set.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the motor control parameter set comprises:

determining, by the electronic motor controller, desired motor voltages for the motor control parameter set including a rotor voltage control for a rotor field voltage of the rotor and stator voltage controls for stator voltages across respective coils of the stator based on a summation mode current (I SM ) of the SM/DM reference frame, a difference mode current (I DM ) of the SM/DM reference frame, a quadrature current (I Q ) of the SM/DM reference frame, and a null current (I Null ) of the SM/DM reference frame determined based on the rotor position angle and the motor currents.

3. The method of claim 2 ,

wherein the summation mode current (I SM ) represents a sum of rotor D-axis current of the rotor and stator D-axis current of the stator, and

wherein the difference mode current (I DM ) represents a difference of the rotor D-axis current of the rotor and the stator D-axis current of the stator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the motor control parameter set comprises:

accessing, by the electronic motor controller, a lookup table that maps the present motor information to the motor control parameter set, wherein the lookup table is populated based on a reference frame transform that transforms an input set of motor information to the rotational reference frame.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the motor control parameter set comprises:

transforming the present motor information to the rotational reference frame to generate transformed present motor information;

determining a motor control for a control axis in the rotational reference frame based on the transformed present motor information; and

transforming the motor control from the rotational reference frame to the motor control parameter set.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor is a wound field synchronous motor, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, or a hybrid permanent magnet-wound field synchronous motor.

7. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the rotor D-axis component is rotor D-axis current of the rotor, and

wherein the stator D-axis component is stator D-axis current of the stator.

8. A motor system comprising:

an electronic motor controller including an electronic processor, the electronic motor controller configured to:

determine present motor information, wherein, to determine the present motor information, the electronic motor controller is configured to:

determine a rotor position angle of a rotor of the motor, and

determine motor currents including a rotor field current of the rotor and stator currents through respective coils of a stator of the motor;

determine a motor control parameter set based on the present motor information and a rotating reference frame of a motor, wherein the rotating reference frame has independent input channels that decouple an intended output response in a stator D-axis component and a rotor field (R) component of a direct-quadrature-null-rotor (DQNR) reference frame of the motor, wherein the stator D-axis component corresponds to the stator and the rotor field (R) component corresponds to the rotor, wherein the rotating reference frame of the motor is an SM/DM reference frame having a summation mode axis (SM-axis) and a difference mode axis (DM-axis), wherein the SM-axis represents a sum of the stator D-axis component and the rotor field (R) component and the DM-axis represents a difference of the stator D-axis component and the rotor field (R) component; and

generate one or more control signals to control the motor based on the motor control parameter set.

9. The motor system of claim 8 , wherein, to determine the motor control parameter set, the electronic motor controller is configured to:

determine desired motor voltages for the motor control parameter set including a rotor voltage control for a rotor field voltage of the rotor and stator voltage controls for stator voltages across respective coils of the stator based on a summation mode current (I SM ) of the SM/DM reference frame, a difference mode current (I DM ) of the SM/DM reference frame, a quadrature current (I Q ) of the SM/DM reference frame, and a null current (I Null ) of the SM/DM reference frame determined based on the rotor position angle and the motor currents.

10. The motor system of claim 9 ,

wherein the summation mode current (I SM ) represents a sum of rotor D-axis current of the rotor and stator D-axis current of the stator, and

wherein the difference mode current (I DM ) represents a difference of the rotor D-axis current of the rotor and the stator D-axis current of the stator.

11. The motor system of claim 8 , wherein, to determine the motor control parameter set, the electronic motor controller is configured to:

access a lookup table that maps the present motor information to the motor control parameter set, wherein the lookup table is populated based on a reference frame transform that transforms an input set of motor information to the rotational reference frame.

12. The motor system of claim 8 , wherein, to determine the motor control parameter set, the electronic motor controller is configured to:

transform the present motor information to the rotational reference frame to generate transformed present motor information;

determine a motor control for a control axis in the rotational reference frame based on the transformed present motor information; and

transform the motor control from the rotational reference frame to the motor control parameter set.

13. The motor system of claim 8 , further comprising:

the motor; and

a motor drive circuit coupled to the motor and to the electronic motor controller, the motor drive circuit configured to receive the one or more control signals and to drive the motor.

14. The motor system of claim 8 , wherein the motor is a wound field synchronous motor, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, or a hybrid permanent magnet-wound field synchronous motor.

15. The motor system of claim 8 ,

wherein the rotor D-axis component is rotor D-axis current of the rotor, and

wherein the stator D-axis component is stator D-axis current of the stator.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 17, 2026
From: DNS-MOTOR BRIDGE 2025, LLC
To: TAU MOTORS, INC.
Reel/Frame 074406/0694 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2025
From: DNS-MOTOR BRIDGE 2025, LLC
To: TAU MOTORS, INC.
Reel/Frame 072747/0844 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 31, 2025
From: TAU MOTORS, INC.
To: DNS-MOTOR BRIDGE 2025, LLC
Reel/Frame 072748/0986 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2025
From: TAU MOTORS, INC.
To: DNS-MOTOR BRIDGE 2025, LLC
Reel/Frame 071154/0530 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2024
From: PENNINGTON, WALTER WESLEY, III; SWINT, ETHAN BAGGET; DA COSTA, ANTHONY; RUBIN, MATTHEW J.
To: TAU MOTORS, INC.
Reel/Frame 068205/0532 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63219096 · Jul 7, 2021
Related Publication 20240266978A1 · Aug 8, 2024