Electrical machines

Details Electrical machines Electrical machines

2002-04-22

2004-09-07

Ramirez, Nestor (Department: 2834)

Electrical generator or motor structure

Dynamoelectric

Rotary

C310S166000, C310S162000, C310S181000, C310S154090, C310S216006, C310S190000, C310S186000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06787958

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to electrical machines.
FIGS. 1
a
and
1
b
shows a conventional two-phase variable reluctance motor comprising a stator
2
having two pairs
3
,
4
of oppositely disposed inwardly directed salient poles provided with two pairs
5
,
6
of energising windings corresponding to the two phases, and a rotor
7
having a single pair
8
of oppositely disposed outwardly directed salient poles without windings. Each of the four energising windings is wound about its corresponding pole, as indicated by the symbols Y—Y denoting two diametrically opposite portions of each winding of the winding pair
6
and the symbols X—X denoting two diametrically opposite portions of each winding of the winding pair
5
. An excitation circuit (not shown) is provided for rotating the rotor
7
within the stator
2
by alternately energising the stator windings in synchronism with rotation of the rotor so that torque is developed by the tendency of the rotor
7
to arrange itself in a position of minimum reluctance within the magnetic field produced by the windings, as will be described in more detail below. Such a variable reluctance motor offers the advantage over a conventional wound rotor motor that a commutator and brushes, which are wearing parts, are not required for supply of current to the rotor. Furthermore other advantages are provided because there are no conductors on the rotor and high-cost permanent magnets are not required.
The symbols + and − in
FIGS. 1
a
and
1
b
show the directions of current flow in the windings in the two alternate modes of excitation in which the rotor
7
is attracted either to the horizontal position or to the vertical position as viewed in the figures. It will be appreciated that rotation of the rotor
7
requires alternate energisation of the winding pairs
5
and
6
, preferably with only one winding pair
5
or
6
being energised at a time, and with the current usually being supplied to each winding pair
5
or
6
in only one direction during such energisation. However the windings can only be energised for a maximum of half the time per revolution if useful torque is to be produced, so that highly efficient utilisation of the electric circuit is not possible with such a motor.
By contrast a fully pitched two-phase variable reluctance motor, as described by J. D. Wale and C. Pollock, “Novel Converter Topologies for a Two-Phase Switched Reluctance Motor with Fully Pitched Windings”, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, Braveno, June 1996, pp. 1798-1803 and as shown in
FIGS. 2
a
and
2
b
(in which the same reference numerals are used to denote like parts as in
FIGS. 1
a
and
1
b
), comprises two windings
10
and
11
having a pitch which is twice the pole pitch of the motor, that is 180° in the example illustrated, and disposed at 90° to one another. The winding
11
may be wound so that one part of the winding on one side of the rotor
7
fills a stator slot
12
defined between adjacent poles of the pole pairs
3
,
4
, and another part of the winding
11
on the diametrically opposite side of the rotor
7
fills a stator slot
13
defined between two further adjacent poles of the pole pairs
3
,
4
. The winding
10
has corresponding parts filling diametrically opposed stator slots
14
and
15
. Thus the two windings
10
and
11
span the width of the motor with the axes of the windings
10
,
11
being at right angles to one another.
Furthermore two alternate modes of excitation of such a motor corresponding to the horizontal and vertical positions of the rotor
7
are shown in
FIGS. 2
a
and
2
b
from which it will be appreciated that both windings
10
,
11
are energised in both modes of excitation, but that, whereas the direction of current flow in the winding
10
is the same in both modes, the direction of current flow in the winding
11
changes between the two modes. Since current is supplied to both phase windings
10
,
11
in both modes and since each winding
10
or
11
occupies half the total stator slot area, such a system can achieve 100% utilisation of its slot area. This contrasts with the 50% utilisation achieved with the conventional wound variable reluctance motor described above in which only one phase winding is energised at a time. Furthermore, since there is no requirement for the direction of current in the winding
10
to change, the winding
10
, which may be termed the field winding, can be supplied with direct current without any switching which leads to simplification of the excitation circuit used. However the winding
11
, which may be termed the armature winding, must be energised with current which alternates in synchronism with the rotor position so as to determine the changing orientation of the stator flux required to attract the rotor alternately to the horizontal and vertical positions. Such a motor may be termed “a flux-switching motor”. The need to supply the armature winding with alternating current in such a motor can result in an excitation circuit of high complexity and cost.
J. R. Surano and C-M Ong, “Variable Reluctance Motor Structures for Low-Speed Operation”, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol.32, No.2, March/April 1996, pp 808-815 and UK Patent No. 2262843 also disclose fully pitched two-phase variable reluctance motors. The motor disclosed in UK Patent No. 2262843 is a three-phase variable reluctance motor having three windings which must be energised with current in synchronism with rotation of the rotor so that such a motor requires an excitation circuit of high complexity.
WO 98/05112 discloses a fully pitched two-phase variable reluctance motor having a four-pole stator
2
which, as shown diagranmatically in
FIG. 3
, is provided with a field winding
10
and an armature winding
11
each of which is split into two coils
22
and
23
or
24
and
25
closely coupled and wound so that diametrically opposite portions of both coils are disposed within diametrically opposite stator slots.
FIG. 4
shows a generalised circuit diagram for energising the armature coils
24
and
25
. The coils
24
and
25
are connected within the circuit so that direct current supply to the terminals
26
and
27
flows through both coils
24
and
25
in the same direction so as to generate magnetomotive forces in opposite direction as a result of the opposite winding of the coils. Switches
28
and
29
, which may comprise field effect transistors or thyristors for example, are connected in series with the coils
24
and
25
and are switched alternately to effect alternate energisation of the coils
24
and
25
so as to provide the required magnetomotive forces acting in opposite directions. It is an advantage of such an arrangement that the armature winding is made up of two closely coupled coils which enables each coil to be energised with current in only one direction so that relatively simple excitation circuitry can be used.
GB 18027 dated Sep. 9, 1901 discloses a variable reluctance machine having sets of windings on the stator which are alternately energised so as to provide the required interaction with the rotor. Furthermore GB 554827 discloses an inductor alternator in which the relative arrangement of the stator and rotor teeth produces successive zones of relatively high and low reluctance, and in which field and alternative current windings are provided on the stator to effect the required energisation. However, neither of these prior arrangements possesses the advantageous feature of the arrangement of WO 98/05112.
It is an object of the invention to provide an electrical machine exhibiting high power efficiency which can be produced at relatively low cost.
According to the present invention, there is provided an electrical machine comprising a rotor without windings, a stator having armature windings comprising at least two coils having active portions positioned within armature winding slots in a stator iron, and field windings having active portions positioned within field winding slots in the stator iron so as to generate

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