Trw Limited

Zf Automotive UK Limited

Trw Automotive Gmbh

Zf Friedrichshafen Ag

David Julian Moule

Russell Wilson-Jones

Albert Schwinn

Luis Ayala

Jeffrey Ronald Coles

Robert James Huxford

Nathanael Rice

John Leslie Gorton

Aleksejs Semjonovs

Gary Webb

Geoffrey Holland

Lukas Schemmel

Ari Akbar Hassan Al-jaf

Andrew James Stephen Williams

Barrie Charles Mecrow

Christos Prevezianos

A dual motor drive assembly comprising a housing, a shaft rotatably mounted to the housing, a first gear rotatably connected to the shaft, first and second motors, each having an output driving a respective output gear, the output gears being engaged with the first gear, a torque allocation arrangement for allocating torque demands to each of the first and second motors, a measurement arrangement for measuring first and second temperature relating to the first and second motors respectively, a torque limit allocation arrangement for allocating a maximum torque limit based on the first and second temperature respectively, wherein a maximum total torque is equal to the sum of maximum torque limits of the first and second motors, wherein in a first mode the allocated torque demand to each of the motors is to provide opposing torques to the shaft, and in a second mode to provide torques in the same direction to the shaft, wherein the torque demand allocations change from the first mode to the second mode at a threshold total torque value, and the threshold total torque value is adjustable based on the maximum total torque.

Dual motor drive assembly

A surface mounted permanent magnet motor includes a stator having poles and windings. A rotor includes magnets fixed to an outer surface of a support assembly. The stator poles face the outer surface of the rotor. The support assembly has magnetically conductive magnet carriers spaced from each other and supporting two magnets of opposing polarity. The magnet carriers have a central region of low permeability that blocks q-axis flux flowing from the stator radially towards the rotor axis surrounded by regions of high permeability. A first high permeability region defines a continuous flux path on the side of the barrier region closest to the rotor axis and links central regions of the two magnets carried by the magnet carriers. A second high permeability region is located on the side of the barrier nearest the stator that defines a flux path linking the end regions of the magnets.

Surface permanent magnet motor

A method suitable for characterizing a motor, for instance a permanent magnet synchronous motor, includes obtaining a plurality of winding flux linkage values or terminal voltages of the motor, each corresponding to a different combination of phase current magnitude and phase advance. The resultant flux-linkage values or terminal voltages are transformed into the rotor dq reference frame. The flux linkage model is fitted to the one or more dq-axis flux-linkage values or terminal voltages and their linked phase current magnitude and phase advance using a process of parametric optimisation.

Method of characterising a synchronous motor

A handwheel actuator assemblyfor a steer by wire steering system of a vehicle is disclosed. The assemblycomprises a steering wheeland a feedback torque generator. The steering wheelhas at least one hand grip portion rotatable around an axis of rotation of the steering wheelwhich can be gripped by a driver and a hubthat supports the hand grip portion. The feedback torque generator comprises an electric motor which has a statorand a rotor. The rotoris directly or indirectly fixed to and rotates with the hub of the steering wheeland the statoris secured to a fixed part of the vehicle body such that it cannot rotate relative to the vehicle body. The motor comprises a brushless permanent magnet Vernier motor.

Handwheel actuator assembly

A method of determining an offset between an angular position indicated by a rotary position sensor assembly secured directly or indirectly to the rotor of a multi-phase permanent magnet AC motor and an actual electrical position of the motor rotor, includes the steps of: applying a voltage vector to the motor, which is aligned with a known angular position of the motor; waiting for the motor rotor to move to a location in which the vector when considered in the dq frame of reference is centered on the d-axis; measuring the angular position of the rotor indicated by the position sensor, and determining the offset from the difference between the measured angular position and the known actual position of the vector.

Method of determining an angular offset of a position sensor

A method of controlling a motor, for example of an electric power steering system, includes receiving a motor torque demand signal indicative of a torque required from the motor. A current demand signal indicative of the currents to be applied to each phase to meet the torque demand is generated from the motor torque demand signal. One or more operational values from the motor are determined. The current demand signal is set as a function of one or more parameters of the motor obtained by fitting a flux linkage model to the measured operational values. A motor circuit having the permanent magnet electric motor includes a control stage arranged to generate the current demand signal in response to a torque demanded of the motor. A modifying means modifies the magnitude and/or the phase of the current demanded for each phase of the motor by the controller.

Method of controlling a permanent magnent synchronous motor and a motor circuit

An electric power assisted steering system comprises a motor adapted to apply an assistance torque to a portion of a steering shaft in response to a motor drive signal from a drive circuit, in which the motor comprises a synchronous wound field motor of the kind comprising a stator and a rotor, in which the rotor includes at least one pole and at least one coil winding associated with the pole and the stator comprises a number of phase windings, and in which the drive circuit which is configured to provide current in the coils of the stator and rotor during operation of the motor.

Improvements relating to electrical power assisted steering systems

A rotor structure for an interior permanent magnet electric motor comprising: A laminated rotor core which comprises stack of thin plates, the stack having a first end and a second end, each plate in the stack including at least one window which is aligned with a corresponding window of an adjacent plate so that the window together form an elongate pocket that extends along at least a part of the length of the core starting at a first end of the core, and at least one permanent magnet located in the pocket. At least one plate at the first end of the stack includes an integral retention feature which projects away from a main body of the plate to project above the window in the plate and which engages the first end of the magnet thereby to retain the magnet in the pocket.

Interior permanent magnet motor and rotor structure therefore

An electrical circuit for driving at least one electric motor, the at least one motor having at least one set of phases windings. The electrical circuit is arranged as at least one lane comprising a motor drive circuit that is operable in use to supply drive voltages to one of the sets of phase windings of the motor. A reverse battery protection circuit is provided for at least one lane and is located in either a feed to the motor drive circuit from a power supply or in a return path from the motor drive circuit to the power supply. The reverse battery protection circuit comprises a switch which is normally open when the battery is disconnected and which remains open in the event that the battery is connected in error with a reverse polarity to the drive circuit. The electrical circuit also includes a control means which is arranged to control the switch of the reverse battery protection circuit so as to close the switch in the event that the control means determines that the battery is connected with the correct polarity. The switch is also opened during operation of the motor in the event that that one or more additional conditions are met.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, United Kingdom

David Julian Moule