Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

University of Minnesota

Eric Severson

Daniel Colin Ludois

James Donald Van De Ven

Nishanth

Nicholas Robert Hemenway

Nathan Petersen

Bharat Ramadas

Jiahao Chen

Zhouzhou Wang

Garrett Bohach

A rotating electrical machine (motor or generator) includes a controller evaluating rotor displacement using a combined winding that also provides for torque coupling to the rotor through the use of a model relating rotor offset to at least one of resistance, inductance, or back-EMF measured through a combined winding.

Sensing rotor displacement using stator power winding

A bearingless rotating electric machine provides a rotor-stator architecture that decouples motor torque fields from motor suspension fields greatly simplifying field weakening such as affects torque fields, without detrimental effect on rotor suspension.

Bearingless rotating electric machine with field weakening

An electric-to-hydraulic conversion machine includes an axial flux electric motor and a hydraulic pump. The motor includes a spindle, at least one rotor configured to rotate about the spindle, and at least one stator configured to drive rotation of the at least one rotor about the spindle. The hydraulic pump includes a piston block having a plurality of cylinders, a plurality of pistons each supported in one of the cylinders of the piston block, and a cam ring. The piston block is attached to the at least one rotor and is configured to rotate about the spindle with rotation of the at least one rotor. The cam ring is configured to radially drive the pistons during rotation of the piston block about the spindle, which drives a fluid flow.

Integrated electric-to-hydraulic conversion machine

A machine system includes a shaft, a first rotor, a first stator, a second rotor, a second stator, a first, first-phase coil and a second, first-phase coil of a first stator winding, a first, second-phase coil and a second, second-phase coil of a second stator winding, and a first, third-phase coil and a second, third-phase coil of a third stator winding wound about the first stator, a first, first-phase coil and a second, first-phase coil of a fourth stator winding, a first, second-phase coil and a second, second-phase coil of a fifth stator winding, and a first, third-phase coil and a second, third-phase coil of a sixth stator winding wound about the second stator, and an inverter drive system. The stator windings are configured to provide a torque and a suspension force under control of an inverter drive system consisting of only three inverters.

Bearingless electrical machines with reduced number of inverters

A rotor for a bearingless induction motor is provided. A rotor core defines rotor slots. A rotor winding includes a common connector plate, a plurality of rotor connector plates, and a slot conductor mounted within each rotor slot. The common connector plate is mounted adjacent a first end of the rotor core. The plurality of rotor connector plates is mounted adjacent a second end of the rotor core. Each slot conductor is electrically connected to the common connector plate and to one rotor connector plate of the plurality of rotor connector plates. Each rotor connector plate of the plurality of rotor connector plates is configured to connect a group of slot conductors that includes at least two slot conductors. A number of slot conductors included in the group of slot conductors is defined based on a predefined number of suspension pole pairs selected to provide a radial suspension force.

Rotor winding with a neutral plate for a bearingless induction machine

A bearing-less flywheel both exchanges energy with a rotating flywheel using a regenerative controller via a rotating electrostatic field but also suspends the flywheel with an electrostatic field to provide a compact robust mechanism for energy storage.

Bearing-less electrostatic flywheel

A first radial force value and a second radial force value is received by a radial magnetic bearing controller. Coefficients are computed for a first equation using the first and second radial force values. The first equation is solved to define first solution values. A second solution value paired with each first solution value is computed using the first radial force value and a respective first solution value to define second solution values. Control current sets are computed for each unique paired solution of the second solution values and the first solution values. Each control current set includes a control current value for each of three control currents. A control current value for each of the three control currents is selected from the control current sets. The control current value for each of the three control currents is output to a respective radial winding of a three-pole radial magnetic bearing.

High-force density three pole magnetic bearing

A machine drive includes a suspension force inverter, a torque inverter, and a capacitor. The suspension force inverter provides suspension force electrical signals to suspension force electrical terminals. Each suspension force electrical terminal connects to a suspension coil of a stator winding. Each suspension force electrical signal provides a phase to a single suspension force electrical terminal. A single stator winding is associated with each phase. The torque inverter provides torque electrical signals to torque electrical terminals. Each torque electrical signal provides the phase to a single torque electrical terminal. Each torque electrical terminal connects to both the suspension coil and a torque coil of the single stator winding of the associated phase. The capacitor connected in parallel across the suspension force inverter. The torque inverter is connected to a voltage source. The capacitor is connected to the voltage source through the torque invertor and the suspension force inverter.

Bearingless electrical machine with floating capacitor

A motor includes a rotor used in conjunction with a stator to produce a magnetic field in the air gap having p pole pairs, wherein a single cross section of the rotor taken orthogonal to an axis of rotation comprises iron having a structure forming p teeth. The stator has at least one stator winding configured to form p pole pairs to produce a first magnetic field to rotate the rotor about the axis of rotation and configured to produce a second magnetic field of either one pole pair or p&#xb1;1 pole pairs to create forces radial to the axis of rotation. The at least one stator winding has two sets of terminals, a first set of terminals for carrying current that produces the first magnetic field in the air gap having p pole pairs to rotate the rotor about the axis of rotation and a second set of terminals for carrying current that produces the second magnetic field in the air gap having either one pole pair or p&#xb1;1 pole pairs to create the forces radial to the axis of rotation. The second set of terminals experience no motional-electromotive force when the rotor is centered on the axis of rotation.

Growing community of inventors

Middleton, WI, United States of America

Eric Severson