Allegro Microsystems, LLC

Protean Electric Limited

Yi Li

Thomas Ross

Gianluca Allegrini

Timothy John Martin

Rupert Paul Kirby

Jonathan Richard Meyer

Described embodiments provide circuits, systems and methods for controlling operation of brushless direct current motors that include a plurality of windings. A gate driver provides control signals to switching elements that control a voltage applied to each of the windings of the motor. A zero crossing detector detects zero crossings of a voltage applied to the windings and transitions a zero crossing signal between a first logic level and a second logic level based on the detected zero crossings. A position estimator estimates an angular position of the motor, and counts in a first direction based on the first logic level of the zero crossing signal, and in a second direction based on the second logic level of the zero crossing signal. An observer determines a value of the counter after an elapsed time, and generates an angular position signal based upon the value of the counter.

Sensorless brushless direct current (BLDC) motor position control

An electric motor comprising a stator having two coil sets arranged to produce a magnetic field of the motor, each coil set comprising a plurality of coil sub-sets; and two control devices, wherein the first control device is coupled to the plurality of coil sub-sets for the first coil set and the second control device is coupled to the plurality of coil sub-sets for the second coil set and each control device is arranged to control current in the respective plurality of coil sub-sets to generate a magnetic field in each coil sub-set to have a substantially different magnetic phase to the other one or more coil sub-sets in the respective coil set; and wherein the first control device and the second control device are mounted adjacent to the stator.

Electric motor and electric generator

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Yi Li