The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 15, 1998
Filed:
Sep. 03, 1996
John Michael Stephenson, Halifax, GB;
Abstract
An apparatus and method for starting a single-phase variable reluctance motor defined by a stator having one or more pairs of projecting poles defining a principal axis and a rotor mounted on a rotatable shaft co-axial with the principal axis of the stator is provided. The apparatus includes a device for preventing the rotor from being halted in a position of zero-developed torque thereby enabling reliable starting of the motor. The device includes a vane defined by a ferromagnetic disk having alternating mark regions and space regions which is mounted to the rotatable shaft and may form part of a rotor position transducer. A permanent magnet is positioned so as to move the vane into a position at which starting torque of the desired direction will be developed when the motor is energized. A further embodiment combines the magnet with a Hall-effect sensor so that, in conjunction with the vane, a rotor position transducer is formed.