Importance

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Abstract

A three-phase brushless dc motor includes a permanent-magnet rotor magnet arrangement having at least four poles and a Y-connected, or star-connected, three-phase stator winding. The winding's phases are arranged non-overlapping in slots of a slotted stator, the currents flowing in the three phases being controlled via at least three semiconductor elements by at least three magnetic-field-sensitive rotor position sensors. Each sensor is associated with a respective two of the winding's three phases and triggers a commutation which switches off the current in one of the associated two phases and switches on the current in the other of the associated two phases. The sensors are located to sense the permanent-magnet flux emanating from the rotor poles themselves. The rotor position sensors are provided at special angular locations on the stator. Each sensor is provided at an angular location at which there is not to be found, neither prior to nor subsequent to the commutation associated with that sensor, any energized stator pole; this may mean that the sensor location is (i) an angular location at which no energizable stator pole whatever is present, and it may mean that the sensor location is (ii) an angular location at which an energizable stator pole is in fact present, but during motor operation this energizable stator pole is in an unenergized state prior to a commutation associated with the particular sensor in question and likewise is in unenergized state subsequent to that commutation.

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First Claim