Method of controlling electric motors, corresponding device and motor

A device for driving an electric motor including a plurality of windings, the device including:

• a sensing module configured to sense currents in the motor windings, and
• a driving system configured to:
• generate a motor rotation angle signal from the sensed currents,
• generate motor control voltages as a function of said motor rotation angle signal,
• simultaneously superimpose a pair of injection pulses on a corresponding pair of said motor control voltages to generate first and second motor drive voltages, without simultaneously superimposing an injection pulse on any other motor control voltage to generate a third motor drive voltage, wherein the pair of injection pulses comprises a first pulse and a second pulse and the first and second pulses have a 180 degree phase difference with respect to each other,
• apply the generated first, second and third motor drive voltages directly to corresponding windings of said plurality of windings of said electric motor,
• wherein said sensed currents include torque components and injection components, and
• generate said motor rotation angle signal as a function of said injection components of the sensed currents.

A method of driving an electric motor including a first winding, a second winding and a third winding, the method including:

• sensing currents in the first, second and third windings,
• generating a motor rotation angle signal from the sensed currents,
• generating first, second and third motor control voltages as a function of said motor rotation angle signal,
• simultaneously performing:
• injecting into the first motor control voltage a first injection pulse to generate a first motor drive voltage that is directly applied to the first winding,
• injecting into the second motor control voltage a second injection pulse to generate a second motor drive voltage that is directly applied to the second winding, and
• not injecting any injection pulse into the third motor control voltage to generate a third motor drive voltage that is directly applied to the third winding,
• wherein the first and second injection pulses have a 180 degree phase difference with respect to each other, and
• wherein generating said motor rotation angle signal comprises generating the motor rotation angle signal as a function of injection components within the sensed currents that result from the first and second injection pulses.

A method of driving an electric motor including first, second and third windings, the method including:

• generating first, second and third motor control voltages;
• simultaneously superimposing a first injection pulse and a second injection pulse on the first and second motor control voltages, without simultaneously superimposing an injection pulse on the third motor control voltage, to generate corresponding first, second and third motor drive voltages for application to the first, second and third windings, respectively, of the electric motor;
• wherein the first injection pulse and the second injection pulse have a 180 degree phase difference with respect to each other;
• sensing a current in the third winding of the electric motor;
• generating a motor rotation angle signal from the sensed current in the third winding;
• wherein the first, second and third motor control voltages are generated as a function of said motor rotation angle signal.