# US 2014/0152226 A1 · Electric machine comprising an alternating current electric motor and an inverter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0152226 A1 - Document ID: US20140152226A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/084,135 - Filed: 2013-11-19 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Mavel S.R.L. - Inventors: Davide BETTONI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140152226A1 ## CPC - H02P 25/22: Multiple windings; Windings for more than three phases - H02M 7/53871: {with automatic control of output voltage or current} - H02P 5/74: controlling two or more AC dynamo-electric motors (H02P5/46, H02P5/60 take precedence) - H02P 6/085: {in a bridge configuration} - H02P 23/28: Controlling the motor by varying the switching frequency of switches connected to a DC supply and the motor phases - H02P 27/08: with pulse width modulation - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P) ## Abstract An electric machine may include: an alternating current electric motor comprising a first semi-winding and a second semi-winding; an inverter comprising a first inverter branch electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a second inverter branch electrically connected to the second semi-winding; and a control unit configured to provide a first control signal to the first inverter branch, so as to induce a first alternating current in the first semi-winding, and a second control signal to the second inverter branch, so as to induce a second alternating current in the second semi-winding. The first and second alternating currents may have a first frequency. The first and second control signals may have a second frequency that is less than the first frequency. The first and second control signals may be reciprocally out of phase by substantially 180° relative to the second frequency. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric machine, comprising: an alternating current electric motor comprising a first semi-winding and a second semi-winding; an inverter comprising a first inverter branch electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a second inverter branch electrically connected to the second semi-winding; and a control unit configured to provide a first control signal to the first inverter branch, so as to induce a first alternating current in the first semi-winding, and a second control signal to the second inverter branch, so as to induce a second alternating current in the second semi-winding; wherein the first alternating current and the second alternating current have a first frequency, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal have a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, and wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are reciprocally out of phase by substantially 180° relative to the second frequency. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the alternating current electric motor is a three-phase electric motor, and wherein a sum of the first alternating current and the second alternating current is a phase of a three-phase current. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are electrically connected according to a “Y” configuration or a “Δ” configuration. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are arranged so as to behave as a primary winding and a secondary winding of a transformer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding have electric inductances having a same value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the inverter further comprises a number N≧1 of first inverter branches electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a same number N≧1 of second inverter branches electrically connected to the second semi-winding. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein each one of the first inverter branch and second inverter branch comprises: a first switch; a second switch connected in series to the first switch; a first diode connected in anti-parallel configuration with the first switch; and a second diode connected in anti-parallel configuration with the second switch; wherein the first switch and the second switch are connected to the control unit, and wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to switch between an open state and a closed state. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first control signal is configured to induce the first inverter branch to provide a first voltage across the first semi-winding, wherein the second control signal is configured to induce the second inverter branch to provide a second voltage across the second semi-winding, wherein the first voltage and the second voltage have a same waveform, and wherein the first voltage and the second voltage are reciprocally delayed in time by substantially 1/2fP. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electric machine of claim 8, wherein the waveform comprises a sequence of pulses with pulse frequency equal to the second frequency. ### Claim 10 A method for supplying an alternating current electric motor that comprises a first semi-winding and a second semi-winding using an inverter that comprises a first inverter branch electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a second inverter branch electrically connected to the second semi-winding, the method comprising: providing a first control signal to the first inverter branch so as to induce a first alternating current in the first semi-winding; and providing a second control signal to the second inverter branch so as to induce a second alternating current in the second semi-winding; wherein the first alternating current and the second alternating current have a first frequency, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal have a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, and wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are reciprocally out of phase by substantially 180° relative to the second frequency. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are electrically connected according to a “Y” configuration. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are electrically connected according to a “Δ” configuration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the alternating current electric motor is a three-phase electric motor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electric machine of claim 13, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are electrically connected according to a “Y” configuration. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The electric machine of claim 13, wherein the first semi-winding and the second semi-winding are electrically connected according to a “Δ” configuration. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first semi-winding is arranged so as to behave as a primary winding of a transformer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the second semi-winding is arranged so as to behave as a secondary winding of a transformer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The electric machine of claim 1, wherein the inverter further comprises a plurality of first inverter branches electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a plurality of second inverter branches electrically connected to the second semi-winding. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The electric machine of claim 18, wherein a number of the plurality of first inverter branches is equal to number of the plurality of second inverter branches. ### Claim 20 An electric machine, comprising: an alternating current electric motor comprising a first semi-winding and a second semi-winding; an inverter comprising a first inverter branch electrically connected to the first semi-winding and a second inverter branch electrically connected to the second semi-winding; and a control unit configured to provide a first control signal to the first inverter branch, so as to induce a first alternating current in the first semi-winding, and a second control signal to the second inverter branch, so as to induce a second alternating current in the second semi-winding; wherein the first alternating current and the second alternating current have a first frequency, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal have a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, and wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are reciprocally out of phase by 180° relative to the second frequency.