Use of motor flux linkage maps for monitoring the health of an actuator

Abstract

A method for monitoring the health of an actuator that includes a permanent magnet motor, a rotor and a stator. The method includes: providing a flux linkage reference map comprising a) nominal flux linkage map, having a plurality of nominal flux linkage curves of said motor, each of said nominal flux linkage curves being defined as defining a healthy condition of said actuator, and b) upper and lower tolerance limits of each of said nominal flux linkage curves, the range between said upper and lower limits being defined as a healthy condition of said actuator, and said method of monitoring the health of the actuator further comprising generating a first flux linkage curve of said motor that is to be monitored and determining whether or not said generated first flux linkage curve to be monitored is between the defined upper and lower limits of said flux linkage reference map.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.