Method and apparatus for starting a brushless DC motor

A method for controlling an alignment of a rotor of a brushless and sensorless DC motor, the motor having a stator with at least two coils, subsets of the coils being selectively energizable by a power source connected to the motor, the method comprising the steps of:

• energizing a first subset of the at least two coils;
• generating a signal indicating whether the rotor has been rotated due to the first subset having been energized;
• and
• when the signal indicates that the rotor has not been rotated, energizing a second subset of the at least two coils.

A device for aligning a rotor of a brushless and sensorless DC motor, the motor having a stator with at least two coils, sets of at least one coil being selectively energizable by a power source connected to the motor, the device comprising:

• a first circuit for energizing a first set of at least one coil of the at least two coils;
• a comparator circuit for generating a signal indicating whether the rotor has been rotated at a rotary speed greater than a predetermined rotary speed while the first set was energized;
• and
• energizing means for commutating the connection between the power source and the motor and energizing a second set of at least one coil of the at least two coils when the signal indicates that the rotor has not been rotated at the rotary speed greater than the predetermined rotary speed.

A device for controlling an alignment of a rotor of a brushless and sensorless DC motor, the motor having a stator with at least two coils, sets of the coils being selectively energizable by a power source connected to the motor, the device comprising:

• first energizing means for energizing a first set of at least one coil of the at least two coils;
• generating means for generating a signal indicating whether the rotor has been rotated due to the first set having been energized;
• and
• second energizing means for energizing a second set of at least one coil of the at least two coils when the signal indicates that the rotor has not been rotated.