Redundant winding connections for multiphase electric machines
AssigneeABB Research Ltd.
InventorNicolas W. Frank
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Redundant winding connections for multiphase electric machines are disclosed. According to one aspect, a multiphase machine having redundant winding connections includes: a first set of N coils operating as a first winding group, wherein each coil in the first winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the first winding group and wherein N is an integer greater than three; a second set of N coils separate from the first set and operating as a second winding group, wherein each coil in the second winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the second winding group and wherein the failure of one of the coils in the first winding group does not affect the function of the second winding group.
Claims14
A multiphase machine having redundant winding connections, the machine comprising:
- a first set of N coils operating as a first winding group, wherein each coil in the first winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the first winding group and wherein N is an integer greater than three;
- a second set of N coils separate from the first set and operating as a second winding group, wherein each coil in the second winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the second winding group and wherein a failure of one of the coils in the first winding group does not affect the function of the second winding group;
- and
- at least one multiphase power supply for providing N phases of power to the respective coils in at least one of the first and second winding groups, wherein the at least one multiphase power supply comprises a first N-phase power supply for providing power to the first winding group and a second N-phase power supply for providing power to the second winding group, and wherein the first and second N-phase power supplies provide N-phases of power that are substantially in phase with each other, and
- wherein, upon the failure of at least one phase of the first N-phase power supply, power is supplied by the second N-phase power supply both to the second winding group and to at least one of the coils of the first winding group,
- wherein the machine operates in at least one of a generator mode and a motor mode.
A method for operating a multiphase machine having redundant winding connections, the method comprising:
- at a machine having a first set of N coils operating as a first winding group, wherein each coil in the first winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the first winding group and wherein N is an integer greater than three, a second set of N coils separate from the first set and operating as a second winding group, wherein each coil in the second winding group operates at a different phase from the other coils in the second winding group and wherein a failure of one of the coils in the first winding group does not affect the function of the second winding group, and wherein the machine comprises at least one multiphase power supply for providing N phases of power to the respective coils in at least one of the first and second winding groups, wherein the at least one multiphase power supply comprises a first N-phase power supply for providing power to the first winding group and a second N-phase power supply for providing power to the second winding group, and wherein the first and second N-phase power supplies provide N-phases of power that are substantially in phase with each other:
- providing N phases of power to the respective coils in the first set of coils to operate the machine in at least one of a generator mode and a motor mode;
- and
- upon the failure of at least one phase of the first N-phase power supply, supplying power by the second N-phase power supply both to the second winding group and to at least one of the coils of the first winding group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.