| CPC H02P 6/182 (2013.01) [H02P 6/153 (2016.02); H02P 21/0003 (2013.01); H02P 21/14 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |

|
1. A brushless permanent magnet motor comprising:
a phase winding, an inverter for applying voltage vectors to the phase winding, and a controller for controlling the inverter, wherein the inverter comprises a plurality of high side switches and a plurality of low side switches, and the controller is configured to:
divide an electrical cycle of the motor into a first portion and a second portion different to the first portion,
apply a first set of voltage vectors to the phase winding in the first portion of the electrical cycle,
apply a second set of voltage vectors to the phase winding in the second portion of the electrical cycle, the second set of voltage vectors different to the first set of voltage vectors,
in the first portion of the electrical cycle, turn on a low side switch of the plurality of low side switches, to apply each voltage vector of the first set of voltage vectors,
in the first portion of the electrical cycle, estimate a position of a rotor of the brushless permanent magnet motor using a determined current value indicative of current flowing through the phase winding, and
in the second portion of the electrical cycle, turn off all low side switches to apply a zero-voltage vector of the second set of voltage vectors.
|