US20260261187
2026-09-03
Electricity
H02K11/33
The patent application details a 1-MW inverter system optimized for high-speed, high-specific-power motor drives. The system comprises ten 100-kW inverter sets distributed around the motor to manage ten separate sets of three-phase open-ended windings. Each set includes three single-phase full-bridge inverters, enhancing specific power compared to traditional three-phase bridge inverters or active neutral-point clamped (ANPC) inverters. This design is particularly suited for a 1-MW permanent magnet machine, incorporating a thermal management system.
The inverter system's design is tailored for lightweight, efficient MW-class high-speed motor drives, crucial for future hybrid and fully-electric aircraft. A comparison of inverter topologies highlights that while three-phase multilevel inverters offer high efficiency, they are heavier than two-level inverters. The single-phase full-bridge inverters used in this design are lighter, benefiting from a high fundamental output frequency. The motor drive is based on these inverters driving independent phase windings of a three-phase machine.
The system features a three-phase machine stator with ten sectors, each comprising three open-ended single-phase windings. This setup is based on a design by Spakovszky et al. from the 2023 AIAA/IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium. The inverter sets, each containing three single-phase full-bridge converters, are distributed around the motor, with dc inputs closely coupled. These sets drive the separate phase windings in each machine sector, applicable to various electric machines with adjustable inverter set numbers and sizes.
The inverter system includes several advanced features. Each inverter set's three single-phase full-bridge inverters have tightly coupled dc buses to cancel twice-machine-frequency energy pulsation. The inverter sets are distributed along the motor's circumference, with ac outputs connected to phase windings using equal-length terminal leads. Local processors with phase-locked clocks ensure synchronized operation, and a master controller oversees the inverter sets. Additional components include an interconnect-multiplexer board for communication and a dc bus ring for power supply.
While primarily intended for electrified airplane propulsion, the system's principles and techniques are applicable to other fields. The inverter sets can be configured to drive different stator sectors, and each single-phase full-bridge inverter can feature field-effect transistors (FETs) with corresponding gate driver circuits. The FETs are arranged in a double-sided layout on a printed circuit board, with temperature sensors for monitoring. The design allows for various combinations of elements across different embodiments, highlighting its versatility.