Abstract
This paper presents a new type of magnet-free motor that has concentrated stator windings and rotor coils with a pair of diodes. The most important feature of this motor is that currents in the rotor coils can be generated by utilizing the changes in the spatial second harmonic of the magnetic fields due to the concentrated stator windings, which normally increase motor losses. A prototype of the motor was designed and fabricated, and its basic performance was evaluated. First, using simplified analytic models, we explain the mechanism of inducing currents in the rotor coils by the changes in the spatial second harmonic of the magnetic fields. Second, we compare the torque performance of the proposed motor and that of other types of motors including a magnet motor through FE analyses. The analyzed data show that the proposed motor can possess greater torque/volume ratio than that of the other motors. Finally, using the measured data, we validate the mechanism of inducing currents in the rotor coils, and examine the torque and power characteristics of the motor.
