Single-switch drive controller for switched reluctance motors
This technology provides a smarter way to control a two-phase switched reluctance motor — a type of simple, low-cost electric motor — so it can smoothly accelerate, brake, and reverse direction using just a single controllable switch instead of the more complex switching circuits typically required. The control system uses two coordinated feedback loops: one monitoring rotor speed and one monitoring electrical current, which together fine-tune the motor's behavior in real time depending on whether it's driving or braking. By reducing the hardware to a single controllable switch, the design lowers cost and complexity while still achieving full four-quadrant operation — meaning forward drive, forward braking, reverse drive, and reverse braking are all possible.
What you could build
A low-cost motor drive controller for switched reluctance motors used in appliances, small industrial equipment, or electric vehicles; target buyers would be motor drive OEMs or appliance manufacturers seeking to cut bill-of-materials cost without sacrificing performance.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based defense contractors, shipbuilders (Newport News), or industrial equipment manufacturers exploring cost-reduced motor drives for auxiliary systems would be plausible licensees or development partners.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Park, Sung-Jun, Ramu, Krishnan, Ha, Keunsoo
- Granted
- January 7, 2014
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 8624541
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology. Email us for an introduction prosim@harbor.capital.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.