A novel interior permanent magnet motor design with a self-activated flux-weakening device for automotive applications

Vehicular traction motors are usually designed to operate over a wide speed range and require important flux weakening capabilities at high speeds. This paper presents and innovative design intended to endow an interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor with an intrinsic capability of reducing its own rotor flux at high speeds. The design does not involve any additional current source nor control systems for rotor flux regulation. It relies on a purely mechanical device that establishes a partial magnetic short circuit between rotor permanent magnets. The device is able to self-activate due to centrifugal force when the speed exceeds a given threshold that can be fixed by the designer. The design features of the proposed IPM motor are illustrated in the paper and its static and dynamic performance prediction through finite element analysis (FEA) methods is presented. A prototype construction is presently in progress to experimentally validate the solution.