Application of neural networks to a disc motor with offset rotor

Axial field permanent magnet disc machines are attractive for direct wheel drives in electric vehicles because the stators can be mounted on the vehicle body whilst the rotor can be directly coupled to the driven wheel. However, this arrangement gives rise to torque pulsations in the drive due to the perturbation of the wheel by the road surface effects. It is shown here that torque pulsations due to the rotor perturbation can be eliminated by modulation of the input motor current based on flux identification determined by a neural network.