Cogging Torque Minimization and Performance of the Sub-Fractional HP BLDC Claw-Pole Motor

Cogging torque reduction measures are hardly applied to low-cost sub-fractional hp brushless direct current (BLDC) motors, because the additional fabrication operations involved typically increase both the manufacturing complexity and cost significantly. By proposing an innovative punching layout, this paper shows how to minimize the high cogging torque of the mass-produced single-phase outer-rotor BLDC claw-pole motor-opposed to conventional cogging torque reduction-with no increase to the manufacturing cost. Systematically, a way is presented in which the selected introduction of auxiliary slots can double the cogging torque fundamental frequency, making stator claw skewing much more effective in reducing the cogging torque; both measures can be included at the stage of punching the steel sheets and subsequent deep-drawing thereof, at no additional cost. A detailed analysis of the effects of the cogging torque reduction measures on the most important motor performance parameters is conducted. The findings show that, with the exception of a three percentage point reduction in the efficiency, the proposed design can reduce the peak-to-peak cogging torque by 70% in both the simulations and experiments. The reduction in the cogging torque translates into a reduction in the output torque ripple of 17%, ensuring smoother operation especially at low speeds.