ROTATING STATOR SENSOR DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASURING MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF A STEEL STATOR

Abstract

A rotatable stator sensor device comprises a stator support plate configured to support a multi-tooth steel stator, a rotary table electrically insulated from the stator support plate, and at least two sensors on the rotary table. The at least two sensors are arranged within an inner circumference of the steel stator, each sensor comprising two sensor legs, the distance between the two sensor legs corresponding to the distance between two of the multiple steel stator teeth. The device includes a sensor rotation control module configured to rotate the at least two sensors between a first position aligned with a first set of the multiple steel stator teeth and a second position aligned with a second set of the multiple steel stator teeth.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a rotary stator sensor device, including sensors for measuring stator core losses and magnetic properties of oriented steel. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for measuring magnetic properties of a steel stator.

[0002] For background information, reference is made at this point to the documents DE 603 ​​19 885 T2, EP 3 879 290 A1, DE 699 14 580 T2 and DE 10 2021 133 457 A1.

[0003] Electric vehicles are powered by one or more electric motors, which may include a steel stator. The properties of soft magnetic materials such as steel stators can be determined using global magnetic measurements. For example, the classic two-winding method, an Epstein frame, and a toroidal transformer are standard measuring devices for measuring the magnetic properties of soft magnetic materials, particularly for testing electrical steels.

[0004] However, the magnetic properties of oriented steel vary in different directions, and knowledge of the magnetic properties in all directions around the stator core is desirable for accurate design of the working machine. The above methods are used for non-oriented steel material and are unable to identify the properties of oriented steel material or defects within a stator core. SUMMARY

[0005] A rotatable stator sensor device comprises a stator support plate configured to support a steel stator having a plurality of teeth, a turntable electrically insulated from the stator support plate, at least two sensors on the turntable, wherein the at least two sensors are disposed within an inner periphery of the steel stator and each of the at least two sensors comprises two sensor legs, wherein a distance between the two sensor legs corresponds to a distance between two of the plurality of steel stator teeth, and a sensor rotation control module configured to rotate the at least two sensors between a first position aligned with a first set of the plurality of steel stator teeth and a second position aligned with a second set of the plurality of steel stator teeth, wherein the first set of the plurality of teeth is different from the second set of the plurality of teeth.

[0006] According to other features, the rotatable stator sensor device comprises an adjustable sensor holder on the stator support plate, the adjustable sensor holder configured to move the at least two sensors to a target position concentric with the inner circumference of the steel stator.

[0007] According to other features, the stator support plate has a groove corresponding to a circumference of the steel stator, the groove being concentric with a rotation axis of the turntable.

[0008] According to other features, the rotatable stator sensor device includes a washer disposed along the inner circumference of the steel stator between the at least two sensors and the plurality of teeth of the steel stator.

[0009] According to other features, a width of the washer is greater than or equal to a length of the steel stator. According to other features, the two sensor legs of a first of the at least two sensors extend in a direction that is offset by 180 degrees from a direction of the two sensor legs of a second of the at least two sensors.

[0010] According to other features, each sensor comprises a stack of steel sheets. According to other features, the rotatable stator sensor device comprises at least one drive coil wound around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors and at least one take-up coil wound around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors.

[0011] According to other features, the sensor rotation control module is configured to obtain a first measurement of iron losses in a first region of the steel stator when the at least two sensors are in the first position, obtain a second measurement of iron losses in a second region of the steel stator when the at least two sensors are in the second position, and compare the first measurement and the second measurement to determine at least one magnetic property of the steel stator, wherein the at least one magnetic property is indicative of a defect in a stator lamination or a quality of the stator.

[0012] According to other features, the sensor rotation control module is configured to rotate the at least two sensors to a third position aligned with a third set of the plurality of steel stator teeth, the third set of the plurality of teeth being different from the first set of the plurality of teeth and the second set of the plurality of teeth, obtain a third measurement of iron losses in a third region of the steel stator when the at least two sensors are in the third position, and determine whether a stator defect exists based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the third measurement.

[0013] According to other features, the sensor rotation control module is configured to obtain a first measurement of iron losses in a first region of the steel stator when the at least two sensors are in the first position and compare the first measurement to a reference stator value to determine at least one magnetic property of the steel stator.

[0014] According to other features, the distance between the two sensor legs of a first of the at least two sensors is different from the distance between the two sensor legs of a second of the at least two sensors.

[0015] A method for measuring the magnetic properties of a steel stator comprises mounting a steel stator having a plurality of teeth on a stator support plate, aligning at least two sensors with a first set of a plurality of steel stator teeth in a first position, each of the at least two sensors comprising two sensor legs, a distance between the two sensor legs corresponding to a distance between two of the plurality of steel stator teeth, and rotating the at least two sensors to a second position aligned with a second set of the plurality of steel stator teeth. The at least two sensors are disposed on a turntable within an inner periphery of the steel stator, the turntable is electrically isolated from the stator support plate, and the first set of the plurality of teeth is different from the second set of the plurality of teeth.

[0016] According to other features, the method includes moving the at least two sensors to a target position concentric with the inner circumference of the steel stator using an adjustable sensor holder on the stator support plate.

[0017] According to other features, the stator support plate includes a groove corresponding to a circumference of the steel stator, the groove being concentric with a rotation axis of the turntable.

[0018] According to other features, the method includes inserting a washer along the inner circumference of the steel stator between the at least two sensors and the plurality of teeth of the steel stator.

[0019] According to other features, a width of the washer is greater than or equal to a length of the steel stator. According to other features, the two sensor legs of a first of the at least two sensors extend in a direction that is offset by 180 degrees from a direction of the two sensor legs of a second of the at least two sensors.

[0020] According to other features, each sensor comprises a stack of steel sheets. According to other features, the method comprises winding at least one drive coil around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors and winding at least one take-up coil around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors.

[0021] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are provided for purposes of illustration only. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagram of an example of a rotary stator sensor device for measuring the magnetic properties of a stator; Fig. 2 a diagram of the rotatable stator sensor device of Fig. 1 with sensors rotated to a different position; Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example alignment of a stator sensor to stator teeth; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing example dimensions of a sensor of the rotary stator sensor device of Fig. 1 represents; Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for using a rotatable stator sensor device to measure the magnetic properties of a stator; and Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for manufacturing a sensor of the rotatable stator sensor device of Fig. 1 represents.

[0023] In the drawings, reference symbols may be used multiple times to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Electric vehicles are powered by one or more electric motors, which may include a steel stator. Some embodiments described herein include a rotatable electromagnetic sensor device, for example, to measure electrical losses in stator lamination stacks.

[0025] The device is configured to measure the electrical losses in stator lamination stacks and the magnetic properties of the oriented steel sheet material. The rotatable stator sensor device can facilitate the differentiation between stators made of different material types (e.g., oriented vs. non-oriented steel) and different designs, such as segmented stators, and can be used to evaluate finished stator stacks before motor assembly. During the manufacturing process of a stator (e.g., a stator for an electric vehicle's electric motor), there is often a desire to evaluate the quality of lamination stacks before complete motor assembly to enable better control over the quality of the finished products.

[0026] In various embodiments, exemplary stator sensor devices can facilitate the measurement of stator core losses by using a repeatable method of mounting legs of two rotatable sensors in front of different sets of stator teeth with a very narrow air gap. Testing the core losses of the stator lamination can identify potential variations in each stator core manufacturing process due to mechanical stress, which can lead to degradation of the stator's magnetic performance.

[0027] In some embodiments, a rotatable stator sensor device can determine the magnetic properties of oriented steel in various directions, since knowledge of the stator's magnetic properties in multiple directions is desirable for accurate machine design. Two or three (or more) sensors with different angular apertures can be implemented when evaluating the iron loss of a stator's oriented steel.

[0028] The device can identify sheet defects in the stator that occur during the production of individual sheets in a progressive die. The sensors can be arranged in a device that includes a support plate for the stator core and two (or more or fewer) sensors mounted on an axis of a rotary table. The rotary table is configured to index the sensors relative to the teeth in the stator core. An adjustable adapter for the sensors can control the runout and an air gap distance to align the sensors with the teeth of the core.

[0029] In some embodiments, a stator core made of non-oriented or oriented steel material is arranged and clamped on a top plate of the device. The top plate may have a concentric groove to position the stator concentrically with the rotation axis. The turntable is aligned near the center of the groove in the top plate.

[0030] Two sensors, including their associated sensor links, are constructed of high-quality non-oriented steel to minimize their iron losses. In various embodiments, the thickness (e.g., height) of each sensor can be equal to or 1 mm greater than that of the stator core (or have greater or lesser thicknesses). The sensor legs can be approximately 8 to 10 mm wide (or wider or narrower), and the tip of each sensor leg can have a chamfer so that its contact length with the stator tooth is equal.

[0031] The width of the sensor legs at the tip can be a function of the width of the stator tooth at the tip. The curvature of the sensor legs at the tip can be identical to the circumference of the stator's inner diameter. In various embodiments, different regions of the sensors can be shaped to engage a plastic adapter holder. The angular opening between the two legs of the sensor can be designed to detect a specific number of teeth in the stator to measure iron loss across a region of the stator between the number of teeth.

[0032] In some embodiments, two sensors are mounted within the inner diameter (ID) of the stator using a center spindle isolated from the stator and the main body of the device. The two sensors are positioned approximately 180 degrees apart to cancel the electromotive forces generated by the magnetic field when the sensors sense the magnetic properties of the stator or are rotated. A two-sensor arrangement can be used for testing to prevent flux leakage through the iron return and to counteract the electromotive forces.

[0033] In various embodiments, an adapter holds the two sensors concentric with the stator ID. The adapter provides alignment details for the sensors to control their concentricity with the stator ID and to control the air gap between the sensor legs and the stator teeth. A plastic washer can be used at the edge (e.g., the circumference) of the stator's inner diameter to control the air gap between the stator teeth and the sensor legs, preventing any contact between the stator teeth and the sensor legs.

[0034] A rotary table can be used beneath the top plate to align the sensor legs with the stator teeth in multiple positions relative to the stator teeth. By rotating the sensor legs, iron loss can be measured at multiple positions (e.g., at specified intervals) for a set of stator teeth. The sensors can be rotated at multiple intervals to cover the entire inner circumference of the stator (or a portion of the entire inner circumference), assess the consistency of iron loss at different locations, and identify potential defects in the stator.

[0035] In some embodiments, special mounts can be used to set up and hold the sensors for calibration. The mounts are designed to position the two sensors in opposite directions with the sensor legs facing each other and to inhibit the electromotive forces (e.g., flux densities) generated by the magnetic field during the calibration process. The calibration mount can provide lateral adjustments for aligning the legs of the two sensors.

[0036] Fig. 1 is a diagram of an example of a rotary stator sensor device 100 for measuring the magnetic properties of a stator. As shown in Fig. 1, the rotatable stator sensor device 100 includes a stator support plate 104. The stator support plate 104 is configured to support a steel stator 102 having a plurality of teeth 118. In various embodiments, the steel stator 102 may be a stator for an electric motor of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

[0037] The rotatable stator sensor device 100 includes a turntable 106. The turntable 106 is electrically insulated from the stator support plate 104. At least two sensors 108 are located on the turntable 106. Although in Fig. 1 two sensors 108 are shown, other embodiments may include more or fewer sensors or sensors in a different configuration.

[0038] The sensors 108 are located within an inner diameter of the steel stator 102. For example, each sensor 108 includes two sensor legs 110, and each sensor 108 may be arranged such that each sensor leg 110 is adjacent to an inner peripheral surface of one of the teeth 118 of the steel stator 102.

[0039] In some embodiments, a distance between the two sensor legs 110 of a sensor 108 may correspond to a distance between two of the teeth 118 of the steel stator 102. For example, two sensor legs 110 may correspond to a span of two teeth 118, a span of three teeth 118, a span of four or more teeth 118, etc.

[0040] The rotatable stator sensor device 100 includes a sensor rotation control module 112 configured to rotate the sensors 108 between a first position aligned with a first set of teeth and a second position aligned with a second set of teeth 118 of the steel stator 102.

[0041] For example, Fig. 1 shows the sensors 108 in a first position in which the sensor legs 110 are adjacent to the first sets of teeth 118 of the steel stator. Fig. Figure 2 illustrates a second position in which the sensors 108 have been rotated ninety degrees relative to the steel stator 102. In various embodiments, the sensor rotation control module can control the rotation of the turntable 106 to move the sensors 108 between the different positions. Each different position can align the sensor legs 110 of the sensors 108 with different sets of teeth 118 of the steel stator.

[0042] In some embodiments, the rotatable stator sensor device 100 may include an adjustable sensor holder on the stator support plate 104. The adjustable sensor holder may be coupled to the sensors 108 to move a position of the sensors 108 relative to the steel stator 102. For example, the adjustable sensor holder may be configured to move the sensors 108 so that they are concentric with an inner circumference of the steel stator 102 (e.g., so that a rotational axis of the sensors 108 or the turntable 106 is concentric with the inner circumference of the steel stator 102). This may allow the sensor legs 110 to move along the inner circumference of the teeth 118 of the steel stator 102 without changing the width of an air gap between the sensor legs 110 and the teeth 118 at different rotational positions of the sensors 108.

[0043] In some embodiments, the stator support plate 104 includes a groove for locating the steel stator 102. The groove may have a size corresponding to a circumference of the steel stator 102, and the groove may be concentric with a rotational axis of the turntable 106 and the sensors 108. In various embodiments, one or more clamps may be disposed on the stator support plate 104 to clamp the steel stator 102 in place (e.g., after it has been aligned in the groove of the stator support plate 104).

[0044] An optional washer 114 may be disposed along the inner circumference of the steel stator 102 between the sensors 108 and the teeth 118 of the steel stator 102. The washer 114 may be made of plastic or another suitable material that can reduce friction as the ends of the sensor legs 110 move along the inner circumferential surface of the teeth 118. The washer 114 can facilitate maintaining a desired air gap between the sensor legs 110 and the teeth 118. The width of the washer 114 can be greater than or equal to the length of the steel stator 102 to provide electrical isolation by preventing or restraining the sensor legs 110 from contacting the teeth 118.

[0045] As in Fig. 1, the two sensor legs 110 of one of the sensors 108 extend in a direction 180 degrees opposite a direction of the two sensor legs 110 of the other sensor 108. This arrangement can balance the electrical forces when the sensors 108 are rotated to take measurements on the steel stator 102. Each sensor 108 can be made of any suitable material to detect the magnetic properties of portions of the steel stator 102, such as a stack of steel sheets.

[0046] The rotatable stator sensor device 100 includes coils 116 wrapped around portions of the sensors 108. The coils 116 may include wires wrapped around the center of the sensors 108, wrapped around a sensor leg 110, wrapped around other portions of the sensors 108, etc.

[0047] Each coil 116 may be configured to operate as a drive coil or a pickup coil to obtain measurements from the steel stator 102. For example, the coils 116 may be coupled to the sensor rotation control module 112 (or another control module), with the sensor rotation control module 112 configured to provide a drive signal to one coil 116 operating as a drive coil and receive a signal from another coil 116 operating as a pickup coil to obtain a measurement of a magnetic property of a region of the steel stator 102 (e.g., a region of the steel stator 102 between teeth 118 adjacent to the sensor leg 110 of a sensor 108).

[0048] In some embodiments, the rotatable stator sensor device 100 may be configured to obtain a first measurement of the iron losses in a first region of the steel stator 102 when the sensors 108 are in the first position (e.g., in the position shown in Fig. 1), and to obtain a second measurement of the iron losses in a second region of the steel stator 102 when the sensors 108 are in the second position (e.g., in the position shown in Fig. 2). The sensor rotation control module 112 may be configured to compare the first measurement and the second measurement to determine at least one magnetic property of the steel stator 102.

[0049] In various embodiments, the sensor rotation control module 112 is configured to rotate the sensors 108 to a third position aligned with a third set of teeth 118 of the steel stator 102 and obtain a third measurement of the iron losses in a third region of the steel stator 102. This process can be repeated by rotating the sensors 108 and taking measurements at any number of positions.

[0050] The sensor rotation control module 112 may be configured to determine whether a stator defect exists based on the various measurements. For example, in various embodiments, the sensor rotation control module 112 may be configured to compare one or more measurements to a reference stator value to determine at least one magnetic property of the steel stator 102.

[0051] Although Fig. While Figure 1 illustrates the distance between the sensor legs 110 as the same for both sensors 108, in other embodiments, the distance between the two sensor legs 110 may be different for each sensor. For example, sensors 108 with different distances between the sensor legs 110 may be calibrated and selectively placed on the turntable 106 based on a pitch of the teeth 118 for a particular steel stator 102.

[0052] Fig. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the exemplary alignment of a stator sensor 308 with the teeth 318 of the stator 302. The stator 302 may have any suitable stator design, such as a circular stator with teeth 318 extending inward from the iron return of the stator 302.

[0053] As in Fig. 3, the width A of one of the sensor legs 310 may correspond to a width Ag of two teeth 318 of the stator 302. In other embodiments, the width of the sensor legs 310 may correspond to a width of one of the teeth 318, a width of more than two of the teeth 318, etc.

[0054] A curvature of the ends of the sensor legs 310 may correspond to an inner circumference of the teeth 318. This facilitates rotation of the sensor 308 along the inner circumference of the teeth 318 while maintaining an air gap distance Ig / 2 between the end of the sensor legs 310 and the sensor teeth 318.

[0055] The sensor 308 may comprise any suitable construction, including a stack of steel sheets. A drive coil 317 and a pickup coil 316 may be wound around different portions of the sensor 308 to measure the magnetic properties of regions of the stator 302.

[0056] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing example dimensions of a sensor 308 of the rotatable stator sensor device 100 of Fig. 1 shows the example dimensions of the sensor 408 and the sensor legs 410 in Fig. 4 are for illustrative purposes only, and other embodiments may include sensors with different dimensions.

[0057] Fig. Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for using a rotatable stator sensor device to measure the magnetic properties of a stator. At 504, the method begins with inserting a stator into a receiving groove of a stator support plate. Optional clamps engage the stator to secure the stator to the support plate at 508.

[0058] If an optional insulating film is used at 512 (e.g., a plastic washer or other electrically insulating material), the method continues at 516 to insert the insulating film along the inner circumference of the stator teeth.

[0059] After deploying the insulation sheet or determining that no optional insulation sheet is being used, the method continues to 520 to position the sensors on the turntable (if the sensors are not already on the turntable). If the sensors are not concentric with the stator at 524, the method continues to 528 to adjust the incremental sensor positioning.

[0060] Once the sensors are concentric with the stator at 524, the method proceeds to 532 to test the electrical (e.g., magnetic) properties of the stator at a first position relative to the stator teeth. The sensors are then rotated to a next position relative to different stator teeth at 536.

[0061] At 540, the method includes testing magnetic (e.g., electrical) parameters of the stator at the next position relative to the stator teeth. If additional positions are specified for testing at 544, the method returns to 536 to rotate the sensors to the next position for another measurement of the stator magnetic parameters. Once all specified positions have been tested at 544, the method proceeds to 548 to compare the measurements to identify the stator's magnetic properties, such as iron losses, and to determine whether or not the stator is defective.

[0062] In some embodiments, a method may include placing a stator onto a mount within a receiving groove, e.g., in a Delrin plate. A pin may be aligned with the stator slot on the outer diameter of the stator, and clamps may be engaged on the mount to clamp the stator in place.

[0063] A plastic plate / washer can be inserted along the inner circumference of the stator teeth. If the sensors are not yet configured, they are mounted on a rotating shaft and an alignment pin. A control program can define various positions for the sensor(s) for measurements.

[0064] For example, a sensor control program can facilitate the use of incremental positioning buttons to move the sensors and ensure they are concentric with the stator ID. If alignment concerns exist, the clamps can be loosened to make adjustments in the sensor holder to correct the radial position of the sensors. A main ring mount can be used to correctly align the sensor with the rotation axis.

[0065] For example, incremental and absolute positioning buttons can be used to move the sensors to the desired position if there is a misalignment between the stator tooth and the sensor leg. The zero position can then be set in the motor control program, and the stator test can continue using the sensors.

[0066] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for manufacturing a sensor of the rotary stator sensor device of Fig. 1. At 604, the process begins with the preparation of steel sheets for a sensor. At 608, the core is bonded with an adhesive.

[0067] Each steel sheet is coated with a 612 coating using a roller. The steel sheets are then stacked in the shape of the sensor, and the stacked steel sheets are then cured. In various embodiments, the sensor can be dried at a specific temperature to complete the sensor manufacturing process.

[0068] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature. The broad teachings of the disclosure may be implemented in various forms. It is to be understood that one or more steps within a method may be performed in a different order (or overlapping in time) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Furthermore, although each of the embodiments has been described above with certain features, one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in and / or combined with its features in any of the other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0069] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, such as "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "beside," "on top of," "over," "below," and "disposed." Unless explicitly described as "direct," when the above-described disclosure describes a relationship between a first and a second element, that relationship may be a direct relationship, with no other intervening elements between the first and second elements, but it may also be an indirect relationship, with one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) between the first and second elements.As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C shall be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and shall not be construed to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0070] In the figures, the direction of an arrow, indicated by the arrowhead, generally demonstrates the flow of information (such as data or commands) of interest for the illustration. For example, if element A and element B exchange different information, but the information transmitted from element A to element B is relevant for the illustration, the arrow may point from element A to element B. This unidirectional arrow does not imply that no further information is sent from element B to element A. Furthermore, element B may send requests or acknowledgments of receipt of the information to element A for the information sent from element A to element B.

[0071] Throughout this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or the term "controller" may be replaced with the term "circuit." The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); processor circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuitry; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0072] The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces connected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any given module of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiple modules connected via interface circuits. For example, multiple modules may enable load balancing. In another example, a server module (also known as a remote or cloud module) may perform some functionality on behalf of a client module.

[0073] The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and / or objects. The term shared processor circuitry includes a single processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term group processor circuitry includes a processor circuit that, in combination with additional processor circuitry, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. References to multiprocessor circuitry include multiprocessor circuits on discrete chips, multiprocessor circuits on a single chip, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination of the above.The term shared memory circuit refers to a single memory circuit that stores some or all of the code from one or more modules. The term group memory circuit refers to a memory circuit that, in combination with additional memories, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules.

[0074] The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does not include transient electrical or electromagnetic signals that propagate through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readable medium can therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium include non-volatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such asa CD, a DVD or a Blu-ray disc).

[0075] The devices and methods described in this application may be implemented partially or entirely by a special-purpose computer, which is created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into computer programs through the routine work of a trained technician or programmer.

[0076] The computer programs contain processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also contain or access stored data. The computer programs may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) that interacts with the computer's hardware for a special purpose, device drivers that interact with specific devices of the computer for a special purpose, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, etc.

[0077] The computer programs may contain: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, such as: B. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language) or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from source code by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter, (v) source code for compilation and execution by a compiler at runtime, etc. By way of example only, the source code may be written using the syntax of languages ​​including C, C++, C#, Objective C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language, 5th Revision), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK and Python®. legend

[0078] In the drawings, N stands for No and Y stands for Yes.

Claims

[1] A rotatable stator sensor device (100) comprising: a stator support plate (104) configured to support a steel stator (102) having a plurality of teeth (118); a rotary table (106) electrically insulated from the stator support plate (104); at least two sensors (108) on the rotary table (106), wherein the at least two sensors (108) are arranged within an inner circumference of the steel stator (102) and each of the at least two sensors (108) comprises two sensor legs (110), wherein a distance between the two sensor legs (110) corresponds to a distance between two of the plurality of steel stator teeth (118); and a sensor rotation control module (112) configured to rotate the at least two sensors (108) between a first position aligned with a first set of the plurality of steel stator teeth (118) and a second position aligned with a second set of the plurality of steel stator teeth (118), wherein the first set of the plurality of teeth (118) is different from the second set of the plurality of teeth (118). [2] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable sensor holder on the stator support plate (104), the adjustable sensor holder configured to move the at least two sensors (108) to a target position concentric with the inner circumference of the steel stator (102). [3] A rotatable stator sensor device (100) according to claim 1, wherein: the stator support plate (104) has a groove corresponding to a circumference of the steel stator (102); and the groove is concentric to a rotation axis of the turntable (106). [4] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 1, further comprising a washer (114) disposed along the inner circumference of the steel stator (102) between the at least two sensors (108) and the plurality of teeth (118) of the steel stator (102). [5] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 4, wherein a width of the washer (114) is greater than or equal to a length of the steel stator (102). [6] Rotatable stator sensor device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the two sensor legs (110) of a first of the at least two sensors (108) extend in a direction that is offset by 180 degrees from a direction of the two sensor legs (110) of a second of the at least two sensors (108). [7] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 1, wherein each sensor (108) comprises a stack of steel sheets. [8] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 1, further comprising: at least one drive coil (116, 317) wound around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors (108); and at least one pickup coil (116, 316) wound around a portion of one or more of the at least two sensors (108). [9] The rotatable stator sensor device (100) of claim 1, wherein the sensor rotation control module (112) is configured to: Obtaining a first measurement of the iron losses in a first region of the steel stator (102) when the at least two sensors (108) are in the first position; Obtaining a second measurement of the iron losses in a second region of the steel stator (102) when the at least two sensors (108) are in the second position; and Comparing the first measurement and the second measurement to determine at least one magnetic property of the steel stator (102), wherein the at least one magnetic property is indicative of a defect in a stator lamination or a quality of the stator. [10] A method for measuring magnetic properties of a steel stator (102), the method comprising: Mounting a steel stator (102) having a plurality of teeth (118) on a stator support plate (104); Aligning at least two sensors (108) with a first set of multiple steel stator teeth (118) in a first position, wherein each of the at least two sensors (108) comprises two sensor legs (110), wherein a distance between the two sensor legs (110) corresponds to a distance between two of the multiple steel stator teeth (118); and Rotating the at least two sensors (108) to a second position aligned with a second set of the plurality of steel stator teeth (118), wherein the at least two sensors (108) are arranged on a rotary table (106) within an inner circumference of the steel stator (102), the rotary table (106) is electrically insulated from the stator support plate (104), and the first set of the plurality of teeth (118) differs from the second set of the plurality of teeth (118).

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