The invention provides techniques for reducing or altering the
magnetic noise of an AC rotary
electric machine. A
magnetic noise reducing
harmonic current of order n, whose frequency is n times the frequency of the
fundamental frequency component of a polyphase
AC current fed to an armature of a polyphase AC rotary
electric machine, is superimposed on the polyphase
AC current, thereby reducing or altering a
harmonic component having a frequency (n−1) times the frequency of the
fundamental frequency component and occurring due to a radial magnetic excitation force acting radially on an iron core of the AC rotary
electric machine.
Magnetic noise is caused by a vibration whose energy is the sum of the circumferential and radial vibrations of the iron core occurring due to the
magnetomotive force of the rotor, and altering the
radial vibration is particularly effective in altering the
magnetic noise; as the
harmonic component of the radially acting magnetic excitation force, occurring due to harmonic components having frequencies 3, 5, 7, and 13 times the
fundamental frequency, has a frequency 6 or 12 times the fundamental frequency, the
magnetomotive force of the rotor can be effectively reduced or altered when a current having a frequency 7 or 13 times the fundamental frequency is superimposed on the
stator current.