Patent ID: 8030788

Claim:
A starter/generator system comprising: a three phase squirrel cage induction machine; and a first three-phase inverter/converter/controller (ICC) unit operatively coupled to said three phase squirrel cage induction machine through a first electrical path, said ICC comprising: a three phase inverter/converter electrically coupled to said three phase squirrel cage induction machine; a bidirectional DC-DC converter electrically coupled to said three phase inverter/converter; and a digital control board configured to sensorlessly determine a rotor angle from a plurality of phase currents to the induction machine during a start mode; wherein during a start mode, logic in said digital control board configures said starter/generator system into a combination of an induction motor, a three phase DC-AC inverter, and a DC-DC boost converter, and during a generate mode, the logic in said digital control board configures said starter/generator system into a combination of an induction generator, a three phase AC-DC converter, and a DC-DC buck converter.