CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE ROTOR ANGLE OF A SYNCHRONOUS MACHINE

Determining the rotor angle of a synchronous machine. In one aspect, the invention provides a method that includes generating a multiplicity of pulse-width-modulated drive signals for the phases of an inverter feeding the synchronous machine depending on a voltage to be fed into the synchronous machine, and applying a first phase shift to one or more of the multiplicity of pulse-width-modulated drive signals, so that the duration of the switching states of the inverter is extended in order to generate a first switching pattern for the phases of the inverter. The method also includes applying a second phase shift to one or more of the multiplicity of pulse-width-modulated drive signals for generating a second switching pattern, selecting one or more of the first and second switching patterns, determining one or more of neutral point potentials at the neutral point of the synchronous machine, and calculating the rotor angle of the synchronous machine.