A segment type switched reluctance motor (SRM) has been proposed herein, with the aim of high torque density and low level vibration and acoustic noise. A 4-phase segment type SRM is designed and constructed for reducing the large torque ripple of the 3-phase one. The torque ripple and efficiency characteristics are measured by using the test machine and a full bridge type drive system. The torque ripple is reduced from 200%, of the 3-phase SRM, to approximately 40%. Furthermore, performance characteristics under unipolar excitation as well as bipolar excitation are compared.