Electromagnetic machine with independent removable coils, modular parts and self-sustained passive magnetic bearing

Abstract

A rotating electromagnetic machine has a tubular axle with mounting rings, a common ring, a coil input ring, and at least one bearing set mounted on it. A fitting is secured at a distal end of the tubular axle, and a commutator is secured at the proximal end. A housing is mounted on the bearing sets through adaptors. Connecting bars extend axially within the axle with lateral rods joined to the connecting bars at their distal ends, the bars commuting between segments of the commutator electromagnetic coils. A plurality of the electromagnetic coils are secured to the coil input ring. The coils are formed of spiral turns of a single flat strip electrically conductive material. A plurality of peripheral and sector magnets are mounted adjacent to the electromagnetic coils with electromagnetic interaction when relative motion occurs between the coils and the magnets.

Description

, and its magnetic bearing aluminum swept surface 10′, showing bearing sets 20, bearing securing fitting 15, commutator 80, mounting rings 30A and coil input ring 30C. In FIG. 1 it is seen that system housing plates 70 is are mounted on bearing sets 20 through adaptors 74. Either the system housing plates 70 or axle 10 may act as stator with the other member rotating. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of coil common ring 30B which is constructed in two pieces and is independently removable from axle 10, whereas mounting rings 30A are an integral part of axle 10. FIG. 4 is a perspective end view of axle 10 with the securing fitting 15 detached.

What is not depicted in FIG. 1, but is shown in FIG. 5; an end view from the securing fitting side, is proximal ends 92 of connecting bars 90 which extend axially within axle 10 as will be further shown. FIG. 6 is a perspective end view thereof as seen from the commutator end of the machine, showing distal ends 94 of connecting bars 90. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the connecting bars 90, as detached, showing the proximal 92 and distal 94 ends. A lateral rod 96 joined to bar 90 at the distal end 94, commutes between bar 90 and one segment 82 of commutator 80 and is secured by screws 84 as shown in FIG. 6. The distal end 94 is joined with lateral plate 98 which is covered with an insulator wrap 99 and secured to coil input ring 30C through slots 12 in axle 10, as shown in FIG. 2, using tab 32 and screw 34. Screw 36 is available for securing coil wires as will be described presently. Bars 90, including rods 96, plates 98 and tabs 32 form the necessary electrical path between electromagnet coils of the machine (to be described), and the commutator 80. In the preferred embodiment, coils 110 are wired in parallel with current introduced from the commutator 80 through lateral rods 96, bars 90, plate 98 to insulated segments (tabs 32) mounted on input ring 30C. One end of each of the coils 110 are attached to each of tabs 32 respectively, at screws 36. The other end of each of the coils 110 are attached to the screws on common ring 30B which acts as a ground back to the commutator 80.

FIG. 8 shows two coil housings 100 mounted on the rings 30A by coil housing bolts 42 (FIG. 1) fastened into threaded holes. FIG. 9 is a close up showing the novel mounting interface between coil housings 100 and the mounting rings 30A. In this mounting it is noticed that the interfacing surfaces of the coil housings 100 abut rings 30A and are close to rings 30B and 30C. FIG. 10 shows part of the coil housing 100 removed revealing a portion of a coil 110 as mounted within the coil housing 100. FIG. 11 shows the coil 110 detached from the coil housing 100 and shows, too, coilform 120 upon which coil 110 is wound. In this embodiment coil 110 is wound with common insulated wire 112, however, coil 110 may also be wound with metal strip wherein such strip would have a thickness approximately equal to the diameter of wire 112 and a width W equal to the width of coil 110, or of the ferromagnetic housing cell's width as shown in FIG. 11. It is noticed that coil 110 has an axis 114 of the windings that is positioned tangential to the direction of rotation of the electromagnetic field of this machine when the coil is mounted within the coil housing 120 100. This may be best seen in FIG. 12 where coil 110 is shown mounted within coil housing 120 100, and housing 120 100 is shown in its mounted position on ring 30A Only two coil housings 120 100 are shown in the figures, but in the completely assembled machine, the coil housings 120 100 form a full circle around tubular axle 110 10.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a commutator housing 85 positioned over the commutator 80. Housing 85 provides the wipers that frictionally contact the blades of commutator 80. FIGS. 15 and 16 are views of the system housing plates 70 which are shown in their assembled positions in FIG. 1. Plates 70 are engaged with the outer bearing races of bearing sets 20 through adaptors 74 shown in schematic representation in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 shows the finished machine as a side view with two peripheral plates 72, commonly known as “biscuits,” removed, to show the locations of peripheral magnets 50 and coil housings 100. The axis 5 of rotation of the rotating magnetic field is depicted in FIG. 17.

FIGS. 18-20 show an alternative embodiment of coil 110. Previously coil 110 was described as constructed by windings of common insulated electrical conductor wire 112 as is well known in the art, and alternatively using flexible insulated conductive metal strip stock. However, it has been discovered that coil 110 may also be advantageously constructed from a solid block of conductive metal. In FIG. 18 is shown a schematic diagram of such a coil 110 wherein the lines 110A represent conductive paths and the spaces between the lines represent material that is cut away from the solid block of conductive metal. This may be accomplished using electrical discharge machining, also known by the acronym EDM. In this process EDM is used to cut into the solid block of electrically conductive material such as copper, aluminumor, steel, but most preferably, or iron, and the cuts are directed as shown in FIG. 18. When the cutting is complete, the solid block has been reduced to a single coil where the coil's windings are strips having the desired width W (FIG. 19), i.e., the width of the original solid block.

FIG. 19 shows the cut block in perspective with plus (+) and minus (−) electrodes attached for connecting the coil 110 into a circuit of the present machine. FIG. 20 shows the same cut block as FIG. 19, but partially cut-away to better illustrate the layers of the windings. In FIGS. 19 and 20 no space is shown separating the windings, however, these figures are conceptual diagrams where the spaces between adjacent windings are considerably less wide than the windings themselves, and the spaces may be filled with an electrical insulator using an electro-chemical process such as electroplating. The coil housing 100 may also be advantageously constructed in the same manner as the coil shown in FIGS. 18-20, that is, the housing 100 may be sectioned using EDM to establish a coil-like configuration while maintaining the housing in the form shown in FIGS. 8-12. The establishment of coil 110 and coil housing 100 in the above manner provide significant advantages including low eddy current loss, less resistance to AC and to DC current flow, and smaller size.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of one best mode embodiment of the instant invention and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or elements of the embodiments of the herein described invention and its related embodiments not described are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the invention and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements.

Changes from the described subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope of the invention and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. The invention and its various embodiments are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto.

Claims

1. A rotating electromagnetic machine comprising:

a tubular axle defining a distal and a proximal ends thereof, and mounted medially thereon, a pair of mounting rings, a common ring, a coil input ring, and at least one bearing set; a fitting is secured at the distal end of the tubular axle, and a commutator is secured at the proximal end of the tubular axle;

a housing mounted on the bearing sets through adaptors; the common ring constructed in two pieces and independently removable from axle,

connecting bars extending axially within axle; lateral rods joined to connecting bars at distal end thereof, the lateral rods commuting between bars and segments of commutator with distal ends joined with lateral plates;

a plurality of electromagnetic coils secured to the mounting rings, the coils formed of spiral turns of a single flat strip electrically conductive material; and

a plurality of peripheral and sector magnets mounted adjacent to the electromagnetic coils.

2. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 1 assembled with a modular construction with coil housings of a ferromagnetic material separated into a plurality of magnetically isolated segments in mutual electrical continuity, whereby hysteresis is minimized.

3. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 1 wherein each of the peripheral and sector magnets has edges cut in a shape that enables a continuous magnetic pole face and avoids an alternating magnetic end effect at opposing ends of the magnet, whereby, induced eddy currents of the ferromagnetic segments are returned to the electrical circuit thereof.

4. A rotating electromagnetic machine comprising:

an axle;

a plurality of electromagnetic coils;

a set of magnets including a first sector magnet, a second sector magnet, and a peripheral magnet, the set of magnets defining a first wedge-shaped path between the peripheral magnet and the first sector magnet, and a second wedge-shaped path between the peripheral magnet and the second sector magnet; and

a plurality of coil housings coupled to the axle, each of the plurality of coil housings having a respective one of the plurality of electromagnetic coils positioned therein, each of the plurality of coil housings including a first wedge-shaped portion and a second wedge-shaped portion, the first wedge-shaped portion being configured to travel through the first wedge-shaped path as the electromagnetic machine rotates, the second wedge-shaped portion being configured to travel through the second wedge-shaped path as the electromagnetic machine rotates.

5. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 4, wherein the first wedge-shaped path is defined by the first sector magnet and a first angled surface of the peripheral magnet at a first end of the peripheral magnet, and wherein the second wedge-shaped path is defined by the second sector magnet and a second angled surface of the peripheral magnet at a second end of the peripheral magnet.

6. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 5, wherein the first angled surface and the second angled surface of the peripheral magnet are each positioned at an angle of about 45 degrees.

7. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 5, wherein the peripheral magnet includes a front surface facing toward at least one of the plurality of electromagnetic coils, a first end surface facing parallel to and opposed to a front surface of the first sector magnet, and a second end surface facing parallel to and opposed to a front surface of the second sector magnet.

8. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 7, wherein the first angled surface of the peripheral magnet is positioned at an angle relative to the front surface and the first end surface of the peripheral magnet, and wherein the second angled surface of the peripheral magnet is positioned at an angle relative to the front surface and the second end surface of the peripheral magnet.

9. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 4, wherein the peripheral magnet is positioned orthogonal to both the first sector magnet and the second sector magnet.

10. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 4, wherein the first sector magnet and the second sector magnet are disposed in mutually opposing and facing positions.

11. The rotating electromagnetic machine of claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of coil housings is disposed between one of the plurality of electromagnetic coils and the set of magnets.

12. The rotating machine of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of electromagnetic coils has a respective winding axis that is perpendicular to the axle.

13. The rotating machine of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one bearing set rotationally disposed about the axle, and;

a magnet housing having each of the plurality of magnet sets mounted therein, the magnet housing coupled to the at least one bearing set to allow relative rotation between the magnet housing and the axle.

14. The rotating machine of claim 13, wherein either the magnet housing or the axle acts as a stator of the rotating electromagnetic machine.

15. The rotating machine of claim 4, wherein the first sector magnet, the second sector magnet, and the peripheral magnet are permanent magnets.