Reluctance motor with dual-pole rotor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10164501-B2
Application number	US-201414567126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating a reluctance motor. The apparatus comprises a stator and a rotor device. The stator comprises a first stator component and a second stator component. The first stator component has at least three poles. The second stator component has at least three corresponding poles. The at least three poles and the at least three corresponding poles form pole pairs. The rotor device is positioned between the first stator component and the second stator component. The rotor device has two rotor poles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a stator comprising a core having a first core member, a second core member, a third core member and a plurality of electromagnetic coils;
a plate that forms a virtual pole when a portion of the plate contacts the stator in response to a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field in response to a multi-phase current supplied to the plurality of electromagnetic coils;
an output element driven by the plate;
a fulcrum having a first end portion housed within a holding area of the plate and a second end portion passing through a plate opening in the plate and an output element opening in the output element; and
a mounting plate affixed to the holding area to cover the first end portion;
wherein the plate is disposed between the stator and the output element and is configured to wobble without a rotation about a center axis in response to the magnetic field.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electromagnetic coils comprises:
a first coil having a first winding associated with the first core member and a second winding associated with the first core member.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of electromagnetic coils further comprises:
a second coil having a first winding associated with the second core member and a second winding associated with the second core member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of electromagnetic coils further comprises:
a third coil having a first winding associated with the third core member and a second winding associated with the third core member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a sensor system measures a position of the plate relative to a stator plane corresponding to the stator and an angular position of the output element relative to a center axis.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the core comprises:
a cylindrical sleeve comprised of a ferromagnetic material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a current source that applies a multi-phase current to the plurality of electromagnetic coils of the stator wherein the plurality of electromagnetic coils are configured to generate the magnetic field in response to the multi-phase current.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the multi-phase current is three-phase current.

9. A reluctance motor comprising:
a stator comprising a core having a first core member, a second core member, a third core member and a plurality of electromagnetic coils;
a plate that forms a virtual pole when a portion of the plate contacts the stator in response to a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field in response to a multi-phase current supplied to the plurality of electromagnetic coils;
a sensor system attached to the stator;
wherein the plate is disposed between the stator and an output element and is configured to wobble without a rotation about a center axis in response to the magnetic field in order to rotate the output element;
a fulcrum having a first end portion housed within a holding area of the plate and a second end portion passing through a plate opening in the plate and an output element opening in the output element; and
a mounting plate affixed to the holding area to cover the first end portion;
wherein the sensor system measures a position of the plate relative to a stator plane corresponding to the stator and an angular position of an output element relative to a center axis.

10. The reluctance motor of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of electromagnetic coils comprises three electromagnetic coils; and wherein the three electromagnetic coils are configured to generate the magnetic field in response to a multi-phase current supplied to the three electromagnetic coils.

11. A method for operating a reluctance motor, the method comprising:
providing a stator with a plurality of cores and a plurality of electromagnetic coils having a plurality of first winding portions and a plurality of second winding portions, wherein each of the plurality of cores has at least one first winding portion and one second winding portion;
applying multi-phase current to the plurality of electromagnetic coils to produce a magnetic field;
rotating the magnetic field about a center axis using the multi-phase current to torque a rotor device, the rotor device comprising a plate that forms a virtual pole when a portion of the plate contacts the stator in response to a magnetic field;
measuring, by a sensor system attached to the stator, a position of the plate relative to a stator plane corresponding to the stator and an angular position of an output element relative to a center axis;
providing a fulcrum having a first end portion housed within a holding area of the plate and a second end portion passing through a plate opening in the plate and an output element opening in the output element; and
affixing a mounting plate to the holding area to cover the first end portion;
wherein the rotor device is disposed between the stator and the output element and is configured to wobble without a rotation about a center axis in order to rotate the output element.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying the multi-phase current comprises:
applying a first phase current to a first coil;
applying a second phase current to a second coil; and
applying a third phase current to a third coil.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein rotating the magnetic field comprises:
adjusting at least one of the first phase current, the second phase current, or the third phase current.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a sensor system commutates the apparatus.

15. The reluctance motor of claim 9 , wherein the sensor system further comprises three distance sensors that measure a tilt of the plate.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
measuring a tilt of the plate using three distance sensors in the sensor system.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first gear and a second gear of the plate, a stator gear, and an output gear;
wherein the first gear, the second gear, the stator gear, and the output gear are each comprised of teeth shaped such that a torque produced between the stator gear and the output gear results in a rotation of the output element.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein tilting of the plate about a fulcrum element creates a virtual elliptical projection with respect to a stator plane; and wherein rotation of the magnetic field rotates the virtual elliptical projection, thereby producing torque between the stator gear and the output gear.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein rotation of the output element rotates a drive element.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:
wherein the sensor system is attached to the stator; and
wherein the sensor system further comprises three distance sensors and an angular position sensor.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Atmur Robert J
• Sargent William Patrick

Classifications

• H02K7/116

  with gears · CPC title

• H02K3/28

  Layout of windings or of connections between windings (windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32) · CPC title

• H02K7/06 Primary

  Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa · CPC title

• H02K1/146

  consisting of a generally annular yoke with salient poles · CPC title

• H02K41/065 Primary

  Nutating motors · CPC title