Levitated motor-actuator with parallel dipole line trap system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10593456-B2
Application number	US-201715784371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Oct 16, 2017
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A motor-actuator device using a PDL trap system is provided. In one aspect, a motor-actuator device includes: a PDL trap having a pair of diametric magnets, and a levitated diamagnetic rotor in between the diametric magnets, wherein at least a portion of the diamagnetic rotor has a rectangular shape; and an electrode shell having at least one pair of semicircular electrodes which surround, but are in a non-contact position with the levitated diamagnetic rotor and each other. A system including the motor-actuator device and an electrode driver circuit is also provided, as is a method of operating the motor-actuator device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor-actuator device, comprising:
a parallel dipole line (PDL) trap having a pair of diametric magnets, and a levitated diamagnetic rotor in between the diametric magnets, wherein at least a portion of the diamagnetic rotor has a rectangular shape; and
an electrode shell comprising at least one pair of semicircular electrodes which surround, but are in a non-contact position with the levitated diamagnetic rotor and each other.

2. The motor-actuator device of claim 1 , wherein the diametric magnets are separated from one another by a gap g M .

3. The motor-actuator device of claim 1 , wherein the electrode shell comprises more than one pair of the semicircular electrodes.

4. The motor-actuator device of claim 3 , wherein the electrode shell comprises at least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes.

5. The motor-actuator device of claim 1 , wherein at least a first portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor within the electrode shell has the rectangular shape, and wherein at least one second portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor outside of the electrode shell has a non-rectangular shape.

6. A system, comprising:
a motor-actuator device comprising: i) a PDL trap having a pair of diametric magnets, and a levitated diamagnetic rotor in between the diametric magnets, wherein at least a portion of the diamagnetic rotor has a rectangular shape, and ii) an electrode shell comprising at least one pair of semicircular electrodes which surround, but are in a non-contact position with the levitated diamagnetic rotor and each other; and
an electrode driver circuit connected to each electrode in the electrode shell and which is configured to apply electric pulses to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a microprocessor connected to the electrode driver circuit configured to control the electric pulses provided by the electrode driver to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the microprocessor is configured to control at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of the electric pulses provided by the electrode driver to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the diametric magnets are separated from one another by a gap g M .

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the electrode shell comprises more than one pair of the semicircular electrodes.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the electrode shell comprises at least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least a first portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor within the electrode shell has the rectangular shape, and wherein at least one second portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor outside of the electrode shell has a non-rectangular shape.

13. A method of operating a motor-actuator device, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the motor-actuator device comprising: i) a PDL trap having a pair of diametric magnets, and a levitated diamagnetic rotor in between the diametric magnets, wherein at least a portion of the diamagnetic rotor has a rectangular shape, and ii) an electrode shell comprising at least one pair of semicircular electrodes which surround, but are in a non-contact position with the levitated diamagnetic rotor and each other; and
applying electric pulses to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes causing the levitated diamagnetic rotor to rotate.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electric pulses are applied to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes using an electrode driver circuit that is connected to each electrode in the electrode shell.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
varying a frequency of the electric pulses applied to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes using the electrode driver circuit to vary a speed at which the levitated diamagnetic rotor rotates.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of:
varying an amplitude of the electric pulses applied to the at least one pair of semicircular electrodes using the electrode driver circuit to linearly actuate the levitated diamagnetic rotor in the motor-actuator device.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the diametric magnets are separated from one another by a gap g M .

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electrode shell comprises more than one pair of the semicircular electrodes.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the electrode shell comprises at least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes, the method further comprising the steps of:
applying a voltage bias to a first pair of the least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes to cause the levitated diamagnetic rotor to rotate;
removing the voltage bias from the first pair of the least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes; and
applying the voltage bias to a second pair of the at least two pairs of the semicircular electrodes along a desired direction of rotation to perpetuate rotation of the levitated diamagnetic rotor.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least a first portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor within the electrode shell has the rectangular shape, and wherein at least one second portion of the levitated diamagnetic rotor outside of the electrode shell has a non-rectangular shape.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Gunawan Oki

Classifications

• B81B3/0021

  Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa (dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00) · CPC title

• H01F7/0236 Primary

  Magnetic suspension or levitation (for vehicles B60L13/04; magnetic bearings F16C39/063) · CPC title

• H02N15/00

  Holding or levitation devices using magnetic attraction or repulsion, not otherwise provided for (electric or magnetic devices for holding work on machine tools B23Q3/15 {; monorail vehicle propulsion or suspension B60L13/00}; sliding or levitation devices for railway systems B61B13/08; material handling devices associated with conveyors incorporating devices with electrostatic or magnetic grippers B65G47/92; separating thin or filamentary articles from piles using magnetic force B65H3/16; delivering thin or filamentary articles from magnetic holders by air blast or suction B65H29/24; bearings using magnetic or electric supporting means F16C32/04; relieving bearing loads using magnetic means F16C39/06; magnets H01F7/00; dynamo-electric clutches or brakes H02K49/00 {; electric furnaces with simultaneous levitation and heating H05B6/32}) · CPC title

• B81B2203/04

  Electrodes · CPC title

• B81B2201/034

  Electrical rotating micromachines · CPC title