Underwater propelling device for underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9227709-B1
Application number	US-201414539493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 12, 2014
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to an underwater propelling device ( 10 ) i
a stator ( 20 ) comprising circumferential arrayed coils ( 35 ) and being adapted to generate a controlled electromagnetic field along an axial direction, a shaftless propellant rotor ( 30 ) comprising:
at least two magnetized ring-shaped plates, respectively an upper magnetized plate ( 31 ) and a lower magnetized plate ( 32 ), coaxially spaced-apart along said axial direction and perpendicular thereto such that said circumferential arrayed coils ( 35 ) are positioned therebetween, each plate ( 31, 32 ) defining a central aperture ( 31 a, 32 a ) and having a circumferential array of radially extended magnetized poles ( 34 ) embedded therein, said magnetized poles ( 34 ) generating a magnetic field which interacts with the electromagnetic field of the stator ( 20 ) so as to cause the rotation of said plates ( 31, 32 ) about a central axis (ZZ′) parallel to said axial direction, at least one ring-shaped propeller ( 33 ) defined by its outer periphery and its inner periphery, said propeller being received inside the central apertures ( 31 a , 32 a ) of said plates ( 31, 32 ) and fixedly secured thereto, a plurality of propeller blades ( 35 ) projecting inward from the inner periphery of said propeller ( 33 ), said blades ( 35 ) producing a thrust along the central axis (ZZ′) when the plates ( 31, 32 ) rotate,

wherein the rotor ( 30 ) is axially separated from the stator ( 20 ) by a gap, preferably less than 3 mm, so as to permit the formation of a hydraulic film inside said gap, said hydraulic film being adapted to provide lubrication of the rotor, thus reducing friction between the rotor and the stator, and to transmit the axial thrust force of the rotor to the stator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An underwater propelling device comprising:
a stator comprising circumferential arrayed coils and being adapted to generate a controlled electromagnetic field along an axial direction,
a shaftless propellant rotor comprising:
at least two magnetized ring-shaped plates, respectively an upper magnetized plate and a lower magnetized plate, coaxially spaced-apart along said axial direction and perpendicular thereto such that said circumferential arrayed coils are positioned therebetween, each plate defining a central aperture and having a circumferential array of radially extended magnetized poles embedded therein, said magnetized poles generating a magnetic field which interacts with the electromagnetic field of the stator so as to cause the rotation of said plates about a central axis parallel to said axial direction,
at least one ring-shaped propeller defined by its outer periphery and its inner periphery, said propeller being received inside the central apertures of said plates and fixedly secured thereto,
a plurality of propeller blades projecting inward from the inner periphery of said propeller, said blades producing a thrust along the central axis when the plates rotate,

wherein the rotor is axially separated from the stator by a gap so as to permit the formation of a hydraulic film inside said gap, said hydraulic film being adapted to provide lubrication of the rotor, thus reducing friction between the rotor and the stator, and to transmit the axial thrust force of the rotor to the stator.

2. The propelling device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer periphery of the ring-shaped propeller has a diameter substantially equal to or slightly bigger than the diameter of the central aperture of each plate so as to permit the positioning of said propeller inside said central aperture and the fixed connection of said propeller to the at least two magnetized disk-shaped plates by clamping.

3. The propelling device according to claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises a stator plate comprising at least one printed circuit board provided with one or several layers, inside which the coils are realized as conductive patterns.

4. The propelling device according to claim 3 , wherein the stator plate comprises a control section adapted to control the current received by the coils.

5. The propelling device according to claim 4 , wherein the control section is formed by integrated circuit chips connected to conductive patterns of the stator plate.

6. The propelling device according to claim 3 , wherein the stator plate is encapsulated in a water-proof casing.

7. The propelling device according to claim 6 , wherein the casing defines a housing for the rotor.

8. The propelling device according to claim 7 , wherein the housing comprises an upper disc-shaped sub-housing adapted to receive the upper magnetized plate and a lower disc-shaped sub-housing adapted to receive the lower magnetized plate, said sub-housings being axially separated by a central disc-shaped sub-housing adapted to at least partially receive the propeller.

9. The propelling device according to claim 8 , wherein the upper sub-housing, respectively the lower sub-housing, has a diameter slightly higher than the diameter of the upper magnetized plate, respectively of the lower magnetized plate, thus defining an annular gap between said upper, respectively said lower, sub-housing and said upper, respectively said lower, magnetized plate inside which a liquid can circulate.

10. The propelling device according to claim 9 , wherein the upper sub-housing, respectively the lower sub-housing, is defined by a bottom face and a lateral face, respectively by a top face and a lateral face, said bottom and lateral faces, respectively said top and lateral faces, being provided with a series of circumferentially spaced-apart grooves adapted to improve the formation of a hydraulic film between the stator and the rotor.

11. The propelling device according to claim 1 , wherein the propeller blades are configured so as to define a cylindrical free area forming a crossing path to debris, such as but not limited to a fishing line or water plants.

12. An underwater vehicle comprising at least one propeller device according to claim 1 .

13. The underwater vehicle according to claim 12 , comprising a body having a length less than 1.5 meter.

14. The underwater vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the length of the body is less than 80 cm.

15. The underwater vehicle according to claim 12 , comprising sets of two or more propelling devices adapted to control their rotation speeds independently such as to provide a directional thrust parallel to an axis of said vehicle, as well as a rotational torque around another axis of said underwater vehicle.

16. The underwater vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the outer hull or parts of the hull of said vehicle is shaped around said propelling device such that hydrodynamic drag is reduced when the underwater vehicle is moving.

17. The underwater vehicle according to claim 12 , comprising three propelling devices adapted to provide a thrust along a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the body as well as a torque around said longitudinal axis and a torque around a lateral axis perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, and two propelling devices adapted to provide a thrust along a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis as well as a torque around an axis perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and said lateral axis.

18. A submarine vessel according to claim 12 .

19. The underwater vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rotor is axially separated from the stator by a gap of less than 3 mm.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytech
• Ecole Polytech

Inventors

• Schill Felix
• Bahr Alexander

Classifications

• F16C2326/30

  Ships, e.g. propelling shafts and bearings therefor · CPC title

• F16C17/14

  specially adapted for operating in water · CPC title

• B63G8/16

  by direct use of propellers or jets · CPC title

• B63H2001/165

  Hubless propellers, e.g. peripherally driven shrouds with blades projecting from the shrouds' inside surfaces · CPC title

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title