Multi-tunnel electric motor/generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729016-B1
Application number	US-201715492529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 20, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for a new and improved electrical motor/generator, specifically a motor/generator comprising: a plurality of coils radially positioned about a coil assembly, a plurality of magnetic tunnels forming a relative rotational path for the coil assembly, wherein the all of plurality of magnets forming each magnetic tunnel have like poles facing inward toward the interior of the magnetic tunnel or facing outward away from the interior of the magnetic tunnel such that each magnetic field of any magnetic tunnel is of an opposite polarity to the magnetic field of an adjacent magnetic tunnel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric motor/generator comprising:
a magnetic toroidal cylinder positioned about a longitudinal axis, the magnetic toroidal cylinder comprising at least:
a first tunnel segment comprising:
an outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a longitudinal length,
an inner magnetic cylinder wall portion,
a first magnetic side wall portion having a first radial length,
a second magnetic side wall portion having a second radial length,
wherein the outer magnetic cylinder wall portion, the inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, the first magnetic side wall portion, and the second magnetic side wall portion are positioned to form an interior cavity and have their like magnetic poles facing the interior cavity,
wherein the longitudinal length of the outer magnetic cylinder wall portion is greater than the first radial length of the first magnetic wall portion or the second radial length of the second side wall portion,

an adjacent tunnel segment comprising:
a second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a second longitudinal length,
a second inner magnetic cylinder wall portion,
a third magnetic side wall portion having a third radial length,
a fourth magnetic side wall portion having a fourth radial length,
wherein the second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion, the second inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, the third magnetic side wall portion, and the fourth magnetic side wall portion form a second interior cavity have their like magnetic poles facing away from the second interior cavity and,
wherein the longitudinal length of the second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion is greater than the third radial length of the third magnetic wall portion or the fourth radial length of the fourth side wall portion,

a coil assembly positioned about the longitudinal axis and within the magnetic toroidal cylinder, the coil assembly including
a core at least partially positioned within the first interior cavity and the second interior cavity,
a plurality of radial teeth extending longitudinally and radially from the core to form a plurality of slots between the radial teeth,
a plurality of coils positioned within the slots, and

the magnetic toroidal cylinder is adapted to rotate relative to the coil assembly.

2. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 wherein each tooth in the plurality of radial teeth has an outer pair of fins and an inner pair of fins extending in a tangential direction.

3. The electric motor/generator of claim 2 wherein each tooth in the plurality of teeth has a first pair of radial fins connecting the outer and inner pair of fins together and an opposing pair of radial fins connecting the outer and inner pair of fins together.

4. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 wherein the coil assembly is formed from the group of materials consisting of a soft magnetic material, hard magnetic material, a composite material, an ferrous alloy, or a laminated material.

5. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , wherein adjacent coils are connecting together to form a branch of a multi-phase winding pattern.

6. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , wherein the coil assembly has a plurality of internal chambers with electric conductors positioned therein.

7. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , wherein the coil assembly has a plurality of internal chambers to allow for cooling of the coils.

8. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , where the magnetic toroidal cylinder comprises eight tunnel segments including four tunnel segments with NNNN magnetic configuration interspersed among four tunnel segments with SSSS magnetic configuration.

9. The electric motor/generator of claim 8 , further comprising a controller adapted to cause a first current direction to flow within an individual coil when within a tunnel segment with the NNNN magnetic configuration and causing a second current of the opposite direction to be generated when the individual coil when within a tunnel segment with the SSSS magnetic configuration.

10. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , where the magnetic toroidal cylinder defines at least one generally circular slot and includes magnets positioned proximal to the circular slot such that a cross magnetic field is established across the circular slot.

11. The electric motor/generator of claim 10 , wherein the circular slot is defined within or adjacent to the first side wall portion.

12. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , further comprising an extension ring fixedly coupled to the coil assembly and a side plate fixedly coupled to the extension ring where the extension ring and side plate includes passages for electrical conductors and cooling medium.

13. The electric motor/generator of claim 1 , further comprising a back iron circuit fixedly coupled to magnetic toroidal cylinder and a rotor hub fixedly coupled to the back iron circuit.

14. A method of producing mechanical rotation, the method characterized by:
forming an area of magnetic concentration within a first interior cavity defined in section by an outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a first longitudinal length, an inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, a first magnetic side wall portion having a first radial length, and a second magnetic side wall portion having a second radial length, each wall portion having their like magnetic poles facing the first interior cavity and the first longitudinal length is greater than either the first radial length or the second radial length,
forming a second area of magnetic concentration within a second interior cavity defined in section by an second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a first longitudinal length, a second inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, a third magnetic side wall portion having a first radial length, and a fourth magnetic side wall portion having a second radial length, each wall portion having their like magnetic poles facing away from the second interior cavity and the first longitudinal length of the second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion is greater than either the first radial length of the third magnetic side wall portion or the second radial length of the fourth magnetic side wall portion,
positioning a coil within the first interior cavity,
applying a current in a first direction to the coil to cause the coil to move to the second interior cavity,
applying a current in a second direction to the coil when the coil is within the second interior cavity to move the coil out of the second interior cavity, and
coupling a longitudinal shaft to the coil such that as the coil rotates from the first interior cavity to the second interior cavity, the longitudinal shaft rotates.

15. A method of producing mechanical rotation, the method characterized by:
forming an area of magnetic concentration within a first interior cavity defined in section by an outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a first longitudinal length, an inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, a first magnetic side wall portion having a first radial length, and a second magnetic side wall portion having a second radial length, each wall portion having their like magnetic poles facing the first interior cavity and the first longitudinal length is greater than either the first radial length or the second radial length,
forming a second area of magnetic concentration within a second interior cavity defined in section by an second outer magnetic cylinder wall portion having a first longitudinal length, a second inner magnetic cylinder wall portion, a third magnetic side wall portion having a first radial length, and a four

Assignees

• Linear Labs Inc

Inventors

• Hunstable Fred E

Classifications

• H02K1/02 Primary

  characterised by the magnetic material · CPC title

• H02K3/12

  arranged in slots · CPC title

• H02K21/14

  with magnets rotating within the armatures · CPC title

• H02K3/18

  Windings for salient poles · CPC title

• H02K1/27

  Rotor cores with permanent magnets · CPC title