System and method for hoist with integrated drum and motor

A permanent magnet motor driven hoist system comprising:

• a cable drum with a cable wrapped thereon;
• a power source;
• a permanent magnet out-runner motor comprising:
• a ferromagnetic stator on a fixed central shaft, the stator having a plurality of stator coils
• an outer rotor assembly coaxial with and disposed to rotate about the stator, the rotor assembly having a rotating housing with an outer surface radially outward of the fixed central shaft and an inner surface radially inward toward the fixed central shaft and a plurality of permanent magnets disposed at the inner surface configured to magnetically couple with the ferromagnetic stator, the rotating housing operably coupled to the cable drum such that rotation of the rotor assembly causes rotation of the cable drum to reel in/out the cable;
• wherein excitation signals applied to the plurality of stator coils induce a torque in the outer rotor assembly to cause the outer rotor assembly to rotate about the stator and central shaft, and
• a controller operably connected to the power source and the out-runner motor, the controller configured to generate the excitation signals applied to the plurality of stator coils, wherein the controller is configured to apply a braking command signals to the permanent magnet out-runner motor to magnetically lock the permanent magnet out-runner motor such that a magnetic field generated by the plurality stator windings locks with a magnetic field of the plurality of permanent magnets and holds the outer rotor assembly in a current position to hold the permanent magnet out-runner motor in a fixed position for a selected duration.