Gyroscopic boat roll stabilizer
AssigneeWavetamer LLC
InventorsGrady F. Smith, David Holden, Jeffrey Peterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gyroscopic roll stabilizer includes a gimbal having a support frame and enclosure configured to maintain a below-ambient pressure, a flywheel assembly including a flywheel and flywheel shaft, one or more bearings for rotatably mounting the flywheel inside the enclosure, a motor for rotating the flywheel, and bearing cooling system for cooling one or more bearings supporting the flywheel. The bearing cooling system enables heat generated by the bearings to be transferred through the flywheel shaft to a heat sink disposed within a cavity in the end of the flywheel shaft, and then external to the enclosure.
Claims18
A gyroscopic roll stabilizer for a boat, the gyroscopic stabilizer comprising:
- an enclosure mounted to a gimbal for rotation about a gimbal axis and configured to maintain a below-ambient pressure;
- a flywheel assembly including a flywheel and flywheel shaft;
- the flywheel assembly mounted inside the enclosure for rotation about a flywheel axis by one or more bearings;
- a first open-ended cavity formed in the flywheel shaft;
- a motor disposed internal to the enclosure for rotating the flywheel assembly;
- the motor having a rotor and a stator;
- the motor longitudinally spaced from the first cavity along the flywheel axis;
- a first heat transfer member extending into the first cavity;
- a gap between the first heat transfer member and the walls of the first cavity, the gap containing a liquid heat transfer medium to transfer heat from the flywheel shaft to the first heat transfer member through the liquid heat transfer medium;
- a first cavity seal disposed between the first heat transfer member and the flywheel shaft to seal the first cavity and maintain the liquid heat transfer medium within the first cavity;
- and
- wherein the flywheel shaft, liquid heat transfer medium, and first heat transfer member are arranged to provide a heat transfer path from the one or more bearings to the flywheel shaft, from the flywheel shaft to the liquid heat transfer medium, from the liquid heat transfer medium to the first heat transfer member, and from the first heat transfer member to an exterior of the enclosure.
A method of cooling bearings in a gyroscopic boat roll stabilizer, the method comprising:
- rotating a flywheel assembly about a flywheel axis in an enclosure maintained at below ambient pressure to provide a counter torque for roll stabilization, the enclosure mounted in a gimbal for rotation about a gimbal axis, the flywheel assembly including a flywheel and a flywheel shaft with a first open ended cavity formed in the flywheel shaft;
- wherein a motor disposed internal to the enclosure imparts rotational energy to the flywheel assembly;
- the motor having a rotor and a stator;
- the motor longitudinally spaced from the first cavity along the flywheel axis;
- wherein the flywheel assembly is rotatably mounted inside the enclosure for rotation about the flywheel axis by one or more bearings;
- transferring heat generated by bearings supporting the flywheel assembly through the flywheel shaft to a liquid heat transfer medium contained in a gap between the walls of the first cavity and a first heat transfer member extending into the first cavity in the flywheel shaft;
- maintaining the liquid heat transfer medium in the first cavity during operation of the gyroscopic boat roll stabilizer;
- transferring heat, via the liquid heat transfer medium in the first cavity, from the one or more bearings to the first heat transfer member;
- transferring, via the first heat transfer member, the heat to an exterior of the enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.