US 12,366,276 B1Granted

Magnetic torsional spring with linear torque

AssigneeMS Directional, LLC

InventorsArnold Fenocchi, Peter Nicholas Wells

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Abstract

A system and method with a torque response linearly proportional to angular displacement between inner and outer rotors having magnets, forming magnetic poles, to provide a linear magnetic torsional spring with a wide operating region. Multiple rotor sections of magnetic poles in at least one of the inner and outer rotors are provided wherein at least one rotor section of magnets is circumferentially offset by an offset angle from at least one other rotor section of magnets. The magnetic torsional spring can produce linear torque T, where T=+/−k θ, k is the angular spring constant, and θ is the angular displacement. The torque responses from each rotor section can cause a combined torque response to function as the linear magnetic torsional spring. The extended linear portion can provide a useful radial angle of rotation for a linear torque to counteract a spring force applied to the rotor.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A magnetic torsional spring, comprising:

at least a first rotor section and a second rotor section, each rotor section comprising:
an outer rotor with an inner peripheral cylindrical surface, the outer rotor comprising a plurality of magnets having an inner magnetic surface and being disposed circumferentially around the inner peripheral cylindrical surface;
an inner rotor with an outer peripheral cylindrical surface, the inner rotor comprising a plurality of magnets having an outer magnetic surface and being disposed circumferentially around the outer peripheral cylindrical surface;
and
the inner rotor sized to fit inside an inside diameter of the outer rotor with a radial gap between the outer magnetic surface and the inner magnetic surface;
wherein one of the rotors is configured to be rotated relative to the other rotor;
and
wherein at least one of the magnets of a rotor of the first rotor section is angularly offset from at least one of the magnets of a corresponding rotor of the second rotor section;
and
wherein at least one rotor section is configured to produce a first torque response and a second rotor section is configured to produce a second torque response out of phase with the first torque response and the sum of the first and second torque responses creates a combined torque response with a developed linear portion that is greater than a linear portion, if any, of either of the first torque response and the second torque response.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.