Electromagnetically-controlled magnetic cycloidal gear assembly for achieving enhanced torque capacity and method of operating same

An electromagnetically-controlled magnetic cycloidal gear assembly for a rotational power transmission comprising:

• a stator that is fixed and concentric with respect to a primary axis of the magnetic cycloidal gear assembly, and that includes a plurality of electromagnets;
• an input shaft that is configured to receive input power from a source external of the electromagnetically-controlled magnetic cycloidal gear assembly, that is configured to rotate about the primary axis and that includes an offset cam that is offset with respect to the primary axis;
• a cycloid mounted at least indirectly upon the offset cam and configured to rotate both relative to the offset cam and also within the stator, wherein the cycloid is eccentric with respect to the primary axis and includes a plurality of permanent magnets;
• an output hub that is concentric with the primary axis and that is coupled at least indirectly to the cycloid so that output torque and speed can be at least indirectly communicated to the output hub from the cycloid;
• and
• a controller coupled at least indirectly to the electromagnets or coupled at least indirectly to a plurality of control devices that respectively are coupled to the electromagnets, respectively,
• wherein at a first time the controller operates (a) to generate at least one first output signal that is configured to cause each of a first subset of the electromagnets to produce a respective first magnetic flux with a first polarity, and (b) either to generate at least one second output signal that is configured to cause each of a second subset of the electromagnets to produce a respective second magnetic flux with a second polarity that is opposite to the first polarity or that is configured to cause each of the second subset of the electromagnets to be switched off, or to refrain from generating the at least one second output signal so that each of the second subset of the electromagnets is switched off, and
• wherein the electromagnetically-controlled magnetic cycloidal gear assembly thereby is configured to transmit at least some of the input power received from the source by the input shaft to the output hub.