Electric motors
AssigneeTau Motors, Inc.
InventorsWalter Wesley Pennington, III, Matthew J Rubin, Gregory Gordon Stevenson, Michael Parker Owen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stator defines multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings. A rotor includes multiple rotor poles. The rotor is movable with respect to the stator and defines, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles. The rotor poles includes a magnetically permeable pole material. The rotor also includes a series of frequency programmable flux channels (FPFCs). Each FPFC includes a conductive loop surrounding an associated rotor pole. The stator and the rotor are arranged such that the electrical windings in the stator induce an excitement current within at least one of the FPFCs during start-up.
Claims19
A synchronous electric machine comprising:
- a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings that overlap one another;
- a rotor comprising multiple rotor poles, the rotor movable with respect to the stator and defining, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles, the rotor poles comprising a magnetically permeable pole material;
- a stator-rotor coupling configured to wirelessly communicate signals between the stator and a circuit on the rotor;
- and
- wherein the signals include a constant excitation frequency to the rotor regardless of rotor speed.
A synchronous electric machine comprising:
- a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings that overlap one another;
- a rotor comprising multiple rotor poles, the rotor movable with respect to the stator and defining, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles, the rotor poles comprising a magnetically permeable pole material;
- and
- a stator-rotor coupling configured to wirelessly communicate signals between the stator and a circuit on the rotor,
- wherein the circuit includes a frequency programmable flux channel (FPFC).
A synchronous electric machine comprising:
- a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings that overlap one another;
- a rotor comprising multiple rotor poles, the rotor movable with respect to the stator and defining, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles, the rotor poles comprising a magnetically permeable pole material;
- and
- a stator-rotor coupling configured to wirelessly communicate signals between the stator and a circuit on the rotor,
- wherein the circuit includes a logic circuit of an active FPFC.
A synchronous electric machine comprising:
- a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings that overlap one another;
- a rotor comprising multiple rotor poles, the rotor movable with respect to the stator and defining, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles, the rotor poles comprising a magnetically permeable pole material;
- and
- a stator-rotor coupling configured to wirelessly communicate signals between the stator and a circuit on the rotor,
- wherein the stator-rotor coupling includes a plurality of frequency programmable flux channels (FPFCs), and wherein current induced in the each FPFC generates a magnetic field configured to oppose an alternating magnetic field induced between the stator and the rotor, thereby producing a repelling force therebetween.
A synchronous electric machine comprising:
- a stator defining multiple stator poles with associated electrical windings that overlap one another;
- a rotor comprising multiple rotor poles, the rotor movable with respect to the stator and defining, together with the stator, a nominal gap between the stator poles and the rotor poles, the rotor poles comprising a magnetically permeable pole material;
- and
- a stator-rotor coupling configured to wirelessly communicate signals between the stator and a circuit on the rotor, further comprising a controller configured to:
- apply a pulse of magnetizing current over time to a stator coil of a stator pole when the stator pole is aligned with a rotor pole across a nominal gap, wherein the magnetizing current is configured to charge a magnetic field within the rotor pole through induced coupling;
- and
- apply a load current pulsed over time to the stator coil when rotor pole is positioned between adjacent stator poles, wherein the load current pulses stiffen the magnetic field within the rotor pole, and wherein the pulsed load current comprising more pulses per increment of time than pulse the magnetizing current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.