Actuator with rotating electromagnetic clutch utilizing inductive coupling
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorNaison E. Mastrocola
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An example electromagnetic actuator includes a drive shaft, a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft, and a load shaft coupled to an armature body. A clutch is operable to control whether the drive shaft engages the load shaft. A rotatable portion of the clutch corotates with the drive shaft and includes a field winding and a clutch body. A stationary portion of the clutch includes an exciter winding that is inductively coupled to the rotatable portion and is operable to energize the field winding. The field winding is operable, when energized, to provide a magnetic field that causes engagement or disengagement between the clutch body and an armature body. A method of operating an electromagnetic actuator is also disclosed.
Claims19
An electromagnetic actuator comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft;
- a load shaft coupled to an armature body;
- and
- a clutch operable to control whether the drive shaft engages the load shaft, the clutch comprising:
- a rotatable portion that corotates with the drive shaft and comprises a field winding and a clutch body;
- and
- a stationary portion comprising an exciter winding that is inductively coupled to the rotatable portion and is operable to energize the field winding;
- wherein the field winding is operable, when energized, to provide a magnetic field that causes engagement or disengagement between the clutch body and an armature body.
A method of operating an electromagnetic actuator comprising:
- operating a motor to rotate a drive shaft;
- energizing a field winding in a rotatable portion of an electromagnetic clutch assembly through an inductive coupling between the rotatable portion and an exciter winding in a stationary portion of the electromagnetic clutch assembly, wherein the rotatable portion corotates with the drive shaft;
- and
- generating a magnetic field from the field winding that urges engagement or disengagement between a clutch body of the rotatable portion and an armature body of the stationary portion that corotates with a load shaft.
An electromagnetic actuator comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft;
- a load shaft coupled to an armature body;
- and
- a clutch operable to control whether the drive shaft engages the load shaft, the clutch comprising:
- a rotatable portion having an inductive winding and a field winding;
- and
- a stationary portion having an exciter winding configured such that during rotation of the rotatable portion when electrical power is supplied to the exciter winding, electrical power is induced in the inductive winding and transferred to the field winding to generate a magnetic field to urge engagement or disengagement between the rotatable portion and the stationary portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.