Large angle magnetic suspension system
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsJames R. Downer, David B. Eisenhaure, Stephen R. O'Dea, Tim E. Bliamptis, Rhonda R. Mariano, Laura J. Larkin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A magnetic suspension system for a rotary machine including two magnetic actuators spaced from each other. Each actuator includes a stator which has a support shell with a plurality of coil windings, and a rotor which has an inclined annular gap for rotatably receiving the shell and a device for providing a magnetic field in the gap. The system selectively excites the coils to interact with the magnetic field in each gap and produce Lorentz forces for suspending the rotor of each actuator.
Claims27
A magnetic suspension system for a rotary machine comprising:
- two magnetic actuators spaced from each other along a primary axis, each including:
- a stator including a curved support shell having a plurality of coil windings;
- a rotor including a curved annular gap for rotatably receiving said shell and including means for providing a magnetic field in said gap;
- each said gap extending away from the other said gap and converging arcuately toward said primary axis;
- and
- means for selectively exciting said coils to interact with the magnetic field in each said gap and produce Lorentz forces for suspending each said rotor.
A rotary machine comprising:
- two magnetic actuator bearings spaced from each other each including:
- a stator including a hemispherical support shell having a plurality of coil windings;
- and
- a rotor including a spherical annular gap for rotatably receiving said shell and including means for providing a magnetic field in said gap;
- means for selectively exciting said coils to interact with the magnetic field in the gap and to produce Lorentz forces for suspending each said rotor;
- and
- a motor/generator including a hemispherical stator and a rotor having a hemispherical gap for rotatably receiving said motor/generator stator.
A magnetic suspension system for a rotary machine comprising:
- two magnetic actuators spaced from each other along a primary axis, each including:
- a stator including a curved support shell having a plurality of coil windings;
- a rotor including a curved annular gap for rotatably receiving said shell to enable movement of said rotor and said stator relative to each other transverse to the direction of rotation of said rotor, said rotor further including means for providing a magnetic field in said gap;
- each said gap extending away from the other said gap and converging arcuately toward said primary axis;
- and
- means for selectively exciting said coils to interact with the magnetic field in each said gap and produce Lorentz forces for suspending each said rotor.
A magnetic suspension system for a rotary machine comprising:
- two magnetic actuators spaced from each other each including:
- a stator including a hemispherical support shell having at least two pairs of coils;
- a rotor including a hemispherical annular gap for rotatably receiving said shell and including means for providing a magnetic field in said gap;
- said stators sharing a primary axis and being diametrically opposed to each other, said gaps of said rotors enabling tilting of said primary axis in any radial direction;
- and
- means for selectively exciting said coils to interact with the magnetic field in each said gap and produce Lorentz forces for suspending each said rotor and for controlling the position of each said rotor along the axial and two radial axes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.