Harmonic drive motor

A flexispline motor comprising a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core, a rotatively fixed flexispline, a rotatable hub mounted with bearings on a support, said electromagnetic core being provided with a set of windings configured to produce a commutated and controlled rotating electromagnetic field so as to provide a radially directed rotating force, a flexispline comprising a disk flange portion and hollow cylindrical portion integrally joined together to form an open ended cylinder portion having at least one open end, the flexispline being mounted on said support in such a manner that said flexispline encircles and encompasses said electromagnetic core in a coaxial relationship with said core, said cylinder portion of said flexispline further comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material and being in adjacent relationship with said core but not touching said core in an unexcited electromagnetic state, said flexispline having an elastically deformable toothed internal gear arrangement formed thereon on the interior surface of said cylinder in the form of a band, near the open end of said cylinder portion of the flexispline, the rotatable hub being mounted with bearings, on said support adjacent to and extending coaxially with said flexispline, said hub having complementary external gear teeth formed thereon, said hub complementary external gear being encircled by said elastically deformable toothed internal ring gear of said flexispline, said hub complementary external gear and said flexispline internal ring gear being adjacent to, touching or not touching in an unenergized electromagnetic state, wherein said flexispline is distorted upon the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said core to assume a multilobed shape such that said internal gear teeth on said flexipline exhibits radially directed forcible engagement with said external gear teeth on said hub at the protruding lobes of the multilobed flexispline shape so formed by the electromagnetic force causing the rotatable hub to rotate at a reduced rate and higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force.

A flexispline motor comprising a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core, a rotatively fixed flexispline, and a rotatable hub mounted with bearings on a support, said electromagnetic core being provided with a set of windings to produce a commutated and controlled rotating electromagnetic field so as to provide a radially directed rotating force, a flexispline comprising a disk portion and hollow cylindrical portion integrally joined together to form an open cylindrical shape having at least one open end mounted on said support in such a manner that said flexispline encircles and encompasses said electromagnetic core and is in a coaxial relationship with said electromagnetic core, said cylindrical shape portion of said flexispline comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material and being in a closely spaced relationship with said core but not touching said core in an unexcited electromagnetic state, said flexispline having external gear teeth formed thereon in the form of an elastically deformable band encircling an exterior surface of the cylindrical shape adjacent the at least one open end of said flexispline, the rotatable hub being mounted with bearings on said support adjacent to and extending coaxially with said flexispline, said hub having complementary internal toothed ring gear overlying but closely spaced with said toothed external gear on said flexispline, wherein said open end of said flexispline comprising said external gear being distorted radially in the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said electromagnetic core to form a multilobed shape such that said toothed external gear on said flexispline exhibits radial toothed forcible engagement with said internal toothed ring gear on said hub at the protruding lobes on the distorted flexispline shape formed by the electromagnetic field causing the rotatable hub to rotate at a reduced rate and higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force and wherein said cylinder portion of the flexispline is overwound with a magnetically permeable tape or magnetically permeable wire material and/or shrunk fitted magnetically permeable collars so as to provide locked in compressive radial stress or pressure in the said flexispline.

A flexispline motor comprising a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core, a rotatively fixed flexispline, and a rotatable hub mounted with bearings on a support, said electromagnetic core being provided with a set of windings configured to produce a commutated and controlled rotating electromagnetic field so as to provide a radially directed rotating force, a flexispline comprising a disk flange portion and hollow cylindrical portion integrally joined together to form an open ended cylinder shape having at least one open end, and mounted on said support in such a manner that said flexispline encircles and encompasses said electromagnetic core and is in a coaxial relationship with said core, said cylinder portion of said flexispline further comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material and being in adjacent relationship with said core but not touching said core in an unexcited electromagnetic state, said flexispline having an elastically deformable toothed internal gear arrangement formed thereon on the interior surface of said cylinder in the form of a band, near the open end of said cylinder portion of the flexispline, the rotatable hub mounted with bearings on said support adjacent to and extending coaxially with said flexispline, said hub having complementary external gear teeth formed thereon, said complementary external gear teeth being encircled by said elastically deformable toothed internal ring gear of said flexispline, said hub complementary external gear teeth and said flexispline internal ring gear being adjacent to, but touching or not touching in an unenergized electromagnetic state, wherein said flexispline and its ring gear are distorted upon the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said core to assume a multilobed shape and wherein both the hub external gear teeth and said flexispline internal ring gear forcibly contact at protruding lobes of the multilobed shape so formed causing the rotatable hub to rotate at a reduced rate and higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force and wherein said flexispline is overwound with magnetically permeable tape or magnetically permeable wire material and or shrunk fitted magnetically permeable collars so as to provide locked in compressive radial stress or pressure in the said flexispline.

A flexispline motor comprising a base, a disk-shape rotatable hub, a hollow post affixed to said base, a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core and a rotatively fixed flexispline mounted on said base and said hollow post so as to effect a coaxial working relationship with said hollow post, said electromagnetic core being provided with a set of windings to produce a controlled and commutated rotating electromagnetic field so as to provide a radially directed rotating force, the flexispline comprising a disk flange portion and hollow cylindrical portion integrally joined together to form the general shape of an open ended cylindrical element with at least one open end, and mounted on said support so that the hollow cylindrical flexispline element encircles and encompasses said electromagnetic core and is in a coaxial relationship with said electromagnetic core, said cylindrically shaped portion of said flexispline comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material and being in an adjacent relationship with said electromagnetic core but not touching said electromagnetic core in an unexcited electromagnetic state, said flexispline having an externally toothed gear formed thereon in the form of an elastically deformable band encircling an exterior surface of said flexispline cylinder near an open end of said flexispline, a shaft mounted within said hollow post on bearings for rotation within said hollow post and passing through said base, said shaft being accessible at both ends of the shaft by way of shaft extensions, said shaft being connected to the disk shaped rotatable hub at an end opposite said base, a ring gear carried by said hub in a working relationship with said flexispline, said internally toothed hub ring gear and the flexispline externally toothed gear having gear teeth that will mesh radially, but differ in number, wherein said open end of said flexispline and said flexispline gear being distorted in the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said core to form a general multilobed shape such that the flexispline gear teeth exhibit forcible toothed radial engagement with said hub ring gear at protruding lobes on the flexispline multilobed shape so formed by the electromagnetic field causing the rotatable hub to rotate at a reduced rate and higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force.

A flexispline motor comprising a base, a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core, a hollow post, a rotatively fixed flexispline and a rotatable hub mounted with bearings on a shaft at a point intermediate between the ends of the shaft, said shaft passing within said hollow post and electromagnetic core and the shaft being supported on bearings, said shaft being accessible at both ends of said flexispline motor, said core being provided with a set of windings to produce a rotating electromagnetic field so as to provide a radially directed rotating force, the flexispline comprising a disk flange portion and hollow cylindrical portion integrally joined together to form an open cylinder element having at least one open end and mounted on a support to encircle and encompass said electromagnetic core and is in a coaxial relationship with said electromagnetic core, said hollow cylindrical portion of said flexispline comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material in adjacent relationship with and encompassing said electromagnetic core but not touching said electromagnetic core in an unexcited electromagnetic state, said flexispline having an elastically deformable internal toothed gear formed thereon on an interior surface of said flexispline cylinder as a band, near the open end of said flexispline, a rotatable hub carrying an external ring gear mounted within said flexispline and extending coaxially with said flexispline said hub ring gear being encircled by said elastically deformable internal toothed ring gear of said flexispline, said hub ring gear and said internal toothed flexispline ring gear having teeth which will mesh radially but differ in number and are adjacent, but are touching or not touching in an unenergized electromagnetic state, wherein said flexispline internal toothed gear is distorted upon the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said electromagnetic core to assume an multilobed shape and forcibly contact said hub ring gear at protruding lobes of the multilobed shape so formed by the electromagnetic field causing the said hub to rotate at a reduced rate and higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force.

A flexispline motor comprising a stationary electromagnetic core, a rotationally fixed flexispline sleeve, and a harmonic gear device wherein:

• said electromagnetic core is mounted on a stationary member and has a cylindrical shape having wide splined grooves on the exterior surface, wherein said grooves also serve to accommodate electromagnetic core field coil windings incorporated therein, said windings arranged so as to produce a rotating radially directed electromagnetic force in said electromagnetic core, a magnetically permeable sleeve mounted coaxially on said electromagnetic core, said sleeve having the shape of a hollow cylinder having an interior cylindrical surface embodying deformable matching male splines formed in said interior surface to mate with said grooved exterior surface of said electromagnetic core in a sliding relationship which permits flexing of the male splined exterior surface in a radial direction and transfer of torque but which does not permit said sleeve to move in a circumferential rotational direction, said sleeve having an overlapping end extending beyond said electromagnetic core, said overlapping end of said sleeve having an internal flexible gear formed therein having a predetermined tooth form of constant pitch, a driven gear being mounted within said overlapping end of said sleeve in a coaxial relationship with said electromagnetic core and said sleeve, wherein said driven gear having external teeth which mesh with said flexible gear internal teeth and being mounted with bearings so as to permit rotation about a central axis of said sleeve and electromagnetic core, said driven external gear and said internal gear sleeve being in a contacting or non-contacting relationship in the absence of an electromagnetic field in said electromagnetic core, wherein said sleeve undergoes a cyclical radial elastic deformation in the presence of a rotating electromagnetic field in said electromagnetic core so as to form a rotating multilobed shape such that the internal gear teeth formed in said sleeve, move radially to forcibly contact and mesh with said driven hub gear teeth in the presence of a rotating electromagnetic force in said electromagnetic core, such that protruding lobes of the multilobed shape so formed in said sleeve and its internal gear teeth forcibly contact said driven gear, to cause said driven gear to rotate at a lower rate and at higher torque than the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic force.

A flexispline motor comprising a stationary electromagnetic core assembly, and a rotor hub gear, a rotatively fixed magnetically permeable flexispline, said hub gear having complementary gear teeth on a predetermined surface arranged to mesh radially with corresponding gear teeth on the flexispline, said flexispline having an open ended cylindrical shape having at least one open end with a predetermined radius r, said flexispline having a set of gear teeth incorporated in a predetermined surface of said flexispline near the at least one open end of said flexispline, said flexispline teeth being arranged to mesh radially with the coaxial rotor gear teeth, said rotatively fixed flexispline being mounted coaxially within and between a stationary annulus of substantially cylindrically extending electromagnetic core assemblies comprising at least one of:

• a) an inner electromagnetic core assembly having a series of salient poles whose number is a multiple of two or three protruding therefrom so that the pole tips of said inner core assembly lie in the locus of a circle having a radius r1, and
• b) an outer electromagnetic core assembly having a series of inwardly extending poles equal in number to the poles on said inner core assembly, such that each pole on said outer core assembly is spaced directly opposite from a pole on said inner core assembly, the pole tips of said outer core assembly lie in the locus of a circle having radius r2 such that r2 is greater than r is greater than r1, and winding elements on said cores to establish two rotating fields in space differing in phase relationship by 90 degrees or 60 degrees, respectively;
• c) said poles being electronically configured, commutated and electrically energized so that three equally spaced poles on an outer core of said stator are energized simultaneously and synchronized with three previously selected poles on said inner core, wherein said inner core poles are spaced midway between energized poles on said outer core, said flexispline being therefore deformed from a circular shape into a rotating tricornal shape in the presence of said electromagnetically energized poles;
• d) alternatively said poles being electronically configured, commutated and electrically energized in synchronism so that two opposite and equally spaced poles on outer core of said stator are energized simultaneously with two previously selected poles on said inner core wherein said inner core poles are spaced midway between energized poles on said outer core, said flexispline being deformed from a circular shape into a rotating elliptical shape in the presence of said electromagnetically energized pole;
• and
• e) arrangements c) and d) are combined in one flexispline motor generator system so as to effect an electronically controlled and selected dual ratio gear reduction system.

A prime-mover apparatus, for converting by means of varying magnetic reluctance supplied electrical energy into rotary mechanical motion of a rotor with respect to a stator, about a drive-axis, and/or converting by means of varying magnetic reluctance supplied mechanical torque motion into produced electrical energy by using a stator, a rotatable hub and an electronic commutator, wherein the stator, rotatable hub and commutator comprise:

• a) an elastically deformable magnetically permeable rotatively fixed cylindrical flexispline overwound with magnetically permeable wire or tape and/or fitted with magnetically permeable shrunk fitted collars to produce a locked in radial compressive stress or pressure in the said flexispline;
• b) a flexispline annulus having gear teeth, which form a stator-drive-gear;
• the annulus being sufficiently elastic as to be deformable radially, being electromagnetically deformable in the sense that the flexispline annulus takes on a lobed configuration, upon appropriate radially-directed electromagnetic forces being applied to the annulus;
• c) the flexispline annulus having a number X of gear teeth, which form a stator drive-gear;
• d) a rotatable hub mounted on bearings which forms the rotor-drive-gear which is a solid structure, not electromagnetically deformable into a lobed configuration;
• e) the rotor-drive-gear is concentric with the stator-drive-gear,
• f) the number Y of teeth on the stator-drive-gear is different from the number X of teeth on the rotor-drive-gear;
• g) the stator-drive-gear and the rotor-drive-gear are so configured that, when the flexispline of the stator has electromagnetically deformed into the lobed configuration, portions of the stator-drive-gear teeth corresponding to the induced lobes of the flexispline move radially into meshing engagement with teeth of the rotor-drive-gear;
• h) the stator includes N electrical coils wound around stator core teeth of rectangular cross section in axial planform and located at respective coil-orientations, around the drive-axis;
• in a manner such as to minimise the length of the magnetic flux flow path the coils are so structured, commutated, and arranged that, when energised with electricity, the coils create poles which exert respective radially-directed magnetic forces in a programmed sequential manner;
• i) the arrangement of the apparatus is such that the said radially-directed magnetic forces act upon the electromagnetically deformed flexispline, and induce the flexispline to deform into the multilobed configuration;
• the rotatable hub comprises:
• (a) a solid structure, electromagnetically non-deformable into a lobed configuration,
• (b) the rotatable hub provided with a number “Y” of gear-like teeth which in total form a hub drive gear and wherein the number of teeth “X” on the stator drive gear is different from the number “Y” on the hub-drive-gear.
• (c) a hub drive gear mounted with bearings concentrically with the stator drive gear, around the drive axis and adjacent to the stator electromagnetic core;
• the apparatus including an electronic commutator receiving the supplied electrical energy, and switching supplied electrical energy to the coils, thereby cyclically energising and de-energising the coils sequentially in a rotational pattern around the drive axis, with the unused energy minus losses being returned to the energy source, the apparatus including a cyclic-operator, operating the commutator to energize and de-energize the coils sequentially in a rotational pattern, around the drive-axis;
• the arrangement of the apparatus is such that operating the commutator in the rotational pattern drives the lobed configuration of the elastic stator flexispline to rotate around the drive-axis, its speed of rotation being a lobe-rotate-speed Z rpm;
• and
• whereby magnified torque output from the rotor-drive-gear is driven to rotate at a speed of Z*(Y−X)/Y rpm.

A flexispline motor comprising:

• a stationary cylindrical electromagnetic core provided with a set of windings to produce a commutated and controlled rotating radially directed electromagnetic force,
• a rotatable hub mounted with bearings on a support,
• a rotatively fixed cylindrical flexispline comprising a disk portion and cylindrical portion mounted on the support to encircle and encompass the electromagnetic core and be in coaxial relationship with the said core,
• the flexispline comprising an elastically deformable magnetically permeable material and being adjacent to the core but not touching said core in an unexcited electromagnetic state,
• the flexispline having external gear teeth or internal gear teeth formed thereon in an elastically deformable band encircling an exterior surface or internal surface, respectively, of the flexispline adjacent an open end of the flexispline,
• the rotatable hub being mounted with bearings on the support adjacent to and coaxially with the flexispline, the said hub having complementary ring gear teeth overlying or underlying, respectively, said toothed external gear or internal gear on the flexispline, wherein the open end of said flexispline and its toothed external gear or internal gear are distorted in the presence of a rotating radially directed electromagnetic field in the electromagnetic core to form a multilobed shape such that the external toothed gear or internal toothed gear on said flexispline provide forcible toothed engagement with the hub ring gear causing hub ring gear to rotate at a lower rate and increased torque with respect to the resolved rotating radially directed electromagnetic field.

An apparatus for converting by means of varying magnetic reluctance, supplied electrical energy into rotary mechanical high torque motion of a rotatable hub, with respect to a stator, about a drive axis, and/or converting by means of varying magnetic reluctance, mechanical motion into produced electrical energy, by using a stator, the rotatable hub, and electronic commutation, wherein the stator, hub, and electronic commutation are described as follows:

• (I) the stator is comprised of (a) and (b):
• (a) An elastically deformable, magnetically permeable, annular, rotatively fixed cylindrical flexispline which may be overwound with electrical open circuit, magnetically permeable wire or tape and/or may have magnetically permeable shrunk-fitted collar(s), wherein the layers or collar segment(s) of said magnetic elements are so constructed and insulated to lock in radial compressive stress or pressure in said flexispline, such that its resistance to radial deformation by the appropriate electromagnetic forces is significantly reduced and wherein the layers or segment(s) of said magnetically permeable:
• wire, tape and collar(s) are electrically open circuit and so constructed and insulated that the effect of eddy currents is minimized;
• the flexispline annulus having a number “X” of gear-like teeth, which in total form a stator-drive-gear;
• the annulus being sufficiently elastic as to be deformable radially, being deformable in the sense that the annulus takes on a multilobed configuration when appropriate radially directed electromagnetic forces are applied to said annulus and wherein the number of said lobes may be configured electronically, and
• (b) an electromagnetic permeable stator core, with windings thereon, comprised of “N” electrical coils wound around stator core teeth of rectangular cross section, and located at respective radial coil-orientations around the drive axis, with the stator core placed internal to and within the said flexispline annulus in a manner such as to minimize the length of the magnetic flux flow path, the coils being so structured, commutated, and arranged that, when energized with electricity, the coils create electromagnetic poles which exert respective radially-directed electromagnetic forces which rotate around the drive axis in a programed sequential manner, such that the radially-directed electromagnetic forces act upon the flexispline annulus and induce said flexispline to deform into the multilobed configuration;
• and
• (II) the rotatable hub comprising:
• (d) a solid structure, non-deformable into a lobed configuration;
• (e) the hub provided with a number “Y” of gear-like teeth which in total form a hub drive gear and wherein the number of teeth “X” on the stator drive gear is different form the number “Y” on the hub-drive-gear;
• and
• (f) a hub drive gear mounted with bearings concentrically with the stator drive gear, around the drive axis and adjacent to the stator electromagnetic core;
• and
• (III) the stator-drive-gear and the hub-drive-gear are so configured that, when the flexispline annulus of the stator has electromagnetically deformed into the lobed configuration, portions of the stator drive-gear teeth corresponding to the protruding lobes of the flexispline annulus, move radially into meshing engagement with teeth of the hub-drive-gear thus varying the stator magnetic reluctance;
• and
• (IV) the apparatus includes an electronic commutator which receives supplied electrical energy and switches said energy to the stator coil windings, thereby cyclically energizing and de-energizing the coils sequentially in a controlled and programmed rotational pattern around the drive axis, with the unused or generated energy, minus losses, being returned to the energy source;
• and
• the apparatus also includes a cyclic-operator, which operates the said electronic commutator to energize and de-energize the said coils sequentially in a rotational pattern around the drive axis wherein arrangement of the apparatus is such that operating the said cyclic-operator and said commutator drives the deformed multilobed configuration of the flexispline annulus to rotate around the drive-axis at lobe-rotate-speed “Z” rpm and whereby output from the rotor-drive-gear is driven to rotate at a speed “R” whereby “R” is determined by:
• R=Z*(X−Y)/X producing a higher torque output and reduced output rotational rate compared with stator field rotation excitation.