Magnetic coupling device having first and second rotating members arranged with opposing interaction surfaces

A magnetic coupling device comprising:

• a first rotating member and a second rotating member that are arranged such that their respective interaction surfaces are opposed to each other while being separated from each other and that are rotatable about a common rotation axis that extends in a direction orthogonal to the interaction surfaces, to transmit torque from one of the first and second rotating members to the other using a magnetic force that is generated between the interaction surface of the first rotating member and the interaction surface of the second rotating member;
• a first magnetic force unit that mainly causes magnetic repulsion in the direction of the rotation axis between an inner circumference area on the interaction surface of the first rotating member and an inner circumference area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member, the inner circumference areas being in the vicinity of the rotation axis;
• and
• a second magnetic force unit that mainly causes magnetic attraction in the direction of the rotation axis between an outer circumference area on the interaction surface of the first rotating member and an outer circumference area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member, the magnetic attraction being approximately equivalent to the magnetic repulsion, the outer circumference areas being radially outward with respect to the first magnetic force unit,
• a first magnet group that includes a plurality of first magnets that are arranged on the interaction surface of the first rotating member at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis such that adjacent magnetic poles are different from each other;
• a second magnet group that constitutes the first magnetic force unit in cooperation with a part of the first magnet group and that includes a plurality of second magnets that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions within an opposing area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member such that adjacent magnetic poles are different from each other, the opposing area being capable of being opposed to the first magnets when the first rotating member rotates relative to the second rotating member, the positions being in the vicinity of the rotation axis;
• and
• a third magnet group that constitutes the second magnetic force unit in cooperation with a part of the first magnet group and that includes a plurality of third magnets that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions within the opposing area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member such that adjacent magnetic poles are different from each other, the positions being outward with respect to the second magnets,
• wherein each third magnet has an area approximately equal to that of each second magnet and has a magnetic pole different from that of the second magnet that is positioned between the third magnet and the rotation axis.

A magnetic coupling device comprising:

• a first rotating member and a second rotating member that are arranged such that their respective interaction surfaces are opposed to each other while being separated from each other and that are rotatable about a common rotation axis that extends in a direction orthogonal to the interaction surfaces, to transmit torque from one of the first and second rotating members to the other using a magnetic force that is generated between the interaction surface of the first rotating member and the interaction surface of the second rotating member;
• a first magnetic force unit that mainly causes magnetic repulsion in the direction of the rotation axis between an inner circumference area on the interaction surface of the first rotating member and an inner circumference area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member, the inner circumference areas being in the vicinity of the rotation axis;
• and
• a second magnetic force unit that mainly causes magnetic attraction in the direction of the rotation axis between an outer circumference area on the interaction surface of the first rotating member and an outer circumference area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member, the magnetic attraction being approximately equivalent to the magnetic repulsion, the outer circumference areas being radially outward with respect to the first magnetic force unit,
• wherein the first magnetic force unit includes
• inner-circumference magnets that have the some magnetic pole and that are arranged to be opposed to each other in positions on the respective interaction surfaces of the first rotating member and the second rotating member such that the inner-circumference magnets surrounds the rotation axis, the positions being in the vicinity of the rotation axis;
• a first middle-circumference magnet group that includes a plurality of first middle-circumference magnets that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions on the interaction surface of the first rotating member such that adjacent magnetic poles are the same, the positions being outward with respect to the inner-circumference magnet;
• and
• a second middle-circumference magnet group that includes a plurality of second middle-circumference magnets that have the same magnetic pole as that of the first middle-circumference magnets and that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions within an opposing area on the interaction surface of the second rotating member such that adjacent magnetic poles are the same, the opposing area being capable of being opposed to the first middle-circumference magnets when the first rotating member rotates relative to the second rotating member, and
• the second magnetic force unit includes
• an outer-circumference magnetic member group that includes outer circumference magnetic members that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions on the interaction surface of the first rotating member, the positions being radially outward with respect to the first middle-circumference magnets;
• and
• an outer-circumference magnet group that includes a plurality of outer-circumference magnets that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the circumference whose center is the rotation axis and are arranged in positions on the interaction surface of the second rotating member such that adjacent magnetic poles are different from each other, the positions being capable of being opposed to the outer-circumference magnets when the first rotating member rotates relative to the second rotating member.