Patent Application
20210021187
The present invention generally relates to multi-degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machines, and more particularly relates to multi-degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machines that include planar coils.
It is generally known that currently available motion control systems that are designed to move an object in more than one degree of freedom (DoF) include a separate motor or actuator for each DoF. More specifically, at least two motors or actuators are needed to implement 2-DoF motion, at least three motors or actuators are needed to implement 3-DoF motion, and so on. Consequently, mechanisms that involve more than one DoF tend to be somewhat large and cumbersome, and therefore inefficient.
While electronics and sensor technologies have gotten significantly smaller in recent years, mechanical motion technology has not kept up. This is why motion systems such as pan/tilt mechanisms are typically not used on smaller platforms, such as mini- or micro-UAVs (unmanned air vehicles) and micro-satellites. Robotics systems, which depend on multi-DoF motion control, must simply put up with the inherent inefficiencies of current motion-on-motion systems.
Various types of multi-axis machines have been developed to address the above-described problems. In many instances, however, these multi-axis machines are manufactured using relatively difficult, time consuming, non-standard, and low-repeatable processes and methods.
Hence, there is a need for multi-degree-of-freedom electromechanical machines that can be manufactured using methodologies that are relatively easier, less time consuming, standard, and exhibit high repeatability as compared to known methods. The present invention addresses at least these needs.
This summary is provided to describe select concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In one embodiment, a multi-degree of freedom electromagnetic machine includes a spherical body, an outer structure, a plurality of magnets, and a plurality of windings. The spherical body has an outer surface. The outer structure is spaced apart from and surrounds at least a portion of the spherical body and has an inner surface. The magnets are coupled to the inner surface of the outer structure. The windings are coupled to the outer surface of the spherical body. A least a portion of the plurality of windings partially overlap at least one other of the plurality of windings. Each of the plurality of windings includes a flexible dielectric substrate and an electrical conductor. The flexible dielectric substrate has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface of the flexible substrate facies the outer surface of the spherical body. The electrical conductor is disposed on at least one of the inner or outer surfaces of the flexible dielectric substrate and is configured as a spiral. The spiral may be circular or non-circular.
In another embodiment, a multi-degree of freedom electromagnetic machine includes a stator, a rotor, and a plurality of winding sets. The stator has an inner surface, an outer surface, an open first end, and an open second end. The inner surface defines a passage between the open first end and the open second end. The rotor is disposed within the passage and is rotatable therein. The rotor has an outer surface. The winding sets are coupled to the inner surface of the structure and are spaced apart from the outer surface of the rotor. Each of the winding sets includes a first winding, a second winding, and a third winding. The first and second winding are disposed adjacent to, and do not overlap, each other. The third winding is wound around the first and second windings. Each of the first, second, and third windings includes a flexible dielectric substrate and an electrical conductor. The flexible dielectric substrate has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the electrical conductor is disposed on at least one of the inner or outer surfaces of the flexible dielectric substrate.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the multi-degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machine will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the preceding background.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Thus, any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.
With reference first to
The outer structure 104 is spaced apart from, and surrounds at least a portion of, the spherical body 102. The outer structure 104, which includes an inner surface 114 and an outer surface 116, may be fixedly mounted or it may be mounted such that it is movable relative to the spherical body 102. When it is mounted such that it is movable relative to the spherical body 102, the outer structure 104 is preferably mounted to be moveable about two or three of the axes of symmetry 108.
The magnets 106 are coupled to, and extend inwardly from, the inner surface 114 of the outer structure 104, and are spaced apart from the spherical body 102. The electromagnetic machine 100 preferably includes a plurality of magnets 106. In the depicted embodiment, the electromagnetic machine includes four magnets—a first magnet 106-1, a second magnet 106-2, a third magnet 106-3, and a fourth magnet 106-4. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments more or less than four magnets 106 may be used. It will additionally be appreciated that the magnets 106 may be variously shaped and dimensioned, and may be variously disposed. For example, in the depicted embodiment the magnets 106 are generally arc-shaped, but in other embodiments the magnets 106 may be semi-spherically shaped, wedge-shaped, or any one of numerous other shapes if needed or desired. It will additionally be appreciated that the arc length of the magnets 106 may be varied, and that the magnets 106 may be permanent magnets or, if needed or desired, electromagnets.
Regardless of the shape and dimensions, however, the magnets 106 are preferably arranged such that the polarity of the first and second magnets 106-1, 106-2 relative to the spherical body 102 is opposite to the polarity of the third and fourth magnets 106-3, 106-4. For example, in the embodiment depicted in
As
Unlike other multi-degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machines that include a spherical body, the windings 110 disclosed herein are not wound onto the spherical body 102. Rather, as is shown more clearly in
The electrical conductor 204, at least in the embodiment depicted in
It should be noted that although the stator winding 110 depicted in
It should be further noted that although the electrical conductors 204 depicted in
It was previously mentioned that the number and positioning of the windings 110 one the outer surface 118 of the spherical body may vary. For example, in the embodiment depicted in
Before proceeding further, it is noted that the first and second tilt windings 110-T1, 110-T2 are referred to as such because controllable energization of these windings will generate a Lorentz force that affects relative movement between the spherical body 102 and the outer structure 104 about the second axis of symmetry 108-2. Moreover, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spin windings 110-S1, 110-S2, 110-S3, 110-S4, 110-S5, 110-S6 are referred to as such because controllable energization of these windings will generate a Lorentz force that affects relative movement between the spherical body 102 and the outer structure 104 about the first axis of symmetry 108-1.
Returning now to the description, the first and second tilt windings 110-T1, 110-T2 are diametrically opposed to each other and are disposed such that the spiral of the first and second tilt windings 110-T1, 110-T2 is symmetrically disposed about the first axis of symmetry 108-1. The first, second, third, fourth fifth, and sixth spin windings 110-S1, 110-S2, 110-S3, 110-S4, 110-S5, 110-S6 are spaced evenly around the outer surface 118 of the spherical body 102 such that the spiral of each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth spin windings 110-S1, 110-S2, 110-S3, 110-S4, 110-S5, 110-S6 is symmetrically disposed about a first 801-1, second 801-2, third 801-3, fourth 801-4, fifth 801-5, and sixth 801-6 normal vector, respectively, where each of the first 801-1, second 801-2, third 801-3, fourth 801-4, fifth 801-5, and sixth 801-6 normal vectors extend perpendicular to the first axis of symmetry 108-1.
As
In another embodiment, and with reference now to
It is noted that the first and second tilt windings 110-T1, 110-T2 and the first and second spin windings 110-S1, 110-S2 are referred to as such for the same reasons as in the previous embodiment. In this embodiment, the first and second roll windings 110-R1, 110-R2 are referred to as such because controllable energization of these windings will generate a Lorentz force that affects relative movement between the spherical body 104 and the outer structure 104 about the third axis of symmetry 108-3.
As
The spherical body 102 and the plurality of windings 110 may, in some embodiments, be encapsulated by a layer of dielectric material 1002. Embodiments depicting this encapsulation are depicted, for completeness, in
Turning now to
Referring now to
In one other embodiment, which is depicted in
The rotor 1604 is disposed within the passage and is mounted for rotation. The rotor may be spherically shaped, as
The winding sets 1606 are coupled to the inner surface 1614 of the stator 1602 and are spaced apart from an outer surface 1622 of the rotor 1604. As shown more clearly in
Regardless of the particular configurational shape of each winding 1606, each of the first, second, and third windings 1606-1, 1606-2, 1606-3 a flexible dielectric substrate and an electrical conductor, as described above. Each of the first and second windings 1606-1, 1606-2 are spin windings because controllable energization of these windings will generate a Lorentz force that affects relative movement between the stator 1602 and the rotor 1604 about the first axis of symmetry 108-1. Each of the third windings 1606-3 is a tilt winding because controllable energization of these windings will generate a Lorentz force that affects relative movement between the stator 1602 and the rotor 1604 about the second axis of symmetry 108-2.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of the text in any of the claims does not imply that process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. The process steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention as long as such an interchange does not contradict the claim language and is not logically nonsensical.
Furthermore, depending on the context, words such as “connect” or “coupled to” used in describing a relationship between different elements do not imply that a direct physical connection must be made between these elements. For example, two elements may be connected to each other physically, electronically, logically, or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
