Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to omnidirectional electrostatic thrusters. The present invention converts electrical force on a net charged object within an electrical field into a mechanical force which may act upon the component containing the net charged object. This can produce an electromotive force on a movable component or generate a net thrust on the entire device given the movable component is physically connected to a power source. Mechanical force or thrust is produced in a direction parallel to any electric field applied across the component containing the net charged object. Sufficient charge-to-mass ratio in this component and a sufficient energy density in a power source allows this novel omnidirectional electrostatic thruster to exert a force on a load adjacent or attached to the device. The force on the movable component could also be used with a portable or stationary (non-portable) power source towards more conventional uses of electrostatic motors such as moving a small load or a rotor relative to the power source (as in stage adjustment for microscopes) or in a haptic feedback unit that can apply a small amount of force on or across a user's clothing or skin when activated by a digital signal.
Almost all electrical motors and micromotors translate or rotate moving components relative to a power source and/or a fixed component. This is usually achieved by 1) moving an electromagnetic or ferromagnetic component over an active range in an induced magnetic field or electric field, or 2) repelling and/or attracting a charged component to or from an electrode with a certain charge and electric potential. Taking advantage of similar phenomena to the second type of device just described, electrostatic and ionic thrusters charge or ionize a material and propel the material out of a chamber, down an electric potential drop or gradient in an electric field.
Electrical and electrostatic motors require mining or creating bulk ferromagnetic materials, or, more commonly, inducing charge or running a current through the moving component by using power from a secondary source or the power source which generates the repelling and/or attracting field or charge which acts on the moving component. For example, a Franklin motor uses the power source that generates a charge and electric potential on the electrode(s) that repel and/or attract the charged regions of the moving component(s), specifically, an insulated rotor with conductive regions.
On the other hand, ionic thrusters use an onboard power source to charge or ionize a propellant. The propellant is ejected to create thrust, ultimately exhausting the supply of chargeable or ionizable material available, limiting operation by the energy density of the chargeable material that the thruster can transport in conjunction with any added load.
While the idea of applying electrical force to ions or charged mass is not new, electrostatic motors act on electrodes in a rotor or move a component along a track or within a tube by loading it with transient charge or current from the power source generating the electromotive force, or a secondary power source that must remain connected to the device for operation. Electrostatic and ionic thrusters also move charged material or ions down an electric potential drop or gradient in an electric field. However these also use an onboard power source to charge the material, and do not attempt to contain the charge material in a resistive shell. Therefore electrostatic and ionic thrusters exhaust the supply of charged or chargeable material available, limiting operation by the energy density of charged or chargeable material that the thruster can transport in conjunction with any added load. It is also worth noting that all of these devices operate in a rotational or linear fashion: producing torque or producing force in one- or two-directions restrained by direction these devices are designed to move the moveable components or material ad-hoc and by design.
The present invention differs from the devices described above in construction and operating principles that generate force and thrust. Charge is loaded into the moving component by transferring material, charged by an electrostatic generator, into a rigid container surrounded by insulating material. Therefore, power is used to charge the moving component during fabrication, and short circuit or connection to power is not required to load charge on the moving component during operation.
Work or movement is achieved by applying an electric field across the moving component, containing charged material. Instead of propelling the charged material outward (as in the ionic thruster) and instead of translating or rotating the moving component down a track or around a stator, a constant potential gradient is maintained across the charged material inside the moving component by allowing the electrodes, the insulator separating the electrodes from the charged material, and the charged material to all move together as the electrical force on the charged material converts to mechanical force on the rigid shell of the moving component (the resistivity of the insulating layer not allowing the charge carriers to flow from inside the moving component to the electrodes connected to the power source).
An object of the present invention is an omnidirectional electrostatic thruster comprising an insulating shell; an inner shell; a charged material; a plurality of pairs of conductive plates; a control unit; and, a power source. The inner shell envelopes the charged material. The insulating shell envelopes the inner shell. The power source provides power to the plurality of pairs of conductive plates through the control unit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the power source is a stationary power source.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the power source is a portable power source.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the insulating shell is a selected from the group consisting of styrofoam, aerogel, insulating oil, dielectric oil, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, silica, glass, special purpose fused silica, pyrex, and combinations thereof.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the inner shell is selected from the group consisting of steel, cast iron, carbon fiber, titanium, titanium alloys, copper, brass, aluminum, aluminum alloys, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, silica, glass, special purpose fused silica, pyrex , and combinations thereof.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the charged material is selected from the group consisting of water, ionic salts, liquid salts, ionic liquids, and combinations thereof.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the charged material is charged by an electrostatic generator.
The advantages and features of the present invention will be better understood as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention in this proposal converts electric potential energy into kinetic energy by applying an electric field across a moving component 210 containing charged material 130 enclosed in a sufficiently rigid and electrically resistive inner shell 120. The omnidirectional electrostatic thruster 100 stores energy in the moving component 210 containing charged material 130 in a resistive inner shell 120 by operating an electrostatic generator 200, preferably in a low-voltage setting.
As shown in
The power source 160 may be a stationary power source, such as a standard 120 V power outlet. Alternatively, the power source 160 may be a portable power source, such as a Tesla PowerWall 2 AC Battery.
The insulating shell 110 may be selected from the group consisting of styrofoam, aerogel, insulating oil, dielectric oil, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, silica, glass, special purpose fused silica, pyrex, and combinations thereof. The insulating oil and dielectric oil may be in a rigid shell made of styrofoam, aerogel, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, silica, glass, special purpose fused silica, pyrex, any suitable insulating material known to one skilled in the art, or combinations thereof. One of the main purposes of the insulating shell 110 is to act as an insulator that do not allow charge to freely flow.
The inner shell 120 may be selected from the group consisting of steel, cast iron, carbon fiber, titanium, titanium alloys, copper, brass, aluminum, aluminum alloys, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, silica, glass, special purpose fused silica, pyrex, styrofoam, aerogel, any suitable rigid material known to one skilled in the art, and combinations thereof. Steel may be of various schedules and carbon/alloy compositions. Examples of special purpose fused silica include Petrocol and Nukol. One of the main purposes of the inner shell 120 is to provide rigidity to the moving component 210 of the omnidirectional electrostatic thruster 100.
In some embodiments, the insulating shell 110 and the inner shell 120 may be composed of the same materials, thereby resulting in embodiments with one shell, as opposed to embodiments with two distinct shells. The charged material 130 may be selected from the group consisting of water, ionic salts, liquid salts, ionic liquids, and combinations thereof. The charged material includes, but is not limited to, the liquid ionized and sprayed toward the target in the illustrated electrostatic generator.
Ionic salts may be dissolved in water, alcohols, or organic solvents, such as ethers and esters or any mixture of these solvents. Ionic salts include, but are not limited to, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium iodide, lithium carbonate, lithium chlorate, lithium hydroxide, lithium phosphate, lithium sulfate, lithium dichromate, lithium oxide, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide, sodium carbonate, sodium chlorate, sodium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, sodium sulfate, sodium dichromate, sodium oxide, potassium chloride potassium bromide, potassium iodide, potassium carbonate, potassium chlorate, potassium hydroxide, potassium phosphate, potassium sulfate, potassium dichromate, potassium oxide, ammonium chloride, ammonium bromide, ammonium iodide, ammonium carbonate, ammonium chlorate, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium oxide, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium dichromate, beryllium chloride, beryllium bromide, beryllium iodide, beryllium carbonate, beryllium chlorate, beryllium hydroxide, beryllium phosphate, beryllium sulfate, beryllium dichromate, beryllium oxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium bromide, magnesium iodide, magnesium chlorate, magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride, calcium bromide, calcium iodide, calcium chlorate, calcium hydroxide, calcium sulfate, calcium oxide, strontium chloride, strontium bromide, strontium iodide, strontium chlorate, strontium hydroxide, strontium phosphate, strontium dichromate, strontium oxide,barium chloride, barium bromide, barium iodide, barium chlorate, barium hydroxide, barium oxide, barium phosphate, barium dichromate, zinc chloride, zinc bromide, zinc iodide, zinc chlorate, zinc sulfate, ferric chloride, ferric bromide, ferric iodide, ferric chlorate, ferric sulfate, ferrous chloride, ferrous bromide, ferrous carbonate, ferrous chlorate, ferrous sulfate, cupric chloride, cupric bromide, cupric iodide, cupric chlorate, cupric sulfate, cuprous chloride, cuprous bromide, cuprous iodide, cuprous chlorate, cuprous sulfate, aluminum chloride, aluminum bromide, aluminum iodide, aluminum carbonate, aluminum chlorate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum oxide, lead chloride, lead bromide, lead chlorate, lead phosphate, lead dichromate, silver chlorate, silver hydroxide, silver oxide, silver sulfate or any mixture of these salts in solution, or any commonly known ionic compounds dissolved in aqueous or organic solvents similar to those described above (e.g. lead sulfate, calcium sulfate, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, pyridinium in solutions not described as ionic liquids below).
Liquid salts include molten salts and battery electrolytes. Liquid salts include, but are not limited to, lithium fluoride, sodium fluoride, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium fluoride, potassium nitrate, beryllium fluoride, or any combination of these in solution, such as FliNaK, FliBe, NaNO3-NaNO3-KNO3 molten salts, fluoride and chloride salts of metals, such as chromium and aluminium, commonly found in molten salts that come in contact with metal, LiPF6, LiCIO4, LiBF4, LiN(SO2CF3)2, Na3.AlF6 (Cryolite), NaS, NaAlCl4, and other sodium-ion battery electrolytes, magnesium-antimony, lead-antimony, vanadium flow battery electrolytes (e.g. VO2Cl(H2O)2), and, any mixture of these compounds with each other or with the salts in the previous section (ionic salts) to form a liquid salt or a salt in solution with very low solvent and multiple functional ions.
Ionic liquids include, but are not limited to:
[emim][EtSO4] 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate,
[emim][EtSO4].hydroxylammoniurn nitrate,
[NH2p-bim][BF4] 1-propylamide-3-butyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate,
[P(C4)4][Ala] Tetrabutylphosphoniuml-α-aminopropionic acid salt,
[P(C4)4][Gly] Tetrabutylphosphonium aminoethanoic acid salt,
[P66614][Met] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium methioninate,
[P66614][Pro] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium prolinate,
[aP4443][Gly] (3-Aminopropyl)tributylphosphonium aminoethanoic acid salt,
[aP4443][Ala] (3-Aminopropyl)tributylphosphoniuml-α-aminopropionic acid salt,
[aemmim][Tau] 1-aminoethyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium taurine salt,
[MTBDH+][TFE−] 9-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine trifluoroethanol,
[MTBDH+][Im−] 9-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine imidazole,
[(P2-Et)H+][TFE−] Tetramethyl(tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidene)phosphorictriamid-Et-imin trifluoroethanol,
[MTBDH+][TFPA-−] 9-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine (1-phenyl)trifluoroethanol,
[(P2-Et) H+][lm−] Tetramethyl(tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidene)phosphorictriamid-Et-imin imidazole,
[MTBDH+][Pyrr−] 9-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine pyrrolidone,
[(P2-Et) H+][Pyrr—] Tetramethyl(tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidene)phosphorictriamid-Et-imin pyrrolidone,
[MTBDH+][PhO−] 9-methyl-2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrimido[1,2-a]pyrimidine phenol,
[(P2-Et) H+][PhO−] Tetramethyl(tris(dimethylamino)phosphoranylidene)phosphorictriamid-Et-imin phenol,
[P66614][Pyr] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium pyrazole,
[P66614][lm] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium imidazole,
[P66614][lnd] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium indole,
[P66614][Triz] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium trizole,
[P66614][Bentriz] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bentrizole,
[P66614][Tetz] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphoniurn tetrazole,
[P66614][Oxa] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium oxazolidinone,
[P66614][PhO] trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium phenol,
[emim][pivalate] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium pivalate,
[emim][lactate] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium lactate,
[emimlibenzoate] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium benzoate,
[bmim][PF6] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate,
[C6mim][PF6] 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate,
[C8mim][PF6] 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate,
[C9mim][PF6] 1-nonyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate,
[emim][BF4] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate,
[bmim] [BF4] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate,
[C6mim] [BF4] 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate,
[C8mim][BF4] 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate,
[N-bupy][BF4] N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate,
[bmim][NO3] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate,
[bmim][NO3].hydroxylammonium nitrate,
[HOPmim][NO3] hydroxypropylmethylimidazolium nitrate,
[emim][Tf2N] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[bmim][Tf2N] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[dmim][Tf2N] 1,2-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[hmim][Tf2N] 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[P14,6,6,6][Tf2N] trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[BMP][Tf2N] 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
[bmim][DCA] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide,
[bmim][TfO] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate,
[emim][EtSO4] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate,
[emim][C2N3] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide,
[emim][Ac] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate,
[bmim][Ac] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate,
[emim][TFA] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate,
[bmim][SCN] 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocynate,
HEF 2-hydroxy ethylammonium formate,
THEAA tri-(2-hydroxy ethyl)-ammonium acetate,
HEAF 2-(2-hydroxy ethoxy)-ammonium formate,
HEAA 2-(2-hydroxy ethoxy)-ammonium acetate,
[emim][MDEGSO4] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethylsulfate,
quaternary ammonium compounds, coco alkylbis (hydroxyethyl)methyl,
ethoxylated, chlorides, methyl chloride (TEGO IL K5),
Tetra-Heptyl Ammonium in Formamide, and, combinations thereof.
The charged material 130 is charged by an electrostatic generator 200.
As an example, the assembly of the charged material 130 may consist primarily of the following steps:
(1) Charging the material with the electrostatic generator in
(2) Trapping the charged material 130 in a container by directing the collected material or the ion droplet spray itself into a removable and sealable inner shell 110. The membrane, holder, and guard ring of the electrostatic generator are connected to a collector that terminates in a connection to a one-way valve in the exterior of a rigid inner shell 120 that, in turn, comprises the interior of the charge-containing component once detached. With an insulated chamber that has a one-way interface with the interior of the moving component's 210 rigid inner shell 120, the ion spray may be collected into volumes of varying shape. Also, additional pressure may be applied to force charged material into the inner shell 120; and,
(3) Attaching electrodes (pairs of conductive plates 140) on opposite sides of the moving component 210 in three orthogonal dimensions (i.e. left-and-right, top-and-bottom, front-and-back sides) and connecting the pairs of conductive plates 140 to a single on-line or on-board power source 160 with circuitry to control power flow across each pair of conductive plates 140. The resulting omnidirectional electrostatic thruster 100 allows arbitrary combinations of force vectors acting on the charge-containing component to be generated by controlling the direction of power from the power source 160 to apply potentials across each of the pairs of conductive plates 140 respectively. The possible resulting combinations of force vectors on the charge-containing moving component 210 allow for generation of mechanical force in any desired direction in three-dimensional space.
Another example of assembling of the charged material 130 if by filling the inner shell 120 with the charged material 130 to be used by the moving component 210. The charged material 130 is then charged by induction. The inner shell 120 is then sealed in the insulating shell 120.
Further, the velocity and range of movement for the moving component 210 are only limited by the single power source 160 and the achievable charge-to-mass ratio of the charged material within the moving component 210 at the fabrication steps described earlier. Physically attaching the moving component 210 to a power source 160 of sufficient energy density results in an omnidirectional electrostatic thruster 100 that can achieve translational motion in all directions. Operating at lower power, with a fixed power source 160 (or with a low energy density power source 160 and/or a low charge-to-mass ratio moving component 210) still allows for applications of the omnidirectional electrostatic thruster 100 to translate the moving component 210 relative to the power source 160 with unprecedented degrees of freedom in space. This allows exertion of force on an external load in any direction accessible to digital control interfaces, wherein the moving component 210 can push or pull on a strap affixed to a user's finger in a haptic feedback device.
The figures are illustrative and not limiting. For example,
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions, and/or additions may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/249,111, filed Jan. 16, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/618,566, filed Jan. 17, 2018, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62618566 | Jan 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16249111 | Jan 2019 | US |
Child | 17393520 | US |