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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POWERING OF AMPHIBIOUS CRAFT

  • US 20090186535A1
  • Filed: 01/21/2009
  • Published: 07/23/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A marine propulsion system for wheeled amphibious craft having an in wheel electric motor/generator, comprising:

  • a jet propulsion unit having an inlet for fluid flow, adaptive outlet nozzles through which fluid discharge is controlled as to direction and as to size for the purpose of maximizing at least one of thrust and efficiency based upon measured true input power, a fluid flow path to direct said fluid flow between said inlet and said outlet, at least one impeller disposed within fluid flow path to impart energy into said fluid flow from an electrical power source provided to the in wheel electric motor/generator, wherein said impeller is operably coupled to said in wheel electric motor/generator of said wheeled amphibious craft, wherein the wheel hub of said in wheel electric motor/generator is an impeller structure and stator vanes are operably coupled to a stator of said in wheel electric motor/generator, a fluid flow defining channel which accommodates said in wheel electric motor/generator with a wheel hub impeller arrangement, wherein said in wheel electric motor/generator is comprised of;

    at least one rotor section and at least one stator section arranged such that a gap exists between rotor and stator sections, wherein said rotor section is operably coupled to a wheel of said wheeled amphibious craft for rotation and said stator section is operably coupled to an axle tube of said wheel for non-rotational support, the rotor section comprising a permanent magnet structure with an associated magnetic flux field and the stator section comprising current carrying conductors;

    a stator section is operably coupled to an amphibious craft;

    a wheel operably coupled to an impeller and rotatable with respect to the stator section about a rotational axis;

    wherein the stator and rotor sections of said in wheel electric motor/generator being configured such that the interaction of their magnetic fluxes causes at least one of;

    (a) the conversion of electrical energy into rotational torque energy when electrical power is applied in controlled directions, sequences, and power levels at the input terminals of said current carrying conductors such as to create an associated magnetic flux field within the current carrying conductors that interacts with said rotor magnetic flux field thus applying magnetic torque to said rotor of said wheel, and(b) the conversion of rotational torque energy of said wheel into electrical energy when relative motion exist between the permanent magnets within the rotor and the current carrying conductors within the stator electrical power is generated at the terminals of said current carrying conductors such as to create an associated magnetic flux field within the current carrying conductors that interacts with said rotor magnetic flux field thus applying magnetic counter torque to said rotor.

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