Polyphasic multi-coil generator

• US 7,081,696 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DPM Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EXRO Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Ritchey, Jonathan Gale
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US11/036,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 310/102.R, 310112-114, 310/156.43, 310/156.47, 310/156.49, 310/168, 310/267, 310/268, 310/78
• US Class Current: 310/114
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/08 Salient poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/14 Stator cores with salient poles
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/24 with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/108 with friction clutches
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A polyphasie multi-coil generator includes a drive shaft, at least first and second rotors rigidly mounted on the drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of the drive shaft, and at least one stator sandwiched between the first and second rotors. A stator array on the stator has an array of coils mounted to the stator in a first angular orientation about the drive shaft. The rotors each have an array of magnets which are equally circumferentially spaced around the rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of the rotor and the drive shaft. The arrays of magnets on adjacent rotors are off-set by an angular off-set relative to one another.

Claims

1. A polyphasic multi-coil generator comprising:

a drive shaft,

first and second rotors rigidly mounted by mounting means on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said drive shaft,

first and second stators interleaved with said first and second rotors wherein said stators each have an aperture therethrough through which said drive shaft is rotatably journalled and wherein said stators each have a stator array;

wherein an array of electrically conductive coils are mounted circumferentially equally spaced around said stators and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of said stators in first and second stator array angular orientations respectively about said drive shaft, and wherein said rotors and said stators lie in substantially parallel planes,

wherein said first and second rotors have, respectively, first and second rotor arrays, said first rotor array having a first array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said first rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a first rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said second rotor array having second array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the second rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center of the second rotor at a second rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft,

wherein said angular orientations are collectively off-set by an angular offset,

wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in a direction of rotation of said rotors so as to rotate relative to said stators, means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said first rotor array to attract said magnets of said first rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said first stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said second rotor array to draw said magnets of said second rotor array away from corresponding next adjacent coils in said second stator array as said magnets of said second rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

and wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in said direction of rotation of said rotors, said means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said second rotor array to attract said magnets of said second rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said second stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said first rotor array to draw said magnets of said first rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said first stator array as said magnets of said first rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

wherein said magnets in said rotor arrays are pairs of magnets, each pair of said pairs of magnets arranged with one magnet of said each pair radially inner relative to said drive shaft and the other magnet of said each pair radially outer relative to said drive shaft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said each pair of magnets are aligned along a common radial axis extending radially outwardly of said drive shaft.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each coil in said stator arrays are aligned so that said each coil is wrapped substantially symmetrically around a radial axis extending radially outwardly of said drive shaft.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein magnetic flux of said each pair of magnets is orthogonally end-coupled to corresponding said each coil as said each pair of magnets is rotated past said corresponding said each coil.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second rotor arrays are offset by said angular orientation relative to each other, and further comprising:

a further stator mounted on said drive shaft, said drive shaft rotatably journalled through a drive shaft aperture in said further stator, a further stator array mounted on said further stator and having an angular orientation about said drive shaft which is substantially the same angular orientation as said first angular orientation of said stator array of said at least one stator,

a third rotor mounted on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said at least first and second rotors, a third rotor array mounted on said third rotor, said third rotor array having a third array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said third rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a third angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said third angular orientation angularly offset by said angular offset so that said third rotor array is offset relative to said second rotor array by said angular offset, said further stator and said third rotor lying planes substantially parallel to said substantially parallel planes,

wherein magnets in said rotor arrays are pairs of magnets, each pair of said pairs of magnets arranged with one magnet of said each pair radially inner relative to said drive shaft and the other magnet of said each pair radially outer relative to said drive shaft.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said each pair of magnets are aligned along a common radial axis extending radially outwardly of said drive shaft.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each coil in said stator arrays are aligned so that said each coil is wrapped substantially symmetrically around a radial axis extending radially outwardly of said drive shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first rotor array is at Least in part co-planar with said first stator array as said first rotor array is rotated past said first stator array and wherein said second rotor array is at least in part co-planar with said second stator array as said second rotor is rotated past said second stator array.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second rotor arrays are offset by said angular orientation relative to each other, and further comprising:

a further stator mounted on said drive shaft, said drive shaft rotatably journalled through a drive shaft aperture in said fin other stator, a further stator array mounted on said further stator and having an angular orientation about said drive shaft which is substantially the same angular orientation as said first angular orientation of said stator array of said at least one stator,

a third rotor mounted on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said at least first and second rotors, a third rotor array mounted on said third rotor, said third rotor array having a third array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said third rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a third angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said third angular orientation angularly offset by said angular offset so that said third rotor array is offset relative to said second rotor array by said angular offset, said further stator and said third rotor having planes substantially parallel to said substantially parallel planes,

wherein said first rotor array is at least in part co-planar with said first stator array as said first rotor array is rotated past said first stator array and wherein said second rotor array is at least in part co-planar with said second stator array as said second rotor is rotated past said second stator array.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes clutches mounted between said each said at least first and second rotors and said drive shaft, and wherein said drive shaft includes means for selectively engaging each clutch of said clutches in sequence along said drive shaft by selective longitudinal translation of said drive shaft by selective translation means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said each clutch is a centrifugal clutch adapted for mating engagement with said drive shaft when said drive shaft is longitudinally translated by said selective translation means into a first position for mating engagement with, firstly, a first clutch of said clutches and, secondly sequentially into a second position for mating engagement with also a second clutch of said clutches.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second rotor arrays are offset by said angular orientation relative to each other, and further comprising:

a further stator mounted on said drive shaft, said drive shaft rotatably journalled through a drive shaft aperture in said further stator, a further stator array mounted on said further stator and having an angular orientation about said drive shaft which is substantially the same angular orientation as said first angular orientation of said stator array of said at least one stator,

a third rotor mounted on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said at least first and second rotors, a third rotor array mounted on said third rotor, said third rotor array having a third array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said third rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a third annular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said third angular orientation angularly offset by said angular offset so that said third rotor array is offset relative to said second rotor array by said angular offset, said further stator and said third rotor lying in planes substantially parallel to said substantially parallel planes,

wherein said mounting means includes clutches mounted between said third rotor, said each said at least first and second rotors and said drive shaft, and wherein said drive shaft includes means for selectively engaging each clutch of said clutches in sequence along said drive shaft by selective longitudinal translation of said drive shaft by selective translation means.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said each clutch is a centrifugal clutch adapted for mating engagement with said drive shaft when said drive shaft is longitudinally translated by said selective translation means into a first position for mating engagement with, firstly, a first clutch of said clutches and, secondly sequentially into a second position for mating engagement with also a second clutch of said clutches, and, thirdly, sequentially into a third position for mating engagement with also a third clutch of said clutches.

14. A Polyphasic multi-coil generator comprising:

a drive shaft,

first and second rotors rigidly mounted by mounting means on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said drive shaft,

first and second stators interleaved with said first and second rotors wherein said stators each have an aperture therethrough through which said drive shaft is rotatably journalled and wherein said stators each have a stator array;

wherein an array of electrically conductive coils are mounted circumferentially equally spaced around said stators and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of said stators in first and second stator array angular orientations respectively about said drive shaft, and wherein said rotors and said stators lie in substantially parallel planes,

wherein said first and second rotors have, respectively, first and second rotor arrays, said first rotor array having a first array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said first rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a first rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said second rotor array having a second array of magnets which are circumferentially equally maced around the second rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center of the second rotor at a second rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft,

wherein said angular orientations are collectively off-set by an angular offset,

wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in a direction of rotation of said rotors so as to rotate relative to said stators, means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said first rotor array to attract said magnets of said first rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said first stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said second rotor array to draw said magnets of said second rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said second stator array as said magnets of said second rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

and wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in said direction of rotation of said rotors, said means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said second rotor array to attract said magnets of said second rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said second stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said first rotor array to draw said magnets of said first rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said first stator array as said magnets of said first rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

wherein magnetic flux of said each pair of magnets is orthogonally end-coupled to corresponding said each coil as said each pair of magnets is rotated past said corresponding said each coil.

15. A polyphasic multi-coil generator comprising:

a drive shaft,

first and second rotors rigidly mounted by mounting means on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said drive shaft,

first and second stators interleaved with said first and second rotors wherein said stators each have an aperture therethrough through which said drive shaft is rotatably journalled and wherein said stators each have a stator array;

wherein an array of electrically conductive coils are mounted circumferentially equally spaced around said stators and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of said stators in first and second stator array angular orientations respectively about said drive shaft, and wherein said rotors and said stators lie in substantially parallel planes,

wherein said first and second rotors have, respectively, first and second rotor arrays, said first rotor array having a first array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said first rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a first rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said second rotor array having a second array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the second rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center of the second rotor at a second rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft,

wherein said angular orientations are collectively off-set by an angular offset, wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in a direction of rotation of said rotors so as to rotate relative to said stators, means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said first rotor array to attract said magnets of said first rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said first stator at-ray which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said second rotor array to draw said magnets of said second rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said second stator array as said magnets of said second rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

and wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in said direction of rotation of said rotors, said means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said second rotor array to attract said magnets of said second rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said second stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said first rotor array to draw said magnets of said first rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said first stator array as said magnets of said first rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

wherein said first rotor and said first stator and said second rotor and a said second stator form rotor/stator pairs wherein said first and second rotors are angularly offset by said angular offset and mountable into a generator with further rotor and stator pairs wherein rotors in said further rotor and stator pairs are successively angularly offset.

16. A polyphasic multi-coil generator comprising:

a drive shaft,

first and second rotors rigidly mounted by mounting means on said drive shaft so as to simultaneously synchronously rotate with rotation of said drive shaft,

first and second stators interleaved with said first and second rotors wherein said stators each have an aperture therethrough through which said drive shaft is rotatably journalled and wherein said stators each have a stator array;

wherein an array of electrically conductive coils are mounted circumferentially equally spaced around said stators and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the center of said stators in first and second stator array angular orientations respectively about said drive shaft, and wherein said rotors and said stators lie iii substantially parallel planes,

wherein said first and second rotors have, respectively, first and second rotor arrays, said first rotor array having a first array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around said first rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center thereof and said drive shaft at a first rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft, said second rotor array having a second array of magnets which are circumferentially equally spaced around the second rotor and located at the same radial spacing with respect to the axial center of the second rotor at a second rotor array angular orientation relative to said drive shaft,

wherein said angular orientations are collectively off-set by an angular offset,

wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in a direction of rotation of said rotors so as to rotate relative to said stators, means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said first rotor array to attract said magnets of said first rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said first stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said second rotor array to draw said magnets of said second rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said second stator array as said magnets of said second rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

and wherein as said drive shaft and said rotors are rotated in said direction of rotation of said rotors, said means for balancing attractive magnetic forces of said magnets of said first and second rotor arrays provides an attractive magnetic force of said magnets of said second rotor array to attract said magnets of said second rotor array towards corresponding next adjacent coils in said second stator array which lie in said direction of rotation of said rotors and to substantially balance with and provide a withdrawing force applied to said magnets of said first rotor array to draw said magnets of said first rotor array away from corresponding past adjacent coils in said first stator array as said magnets of said first rotor array are withdrawn in said direction of rotation of said rotors away from said past adjacent coils,

wherein said first and second rotor arrays are angularly offset relative to one another by a first angular portion of said angular offset and wherein said first and second stator arrays are angularly offset relative to one another by a second angular portion of said angular offset.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said first and second angular portions collectively add up to substantially said angular offset.