Magnetically journalled rotational arrangement including a rotor for generating a unipolar bias magnetic flux

• US 7,112,903 B1
• Filed: 07/31/1998
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thoratec LLC
• Original Assignee: Levitronix LLC (George N. Hatsopoulos, PhD)
• Inventors: Schob, Reto
• Primary Examiner(s): TAMAI, KARL I
• Application Number:
  US09/127,644
• Time in Patent Office: 2,979 Days
• Field of Search: 310/90.5, 310/103, 310/104, 310/254, 310/216, 74/56.D, 74/56.E, 74/54.6, 74/57, 74/58, 417/423.1, 417/356, 417/423.12, 623/3
• US Class Current: 310/90.5
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/10 Location thereof with respect to the patient's body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/226 the blood flow through the rotating member having mainly radial components
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/419 the force acting on the blood contacting member being permanent magnetic, e.g. from a rotating magnetic coupling between driving and driven magnets
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/816 Sensors arranged on or in the housing, e.g. ultrasound flow sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/822 specially adapted for being actively controlled
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2316/18 Pumps for pumping blood
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2380/26 Dynamo-electric machines or combinations therewith, e.g. electro-motors and generators
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/0465 with permanent magnets provided in the magnetic circuit of the electromagnets
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 32/0493 integrated in an electrodynamic machine, e.g. self-bearing motor
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 49/10 of the permanent-magnet type
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/09 with magnetic bearings

Abstract

A magnetically journalled rotational arrangement includes a substantially disc-shaped or ring-shaped rotor and a stator. The stator includes structure for the production of a field which produces a rotation of the rotor. The rotor has structure which produce a unipolar bias magnetization flux which is spatially modulated when viewed in the circumferential direction.

Claims

1. A magnetically journalled rotational arrangement comprising a substantially disc-shaped or ring-shaped magnetically journalled rotor and

a stator comprising:

means for generating a field, wherein said field produces rotation of the rotor having means for generating a unipolar bias magnetic flux spatially modulated when viewed in the circumferential direction; and

a plurality of permanent magnets arranged to cooperate with the means provided on the rotor generating the spatially modulated bias magnetic flux and producing or reinforcing the magnetic journalling of the rotor,

wherein the stator effecting the magnetic journalling of the rotor surrounds the ring or disc-shaped rotor,

wherein the stator plane and the rotor plane coincide and from a bearing plane, and

wherein the means for generating the field are arranged in the segments between the permanent magnets in the stator so that the motor plane in which the rotation of the rotor is produced and the bearing plane in which the journalling of the rotor is produced coincide.

2. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for the production of the field which effects the rotation of the rotor and which is arranged in the segments between the permanent magnets has U-shaped coil cores with windings, with the U-shaped coil cores being arranged in the bearing plane.

3. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for the production of the field which effects the rotation of the rotor and which is arranged in the segments between the permanent magnets has U-shaped coil cores with windings, with the U-shaped coil cores being arranged perpendicular to the bearing plane.

4. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the permanent magnets are arranged at both sides of the disc-shaped or ring-shaped rotor.

5. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the permanent magnets have an axial or a radial magnetization.

6. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein permanent magnets are provided both on the rotor and on the stator;

and wherein both the permanent magnets provided on the rotor and the permanent magnets arranged on the stator are magnetized in the axial direction.

7. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein permanent magnets are provided both on the rotor and on the stator;

and wherein both the permanent magnets provided on the rotor and the permanent magnets arranged on the stator are magnetized in the radial direction.

8. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein permanent magnets are provided both on the rotor and on the stator;

and wherein the permanent magnets provided on the rotor are magnetized in the axial direction while the permanent magnet arranged on the stator are magnetized in the radial direction or vise versa.

9. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein control windings are provided in the stator in order to control the spatially modulated unipolar bias magnetic flux.

10. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the stator producing the magnetic journalling of the rotor is designed to be substantially ring-shaped and surrounds the ring or disc-shaped rotor, with the stator plane and the rotor plane coinciding and forming the bearing plane;

and wherein the stator comprises at least one further ring or disc-shaped motor stator which is arranged in a motor plane parallel to the bearing plane.

13. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for the production of the field which effects the rotation of the rotor comprises a rotatable drive which can be magnetically coupled to the rotor and the axis of rotation of which coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotor.

14. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 13 wherein the drive comprises permanent magnets which are magnetized in the axial direction.

15. A rotational arrangement in accordance with claim 13 wherein the drive comprises permanent magnets which are magnetized in the radial direction.

11. A magnetically journalled rotational arrangement comprising a substantially disc-shaped or ring-shaped magnetically journalled rotor and

a stator comprising:

means for generating a field, wherein said field produces rotation of the rotor having means for generating a unipolar bias magnetic flux spatially modulated when viewed in the circumferential direction; and

a plurality of permanent magnets arranged on both sides of the rotor to cooperate with the means provided on the rotor generating the spatially modulated bias magnetic flux and producing or reinforcing the magnetic journalling of the rotor,

wherein the stator plane and the rotor plane coincide and from a bearing plane, and

wherein the stator producing the magnetic journalling of the rotor surrounds the ring or disc-shaped rotor, and

the stator further comprises two ring-shaped motor stators, wherein the first motor stator is arranged in a first motor plane parallel to the bearing plane on the one side of the bearing stator and the second motor stator in a second motor plane parallel to the bearing plane.

12. A magnetically journalled rotational arrangement comprising a substantially disc-shaped or ring-shaped magnetically journalled rotor and

a stator comprising:

means for generating a field, wherein said field produces rotation of the rotor having means for generating a unipolar bias magnetic flux spatially modulated when viewed in the circumferential direction; and

a plurality of permanent magnets arranged to cooperate with the means provided on the rotor generating the spatially modulated bias magnetic flux and producing or reinforcing the magnetic journalling of the rotor,

wherein the stator plane and the rotor plane coincide and from a bearing plane, and

wherein the stator producing the magnetic journalling of the rotor surrounds the ring or disc-shaped rotor, and

the stator further comprises a disc-shaped motor having a disc rotor winding and arranged in a motor plane parallel to the bearing plane.