System and method for affecting flux of multi-pole magnetic structures

• US 20120146752A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 335/306
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/12 Magnetic shunt paths
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0205 Magnetic circuits with PM in general
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/00 Screening of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic fields devices for absorbing radiation from an antenna H01Q17/00

Abstract

A shunt plate is provided that is associated with a first side of a multi-pole magnetic structure. The shunt plate provides a magnetic short between opposite polarity magnetic sources on the first side of said magnetic structure, the magnetic short causing a magnetic flux of said opposite polarity magnetic sources to be routed from said first side of the magnetic structure through said magnetic structure to the second side of said magnetic structure. The thickness of the shunt plate is selected by determining the integrated flux across a magnetic source of the magnetic structure such that the corresponding flux density in the shunt plate does not substantially exceed the flux density saturation level of a cross section of the shunt plate.

Claims

1. A system for routing magnetic flux comprising:

a magnetic structure including at least one magnetizable material having a first surface and a second surface and a magnet thickness between said first surface and said second surface, said first surface comprising a plurality of first surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of first surface magnetic flux destinations, said second surface comprising a plurality of second surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of second surface magnetic flux destinations, each said first surface magnetic flux source extending into the magnet thickness until it meets a second surface magnetic flux destination, and each said first surface magnetic flux destination extending into the magnet thickness until it meets a second surface magnetic flux source; and

a shunt plate having a shunt plate thickness less than the magnet thickness, said shunt plate providing a magnetic short between a plurality of first surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of first surface magnetic flux destinations, said magnetic short causing a magnetic flux of a first surface magnetic flux source to be routed through the shunt plate into a first surface magnetic flux destination and said magnetic flux to be routed through the magnetic structure to the second surface of the magnetic structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate thickness is less than half of said magnet thickness.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate thickness is less than one quarter of said magnet thickness.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate thickness is less than a tenth of an inch thick.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate thickness is less than a hundredth of an inch thick.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said routing of said magnetic flux from said first surface to said second surface increases the density of said magnetic flux at said second surface of said magnetic structure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate allows only ten percent or less leakage of magnetic flux through said shunt plate.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate is in contact with said magnetic structure.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said shunt plate is attached magnetically, attached using an adhesive, or attached via compression as result of a fixture interfacing with said magnetic structure.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate comprises a layer of metal applied to said first surface of said magnetic structure using one of a thin-film deposition technique, a vapor deposition technique, or a sputter deposition technique.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate comprises a layer of metal applied to said first surface of said magnetic structure using one of an electroplating technique, a vacuum arc technique, or a plasma deposition technique.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate comprises powdered metal sintered onto a surface of said magnetizable material.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate comprises powdered metal within at least one of a paint material or an adhesive material.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate has at least one hole.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate is movable relative to said magnetic structure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said shunt plate can rotate relative to an axis.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate is flexible.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said shunt plate is removable.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the flux density saturation level of a cross section of said shunt plate thickness is greater than or equal to the integrated flux across a magnetic source of said magnetic structure.

20. A system for routing magnetic flux comprising:

a magnetic structure having a first thickness, said magnetic structure comprising a plurality of magnetic sources, said plurality of magnetic sources including opposite polarity magnetic sources having an opposite polarity orientation, said magnetic structure having a first side and a second side, said second side being opposite said first side, said plurality of magnetic sources extending from said first side of said magnetic structure to said second side of said magnetic structure; and

a shunt plate associated with said first side of said magnetic structure, said shunt plate providing a magnetic short between opposite polarity magnetic sources on said first side of said magnetic structure, said magnetic short causing a magnetic flux of said opposite polarity magnetic sources to be routed from said first side of said magnetic structure through said magnetic structure to said second side of said magnetic structure, said shunt plate having a second thickness less than said first thickness.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the flux density saturation level of a cross section of said second thickness is greater than or equal to the integrated flux across a magnetic source of said magnetic structure.

22. A method for routing magnetic flux comprising the steps of:

providing a magnetic structure comprising at least one magnetizable material having a first surface and a second surface, and a magnet thickness between said first surface and said second surface, said first surface comprising a plurality of first surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of first surface magnetic flux destinations, said second surface comprising a plurality of second surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of second surface magnetic flux destinations, wherein each first surface magnetic flux source extends into the magnet thickness until it meets a second surface magnetic flux destination and each first surface magnetic flux destination extends into the magnet thickness until it meets a second surface magnetic flux source;

selecting a shunt plate permeability;

selecting a shunt plate thickness that is less than the magnet thickness; and

providing a shunt plate having said shunt plate permeability and said shunt plate thickness, said shunt plate imparting a magnetic short between a plurality of first surface magnetic flux sources and a plurality of first surface magnetic flux destinations, said shunt plate causing a magnetic flux of a first surface magnetic flux source to be routed through the shunt plate into a first surface magnetic flux destination, wherein said magnetic flux is routed through the magnetic structure to the second surface of the magnetic structure.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said shunt plate thickness is selected by determining the integrated flux across a magnetic source of said magnetic structure such that the corresponding flux density in the shunt plate does not substantially exceed the flux density saturation level of a cross section of the shunt plate.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said shunt plate thickness is selected such that a flux density at a predetermined location is reduced.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said shunt plate permeability of is selected by determining the integrated flux across a magnetic source of said magnetic structure such that the corresponding flux density in the shunt plate does not substantially exceed the flux density saturation level of a cross section of the shunt plate.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the shunt plate permeability is selected such that a flux density at a predetermined location is reduced.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said shunt plate permeability and said shunt plate thickness are selected such that a flux density at a predetermined is reduced.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein said shunt plate permeability and said shunt plate thickness are selected by determining the integrated flux across a magnetic source of said magnetic structure such that the corresponding flux density in the shunt plate does not substantially exceed the flux density saturation level of a cross section of the shunt plate.