Influence of an aperture on the performance of a two-degree-of-freedom iron-cored spherical permanent-magnet actuator

Abstract—This paper describes a computational and experimental study of a two-degree-of-freedom spherical permanent-magnet actuator equipped with an iron stator. In particular, it considers the effect of introducing an aperture in the stator core to facilitate access to the armature. The resultant magnetic field distribution in the region occupied by the stator windings, the net unbalanced radial force, and the resulting reluctance torque are determined by three-dimensional magnetostatic finite-element analysis. The predicted reluctance torque is validated experimentally, and its implications on actuator performance are described

Modelling and Control of an Annular Momentum Control Device

The results of a modelling and control study for an advanced momentum storage device supported on magnetic bearings are documented. The control challenge posed by this device lies in its dynamics being such a strong function of flywheel rotational speed. At high rotational speed, this can lead to open loop instabilities, resulting in requirements for minimum and maximum control bandwidths and gains for the stabilizing controllers. Using recently developed analysis tools for systems described by complex coefficient differential equations, the closed properties of the controllers were analyzed and stability properties established. Various feedback controllers are investigated and discussed. Both translational and angular dynamics compensators are developed, and measures of system stability and robustness to plant and operational speed variations are presented

Advanced actuators for the control of large space structures

The objective of this research was to develop advanced six-degree-of-freedom actuators employing magnetic suspensions suitable for the control of structural vibrations in large space structures. The advanced actuators consist of a magnetically suspended mass that has three-degrees-of-freedom in both translation and rotation. The most promising of these actuators featured a rotating suspended mass providing structural control torques in a manner similar to a control moment gyro (CMG). These actuators employ large-angle-magnetic suspensions that allow gimballing of the suspended mass without mechanical gimbals. Design definitions and sizing algorithms for these CMG type as well as angular reaction mass actuators based on multi-degree-of-freedom magnetic suspensions were developed. The performance of these actuators was analytically compared with conventional reaction mass actuators for a simple space structure model

A novel spherical permanent magnet actuator with three degrees-of-freedom

The paper describes a new version of spherical actuator, which is capable of three degrees-of-freedom and a high specific torque. The three-dimensional magnetic field distribution is established using an analytical technique formulated in spherical co-ordinates, and enables the torque vector and back-emf to be derived in closed forms. This facilitates the characterisation of the actuator, and provides the foundation for design optimisation, actuator dynamic modelling and servo control developmen

Design and implementation of a linear motor for multi-car elevators

The multi-car elevator system is a revolutionary new technology for high-rise buildings, promising outstanding economic benefits, but also requiring new technology for propulsion, safety and control. In this paper we report on experimental results with new components for linear motor driven multi-car elevators. We show that linear synchronous motors with optimized design and with our new safety and control system can be considered as core components of a new generation of elevator systems. The main new results concern the development of a safety system integrated into the propulsion system, the design methodology of a linear motor optimized for the multi-car elevator task, and the motion control system that is expected to be usable for extra high-rise buildings

A novel spherical actuator: Design and control

The paper describes the design and control of a novel spherical permanent magnet actuator which is capable of two-degrees-freedom and a high specific torque. Based on an analytical actuator model, an optimal design procedure is developed to yield maximum output torque or maximum system acceleration for a given payload. The control of the actuator, whose dynamics are similar to those of robotic manipulators, is facilitated by the establishment of a complete actuation system model. A robust control law is applied, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by computer simulatio

Modeling and Analysis of Permanent Magnet Spherical Motors by A Multi-task Gaussian Process Method and Finite Element Method for Output Torque

Permanent magnet spherical motors (PMSMs) operate on the principle of the dc excitation of stator coils and three freedom of motion in the rotor. Each coil generates the torque in a specific direction, collectively they move the rotor to a direction of motion. Modeling and analysis of the output torque are of critical importance for precise position control applications. The control of these motors requires precise output torques by all coils at a specific rotor position, which is difficult to achieve in the three-dimension space. This article is the first to apply the Gaussian process to establish the relationship of the rotor position and the output torque for PMSMs. Traditional methods are difficult to resolve such a complex three-dimensional problem with a reasonable computational accuracy and time. This article utilizes a data-driven method using only input and output data validated by experiments. The multitask Gaussian process is developed to calculate the total torque produced by multiple coils at the full operational range. The training data and test data are obtained by the finite-element method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated and compared with existing data-driven approaches. The results exhibit superior performance of accuracy

Torque and thermal characteristics analysis of a fluid damping based multi-degree-of-freedom motor

This paper presents a novel fluid damping based hybrid drive multi-degrees-of-freedom permanent magnet motor. The structure and working principle of the motor is introduced. The torque features are analyzed using both finite element method and analytical method. Based on the thermal safety and thermal stability in the practical design of this motor, the thermal characteristics with heat sources are calculated and simulated. By using FEA software to model the heating status when the motor works under rated operation and high overload current conditions, the temperature contours within the motor structure can be obtained. The fluid and modal analysis are also conducted with numerical simulation. The research results validate the reasonable structure design of this motor and can be the reference of structure optimization and performance improvement indicators for this kind of motors