Sorry for the double post:
DANGER! LONG! LOTS OF EDITS!
pascal said:
Here's what I could gather:
He's set up two magnetically levitated rotors, each rotationally stabilized within a circle of 16 permanent magnets. The magnets are oriented so that a ring of repelling magnetic poles faces the set of magnets on the rotors.
The rotational phases of the rotors are kept set in relation to each other by 2 gears.
The first rotor has an electromagnet that is used to kickstart the first rotor. According to the patent, its repulsion to the strategically geared second rotor will get both spinning.
The electromagnet relies on an optical sensor to pulse the current through the magnet so that it only activates when its field is attracted to the second rotor's magnets.
He later claims the rotors can power a motor or serve as a generator.
Analysis:
His background statement has a number of omissions that can be interpreted as perhaps errors in translation, forgetfulness, or understanding of the use of electromechanical motors.
An electromotor is well known as a rotation apparatus utilizing a magnetic force. For example, an AC electromotor comprises a rotor having a coil, a stator surrounding the rotor, and a plurality of electromagnets, disposed on the stator, for generating a rotating magnetic field. An electric power must be constantly supplied to the electromagnets in order to generate the rotating magnetic field and keep the rotor rotating, i.e., an external energy, or electric energy, is indispensable for the rotation of the rotor.
The first paragraph is on the face of it correct, but incomplete. AC electromotors can use a rotor with coil, and a stator with electromagnets to produce a magnetic field. Electric current is necessary for it to function.
However, there are plenty of other motors which do not follow this exact organization. Brush DC motors for example may have a electromagnet armature or coil that rotates within a stator comprised by one or more permanent magnets. During rotation, brushes supply current to the coil in such a way that its field repels that of the stator poles. This causes it to rotate until it approaches the point that it reaches maximum attraction and maximum stability with the stator, which would cause it to stop. Just prior to this, a set of metal contacts that the brushes supply current to the armature reaches a point where the brushes switch which contact they are powering, reversing the polarity, which causes the process to repeat.
There are other methods of doing this, with the basic idea that there are two magnetic fields which are actively kept out of perfect alignment in order to cause rotation.
Under the circumstances, a magnetic rotation apparatus, which employs permanent magnets in lieu of electromagnets and can rotate a rotor only by a magnetic force of the permanent magnets, is highly desirable.
This is incomplete and implies a line of reasoning that is factually incorrect. If the inventor is only concerning himself with motors that use electromagnets in their armature and stator assemblies (a subset of all motors), this is correct in as far as sometimes it is desirable to simplify the motor by using a permanent magnet to supply a reference field for another alternating field.
A rotor spinning only by the force of permanent magnets indicates a failure to understand or a willful misrepresentation of motor functions, and is almost immediately undermined by the rest of the patent.
The key point to remember here is that in a moving system involving magnets, an opposing field permitted to minimize its repulsion will eventually reach a point where it begins to attract. If rotation in one direction brings a permanent magnet's poles to a position that it can begin to attract the field around it, will attempt to reverse direction to stay in the attractive ground state. Motors work by switching the field quickly before this happens.
This can be done, for example, with an electromagnet's changing the direction of its current, or even by a mechanical kludge of quickly flipping a smaller permanent magnet physically within a larger system.
The patent outlines another way, in which an electromagnet simply turns off when it would attract the most, and relies on inertia to carry it to a point where it can repell again, where it temprorarily turns on.
Gears 6a and 6b made of synthetic resin are, as cooperating means, attached to lower surfaces of first and second rotors 4a and 4b. The diameters of gears 6a and 6b are identical but larger than those of rotors 4a and 4b. Gears 6a and 6b mesh with each other. First and second rotors 4a and 4b are thus rotatable in opposite directions in a cooperating manner. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 7 indicates support arms for supporting first and second rotors 4a and 4b.
The rotors are levitated by magnets and are kept oriented by a set of resin gears. This means there is a physical mechanism that keeps the possible magnetic fields in a certain relation to each other. This is also a source of friction.
Of course, there needs to be something to motivate these magnets to repel, which is supplied by an electromagnet around the first rotor.
The circumferential length of reflection plate 16 is equal to that of the above-mentioned first region. When magnets 9a and 9b enter the first region, first sensor 15 is turned on, and when they leave the first region, first sensor 15 is turned off. When drive circuit 14 receives a signal from first sensor 15, it excites electromagnet 9a such that both polarities of electromagnet 9a correspond to those of permanent magnet 9b of second rotor 4b.
An optical sensor will activate the electromagnet when it reaches the point in its rotation that will allow it to repel the magnets on the second rotor. This sensor deactivates the current when the electromagnet reaches the complementary position where it would attract the second rotor instead.
This is exactly what every other motor does, and is the source of all the rotational energy of the device. What the inventor has done is convert the stator into a rotating device through a pair of gears and electronically timed pulses.
In the above embodiment, since electromagnet 9a is excited only in a specific region, a large electric power is not required. In addition, since electromagnet 9a rotates and brakes rotors 4a and 4b, a braking mechanism for a magnetic rotation apparatus can be obtained without having to make the entire structure of the apparatus complex.
Braking rotation involves just reversing the current applied when the optical sensor triggers the magnet. Something also not very new.
The present invention is not restricted to the above embodiment. With the exception of the paired electromagnet and permanent magnet, all permanent magnets of the rotors are arranged such that their end portions of the same polarity face radially outward from the rotors. However, it is possible that the polarities of the radially outward end portions of the permanent magnets are alternately changed. Namely, it should suffice if the polarities of the radially outward end portions of the first rotor are identical to those of the corresponding radially outward end portions of the second rotor. The magnets may have different magnetic forces. Furthermore, an electric power for exciting the electromagnet can be derived from the rotation of the rotors or from the revolving magnetic field of the permanent magnet.
This guy is basically saying it is possible to turn this device into basically any other kind of electric motor by changing where the electromagnets are used.
As described above, the magnetic rotation apparatus of the present invention can be used as a driving source in place of an electric motor, and as an electric generator.
A basic restatement of what an electric motor or generator is. Either a magnetic field is changed by electricity to cause motion, or motion causes a magnetic field to change and cause electricity to flow.
This guy has basically patented a standard electric electric motor, only it is implemented in what is probably a rather overcomplex and wasteful way.
No claims are made towards power consumption rather than vauge promises of efficiency. There are no power numbers, and the inventor is smart enough to not claim his motor can power a generator with over 100% efficiency.
The patent does not match his claims and may or may not be the same device described in the later article.
He has completely confused spinning with providing actual power. He seems to be stating that a levitating rotor spinning for a long period of time is the result of active energy expenditure by the magnets, rather than a result of Newton's law of Inertia. Any real power is a direct result of the current pulsing by the electromagnet.
My Evaluation: The device would with a modicum of effort be workable. Where it would be usable is questionable. His use of what amounts to a magnetic bearing as the housing promises to reduce friction, but then he goes and sticks in two physical gears.
He claims to escape the use by AC motors of electromagnets in the stator, while ignoring the fact that a whole class of motors already do this.
His use of a pulsed electromagnet is not new nor uncommon.
The only difference is what looks like a pointless complication where the stator (rotor b) is also a moving part, whereas standard motors avoid adding more motion than is necessary.
The ring of magnets is reduced to nother more than a fancy mounting, and resin gears produce a friction load within the device just for it to function, something I'm sure most motor designers can say with pride they have never done.
Verdict:
It's a DC motor or a generator core, just a dumb one.
Chalk this up to an overworked patent examiner not reading through this one carefully to see it brings absolutely nothing new or useful to the table.
edit: I'm going to have to take back this last sentence for now. While magnetic bearings have been around since at least 1948 and motors with electronic current switches have been around since the late 60s, it is possible that this patent filed in 1988 might have found a unique, if possibly pointless, combination of various technologies.
There have been uses of motors in magnetic bearing assemblies, but I haven't been able to determine when they appeared or whether or not they used an optical or electrical way of coordinating things.
edit edit: Scratch the magnetic bearing part, this thing has the elemements of one, but then winds up using normal bearings anyway. This is just an overcomplicated motor with moving stator(probably not a good idea) and optical control(not new).
The article is still BS. It's also a year old, so where exactly is the revolution?
also:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/motor.htm
