Spherical Rotor: A New Vision for Electrical Machines

[Clausius2]

When I took my courses on electrical machines, it always said about cylindrical rotors surrounded by cylindrical stators. Well, I have been thinking about situating the statoric electrical poles conveniently over an sphere surface.

One technological application of this would be the next. Imagine I substitute the entire thermal engine, transmission shafts, and the four tyre wheels of a car, by "four spherical tyre wheels", magnetically well designed, such the statoric poles that cover them fixed in a statoric spherical structure could rotate the rotors in any direction. The stator couldn't be complete spherical, but it would have a part cut in order to allow a road-rotor contact.

Can you see my vision?. Shafs, engines, pinions, pistons, air pipes, inyection systems, all of this heavy inertial masses could be depleted and substituted by two electrical engines, their batteries, converter, electronical conmutators.

Ok, guys, try to break up my proyect, If you can.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Ok, guys, try to break up my proyect, If you can.

I think you'd have suspension problems. Also, the "tyres" would get beat up pretty quickly. Otherwise, it's a pretty interesting idea.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Also: you'd have big time traction problems with metalic spheres.

 

[Clausius2]

In order to avoid vibrations caused by grounds irregularities, the whole structure of the car would be levitating over the spheres. It is not a cock and bull story, because both parts would be magnetized.

You have reason with metallic spheres. What we need is somebody that invent some elastic material with enough permeability to magnetic field.

 

[zoobyshoe]

In order to avoid vibrations caused by grounds irregularities, the whole structure of the car would be levitating over the spheres.

This is what I assumed you'd planned. However, magnetic fields are very springy. Your chassis would be bouncing up and down like crazy, and you would have no way to dampen the bouncing because if you attach a shock absorber to the spheres, they won't be able to turn in any direction anymore.

 

[NormanGH]

Have seen Audi's RSQ concept car. I think we are about to see this drive system for real in the near future. See my patent GB 3371033 B at the UK Patent office. Filling in some detail: the spheres could be pressurized, made of rubber/nylon with inbedded steel cables for the magnets to act on. They spheres only need to be perfect in the controlling arch, the remainder of the sphere can deform to the road iregulararities.

 

[zoobyshoe]

...the spheres could be pressurized, made of rubber/nylon with inbedded steel cables for the magnets to act on.

This is a better idea than solid steel spheres, to be certain. It takes care of the traction problem. However there is still the damping problem.

Also the amount of current it would take to generate a magnetic field strong enough to levitate a car and passengers is quite high, and probably prohibitive.

 

[NormanGH]

In my vision, the sphere is like the track from a conventional maglev train but turned around on itself and joined to form a circle and thus a sphere. A bit like a caterpillar tracked vehicle it takes it railway line with it. Also imagine a 2 sphere vehicle, with a low centre of gravity it would be naturally stable and a comfortable ride when banking at speed. Have you seen the RSQ?

 

[Clausius2]

I have heard about RSQ, but I only knew about spherical tyres. The idea of employing it like electrical rotors came after that.

 

[DavidPnut]

I'm new here, but I know a lot about physics and some about robotics, and I learn extremely fast. Anyway:

...See my patent GB 3371033 B at the UK Patent office...

The UK Patent office, and the European patent office do not seem to have any information on your patent, though i am extremely interested in how your design works. I need some more details on how your thing works for a possible project I may be doing working on a robot to run in the DARPA Grand Challenge, which would be maglev type sphere that you guys are talking about, exept it would be run from the inside. Please send me some info on the patent.

 

[don rigby]

draw us a explanitory picture! i think i am on board just because you are thinking beyond what already exists (good for you!). in other words, *** i don't understand.

 

[NormanGH]

oops. Let's try again GB 2371003 A at the UK Patent Office

 

[Clausius2]

oops. Let's try again GB 2371003 A at the UK Patent Office

Is it patented yet? Sorry but I don't usually spend the whole day at the UK Patent Office reading new invents. I have another things to do.

 

[NormanGH]

Yes, I'll send to you directly the patent and thanks to Audi a picture.

 

[NormanGH]

Taking the idea forward have we discussed yet a 2 inline sphere version? Given a low centre of gravity for the body of the vehicle it would be naturally stable. When banking at speed the angle of tilt could now be electronically controlled or managed.