ELECTRIC DRIVE MOTOR WITH AEROSPACE CAPABILITY

Abstract

The aerospace-grade electric thruster is a 100% electric thruster that can be easily installed on a satellite or spacecraft to provide thrust or steering. Installation simply requires attaching the thruster securely to the structure to be propelled and connecting it to a power source. This thruster has a thrust that can be precisely controlled electronically. This design offers significant advantages over ion thrusters and chemical-type reaction thrusters because it uses no fuel or propellants; it requires only electrical power for operation.

Description

ELECTRIC DRIVE MOTOR WITH AEROSPACE CAPABILITY FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention is developed in the field of electronic engineering, physical engineering and aerospace engineering since it involves the design of high-power electronic circuits, handling of magnetic fields and electronic properties of matter. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Among the current attempts to design and perfect propulsion engines for satellites and spacecraft that are as independent as possible from the so-called rocket equation, various technologies have been developed within what are called ion engines. These are propulsion engines for aerospace use that incorporate acceleration methods using electric fields, but this type of engine or propellant has not been able to escape the use of gases called propellants that provide the matter that, through an ionization process, is accelerated in a certain direction to obtain a thrust reaction in the opposite direction.However, these types of engines have, among other drawbacks, the disadvantage that they stop working when the propellant is exhausted. That is why technological development efforts in this regard are seeking a solution for aerospace propulsion engines in 100% electric configurations whose operation is not limited by the efficiency of the chemical combustion reactions or by the use of propellants. The motor that is the subject of this invention features an impeller design that requires only electrical power to operate. In previous years, we began working with a concept we called electromagnetic field decoupling, a principle that formed the basis of our first patent application, patent MX / a / 2016 / 012856, entitled “Ultra-High Frequency Electromagnetic Motor” PCT / MX2017 / 000105, already granted in the United States of America, US11,358,741 B2; Japan, Japanese Patent No. 7067719; Mexico, patent title 397360; and South Africa, patent certificate No. 2019 / 02419. It has also been granted in Russia and Israel. Subsequently, due to the complexity of the electronics required for QQQQnn / eznz / e / Yi To operate this first design, we developed a second technology that also uses field uprooting but can be implemented using less sophisticated electronics. This new design is covered by the patent application called “Planar Electric Motor for Aerospace Use” with PCT number PCT / IB2021 / 058033 and patent registration application in various countries. The true importance of a 100% electric aerospace propulsion system lies primarily in the fact that it is not subject to the limitations imposed by the so-called Tsiolkovsky rocket equation. This concept states that in a jet engine, thrust in the required direction is obtained by expelling matter in the opposite direction, leading one to think that to obtain higher speeds it will be necessary to expel a greater amount of matter in the opposite direction. However, since this matter that is to be expelled is initially part of the total mass of the spacecraft or satellite, there comes a point where, no matter how much fuel is introduced into the spacecraft's engines, the result will be a decrease in thrust efficiency until it is no longer possible to increase the spacecraft's speed, no matter how much fuel is loaded onto it.Ion engines attempt to alleviate this situation somewhat by increasing not the amount of mass expelled, but its velocity. They use a mass, generally gaseous, which is ionized and accelerated by electric fields. The thrust achieved in these engines is usually in the fractional newton range, but because they can operate for extended periods, they can achieve much higher speeds than chemical engines. Our design, by using only electrical energy, not only avoids the limitations of chemical reaction engines, but also the fundamental limitation of ion engines: dependence on a propellant supply. One last precedent we can cite is the EmDrive WO2016162676A1 motor by Dr. Roger Shawyer, an RF resonant cavity thruster. This last device has shown intermittent thrust since its operating principle has not yet been fully understood. It consists of a resonant cavity in which radio frequency signals are generated, which under certain conditions can generate a small pulse from within. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As mentioned in the background, this development is based on a technology for which we have already filed several patent applications and on which we have been experimenting in order to obtain the greatest possible efficiency; as a result,We have discovered that by introducing certain variations to the original design, we improve not only the overall thrust but also the durability and versatility of these thrusters for aerospace use, while new applications have emerged. The basic operating principle of these thrusters is based on the equations that define the generation of attractive and repulsive forces between two parallel conductors. One of these conductors consists of a longitudinal section of metal, generally copper, while the second conductor is a virtual conductor, as it is constituted by a high-voltage discharge gap. This second conductor does not have a physical material structure or conductor; rather, the high-voltage discharge travels momentarily through a gap or space between two electrodes placed at a fixed distance.fulfilling the functions that a solid conductor could originally fulfill, but since this virtual conductor is powered by high-voltage pulses, there will be moments when the electrons traveling through this gap will generate a force field that will interact with the force field generated by the solid conductor in such a way that during the brief instant that conduction through the virtual conductor lasts, due to the brief duration of the pulses that generate this interaction, the field associated with it will be uprooted or physically detached from the other elements that constitute the driving motor, generating a brief pulse that, when repeated many times per second,This will result in a total impulse of considerable magnitude. The main novel elements incorporated in this application, compared to the original design, are geometric in nature, in addition to substantial changes in the electronic circuits required for the operation of the drive motor. We are also introducing new solutions for the design of the insulation surfaces required for the device's operation, using composite materials and new applications. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows the aerospace-capable electric drive motor placed inside a volume representing a satellite or spacecraft. Figure 2 shows the forces generated between two parallel conductors. Figure 3 shows the internal composition of the impulse motor in two versions: 2D and 3D. Figure 4 shows the geometry of the insulating plate with the actual conductor placed in its lower central part and the floating current discharge at the top. Figure 5 shows the block diagram of the impulse motor and its connections to the current pulse discharge structures. Figure 6 shows a simplified electronic circuit for the operation of the aerospace-capable electric drive motor, showing the independent high and low voltage circuits. Figure 7 illustrates the explanation of the mechanism by which the electric drive motor generates the forces and impulse. QQQQnn / eznz / e / Yi DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The aerospace-capable electric propulsion motor is a device powered exclusively by electricity to propel and position satellites and spacecraft in outer space without the use of propellants or chemical reactions. Therefore, it is not subject to the limitations imposed by the basic aerospace industry equation known as the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation. Our development uses only electrical power to generate magnetic field pulses, which in turn produce directional pulses. While these pulses are of very small magnitude, their application over long periods can achieve high speeds in satellites and spacecraft. This patent application complements and introduces new concepts that help improve the performance of these propulsion motors. As explained in the background section,We have been developing this type of motor for several years, always based on what we call the interaction of detached or unlinked force fields. We have obtained patent registrations for the first designs in the USA, Japan, Russia, etc. However, this first design requires the use of very sophisticated electronics that operate in the range of tens of gigahertz. That is why we have also been developing and registering patent applications for another completely electric motor that uses the interaction of detached magnetic fields but requires simpler electronics and can operate in the range of tens of megahertz. In this patent application, we are adding a series of new features that, during the experimentation we have been carrying out, have shown that they provide the original design with a set of advantages that are reflected in greater impulse, greater flexibility in applications,lower cost and more efficient and versatile electronics. This motor is primarily characterized by its ease of installation and operation, as can be seen in Figure 1. The propulsion motor (8) can be easily placed inside any satellite or spacecraft (10) to generate a thrust (12) when necessary. To install the motor in these aerospace devices, it is only necessary to firmly attach the propulsion motor (8) to the structure of the satellite or spacecraft (10) and provide it with electrical power from a power supply (11). This attachment is carried out QQQQnn / eznz / e / Yi is easily installed because the insulating plate that forms the core of this thruster can be attached to a protective enclosure equipped with fastening elements, either by means of a cover with fasteners or an enclosure designed for this purpose. By placing just three thrusters on a satellite, it is possible to provide it with complete control on the three directional axes. Although these thrusters generate thrust forces of a few tens of millinewtons, they can reach high speeds because they can operate continuously for long periods of time, unlike chemical thrusters or jet engines, which generate large thrust forces but only for a few seconds. The aerospace-capable electric drive motor is based on the equation that defines the forces of attraction or repulsion generated when two electrical conductors are placed parallel to each other over a certain distance. This equation constitutes one of the theoretical pillars of electronics and electrical physics, as it is used to define the concept of the ampere, which is the unit of electric current. This equation is established as follows: IVIA / a / ¿U¿ó / UUODOO μο Ii 12 π r Where μο is the magnetic permeability in vacuum, ehe Í2 are the currents flowing through each of the conductors, r is the distance between the conductors and L is the distance of the parallel path followed by both conductors. As can be seen in Figure 2, the force of attraction or repulsion between the two conductors will be greater the greater the current flow through the conductors (h, 12). Likewise, the force between the two conductors will be greater the smaller the separation between them (r). Another factor that directly influences the magnitude of the force is the length of the parallel path of the currents (L). The greater this distance, the greater the force generated between the conductors. In section (x) of Figure 2, the interaction between two solid conductors, each carrying its own current (h, 12), is illustrated. In our application, one of these conductors, as can be seen in section (y) of Figure 2, is replaced by a space of length L parallel to the other conductor, this space will act as a solid conductor like the one shown in section (x), but in reality we will be dealing with a floating current parallel to the conventional conductor when a high voltage pulse is applied between the electrodes (2) that allows overcoming the opposition of the dielectric space between both electrodes, now generating a current 11 which, due to the brevity of the duration of the voltage pulse, will flow through the space that separates both electrodes (2), leaving for an instant this current detached from the rest of the elements that we will later see constitute the driving motor, this current h will henceforth be called floating current (1) and the current 12, which is the current of the solid conductor, which we will henceforth call internal conductor (4) will be called internal current (9).During each floating current pulse (1), a small force of short duration is generated which in turn produces a small impulse (force per time interval) which in turn translates into a partial impulse that is repeated many times per second, so that the total impulse will be equivalent to the force generated between the conductors in each pulse multiplied by the duration of the interaction time between both currents in each pulse and in turn multiplied by the number of pulses that occur in each second. Because our design requires the use of floating currents derived from high-voltage pulses, it is necessary to use a dielectric material between the two parallel conductors, the physical conductor or material that we call the internal conductor (4) and the floating current (1). Unlike the initial designs, we are incorporating the use of compound dielectrics or insulators (3). In Figure 3, it can be seen that the insulating material (3) is placed between both currents, the floating current (1) and the internal current (9), which flows through the internal conductor (4). As can be seen in section (c) of Figure 3, the internal current (9) is shown flowing in two possible directions, each of which, when interacting with the floating current (1), produces between both currents a force of attraction or repulsion depending on the specific requirements of each application.The insulating material (3) must fulfill two functions: firstly, it must be a good electrical insulator, but it must also withstand high temperatures, since the floating current (1) can radiate a lot of heat. In fact, in the first experimental models that were tested, the dielectric material consisted of glass plates which melted after a few minutes of operation. This is why in this patent application we want to register the use of composite materials. The first one marked in Figure 3 with the letter (a) is an insulating plate that combines high-temperature ceramic such as barium titanate or aluminum oxide with a polymer with a high electrical insulation coefficient such as Kapton. An option (b) for the insulator (3) is a composition of mica with a polyamide polymer.In version (a), the ceramic provides high heat resistance, while Kapton provides high electrical insulation. Their combination results in a functional insulator with minimal thickness, since, as can be seen in the fundamental equation of this technology, the closer the two electric currents can operate, the greater the force generated. In version (b) of insulator (3), the use of mica allows for variations in the geometry of the current paths because mica is flexible and provides not only high temperature resistance but also high insulating capacity at high voltages. The polymer, bonded to the mica, provides flexibility and even higher levels of dielectric strength. This new type of insulator (3) allows for new geometries for the drive motor, which previously could only have a flat geometry, as shown in section (c) of Figure 3.With composite and flexible insulators, three-dimensional convex geometries can be used, such as the one shown in section (d) of Figure 3. With this type of geometry, more thrust is obtained, since not only is there the force generated (5) by the interaction of the floating current (1) and the internal current (9), but an additional force is also obtained derived from the momentum exchanges of the electrons that flow between both electrodes (2), sliding against the insulator (3) along their path but now with modifications in the path due to this new geometry, which generates an additional force (6) by momentum exchange. In Figure 4, the flow of the floating current (1) on the insulating surface (3) can be seen more clearly. This current starts from an electrode (2) towards a second electrode (2) placed at the other end of the insulating surface (3). The internal conductor (4) is placed at the bottom of the insulating surface (3) in such a way that the internal current (9) flowing through the internal conductor (4) travels as parallel and close as possible to the floating current (1). Unlike the planar motor design in our previous patent application, now both currents, the internal current (9) and the floating current (1), have independent but synchronized electronic power circuits. Figure 5 shows the complete assembly of the aerospace-capable electric drive motor where an electronic unit (7) manages two circuits that control the current flow through the internal conductor (4) and the discharge gap between the electrodes (2), respectively. The latter requires high-voltage circuits, while the circuits associated with the generation and control of the internal current (9) flowing through the internal conductor (4) are low-voltage but high-current circuits. The primary discharge electronic circuit (13) provides the necessary current pulses to the internal conductor (4).The primary discharge electronic circuit (13) is responsible for generating the internal current pulses (9). These must be generated in synchronization with the generation of the floating current pulses (1), which require a high voltage between the electrodes (2). For this purpose, a voltage amplifier (16) and a secondary discharge electronic circuit (17) are synchronized by the synchronizer (14) with the primary discharge electronic circuit (13). All actions of high voltage generation, low voltage pulse emission, and synchronization between all pulses are controlled by a central control (15) through the synchronizer circuit (14). Both circuits, the high voltage and the low voltage circuit,They share a common ground (18), otherwise synchronization would have to be done by optical coupling since magnetic couplings would be too slow in this application. The electronic unit (7) is a block closely linked to the geometric structures of discharge and insulation, since it is necessary to minimize the current flow paths, avoiding excessive inductance in the discharge paths. Figure 6 illustrates a simplified circuit for generating the synchronized current pulses necessary for the operation of the drive motor. In this figure, a dual circuit with two power supplies is shown: one (AV) high voltage and one (V) low voltage. The magnitude of the voltage (V) generally fluctuates between 20 and 50 volts, while the high voltage supply can reach as high as 60,000 volts. The high voltage (AV) is connected to a discharge capacitor (24) through the resistor of IVIA / a / ¿U¿ó / UUODOO load (26) and the inductor (25), the discharge capacitor (24) is rapidly charged to several thousand volts until the moment when the gap between the electrodes (2) gives way and a violent discharge of the discharge capacitor (24) begins through the space separating the electrodes (2), generating the floating current pulse (1), whereby the voltage across the electrodes (2) decreases rapidly until conduction between them ceases. During this discharge process, the inductor (25), due to its high inertia, prevents the flow of charge through the resistor (26), facilitating the generation of an extremely strong but very short-lived floating current pulse (1). Once the floating current pulse (1) is suspended, a recharging process of the discharge capacitor (24) takes place, and this is repeated hundreds of thousands of times per second, generating a train of floating current pulses (19).In order to generate a pulse with these discharges of the floating current (1), it is necessary to generate in the internal conductor (4) the corresponding and synchronized internal current (9) which is also a pulsed current. One way to achieve this is by including a reference resistor (22) which is a fractional ohm resistor, such that when the floating current (1) flows through this reference resistor (22), now traveling through a solid conductor and being a current of several hundred amperes in magnitude when circulating through the reference resistor (22), it generates a pulse through it which is connected by means of the resistor (21) to the base of an NPN transistor (20) whose emitter is connected to ground and its collector to one end of the internal conductor (4) while the other end of the internal conductor (4) is connected to a capacitor bank (23).All of this generates a strong internal current (9) in sync with the floating current (1). This circuit shows the basic synchronization structure, but various types of transistors can be used that have the capacity and speed necessary to achieve the most intense force pulses between both currents, the floating and the internal one. At the same time, a series of elements can be added to this basic circuit to accelerate the energy transfer between the capacitor bank (23) and the internal conductor (4). The fact of supplying this driving motor with two separate power supplies, one low voltage and one high voltage, allows optimizing the generation of pulses in time and form to obtain the greatest amount of thrust with a minimum of supply energy. IVIA / a / ¿U¿ó / UUODOO This solution differs greatly from the original power supply method using a single high-voltage power supply in which the floating current (1) and the internal current (9) were the same, simply diverted appropriately. The new solution proposed in this patent application, with multiple sources, also allows for optimization in the geometry and structure of these impulse motors. Figure 7 shows the mechanism by which the impulse is generated in the main mode in which this driving motor operates. In section (e) of Figure 7, an insulating plate (3) is shown, on one side of which is attached the internal conductor (4) through which the pulsed internal current (9) flows, while between the electrodes (2) a high voltage pulse has caused the dielectric between both electrodes (2) to break and the floating current (1) to be generated. If the magnitudes of the high voltage and the separation between the electrodes (2) are calculated appropriately, it is achieved that at a certain moment, as shown in section (f) of Figure 7, the floating current (1) becomes disconnected from the electrodes (2) and the rest of the driving motor;By choosing the direction of the internal current (9) appropriately with respect to the floating current (1), an attractive force will be produced between them and as can be seen in section (g) of Figure 7, since the floating current (1) is basically in space, the forces between both currents (1 and 9) will generate a resultant force that gives rise to the impulse (12). This impulse, which is equivalent to the force between the currents multiplied by the time that the interaction between both currents lasts (an internal circuit synchronizes and ensures that both current pulses occur at the same instant), gives us a micro impulse which, when multiplied by the number of times this operation is performed per second, gives us the total final impulse. In summary, the innovations we are adding to the first version of the planar motor are the use of composite insulators, the use of alternative geometries that generate more thrust by moving from a 2D to a 3D structure, the use of independent but synchronized electronic circuits for powering and generating current pulses that allow for greater thrust and more compact arrangements. Finally, all these improvements open up a new panorama of applications where this type of propulsion motor could not only be efficiently used in aerospace systems but also 11 IVIA / a / ¿U¿ó / UUODOO could also be successfully employed in general applications, among others, the design of floating utility platforms, high-altitude balloon-based telecommunication systems which can be positioned and controlled with small 100% electric thrusters that can work constantly and indefinitely powered by solar energy and batteries. The aerospace-grade electric drive motor, being 100% electric, has the ability to control its impulse with great precision through electronic systems and does not require the use of electromechanical devices, servo valves or mechanical actuators.

Claims

1. An aerospace-grade electric drive motor characterized in that it comprises a plate of electrically and thermally insulating material consisting of an arrangement composed of superimposed layers of ceramic material, polymers, and mica, on the upper surface of which said plate has two electrodes separated by a fixed distance forming a dielectric gap, the imaginary line joining both electrodes on the insulating surface being the discharge line of high-voltage pulses applied to said electrodes to generate floating current pulses that travel between both electrodes on the insulating plate once the voltage applied between the electrodes overcomes the opposition of the dielectric gap between them, on the opposite face of the insulating plate and positioned parallel to the discharge line of the floating current,A conductor is attached to the lower surface of the insulating plate. Current pulses are generated through this conductor, occurring in synchrony with the floating current pulses produced by discharges between the electrodes. The system is also characterized by two independent but synchronized electronic circuits that generate two simultaneous, parallel current pulses. The insulating plate is attached to a structure equipped with the necessary elements for mounting it to the vehicle to be propelled, either by means of a cover with fastening elements or a cabinet designed for this purpose.

2. The aerospace-grade electric drive motor according to claim 1, characterized in that the two electronic circuits responsible for generating the two parallel and simultaneous current pulses are independent but synchronized, the first being a high-voltage pulse generator device comprising a high-voltage source which, through a resistor and an inductor, charges a capacitor connected at its ends to both electrodes placed on the insulating plate in such a way that when the capacitor reaches a voltage that allows breaking the dielectric opposition between both electrodes,A discharge process begins through the space between the two electrodes by means of a discharge current that travels through the space between the two electrodes, and this charging and discharging process is repeated many times per second, generating a train of floating current pulses between the electrodes. This current is close to and parallel with a second current generated through the conductor installed on the back of the insulating plate, a current generated by a low-voltage circuit in a pulsed manner and synchronized with the current generated between the electrodes.

3. The aerospace-grade electric drive motor according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the high-voltage power supply is connected to a capacitor at one end through a resistor and an inductor and in turn to one of the electrodes placed on the surface of the insulating plate, while the other terminal of the capacitor is connected directly to the other electrode and in turn this terminal is connected to ground through a reference resistor such that the voltage generated through this reference resistor during the capacitor discharge process activates a transistor which in turn, based on this signal, discharges the voltage stored in a capacitor bank through the internal conductor, synchronizing both currents.The current flowing through the internal conductor on one side of the insulating plate and the floating current generated parallel to the internal current but on the other side of the insulator between the electrodes allow the generation of two pulse trains, one floating and the other through the internal conductor, both parallel, simultaneous, and synchronized.

4. The aerospace-capable electric drive motor according to claim 1, wherein the insulating plate is characterized in that it is not limited to a continuous plane in two dimensions, but together with the internal conductor presents a virtual discharge path for the floating current by means of a convex geometry configuration.

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