Counter-Rotating Motor Assembly With Hollow-Shaft Slip Ring Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medium to large counter-rotating differential electric motor assemblies face challenges in efficiently powering horizontal flight and vertical take-off and landing aircraft due to increased mass and vibration issues, which lead to harmful resonances and reduced thrust, especially when trying to position the slip ring assembly close to the mounting base without interfering with propeller rotation.
Innovation Solution
A counter-rotating differential electric motor assembly design featuring a central hollow shaft with oppositely rotating members, where the slip ring assembly is positioned either above or within the rotational members, allowing for closer proximity to the mounting base and reducing vibrations, utilizing sintered/porous disks for efficient electricity transfer and minimizing rotational harmonics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the slip ring assembly is positioned between the rotational members and mounting base as in traditional designs, then electricity can be conveyed to the electromagnetic means, but the rotational members must be positioned at a distance from the mounting base, causing harmful resonances and vibrations in medium to large CR motors
Solution Approach 1:
The slip ring assembly is repositioned from a vertical arrangement (between rotational members and mounting base) to a horizontal arrangement (around the central hollow shaft). This dimensional change allows the rotational members to be positioned close to the mounting base without interfering with the slip ring assembly, thereby reducing harmful resonances while maintaining electrical connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The slip ring assembly is positioned around the central hollow shaft, with the hollow shaft passing through the center of the slip ring assembly. This nested configuration allows the slip ring assembly to be integrated into the motor structure without occupying additional space that would prevent the rotational members from being positioned close to the mounting base.
2Loss of energy
If the central shaft is made solid to accommodate the slip ring assembly, then electricity can be conveyed, but the slip ring assembly must be positioned away from the rotational members, increasing the distance from the mounting base and creating vibration issues
Solution Approach 1:
The central hollow shaft serves as a structural core around which the slip ring assembly is positioned. The hollow configuration allows the shaft to maintain structural integrity while accommodating the slip ring assembly in the annular space, enabling the rotational members to be positioned close to the mounting base without requiring a solid shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor is divided into distinct functional components: the central hollow shaft for structural support, the slip ring assembly for electrical connectivity, and the rotational members for mechanical rotation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the hollow shaft providing structural strength while accommodating the slip ring assembly without interfering with the rotational members' positioning.
3Reliability
If the slip ring assembly is repositioned around the central hollow shaft, then the rotational members can be positioned close to the mounting base reducing vibrations, but the electrical wire routing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical wires are routed through the central hollow shaft, which acts as a protective conduit. The hollow shaft provides a dedicated pathway for the wires to reach the slip ring assembly, simplifying the routing process and protecting the wires from mechanical damage while allowing the slip ring assembly to be positioned around the shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The central hollow shaft serves as an intermediary structure that facilitates the connection between the external electrical source and the slip ring assembly. By providing a dedicated routing path through the shaft, the system simplifies wire management and protects the electrical connections while enabling the slip ring assembly to be positioned in the optimal location for vibration reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the motor's efficiency by reducing energy waste, increasing thrust, and extending battery life by minimizing vibrations and heat production, while maintaining the same space allocation as traditional motors, with synergistic differential coupling between the rotating members.
Implementation Method 1
electromagnetic means to power the rotation associated with the first and second rotational members
Implementation Method 2
utilizing sintered/porous disks for efficient electricity transfer
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
An improved counter-rotating (CR) differential electric motor assembly is utilized to power an aircraft vehicle or fan for moving a gas and includes two oppositely rotating propellers that may be mounted to horizontal flight and vertical lift-off aircraft or a fan housing in spaces similar in size to mounting spaces for traditional motors having only one propeller and includes a hollow central shaft and slip ring assembly that is mounted either within, slight above, or total above oppositely rotating components and around the hollow central shaft.