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An electromagnetic generator without moving parts includes a permanent magnet and a magnetic core including first and second magnetic paths. A first input coil and a first output coil extend around portions of the first magnetic path, while a second input coil and a second output coil extend around portions of the second magnetic path. The input coils are alternatively pulsed to provide induced current pulses in the output coils. Driving electrical current through each of the input coils reduces a level of flux from the permanent magnet within the magnet path around which the input coil extends. In an alternative embodiment of an electromagnetic generator, the magnetic core includes annular spaced-apart plates, with posts and permanent magnets extending in an alternating fashion between the plates. An output coil extends around each of these posts. Input coils extending around portions of the plates are pulsed to cause the induction of current within the output coils.

Inventors: Stephen L. Patrick, Thomas E. Bearden, James C. Hayes, Kenneth D. Moore, James L. Kenny
Primary Examiner: Matthew Nguyen
Attorney: Norman Friedland
Current U.S. Classification: 336/214; 977/776; 977/777; 977/838
International Classification: H01F/2724

View patent at USPTO
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Citations

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Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US7247337Dec 16, 2002Jul 24, 2007Agilent Technologies, Inc.Method and apparatus for microarray fabrication
US7602130May 23, 2002Oct 13, 2009Sunyen Co., Ltd.Apparatus for self-generating a driving force to rotate a shaft without external power after initial activation
US7656257Sep 26, 2005Feb 2, 2010Steorn LimitedLow energy magnetic actuator
US7667441Apr 25, 2007Feb 23, 2010Texas Instruments IncorporatedInductive element for a multi-phase interleaved power supply and apparatus and method using the same
US7905791Apr 11, 2008Mar 15, 2011Control device for a swing
US8106563Oct 20, 2009Jan 31, 2012Exro Technologies Inc.Polyphasic multi-coil electric device
US8212445Aug 20, 2009Jul 3, 2012Exro Technologies Inc.Polyphasic multi-coil electric device

Claims

1. An electromagnetic generator comprising:

a permanent magnet having magnetic poles at opposite ends;
a magnetic core including first and second magnetic paths between said opposite ends of said permanent magnet, wherein
said magnetic core comprises a closed loop,
said permanent magnet extends within said closed loop, and
said opposite ends of said permanent magnet are disposed adjacent opposite sides of said closed loop and against internal surfaces of said magnetic core comprising said closed loop;
a first input coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path,
a second input coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path,
a first output coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path for providing a first electrical output;
a second output coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path for providing a second electrical output; and
a switching circuit driving electrical current alternately through said first and second input coils, wherein
said electrical current driven through said first input coil causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said first magnetic path, and
said electrical current driven through said second input coil causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said second magnetic path.

2. An electromagnetic generator comprising:

a permanent magnet having magnetic poles at opposite ends;
a magnetic core including first and second magnetic paths between said opposite ends of said permanent magnet, wherein
said magnetic core comprises a closed loop,
said permanent magnet extends within said closed loop,
said opposite ends of said permanent magnet are disposed adjacent opposite sides of said closed loop, and
a first type of pole of said permanent magnet is disposed adjacent a first side of said closed loop;
a first input coil, disposed along said first side of said closed loop, extending around a portion of said first magnetic path,
a second input coil, disposed along said first side of said closed loop, extending around a portion of said second magnetic path,
a first output coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path for providing a first electrical output;
a second output coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path for providing a second electrical output; and
a switching circuit driving electrical current alternately through said first and second input coils, wherein
said electrical current driven through said first input coil causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said first magnetic path, and additionally causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field having said first type of pole at an end of said first input coil adjacent said permanent magnet, and
said electrical current driven through said second input coil causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said second magnetic path, and additionally causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field having said first type of pole at an end of said of said second input coil adjacent said permanent magnet.

3. An electromagnetic generator comprising:

a permanent magnet having magnetic poles at opposite ends;
a magnetic core including first and second magnetic paths between said opposite ends of said permanent magnet, wherein
said magnetic core comprises a closed loop,
said permanent magnet extends within said closed loop, and
said opposite ends of said permanent magnet are disposed adjacent opposite sides of said closed loop,
a first type of pole of said permanent magnet is disposed adjacent a first side of said closed loop, and
a second type of pole, opposite said first type of pole, of said permanent magnet is disposed adjacent a second side of said closed loop;
a first input coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path, wherein said first input coil is disposed along said first side of said closed loop;
a second input coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path wherein said second input coil is disposed along said second side of said closed loop;
a first output coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path for providing a first electrical output;
a second output coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path for providing a second electrical output; and
a switching circuit driving electrical current alternately through said first and second input coils, wherein
said electrical current driven through said first input coil causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said first magnetic path, and additionally causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field having said first type of pole at an end of said first input coil adjacent said permanent magnet, and
said electrical current driven through said second input coil causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said second magnetic path, and additionally causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field having said second type of pole at an end of said of said second input coil adjacent said permanent magnet.

4. An electromagnetic generator comprising:

a permanent magnet having magnetic poles at opposite ends;
a magnetic core including first and second magnetic paths between said opposite ends of said permanent magnet;
a first input coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path,
a second input coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path,
a first output coil extending around a portion of said first magnetic path for providing a first electrical output;
a second output coil extending around a portion of said second magnetic path for providing a second electrical output; and
a switching circuit driving electrical current alternately through said first and second input coils, wherein said electrical current driven through said first input coil causes said first input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said first magnetic path, and wherein said electrical current driven through said second input coil causes said second input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux from said permanent magnet within said second magnetic path, wherein a portion of electrical power induced in said first output coil provides power to drive said switching circuit.

5. The electromagnetic generator of claim 4, wherein said switching circuit is driven by an external power source during a starting process and by power induced in said first output coil during operation after said starting process.

6. The electromagnetic generator of claim 2, wherein said magnetic core is composed of a nanocrystalline magnetic alloy.

7. The electromagnetic generator of claim 6, wherein said nanocrystalline magnetic alloy is a cobalt-niobium-boron alloy.

8. The electromagnetic generator of claim 6, wherein said nanocrystalline magnetic alloy is an iron-based alloy.

9. The electromagnetic generator of claim 2, wherein said changes in flux density within said magnetic core occur without driving said magnetic core to magnetic saturation.

10. The electromagnetic generator of claim 2, wherein

said switching circuit drives said electrical current through said first input coil in response to a first train of pulses,
said switching circuit drives said electrical current through said second input coil in response to a second train of pulses, alternating with pulses within said first train of pulses, and
said pulses in said first and second trains of pulses are approximately 11.5 milliseconds in duration.

11. The electromagnetic generator of claim 2, wherein said permanent magnet is composed of a material including a rare earth element.

12. The electromagnetic generator of claim 11, wherein said permanent magnet is composed essentially of samarium cobalt.

13. The electromagnetic generator of claim 11, wherein said permanent magnet is composed essentially of iron, neodymium, and boron.

14. An electromagnetic generator comprising:

a magnetic core including a pair of spaced-apart plates, wherein each of said spaced-apart plates includes a central aperture, and first and second pluralities of posts extending between said spaced-apart plates;
a plurality of permanent magnets extending individually between said pair of spaced-apart plates and between adjacent posts within said plurality of posts, wherein each permanent magnet within said plurality of permanent magnets has magnetic poles at opposite ends, wherein all magnets within said plurality of magnets are oriented to produce magnetic fields having a common direction;
first and second pluralities of input coils, wherein each input coil within said first and second pluralities of input coils extends around a portion of a plate within said spaced-apart plates between a post in said plurality of posts and a permanent magnet in said plurality of permanent magnets;
an output coil extending around each post in said first and second pluralities of posts for providing an electrical output;
a switching circuit driving electrical current alternatively through said first and second pluralities of input coils, wherein said electrical current driven through each input coil in said first plurality of input coils causes an increase in magnetic flux within each post within said first plurality of posts from permanent magnets on each side of said post and a decrease in magnetic flux within each post within said second plurality of posts from permanent magnets on each side of said post, and wherein said electrical current driven through input coil in said second plurality of input coils causes a decrease in magnetic flux within each post within said first plurality of posts from permanent magnets on each side of said post and an increase in magnetic flux within each post within said second plurality of posts from permanent magnets on each side of said post.

15. The electromagnetic generator of claim 14, wherein

each input coil extends around a portion of a magnetic path through said magnetic core between said opposite ends a permanent magnet adjacent said input coil,
said magnetic path extends through a post within said magnetic core adjacent said input coil, and
driving electrical current through said input coil causes said input coil to produce a magnetic field opposing a concentration of magnetic flux within said magnetic path.

16. The electromagnetic generator of claim 14, wherein said switching circuit is driven by an external power source during a starting process and by power induced in said output coils during operation after said starting process.

17. The electromagnetic generator of claim 14, wherein said magnetic core is composed of a nanocrystalline magnetic alloy.

18. The electromagnetic generator of claim 2, wherein a portion of electrical power induced in said first output coil provides power to drive said switching circuit.

19. The electromagnetic generator of claim 18, wherein said switching circuit is driven by an external power source during a starting process and by power induced in said first output coil during operation after said starting process.

20. The electromagnetic generator of claim 3, wherein a portion of electrical power induced in said first output coil provides power to drive said switching circuit.

21. The electromagnetic generator of claim 20, wherein said switching circuit is driven by an external power source during a starting process and by power induced in said first output coil during operation after said starting process.

22. The electromagnetic generator of claim 3, wherein said magnetic core is composed of a nanocrystalline magnetic alloy.

23. The electromagnetic generator of claim 22, wherein said nanocrystalline magnetic alloy is a cobalt-niobium-boron alloy.

24. The electromagnetic generator of claim 22, wherein said nanocrystalline magnetic alloy is an iron-based alloy.

25. The electromagnetic generator of claim 3, wherein said changes in flux density within said magnetic core occur without driving said magnetic core to magnetic saturation.

26. The electromagnetic generator of claim 3, wherein

said switching circuit drives said electrical current through said first input coil in response to a first train of pulses,
said switching circuit drives said electrical current through said second input coil in response to a second train of pulses, alternating with pulses within said first train of pulses, and
said pulses in said first and second trains of pulses are approximately 11.5 milliseconds in duration.

27. The electromagnetic generator of claim 3, wherein said permanent magnet is composed of a material including a rare earth element.

28. The electromagnetic generator of claim 27, wherein said permanent magnet is composed essentially of samarium cobalt.

29. The electromagnetic generator of claim 27, wherein said permanent magnet is composed essentially of iron, neodymium, and boron.

Drawings