GB2574278A

GB2574278A - Connect/disconnect system

Info

Publication number: GB2574278A
Application number: GB1811942.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Galea Michael; Giangrande Paolo; Gerada Christopher; Zhang He
Original assignee: University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Current assignee: University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Priority date: 2018-05-30
Filing date: 2018-07-23
Publication date: 2019-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-23
Also published as: GB201811942D0; GB2574278B; CN108599526A; CN108599526B

Abstract

A clutch system comprising four permanent magnets and a coil, which could be used in a turbine-generator arrangement. The coil, which can be turned on/off by an electronic switch, may be a linear actuator, and have a power supply, such as a battery or a capacitor, that supplies direct current pulses. When the input and output shafts are engaged, the coil is in a de-energised state, and a mover is latched near the output shaft by a magnetic force between first and second magnets. The mover and part of the output shaft may be coupled magnetically. To disengage the shafts, the coil is switched on, thus creating a magnetic force between the coil and the third magnet that pulls the mover towards a stator. The coil is then turned off when the mover reaches the stator, and a latching force between the mover and the fourth magnet holds the mover in position.

Description

CONNECT/DISCONNECT SYSTEM

Background of the Invention

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a transmission field, and more particularly to a connect/disconnect system.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The mechanical connect/disconnect system in the prior art has poor adaptability and reliability, and needs to be adaptively designed based on power and torque between two sides to which they are connected to, which results in low operational system efficiency and affects user experiences.

Hence, how to design a highly robust and reliable mechanical connect/disconnect system has become an important topic for the person skilled in the art.

Summary of the Invention

It is one objective of the present invention to provide a connect/disconnect system, so as to overcome at least one existing technical problem in the prior art.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connect/disconnect system is provided. The connect/disconnect system includes a first permanent magnet, a second permanent magnet, a third permanent magnet, a fourth permanent magnet, and a coil. The first permanent magnet is disposed on a hub of an output shaft near a generator side, the second permanent magnet is disposed at one end of a mover near the generator side, the third permanent magnet is disposed on one end of the mover located in the input shaft near a stator, and the fourth permanent magnet is disposed on the stator near a turbine side. The coil is disposed on one side of the stator, wherein when the input shaft and the output shaft are in an engaged state, the coil is not energized, and the mover is maintained in a location near the output shaft under an effect of a first magnetic force of a hub magnetic latching mechanism formed by the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft spin together. When a dis-engagement is required, the coil is energized, and the mover is moved toward the stator under a combined effect of a magnetic field produced by the coil and a magnetic field produced by the third permanent magnet. When the mover reaches the stator, the coil is not energized again, and the mover is maintained in one side of the stator under an effect of a second magnetic force of a stator magnetic latching mechanism formed by the mover and the fourth permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft are in a disengaged state.

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In one example, the coil is a linear actuator coil.

In one example, the coil is supplied by direct current (DC) pulses.

In one example, a power supply of the coil is a battery.

In one example, a power supply of the coil is a capacitor.

In one example, the coil is turned on and off by an electronic switch.

The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

This novel, highly robust and reliable mechanical connect/disconnect system is an easyto-fit, one-body solution to the age-old question of safe coupling/decoupling between two or more bodies. It can quickly and effectively decouple rotating or stationary bodies. The movement required for the connect/disconnect action is contained within the proposed technology itself, such that any pre-existing hardware does not need to be modified. This type of technology is highly sought in mobile applications, such as aerospace/automotive, where various systems are required to have fail-safe disconnect systems that guarantee the vehicle safety in case of a fault in any of the components.

The most significant advantages related to this technology are:

1) a super-simple and elegant system that only requires a few components with most of them being passive components. The bill of materials (BoM) from a mechanical perspective is limited to two bearings, four stacks of permanent magnets and a coil. Very limited control/electrical components are required. It only needs a short pulse of DC current when a dis-engagement is required. This can be achieved by a small battery or an adequate capacitor, controlled by a simple electronic switch.

2) The connect/disconnect system has a normal operational system efficiency of virtually 100% as there is no electrical nor mechanical transmission of power at any point in time during normal operation.

3) The connect/disconnect system is a fully auto-synchronizing system that is completely independent of the system speed. It does not require any external synchronization calculations and/or synchronization systems.

4) The connect/disconnect system has very high torque transmission capability as the magnetic coupling will “enjoy” considerable transmission amplification such as for a traditional “mechanical” gear-box.

5) Any liner movement is contained within the proposed connect/disconnect system, and this removes the need for any linear, axial movements on the generator and/or turbine shafts.

6) In case of any other faults within the connect/disconnect system, it produces a natural safety slip torque.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a disconnect system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a connect/disconnect system in an engaged state according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a connect/disconnect system in a dis-engaged state according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a coupling mechanism of a connect/disconnect system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Certain terms are used throughout the following descriptions and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not differ in functionality. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “include”, “including”, “comprise”, and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to ...” The terms “couple” and “coupled” are intended to mean either an indirect or a direct electrical connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.

The figures are only illustrations of an example, wherein the units or procedure shown in the figures are not necessarily essential for implementing the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the units in the device in the example can be arranged in the device in the examples as described, or can be alternatively located in one or more devices different from that in the examples. The units in the examples described can be combined into one module or further divided into a plurality of sub-units.

The proposed technology provides a highly adaptable and reliable mechanical connect/disconnect system that can act as a coupling/decoupling mechanism between various stationary or rotating bodies/systems. The technology is based on the combination of a magnetic coupling and a highly intuitive sliding system. The proposed disconnect system is an one-body solution that can be easily integrated between rotating (even stationary) bodies, irrespective of any mismatch in power and torque between the two sides to which it is connected.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a disconnect system according to one embodiment of the present invention, where the simple and elegance of the proposed disconnect system can be easily observed. As an example, the disconnect system herein is depicted as being implemented into a generating-set application that is located between an electrical generator and a prime-mover (e.g. a turbine). As shown in FIG. 1, the connect/disconnect system includes a first permanent magnet, a second permanent magnet, a third permanent magnet, a fourth permanent magnet, and a coil. The first permanent magnet is disposed on a hub of an output shaft near a generator side, the second permanent magnet is disposed at one end of a mover near the generator side, the third permanent magnet is disposed on one end of the mover located in the input shaft near a stator, and the fourth permanent magnet is disposed on the stator near a turbine side. The coil is disposed on one side of the stator.

Please refer to FIG. 2a. FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a connect/disconnect system in an engaged state according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2a represents the connect/disconnect system in an engaged state, i.e. when the connect/disconnect system is in normal operation. In this condition (i.e. an input shaft and an output shaft spin together), there is no electrical or mechanical transmission of power or torque. The coil (the linear actuator coil) is not supplied (i.e. power off). The mover and the hub are magnetically coupled. Since there is no need for electrical or mechanical power in this condition, the connect/disconnect system is virtually loss-less, and the mover is kept in position by the hub magnetic latching mechanism due to the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet. When the input shaft and the output shaft are in an engaged state, the coil is not energized, and the mover is maintained in a location near the output shaft under an effect of a first magnetic force of a hub magnetic latching mechanism formed by the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft spin together.

Please refer to FIG. 2b. FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a connect/disconnect system in a dis-engaged state according to one embodiment of the present invention. When a disengagement is required, the coil (i.e. a linear actuator coil) is energized. In one example, the coil is supplied by direct current (DC) pulses. A required thrust for disengaging the hub magnetic latching mechanism and pulling the mover towards the stator magnetic latching mechanism is generated by the magnetic field produced by the coil and the magnetic field produced by the third permanent magnet (located on the mover). That is to say, the mover is moved toward the stator under a combined effect of a magnetic field produced by the coil and a magnetic field produced by the third permanent magnet. When the mover is travelling, the permanent magnets will have a varying alignment which creates an auto-adjusting (reducing in this case) strength of the magnetic coupling. Once the mover reaches the stator, the coil is not energized again (i.e. the DC pulses to the coil is switched off), and the mover is maintained in one side of the stator under an effect of a second magnetic force of a stator magnetic latching mechanism formed by the mover and the fourth permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft are in a disengaged state.

The magnetic coupling mechanism

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a coupling mechanism of a connect/disconnect system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The basic coupling system is a multipole magnetic coupling as shown in FIG. 3, which immediately indicates an auto-synchronization system. There is no mechanical coupling between the rotating surfaces, and this is highly advantageous for reliability within the disconnect system itself. For de-coupling, all that is required is to simply misalign the two stacks of the permanent magnets, as shown in FIG. 2b. To do this, only a DC pulse is required to actuate the mover. This can be achieved simply by using a DC power supply.

Applications of the proposed connect/disconnect system

Benefits of the proposed connect/disconnect system

The most significant advantages related to this technology are:

Reference in the specification to one example or an example means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least an implementation. The appearances of the phrase in one example in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Thus, although examples have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that claimed subject matter may not be limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as sample forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.

The above are only preferred examples of the present invention is not intended to limit the present invention within the spirit and principles of the present invention, any changes made, equivalent replacement, or improvement in the protection of the present invention should contain within the range.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A connect/disconnect system, comprising a first permanent magnet, a second permanent magnet, a third permanent magnet, a fourth permanent magnet, and a coil, wherein:

the first permanent magnet is disposed on a hub of an output shaft near a generator side, the second permanent magnet is disposed at one end of a mover near the generator side, the third permanent magnet is disposed on one end of the mover located in the input shaft near a stator, and the fourth permanent magnet is disposed on the stator near a turbine side;

the coil is disposed on one side of the stator, wherein when the input shaft and the output shaft are in an engaged state, the coil is not energized, and the mover is maintained in a location near the output shaft under an effect of a first magnetic force of a hub magnetic latching mechanism formed by the first permanent magnet and the second permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft spin together;

and wherein when a disengagement is required, the coil is energized, and the mover is moved toward the stator under a combined effect of a magnetic field produced by the coil and a magnetic field produced by the third permanent magnet;

wherein when the mover reaches the stator, the coil is not energized again, and the mover is maintained in one side of the stator under an effect of a second magnetic force of a stator magnetic latching mechanism formed by the mover and the fourth permanent magnet, such that the input shaft and the output shaft are in a disengaged state.

2. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein the coil is a linear actuator coil.

3. The connect/disconnect system of claim 2, wherein the coil is supplied by direct current (DC) pulses.

4. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein a power supply of the coil is a battery.

5. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein a power supply of the coil is a capacitor.

6. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein the coil is turned on and off by an electronic switch.

7. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein when the input shaft and the output shaft are in an engaged state, the mover and the hub are magnetically coupled.

8. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein when the mover is travelling, the first permanent magnet, the second permanent magnet, the third permanent magnet, and a the fourth permanent magnet have a varying alignment which creates a reducing strength of the magnetic coupling.

9. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein the connect/disconnect system is implemented into an electrical generator set that is located between an electrical generator and a prime-mover.

10. The connect/disconnect system of claim 1, wherein the connect/disconnect system is a one-body solution.