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  Rotational apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060275155Title: Rotational apparatus Abstract: Disclosed herein are apparatuses having a stator and a rotor configured to provide both a magnetic drive means and a magnetic bearing means for a rotatable element. The stator and rotor are configured to operate in unison to provide a magnetic force to rotate a rotatable element associated with the rotor about an axis and to control a radial, an axial, and a tilt position of the rotatable element about the axis. The rotor and stator assemblies are configured with complementary surface shapes to produce shapeable magnetic drive forces and shapeable magnetic bearing forces to drive and control an axial, a radial, and a tilt position of an associated rotatable element. (end of abstract)
Agent: Lahive & Cockfield - Boston, MA, US Inventor: Robert Thibodeau Related Keywords: a.i., magnetic, radial, rotate, rotor, stator USPTO Applicaton #: 20060275155 - Class: 417410100 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Pumps, Motor Driven, Electric Or Magnetic Motor The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060275155. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/593,608 filed Jan. 28, 2005, and entitled Rim-Driven Fluid Pump System, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a rotatable element, and more particularly, to a non-axle driven apparatus having a magnetic bearing and drive means. [0003] One conventional technique to drive a rotation element such as an impeller of a rotational apparatus is through the use of an impeller drive shaft. The impeller drive shaft often penetrates a housing and the driven fluid to connect to a center hub of the impeller. Such a configuration causes the impeller drive shaft to travel through the pump housing and the driven fluid, thus, requiring features such as fluid seals or shaft housings to seal the shaft as it penetrates the housing to prevent the driven fluid from exiting the housing or through the point of shaft entry. [0004] Recent improvements in rotational apparatus technology have eliminated the need for the drive shaft to drive to an impeller of a rotational apparatus and therefore, have eliminated the need for drive shaft seals and drive shaft housings. One improvement incorporates magnets or electromagnets as an impeller drive assembly in place of a drive shaft. However, a magnetic or an electromagnetic drive assembly alone still requires a mechanical bearing affixed to a spindle or shaft on which the impeller is mounted. One drawback to this arrangement is the mechanical bearing tends to wear over time requiring maintenance, downtime, and at some point replacement. Further, mechanical bearings still requires one or more seals, which tend to leak over time, to prevent contamination of the bearing, the driven fluid, or both. [0005] Other recent improvements in rotational apparatus technology include a magnetic bearing assembly, separate from the magnetic drive assembly, in place of the mechanical bearing. Nevertheless, a magnetic bearing assembly located at a center portion of the impeller assembly tends to impede fluid movement through the rotational apparatus due to an increase in size of the center portion of an impeller to house the magnetic bearing assembly or otherwise accommodate a bearing assembly centrally located in the rotational apparatus. Furthermore, placement of the magnetic bearing assembly in relation to the magnetic drive assembly is critical in order to avoid magnetic interference between the magnetic bearing assembly and the magnetic drive assembly, for each magnetic assembly generates a unique and exclusive magnetic field. Further, a separate magnetic bearing assembly and a separate magnetic drive assembly often require complex control systems to compensate for changes in magnetic field strength during operation of the rotational apparatus such as at start up, shutdown, acceleration, or deceleration. Moreover, a magnetic bearing assembly centrally located in the fluid movement apparatus about which an impeller assembly rotates often requires one or more seals to prevent contamination of the bearing, the driven fluid, or both. [0006] Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus having a magnetic drive assembly and a magnetic bearing assembly that avoids impeding the flow of a driven fluid, avoids the complexity of locating and controlling a magnetic drive assembly and a magnetic bearing assembly, and avoids the needs for seals to prevent contamination of the bearing, the driven fluid, or both. SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0007] The present invention addresses the above-described limitations associated with an apparatus having a rotatable element, a magnetic drive assembly, and a magnetic bearing assembly. The present invention provides an approach to drive and support a rotatable element of an apparatus with a shaped stator assembly and a shaped rotor assembly. The stator assembly is configured to generate a shapeable magnetic field along a periphery of an inner wall of the stator assembly to drive the rotatable element about an axis of rotation using magnetic force and to control a radial, an axial, and a tilt position of the rotatable element about the axis of rotation using magnetic force. The stator assembly is configurable to include one or more electromagnets, one or more magnets, or any combination of magnets and electromagnets. The rotor assembly is configurable to form a distal portion of the rotatable element, configurable to fasten to a distal portion of the rotatable element, or configurable to fasten to an outer surface of the rotational element. Additionally, the rotor assembly is formable during manufacture of the rotatable element. [0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a rotational apparatus is disclosed. The rotational apparatus includes a rotational element having a circular cross section and a magnetic assembly having a stator. The stator is configured to generate a shapeable magnetic field along a periphery of an inner wall portion to drive the rotational element in axial rotation about an axis of rotation and to control a radial position and an axial position of the rotational element relative to the axis of rotation. [0009] The stator is configurable to include a circular cross-section, an inner passage, an outer wall, and a shaped inner wall. In one aspect of the present invention, the outer wall of the stator has a convex shape. In one aspect of the present invention, the shaped inner wall of the stator has a concave shape. In other aspects of the present invention, the shaped inner wall of the stator has one of the following shapes, a polygon shape or a convex shape. [0010] The magnetic assembly can include a rotor. The rotor is configurable to have a shaped outer wall and an inner wall attachable to the rotational element. The shape of the outer wall of the rotor complements the shape of the shaped inner wall of the stator. [0011] The magnetic assembly is configured so that a change in magnitude of the shapeable magnetic field generated by the stator changes in substantially equal portions the drive of the rotational element and the control of the radial and the axial position of the rotation element. The shapeable magnetic field generated by the stator can control a tilt position of the rotational element relative the axis of rotation. [0012] The stator of the rotational apparatus forms a portion of a magnetic bearing and a magnetic drive means. The stator of the rotational apparatus can be a magnet, an electromagnet, or both. [0013] In another embodiment of the present invention, a fluid movement apparatus is disclosed. The fluid movement apparatus includes a housing, an impeller, and an impeller drive assembly. The housing has a circular cross-section, an inner passage having a longitudinal axis, a first portion adapted as an inlet to receive a fluid, and a second portion adapted as an outlet to provide an egress for the fluid. The impeller is disposed in the inner passage and has a number of impellers that radially extend from a center portion of the impeller. The impeller drive assembly includes a stator configured to generate a shapeable magnetic field to drive the impeller in an axial rotation about the longitudinal axis of the housing and to control a radial position and an axial position of the impeller in the inner passage of the housing. The stator has a circular cross-section, an inner passage, an outer wall, and a shaped inner wall. In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer wall of the stator has a convex shape. In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaped inner wall of the stator has a concave shape. In other embodiments of the present invention, the shaped inner wall of the stator has one of the following shapes, a polygon shape or a convex shape. [0014] The fluid movement apparatus can further include a rotor. The rotor has a circular cross-section, a shaped outer wall, and an inner wall. The shape of the outer wall of the rotor complements the shape of the shaped inner wall of the stator. The inner wall of the rotor can include an aperture extending axially about the longitudinal axis. The inner wall of the rotor is configurable to adjoin a distal portion of one or more of the blades of the impeller. [0015] The fluid movement apparatus has a configuration that allows a change in magnitude of the magnetic field to change in substantially equal portions the drive to the impeller and the control of the radial and axial position of the impeller. [0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the stator includes a magnet. In another embodiment of the present invention, the stator includes an electromagnet. [0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic field generated by the stator controls a tilt position of the impeller in the inner passage. [0018] The stator of the fluid movement apparatus forms a magnetic bearing and a magnetic drive means. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0019] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and apparent from the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts through-out the different views. The drawings illustrate principles of the invention, and although not to scale, show relative dimensions. [0020] FIG. 1 depicts an end view of an exemplary fluid movement apparatus according to the teachings of the present invention. Continue reading... Full patent description for Rotational apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Rotational apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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