A magnetic brake assembly for use with a wheel rim is described. The brake assembly includes a rotor secured to rotate with the rim and a stator secured to be rotationally stationary relative to the rotor. One of the rotor and stator has an electrically conductive body and the other of the rotor and stator has a magnetic array including a plurality of magnets configured to generate a magnetic flux. An actuator is connected to at least one of the electrically conductive body and magnetic array to selectively effect a brake mode and a non-brake mode. In the brake mode, the magnetic array induces eddy currents in the electrically conductive body to generate a magnetic braking force when the rim rotates above a threshold speed and in the non-brake mode, the induced eddy currents cause a negligible or no magnetic braking force as the rim rotates above the threshold speed.

A system and method for backdrivability control of end effectors in robotic systems are described. In one example, a robotic system includes a joint in a kinematic chain, an end effector at an end of the kinematic chain, and an assembly for backdrivability control of the joint. The assembly includes a frame comprising a flexure arm and a circular clearance area that extends around the joint, a brake band having one end secured along the circular clearance area and a second end secured at an end of the flexure arm, and a brake actuator configured to selectively pull the end of the flexure arm and tighten the brake band around the joint. The brake actuator can be actuated to tighten the brake band around the joint, arresting or dampening motion in the kinematic chain of the system for certain movements.

The present invention provides a motor-driven traveling device including: a vehicle body; a motor for travel driving that is capable of braking the vehicle body as a short brake or a dynamic brake; an electromagnetic brake that brakes the vehicle body, separately from the motor; an operation switching circuit that switches between causing the motor to perform travel driving and causing the motor to perform braking; a brake release switch that receives an operation pertaining to brake releasing of the motor and the electromagnetic brake; and a brake control circuit that, while the brake release switch is operated, controls the motor and the electromagnetic brake in response to the operation on the brake release switch.

A clutch assembly includes a clutch mechanism and an energy harvesting device. The clutch mechanism includes an input member, an output member, and an actuating mechanism to govern selective torque transmission from the input member to the output member. The actuating mechanism is powered by electrical current. The energy harvesting device is electrically connected to the actuating mechanism, and the energy harvesting device is configured to scavenge available energy to generate the electrical current that powers the actuating mechanism.

A drive unit having a downsized brake device for applying a braking force to a drive wheel is provided. The drive unit comprises: a first brake device that applies braking torque to a first rotary member situated closer to a first motor than a first speed reducing device in a first torque transmitting route between the first motor and a first drive shaft; and a second brake device that applies braking torque to a second rotary member situated closer to a second motor than a second speed reducing device in a second torque transmitting route between the second motor and a second drive shaft.

A drive unit a drive unit which can prevent an occurrence of an unintentional relative rotation between the right and the left wheels is provided. The drive unit comprises: a first motor connected to the first driveshaft and a second motor connected to the second drive shaft; a first torque transmitting route between the first motor and the first drive shaft; a second torque transmitting route between the second motor and the second drive shaft; a first rotary member arranged in the first torque transmitting route; a second rotary member arranged in the second torque transmitting route; and a restriction device that restricts a differential rotation between the first rotary member and the second rotary member.

A safety brake device for braking a machining tool includes at least one brake device configured as an at least two-part claw clutch. The claw clutch includes a first claw-clutch part, and a second claw-clutch part. The first claw-clutch part is arranged on the output shaft so as to allow no relative rotation, the second claw-clutch part is configured to allow no relative rotation with respect to the power tool, each claw-clutch part has a respective plurality of toothing elements, the respective plurality of toothing elements are configured to engage with one another during a braking operation to stop rotation of the output shaft, and a maximum angular spacing Δmax of mutually adjacent toothing elements of at least one of the first plurality of toothing elements an the second plurality of toothing elements is determined depending on a maximum rotational speed of the output shaft.

An electromagnetic device for a braking system for a vehicle, including: an armature made of a magnetizable material; a bushing, wherein the armature is at least partially receivable inside the bushing; a first winding arrangement having at least one turn of an electrical conductor around the bushing and having two first electrical terminals; and a second winding arrangement having at least one turn of an electrical conductor around the bushing and having two second electrical terminals, the first winding arrangement and the second winding arrangement being galvanically isolated from one another, an inductive coupling being generatable between the first winding arrangement and the armature and between the second winding arrangement and the armature. Also described are a related method, a control apparatus, a braking system, and a computer readable medium.

An elevator brake braking and holding an elevator car in an elevator system includes a first brake lining having a first actuating device and a second brake lining, which brake linings cause braking in interaction with a braking strip or brake disk. A second actuating device is associated with the second brake lining, and the second actuating device moves the second brake lining toward the first brake lining, if necessary, thus clamping and braking the braking strip or the brake disk between the second and first brake linings. The first actuating device moves the first brake lining toward the second brake lining to clamp and brake the braking strip or the brake disk between the first and second brake linings. The first and the second actuating device operate according to different principles of operation.

A machine tool for detecting a brake failure more reliably in a mechanism that stops the rotation of a vertical shaft by at least two brakes includes a ball screw extended in a vertical direction, a driving motor that rotates the ball screw, a movable part that vertically moves along the ball screw in accordance with the rotation of the ball screw driven by the driving motor, at least two brakes that prevent a fall of the movable part while power supply to the driving motor is stopped, a brake controller that releases at least one of the at least two brakes while power supply to the driving motor is stopped, and a detector that detects presence/absence of a fall of the movable part or a fall distance of the movable part resulting from the release of the at least one brake, thereby detecting a trouble of an unreleased one of the at least two brakes.