A motor includes a stator with a first stator, a second stator, and a third stator, each including at least one stator coil, and a rotor including a magnetic element, a first bearing, a second bearing, and a shaft, the stators generating a superimposed magnetic field together causing the magnetic element to rotate. When the magnetic element rotates in the first plane, the outer ring of the first bearing rotates. The center of the first bearing is located in a plane where the second bearing is located, and when the magnetic element rotates in the second plane, the inner ring of the second bearing rotates. A central axis of the shaft passes through the center of the first bearing; wherein the shaft is rotatably fixed to the first bearing and connected to the second bearing.

A hybrid spherical motor includes a first gear box, a second gear box, a yoke arm, a brushless direct current (BLDC) motor, a spherical stator, and a spherical armature. The split armature, in response to the spherical stator being energized, rotates about a first rotational axis, thereby causing the first gear box input connection and the second gear box input connection to rotate about the first rotational axis, and the yoke arm rotates about the first rotational axis in response to the first gear box input connection and the second gear box input connection being rotated about the first rotational axis, whereby the BLDC motor rotates about the first rotational axis.

An electric motor has a stator mechanically coupled to the rotor by a nutating traction interface, such that during nutation of the rotor with respect to the stator a tilt axis of the rotor progresses about the axis of rotation of the output shaft. The rotor and a surface of the stator bound a dynamic gap across which a magnetic field is produced by electrical activation of the motor to generate a force between the rotor and the stator. The traction interface and the gap are arranged such that, in a plane containing the axis of rotation of the output shaft, the traction interface is angled with respect to the stator surface bounding the gap. The rotor is connected to the output shaft by a tiltable connection such as a gimbal.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to an electromagnetic steered orientation device. In an illustrative example, an exemplary electromagnetic payload orientation device (EPOD) includes a rotor, a stator, and a payload mounted on the rotor. The rotor, for example, may be coupled to a magnetic source. For example, the stator may include electromagnetic coils operable by a controller circuit to induce relative rotation between the rotor and the stator. In some examples, the rotor is a sphere provided with one or more guide tracks on an outer surface, and the stator is a concentric shell surrounding the sphere provided with at least one follower corresponding to the guide tracks such that a relative rotation between the rotor and stator is constrained by the guide track to follow a predetermined motion profile. Various embodiments may advantageously provide a substantially smooth and low voltage mechanism to orient the payload.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to an electromagnetic steered orientation device. In an illustrative example, an exemplary electromagnetic payload orientation device (EPOD) includes a rotor, a stator, and a payload mounted on the rotor. The rotor, for example, may be coupled to a magnetic source. For example, the stator may include electromagnetic coils operable by a controller circuit to induce relative rotation between the rotor and the stator. In some examples, the rotor is a sphere provided with one or more guide tracks on an outer surface, and the stator is a concentric shell surrounding the sphere provided with at least one follower corresponding to the guide tracks such that a relative rotation between the rotor and stator is constrained by the guide track to follow a predetermined motion profile. Various embodiments may advantageously provide a substantially smooth and low voltage mechanism to orient the payload.

An electric motor has a stator mechanically coupled to the rotor by a nutating traction interface, such that during nutation of the rotor with respect to the stator a tilt axis of the rotor progresses about the axis of rotation of the output shaft. The rotor and a surface of the stator bound a dynamic gap across which a magnetic field is produced by electrical activation of the motor to generate a force between the rotor and the stator. The traction interface and the gap are arranged such that, in a plane containing the axis of rotation of the output shaft, the traction interface is angled with respect to the stator surface bounding the gap. The rotor is connected to the output shaft by a tiltable connection such as a gimbal.

A multi degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machine includes an outer case, an inner case, a stator, stator windings, a voice coil winding, a tilt magnet, a rotor, and rotor magnets. The inner case is disposed within an inner cavity of the outer case and is mounted to rotate relative to the outer case about one or more rotational axes. The stator is fixedly mounted within the inner case, and the stator windings are wound thereon. The voice coil winding is fixedly coupled to either the inner surface of the outer case or the outer surface of the inner case. The tilt magnet is fixedly coupled to either the outer surface of the inner case or the inner surface of the outer case. The rotor is rotationally mounted within the inner case and is operable to rotate, relative to the stator, about a rotational axis.

The present disclosure provides a compact bionic eye device based on a two-degree-of-freedom electromagnetically-driven rotating mechanism, which can be used as a vision sensor of bionic robots such as humanoid robots. The compact bionic eye device includes a rotor, stator cores, windings, an angular displacement camera, a spherical hinge pressing block, a stator connector, a camera, a spherical hinge, a camera connector, a rotor connector and an outer spherical shell. According to the compact bionic eye device of the present disclosure, the rotor is driven to achieve limited rotation with pitching and yawing degrees of freedom by regulating a current of the windings of four stators. By adopting a two-degree-of-freedom of electromagnetically-driven rotating mechanism which is compact in structure, the bionic eye device of the present disclosure can achieve a human eye size, and provides important foundation for practical application of bionic eyes in humanoid robots.

An axial flux-type rotary electric machine includes a rotor having a rotor axis and a stator having a stator axis. The stator is positioned adjacent to the rotor such that an axial airgap is defined between the rotor and the stator. First and second non-parallel rotor shafts are respectively collinear with the stator axis and the rotor axis. A nutating gear pair is connected to a stationary member and the rotor, and is configured to impart nutating motion to the rotor with respect to the stator, such that a size of the axial airgap changes with a rotational position of the rotor, and such that the rotor has two degrees of freedom of motion. An electrical system includes direct and alternating current voltage buses, a power inverter module connected to the voltage buses, and the axial flux-type rotary electric machine connected to the alternating current voltage bus.

A multi degree-of-freedom electromagnetic machine includes an outer case, an inner case, a stator, stator windings, a voice coil winding, a tilt magnet, a rotor, and rotor magnets. The inner case is disposed within an inner cavity of the outer case and is mounted to rotate relative to the outer case about one or more rotational axes. The stator is fixedly mounted within the inner case, and the stator windings are wound thereon. The voice coil winding is fixedly coupled to either the inner surface of the outer case or the outer surface of the inner case. The tilt magnet is fixedly coupled to either the outer surface of the inner case or the inner surface of the outer case. The rotor is rotationally mounted within the inner case and is operable to rotate, relative to the stator, about a rotational axis.