Eddy current retarder equipment (1) able to be carried on board a vehicle, includes: a stator assembly (2), including inductor windings (23) forming a circuit (4), a rotor assembly (3) designed to be mounted on a transmission shaft of the vehicle, including an armature (31) facing the inductor windings (23), control elements (6) for establishing a linear setpoint (?), excitation elements (7) for exciting the inductor circuit (4) from an electric power source (5) of the vehicle as a function of the setpoint (?), a speed sensor (9) for supplying information relating to the rotational speed (?) of the rotor assembly (3), a sensor (10) of the strength of current supplied to the inductor circuit (4), processing elements (8) for estimating, at a given moment (t), the retarding torque supplied by the equipment (1).

An eddy-current-based magnetic braking device includes two external elements flanking a central element that is aligned with a same axis as the external elements and that rotates about said axis with respect to the external elements, the external elements each bearing magnets that emit a magnetic flux that engenders in the central element eddy currents. The magnets are placed so as to generate a magnetic attraction between the external elements. Friction-based braking surfaces are joined so as to rotate as one with the external elements and with the central element, respectively. The external elements are moveable with respect to the axis between a proximate position of the central element, in which position the first braking surfaces are held applied against the second braking surfaces via the magnetic attraction, and a separated position of the central element, in which position the first braking surfaces are separated from the second braking surfaces.

Described herein are braking mechanisms and related methods of use using eddy current interactions to resist relative movement between members, the magnetic flux about an eddy current region being modified beyond an inherent drag effect resulting from a simple magnetic pole arrangement.

Described herein is a transmission mechanism and an associated method of use for braking relative movement between members, movement and braking of the members being directed through one or more transmission elements.

Described herein are eddy current brakes and associated methods of their use, particularly configurations that have a kinematic relationship with at least two rotational degrees of freedom used to tune operation of the brake or apparatus in which the brake is located.

An electric apparatus comprises a stator having an array of coils positioned within its periphery and a first rotor having an array of magnet pairs positioned within its periphery. The first rotor has one face adjacent to the stator. A second rotor made of conductive material is positioned adjacent to another face of the first rotor. A coupling mechanism may be connected to the second rotor. The electric apparatus may be connected to an electric power source and act as a motor for driving a mechanical load attached to the coupling mechanism. The electric apparatus may alternatively be connected to an electric load, a turbine being attached to the coupling mechanism for generating electric power. An enclosure may protect components of the electric apparatus against external elements, for example to allow underwater operation.

An eddy-current braking mechanism including a rotor, rotatable about a rotor axis; at least one electrically conductive member coupled to the rotor for rotation therewith; at least one magnet configured to apply a magnetic field extending at least partially orthogonal to the plane of rotation of the conductive member, and characterized in that upon rotation of the rotor, the conductive member is configured to move at least partially radially from the rotor axis into the applied magnetic field.

The current subject matter describes a device and system including one or more movable arms containing one or more magnets that are caused to move relative to a non-ferrous material by motion of the device to generate eddy currents that cause a braking of the device. Devices of this disclosure may include a wheel with arms having magnets and that move from centrifugal force caused by rotation of the arms within a wheel. The applied braking force is controlled due, in part, to the configuration of the non-ferrous material in which eddy currents are generated. Devices may additionally or alternately include arms with magnets that move relative to a non-ferrous rail when the device moves to generate eddy currents that cause additional braking of the device.

A system includes an eddy current brake. The eddy current brake includes a back plate and a first inductor. The first inductor includes a pole coupled to the back plate and a winding disposed about the pole, wherein the winding is configured to conduct an electric current to generate a magnetic field. At least one of the back plate and the pole 104 includes a plurality of laminations.

This disclosure describes embodiments of novel line dispensing devices and methods for dispensing and retracting a line of a line dispensing device.