Brush Motor allows natural motion of robotic leg.
Press Release Summary:
Delivering 300 oz-in. of peak torque and 460 W continuous shaft power, Model TGB2011 minimizes parasitic drag, allowing free-swinging movement of robotic leg. Unit replaces iron core and wire windings with precision machined copper sheet, virtually eliminating hysteresis, cogging, and iron losses, while minimizing impact of eddy currents and back EMF. Technology is based on freestanding electromotive coil, stationary stator, and rotating permanent magnets.
Original Press Release:
ThinGap Corporation Announces: Motor Allows Robotic Leg with Natural Motion
VENTURA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24, 2007 - ThinGap Corporation, the leader in high power density DC motors, today announced the TGB2011 brush motor reduces parasitic drag, allowing free-swinging movement of a real-world robotic leg for performing neuromuscular experiments being developed by Shane Migliore, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology. The TGB2011 brush motor delivers 300 oz-in. of peak torque and 460 W of continuous shaft power, yet weighs only 33 oz.
"The ThinGap motor doesn't have the cogging and hysteresis problems of equivalent strength motors," Shane Migliore, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology. Because we want natural motion we cannot allow the leg to move to discrete points along its path. We needed smooth movement, very low output inertia, and zero cogging."
"Driving a robotic leg that operates like a human leg is one of a growing number of innovations that ThinGap is bringing to market," said Rean Pretorius, CEO, ThinGap Corporation. "Our patented motor technology replaces the iron core and wire windings of conventional motors with a precision machined copper sheet, virtually eliminating such issues as hysteresis, cogging and iron losses, while substantially reducing the impact of eddy currents and back emf. We are in production with a range of cool running motors that have a wide operational bandwidth that surpass conventional motors in almost every benchmark."
ThinGap's technology is based on a patented freestanding electromotive coil. The coil does not use laminations for structural support, which eliminates laminations that interfere with the magnetic field. This allows the stator to reside in a very thin magnetic gap. In the ThinGap motor, the stator is stationary and the permanent magnets rotate. The entire magnetic circuit rotates. It is inverse image of the true ironless core brush motor that other companies have.
The coil is stationary, while the magnetic assembly, including the inside magnets and back iron of the motor and the outside iron on the rotor turns. The magnets do not sweep laminations, which create a circulating current generating heat and limiting the current into the motor and therefore its performance. In turn this limits the top end performance of the motor. The design of ThinGap motors eliminates the inefficiencies caused by laminations, allowing much higher performance in the same size package.
For more information, please visit www.ThinGap.com.
About ThinGap
ThinGap Corporation manufactures an innovative line of brush and brushless motors utilizing a patented electromotive coil design, which produces a high copper-packing density and higher copper-to-total-volume ratio than motors with conventional wire windings. A precision thin copper sheet replaces the iron core and wire windings of conventional motors. This provides higher power-to-weight ratios, a wider range of speed and torque capability, improved heat dissipation and lower electrical resistance. Applications include:
o Piston and rotary/vane compressors for portable oxygen concentrators and fuel cells
o Industrial cordless tools, such as strapping machines, concrete coring and drilling machines, impact wrenches, ratchet drivers and grinders
o Precision High speed, constant velocity scanners
o Unmanned vehicles, such as aerial, ground and underwater
o Air bearing spindles for servowriters, disk drive testing, optics and imaging, precision wafer inspection, metrology and precision balancing
o Wind power generators (alternative energy)
