Electric Rotary Motor with Two Degrees of Movement
Instead of being made from one continuous piece of material, a coil includes multiple flat coil segments that are stacked together and electrically coupled in series. In many embodiments, the coil segments are U-shaped segments, and the segments are arranged so that each segment is rotated (e.g., by 270 degrees) with respect the segment it follows. The stacked coils may then be fastened together using, for example, bolts through the corners of the coil segments. The combined coil segments form a continuous coil.
1 - 7 . (canceled)
8 . A rotary electric motor with two degrees of movement, said rotary electric motor comprising:
a support member for attaching to a vehicle frame;
a rotary member having a rotational axis;
a magnet assembly including a plurality of magnets producing magnetic fields;
a first coil assembly arranged to interact with the magnetic fields of the magnet assembly to cause relative movement between the first coil assembly and the magnet assembly;
a second coil assembly separate from the first coil assembly, said second coil assembly arranged to interact with the magnetic fields of the magnet assembly to cause relative movement between the second coil assembly and the magnet assembly; and
a converter assembly operated by the first and second coil assemblies and coupling the rotary member to the support member, and which is configured to:
(a) respond to a first relative movement between the coil assemblies and the magnet assembly to cause the rotary member to rotate about the rotational axis without causing translational movement of the rotational axis of the rotary member relative to the support member, and
(b) respond to a second relative movement between the coil assemblies and the magnet assembly to cause the rotational axis of the rotary member to move in a transverse direction relative to the support member without causing rotary movement of the rotary member.
9 . The rotary electric motor of claim 8 , wherein, with one of the relative movements, the magnet assembly and the first coil assembly move relative to each other while the first and second coil assemblies are not caused to move relative to each other and, with the other of the relative movements, the first and second coil assemblies move in opposite directions with respect to each other relative to the magnet assembly.
10 . The rotary electric motor of claim 8 wherein, when the first and second relative movements are performed together, the rotary member rotates about the rotational axis and the rotational axis of the rotary member moves in a transverse direction relative to the opposite member.
11 . The rotary electric motor of claim 8 , wherein the magnet assembly, the first coil assembly, and the second coil assembly form two linear actuators arranged along a common axis.
12 . The rotary electric motor of claim 8 , wherein the converter assembly comprises a cam, a first cam follower connected to the first coil assembly, and a second cam follower connected to the second coil assembly, and wherein the first and second cam followers ride on the cam.
13 . The rotary electric motor of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of magnets includes a first set of magnets and a second set of magnets, wherein the magnet assembly comprises a linear core with the first set of magnets at one end of the linear core and the second set of magnets at the other end of the linear core, and wherein the first coil assembly circumscribes the core and the first set of magnets and the second coil assembly circumscribes the core and the second set of magnets.
14 . The rotary electric motor of claim 13 , wherein the converter assembly comprises a cam, a first cam follower connected to the first coil assembly, and a second cam follower connected to the second coil assembly, and wherein the first and second cam followers ride on the cam.
15 . The rotary electric motor of claim 14 , wherein the rotary member comprises a wheel rim for supporting a tire and wherein the cam is coupled to the wheel rim so that the wheel rim rotates with the cam.
16 . The rotary electric motor of claim 14 , wherein the converter is a linear-to-rotary converter including the cam and the first and second cam followers.