Brushless spindle DC motor used as an actuator to create radial force

An apparatus for stabilizing the spin axis of a rotating system, the rotating system having a rotor and motor means to cause rotation of the rotor about the spin axis and a magnet, windings, a source of drive current and an actuator combined with the motor means and forming a source of actuator current energizing the windings to generate a radial force which stabilizes the position of the spin axis and dampens other than rotational movements of the rotor.

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What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for stabilizing the spin axis of a rotating system, the rotating system comprising:

a rotor carrying an inertial load and bearing means to support the rotor about the spin axis, and

a motor to cause rotation of the rotor about the spin axis comprising:

a magnet;

a first set of windings;

a source of drive current applied to the windings for causing relative rotation between the windings and the magnet; and

an actuator combined with the motor means and comprising a source of actuator current and combined with the drive current and applied to energizing the windings to generate a radial force which stabilizes the position of the spin axis and dampensvibrational or resonant movements of the rotor;

first and second input signals representing components of the radial force to be generated, and a third input representing motor position;

memory means addressed with an argument of a function based on the rotor position for providing a function based output based on the rotor position; and

multiplier means responsive to the trigonometric function based output and the first and second input signals representing components of the radial force to control the actuator current.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the windings of the motor means being energized by the drive current and the actuator current are wound over a stator having a plurality of slots with each winding being wound about one of the slots.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the windings comprise at least first and second phase windings, which are separately wound and separately energized by the actuator current as controlled by the first and second input signals togenerate two radial components of the radial force.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the motor includes a stator having a plurality of slots the windings being wound over two of the slots.

5. An apparatus for stabilizing the spin axis of a rotating system, the rotating system comprising:

a rotor carrying an inertial load and bearing means to support the rotor about the spin axis, and

motor means to cause rotation of the rotor about the spin axis comprising:

a magnet;

a first set of windings;

the windings of the motor means being energized by the drive current and the actuator current are wound over a stator having a plurality of slots with each winding being wound about one of the slots;

the windings comprise at least first and second phase windings, which are separately wound and separately energized by the actuator current to generate two radial forces;

the motor includes a stator having a plurality of slots the windings being wound over two of the slots;

a source of drive current for causing relative rotation between the windings and the magnet;

an actuator combined with the motor means and comprising a source of actuator current energizing the windings to generate a radial force which stabilizes the position of the spin axis and dampens vibrational or resonant movements of the rotor; and

circuit means for separately energizing each of the phases in order to modify the magnitude and direction of the radial force.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including means for modifying the magnitude of the current applied to the first and second phases to adjust the magnitude of the correction force applied to the rotor.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the actuator current and the drive current are separately applied at different times to the windings.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the actuator current and the drive current are simultaneously applied to the windings.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the motor is selected from one of the configurations comprising 4 poles, 12 slots or 8 poles, 12 slots.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein a phase number of a torque generating winding is for a 2 phase, 3 phase or 5 phase motor.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the magnitude of a force provided by the actuator is a function of the current flowing in the two phases of the actuator where the relationship between the forces and the currents are defined asfollows:

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the actuator provides currents for providing 3 separate radial forces, and the relationship between the forces and the currents may be expressed as follows: