What Is An Axial Flux Motor And Why Is It Better?

Picture of an axial flux motor

What is an Axial Flux Motor?

 

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An axial flux motor is an electromagnet based motor technology that uses pulses of electromagnetic charge to create a rotating force .  Axial flux motors are great because they avoid the use of a drive-train altogether. The problem with a drive-train is that it includes a drive-shaft, crankshaft, propeller shaft, and transmission (gearbox).  These components connect together and when working use the kinetic pressure between themselves to transfer power as torque.  However, the connections cause friction and  this friction between components results in a loss of energy.  If you look at the image of the gearbox below, you can see how complex and exact the contact surfaces are, but there is still energy loss at each of those contact points.

 

 

 

Image of drive train schematics

A traditional automotive drive-train is inefficient due to the transfer of kinetic energy.

 

A gear box schematic

Each surface in a gearbox is a contact point and these contact points result in energy loss to friction.

Axial flux motor on a wheel.

Instead of having a single motor to create torque for all wheels in a car, an automobile with axial flux drive has a motor on each wheel.

As mentioned before, an automobile powered by Axial Flux Motor does not have a drive-train.  Instead of a single motor in the car that provides torque to each wheel, individual motors are to each wheel.  In its simplest form an axial flux motor consists of  two disk shaped magnets are located back to back.   One of the disks is permanently magnetized and the other is an electromagnetic whose electric charge can fluctuate depending on the electric current provided to it.  Both the permanent magnet and the electromagnet have sections of positive and negative.  In the diagram below, those sections are red and blue for the permanent magnet, while the charge of the electromagnet disk’s sections are dynamically altered. By timing the electric pulses into the electromagnetic disk, the permanent magnetic disk is is spun.

A pair magnetic disks. The permanent magnets on the left and the electromagnetic on the right.

The magnetic polarity of the sections of the electromagnetic disk are altered in sequence by providing current to the section

The alternating electromagnetic charge causes the permanently magnetized disk to rotate.

This works differently than a normal electric motor where the electromagnetic current exists 90 degrees radial to the torque power created, rather than along the axis to the torque.

Axial Motor Patenting

Timeline of Axial Motor Patenting

2,436 patents have been issued with the term “Axial Motor” in the title or bibliographic abstract.  Below is a timeline showing the growth.

Who is Developing the Technology?

To see a complete company patent profile try RSRC Company Patent Profile System

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