Abstract:
An improved voltage unipolar generator utilizing a pair of electrically interconnected, counter-rotating, circumferentially segmented, conductive disks. Rolling contacts such as conductive balls or tapered pins are used to electrically interconnect the two counter-rotating disks in a manner that places the majority of the disks&#39; segments in an electrical series. An axially magnetized co-rotating, neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet having a diameter similar to said disks is the preferred field source. A ferrite disk of appropriate thickness is placed opposite the field source to compress said disks and rolling contacts for optimized electrical interconnection of said disk segments.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of prior filed co-pending Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/306,841. 
     
    
     
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to generators of electric current and more particularly to an electric generator having a pair of electrically interconnected disks counter rotating in an axially aligned magnetic field.  
           [0003]    Faraday disks or homopolar generators are widely known as producers of large electrical currents at rather low DC voltages (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,185,877, 3,465,187, 3,705,995, 4,097,758). Lesser known are simplified versions of these wherein the field source co-rotates with the conductive disk(s). Although this “unipolar” generator is a preferred embodiment (mimicking the action of the earth), it seems to present problems in textbook E-M theory (Crooks, Scanlon, Corson, Scanlon).  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Extensive model construction and experimentation with various unipolar generator arrangements (U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,825) demonstrated that a preferred current path exists. In order to overcome the problems of low voltage and secondary field resistance found in prior art machines, the present invention utilizes a torroidial current path.  
           [0005]    By electrically connecting (in a series) the inner end points and the outer endpoints of the segments of two segmented conductive disks, a torroidial current path may be achieved. Liquid metal is often used to collect current from unipolar machines (U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,877), however, a liquid brush would short circuit a disk with discrete electrical segments. Sliding contacts such as copper-impregnated carbon brushes (commonly used in conventional D.C. motor generators) could be used here, but the required number of them at both inner and outer radii would cause substantial mechanical drag. The preferred brush system here is a rolling brush system. Rolling brushes have been used in electrical machines for over 100 years (U.S. Pat. No. 530,717), yet they have never been used to interconnect two commutators as they are used in the present invention. For ease of construction, a lower current machine can be made using conductive balls, but tapered conductive pins are the preference for a higher current machine.  
           [0006]    A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a machine that would generate electricity for industrial or consumer use. The present invention has been designed to meet growing demands for electrical energy by having a higher energy density and by utilizing recently discovered magnetic field phenomena. The present invention produces D.C. electricity by means of electromagnetic induction. The present invention is not a refinement of existing D.C. generator machines. The present invention is an entirely new configuration of inductive elements with respect to a primary field source. The most similar generator types are homopolar, acyclic, or unipolor generators. Unrecognized by most scientists is the unipolar generator. Any conductive permanent magnet spun on its axis of magnetization is a unipolar generator. The present invention is a complex version of a unipolar generator. By incorporating an intricate rolling brush-commutator and specially segmented disks, the present invention has a greatly increased voltage and substantially reduced back EMF over other unipolar generators.  
           [0007]    The preferred embodiment of the improved voltage unipolar generator of the present invention utilizes a pair of electrically interconnected, counter-rotating, circumferentially segmented, conductive disks. Rolling contacts, such as conductive balls or tapered pins, are used to electrically interconnect the two counter-rotating disks in a manner that places the majority of the disks&#39; segments in an electrical series. An axially magnetized co-rotating, neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet having a diameter similar to said disks is the preferred field source. A ferrite disk of appropriate thickness is placed opposite the field source to compress said disks and rolling contacts for optimized electrical interconnection and counter-rotation of said disk segments. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is an example of the torroidal current path around which this invention is designed. This torroidal current path with counter-rotating faces produces a secondary field that is highly desirable for electrical energy production.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is an exploded representation of the primary and secondary magnetic fields occurring as electrical current is induced to flow through the torroidal current path of FIG. 1 in this embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 3A and 3B are the inner and outer sides of an embodiment of a disk having conductive elements that constitute a portion of the torroidal current path of FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIGS. 4A and 4B are the two sides of a disk designed to electrically interconnect with the disk of FIG. 3 in a manner which (using rolling brushes in this embodiment) will produce the desired torroidal current path of FIG. 1 independent of its radial alignment with the disk of FIG. 3.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 shows all of the parts necessary to construct a simple embodiment of the invention in an exploded view.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 shows a side view of a simple embodiment of the invention assembled.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 shows a side view of a more complex embodiment that utilizes more of the existing magnetic field, producing twice the electrical power. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]    The efficiency of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be determined by the precision of construction of the rolling brush system, and the uniformity of the secondary field arrangement.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a torroidal current path. This special current path is the core of this invention. Electricity is induced to flow into the torroid at point  82 . The current is induced to flow in the direction of the arrows in element  86 A. The current then crosses commutator means  88 A (this embodiment shows a rolling type commutator) and then the current is induced to flow in the direction of the arrows along element  90 A. Elements  86 A,  86 B,  86 C- 86 N are all mounted on a disk that is rotatable around central shaft  80 , when this rotation occurs in the presence of the appropriate primary field, induction occurs along the elements in the direction of the arrows. Similarly elements  90 A,  90 B,  90 C, etc. are mounted on a disk free to rotate about central shaft  80 . When counter rotation occurs in this disk in the presence of the primary magnetic field, electricity is induced to flow in the direction of the arrows in these elements. Rolling contacts  88 A,  88 B,  88 C,  88 D,  88 E etc. complete the torroidal current path allowing the current to exit the torroid at point  84 .  
         [0017]    Two segmented conductive disks  12  and  18  are electrically interconected by commutator means  14  in a manner that produces a single current path through the two disks independent of the relative position of the two disks. As the disks counter rotate in the axial primary field  70 , current is induced outward radially on one disk and inward radially on the other.  
         [0018]    The current in this machine traverses the majority of inductive elements in each disk in a series producing a complex and important secondary field arrangement and substantially improving the voltage of this machine. The uniformly radial current in disk  12  produces secondary fields  72  and  78  while the uniformly radial current in disk  18  produces secondary fields  74  and  76 . The special geometry of this machine aligns secondary fields  72 ,  74 ,  76 , and  78  substantially perpendicular to primary field  70 , greatly reducing back EMF in this invention. Note that secondary fields  72  and  74  between counter rotating disks  12  and  18  are in the same direction reducing magnetic drag in this machine. This embodiment of disk  18  utilizes a disk made of circuit board stock having two sides  18 A and  18 B. Side  18 A having 4 commutator paths  50 ,  52 ,  56 , and  58 . Commutator tab  64  is electrically connected to commutator tab  66  by through holes  65  and their connection to inductive element  67  on side  18 B. Having 12 inductive elements on each side of disk  18  all being placed in series with 24 similar inductive elements on disk  12 , the voltage of this embodiment will be substantially 48 times that of a similar sized unipolar generator. Solder tabs  60  and  62  will lead to slip rings for the collection of electricity. Although disk  18  has 24 discrete radial elements such as  67  and  68 , they will all be in electrical series when this machine is assembled and rotated. Disk  12  is designed to complete the circuit of disk  18  by facing it with matching commutator rings  50 ,  52 ,  56 , and  58  on side  12   a.  Comutator tab  40  is electrically connected to tab  44  through holes  48  and radial element  34  on side  12   b.  Similarly tab  42  is electrically connected to tab  46  and holes  48  through radial inductor  36 . More radial elements are necessary on this disk than on disk  18  in order to maintain a continuous output current. During counter rotation, typically 8/11 of the elements on disk  12  are in use at a given moment. Center hole  38  must be able to center the disk on a bearing for counter-rotation.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the basic necessary components required to construct this invention. Embodiments of this invention must include an axially aligned field source  20  mounted on a shaft  26  that is driven by prime mover  28 , slip rings  22  and  24  being connected to tabs  60  and  62  provide the means to extract current from the machine. Commutator disk  16  and prime mover  28  are rigidly mounted to a base and support the ends of shaft  26 . Bearing  32  allows shaft  26  to freely rotate therein. Disk  10  is constructed of ferrite or other magnetically attractive material and is coated with plastic, or other electrically insulative material. Disk  10  is thereby in attraction to field source  20  and provides the compressive force needed to electrically interconnect and counter-rotate disks  12  and  18  through rolling conductors  14  with an appropriate pressure. Bearing  30  allows disks  10  and  12  to counter-rotate around shaft  26 . As field source  20  and disk  18  co-rotate (in unipolar fashion) the compressive force on rolling contacts  14 , due to the magnetic attraction between field source  20  and ferrite disk  10 , causes rolling contacts  14  to spin inside their respective holes in commutator disk  16 . This action causes the counter rotation of disks  10  and  12  inducing additional voltage in disk  12 . Field source  20  could be either a field winding (coil) or a permanent magnet.  
         [0020]    Embodiment #2 (FIG. 7) shows a higher energy density machine by taking advantage of the magnetic field on both sides of a field source  20 . This embodiment produces twice the electrical DC output at points  22  and  24 . Solder tabs on disks  18  and  19  are interconnected in either series or parallel (as is required by the load on the embodiment) and then connected to slip rings  22  and  24  for twice the output wattage.  
         [0021]    This source of DC electrical energy is derived from classical electromagnetic induction phenomenon in a very special geometry. The necessary requirements for this geometry are:  
         [0022]    1) A primary field source; either a coil or a permanent magnet, but a permanent magnet is preferred.  
         [0023]    2) This field source is mounted on a shaft that is driven by an external power source and that drives this generator. The field source is centered on the shaft and the field aligned with the shaft. The field source may freely rotate on a bearing but it is preferably fixed to the shaft.  
         [0024]    3) A disk carrying numerous discrete conductive radial elements is fixed to the shaft adjacent the field source. Each radial element having an inner and an outer brush surface. A preferred brush surface is designed to mate with a brush device in a manner enabling a maximized current to flow between opposing brush surfaces.  
         [0025]    4) A second (preferably counter-rotating) disk carrying similar conductive radial elements and brush surfaces is mounted on a bearing on the shaft facing the first disk. The brush surfaces of this second disk are at radii that match those of the first disk. Between the two counter-rotating disks is a brush device that could be a sliding type brush, but a rolling-type brush of either conductive balls or conductive pins is the preferred embodiment.