Mover structure and thrust characteristic of moving-magnet-type surface motor

A few types of surface motors (SFMs) having the ability to perform surface motion have been proposed. However, most SFMs are limited in movement because the movers used depend on electrical wires to supply the operating current. The authors have proposed a new type of SFM that does not require wires to be connected to the mover. The most advantageous feature of this new type of the SFM is that the mover can perform rotation in addition to linear motion on a plane surface. This SFM might be useful for the application in a sealed space, because the mover and the stator are completely separate. In this paper, the number of magnetic poles in the movers and their arrangement are examined. The thrust characteristic of each magnetic pole arrangement is measured experimentally. As a result, the optimum magnetic pole arrangement of the mover is obtained.