Design and Analysis of a Novel Multi-DOF PM Spherical Motor

This paper proposes a novel multi-DOF PM spherical motor which is capable of rotating and tilting in all directions, with relative higher torque ability compared with most existing spherical motors. Considering that the rotating principle is similar to the conventional PM synchronous motor, this paper is mainly focused on studying the tilting principle. Firstly, the tilting torque is analytically obtained to further reveal the intrinsic principle of the tilting motion. Then the key factors that significantly influence the tilting torque are found out based on the mathematical expression of the tilting torque. Finally, these key factors are investigated and analyzed in detail aiming at expanding the tilting range of the proposed multi-DOF PM spherical motor effectively. The 3D FEM is adopted for accurate calculation and performance verification.