Development of in-wheel magnetic-geared motor for walking support machines

Abstract

This paper deals with development of in-wheel magnetic-geared motor for walking support machines. In a previous paper, a magnetic-geared motor for a walking support machine was prototyped. However, its efficiency was low, therefore improving the efficiency is necessary for practical use. This paper presents the improving efficiency of the magnetic-geared motor from the viewpoint of torque increasing and loss reducing by using a three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM). In addition, supporting method of pole-pieces and eddy current loss in housing were discussed. Furthermore, the proposed motor is prototyped. The experimental results show that its efficiency is 15% higher than the previous motor. Finally, the walking support machine installed with two magnetic-geared motors is prototyped and demonstrated.