Analysis and design of a tubular linear PM motor with integrated contactless energy transfer

A novel tubular permanent magnet motor topology with integrated contactless energy transfer is proposed in this paper. The high-frequency transformer of the contactless energy transfer, that is able to transfer 800 W of power continuously, is fully integrated in the design of the linear motor. The energy can be delivered to the mover while the motor is moving. The magnetic field orientation inside the soft-magnetic composite material is such that cross coupling effects between the motor and the transformer are minimal. Two 2D Fourier models are created to predict the transformer and motor behavior of the system separately. The models are applied in a design routine to determine the optimal geometries for different design objectives. The performance analysis of one of the optimized designs is analyzed with 3D finite element software.