Magnetic Gravity Compensator With Low Natural Frequency and High Force Density

Abstract

Vibration isolators are essential for sensitive and precise industrial applications working on instrumentation and control systems since they isolate microvibration, prevent error propagation, and enhance processing/image quality. This article proposes a novel gravity compensator (GC) for vibration isolation in satellite applications based on permanent magnets. Owing to the new magnetic circuit topology, the proposed system features a lower natural frequency and higher force density, enabling superior low-frequency isolation performance and bearing capacity compared with traditional isolators. Owing to its low natural frequency, the proposed system is superior to conventional GCs in isolating low-frequency disturbances. Moreover, the high force density enables the GC to exploit a heavier payload with less magnetic material, which is economical and space-saving. In addition, well-designed electromagnets are utilized to adjust the static levitation force, which can improve the ability to satisfy the requirements of different loads without drastically changing the stiffness of the entire system. The results suggest that the proposed GC could be utilized for satellite applications with heavy loads and limited mounting space.