UK-based floor care
appliance maker Dyson (www.dyson.com) has a 45-person motor team at its
headquarters at Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Mechanical, electrical,
aerodynamic, and software engineers all contributed to the development
of the latest generation Dyson digital motor, the V2.
The company credits much of the performance of its appliances to the superiority of its motors.
Microprocessors
adjust motor timing and speed up to 3000 times a second while
capacitors supply power to the circuit board, thus avoiding
high-frequency currents channeling to the battery. A microprocessor
rapidly switches the north-south polarity of the electromagnetic field
in the stator.
The digital motor in the new
DC31 handheld vacuum has a neodymium magnet, which is used for its
light weight and power. It reacts to the alternating electromagnetic
fields produced in the stator and spins at up to 104,000 times per
minute.
The impeller
is aerodynamically engineered, with continuously curving blades that
channel airflow up and through the vane diffuser to cool components.
The
motor has an iron core rotor with new windings and the absence of
carbon brushes means it produces no carbon particle emissions. The
company attributes the high efficiency of its motors in part to high
tolerances. The impeller spins at more than 600 mph with only 0.3 mm
clearance between the blade tip and the impeller housing.
The
motor is specifically designed for battery-operated products and was
used in the DC31 and the DC31 Animal handheld vacuums. The appliances
are small and lightweight with a 10-minute battery life. The units use
the Dyson Root Cycle technology to spin dust and dirt out of the air so
that suction does not decrease during use.
The
system also offers a power boost feature that provides more suction
with a 6-minute run time. The handheld vacuums were launched in several
global markets in mid-2009.
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