Responsin

the Russian name for a type of wave transmission device that makes use of electromagnetic excitation of deformation waves. A rotating magnetic field is excited by the windings of the stator and is short-circuited through a flexible magnetic circuit located within a flexible wheel. This magnetic circuit functions as a generator of deformation waves. The windings of poles located in diametrically opposed positions are fed in pairs. This arrangement produces a given deformation of the flexible wheel.

Figure 1.Responsin: (1) flexible wheel, (2) flexible magnetic circuit, (3) rigid wheel, (4) stator, (5) output shaft

When the kinematics of the interaction of the flexible wheel and the rigid wheel are the conventional kinematics of wave transmissions, the rotational speed of the magnetic field is 100 to 200 times greater than that of the output shaft. The use of a magnetic field for direct deformation of the flexible wheel permits the elimination of all rapidly rotating components from the transmission; the responsin consequently is characterized by inertia-free operation, fast response, and high kinematic accuracy. The absence of unbalanced rotating masses means that the mechanism does not vibrate during its operation. The efficiency of a responsin is 10–20 percent.

The concept of the responsin was put forth by the Soviet engineer A. I. Moskvitin. The responsin came into use in the 1960’s as a low-speed drive for servosystems and other precision mechanisms.