Electrical and Electronic Engineering News

The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the Reiwa 6

Professor Akira Chiba received the Awards for Science and Technology in Research Category.

April 23, 2024

Professor Akira Chiba of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering received the Awards for Science and Technology in Research Category in the 2024 Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The award ceremony was held on April 17 at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

Prizes for Science and Technology are for persons who have attained notable achievements in the field of science and technology and are awarded in several categories: Development, Research, Science and Technology Promotion, Technology, and Public Understanding Promotion.

Title：Researches on Electric Motors such as Bearingless motors

the certificate, the medal

Comments by Professor Akira Chiba

I was selected as a candidate of The Awards for Science and Technology in Research Category in the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology about one and a half year ago. On April 17, 2024, I attended the award reception in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Japan. The citation is “Researches on Electric Motors such as Bearingless motors”. The bearingless motors have magnetically suspended rotor shaft without a mechanical contact. When I was a phd student, I engaged with the experiments on 50 000-100 000rpm high speed test motors in the South Building 3 in Ookayama campus. I experienced several mechanical bearing troubles in test motors. Thus, I wondered if I can support the rotating shaft by electromagnetic forces. In that age, there was Magnetic Bearings. I combined the magnetic bearings with electric motors taking an advantage of the revolving magnetic field as bias flux. I have engaged with bearingless motor projects for last 40 years. Now I can see many researches and developments in the world. The bearingless motors have been applied in pure water pumping, in addition, vaccine fabrication process. The book titled as “Magnetic Bearings and Bearingless Drives” by Elsevier is the bible of bearingless motors.

Medal of the Awards for Science and Technology in Research Category in the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Medal of the Awards for Science and Technology
in Research Category in the Commendation for Science
and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology

The picture was taken just before the award reception.
In addition to the individual certificate, a medal was provided. The medal seems to have an ancient design of people regulating fire.

On Receiving the Award

Professor Akira Chiba before the award ceremony

Professor Akira Chiba

I would like to thank to the doctoral, master and bachelor students who carried out the researches. I also would like to thank to secretaries and general office supports. I would like to note the kind advices and supports from Emeritus Professor Tadashi Fukao, Professor M.A.Rahman in the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and the Emeritus Professor T.J.E. Miller in the Glasgow university in UK. I also would like to note the kind advices from Emeritus Professor Hirofumi Akagi. I appreciate supports from Hiromi and Hiroaki in my family.

The pictures are the certificate, the medal and the award reception.