Field controlled permanent magnet brushless electric machine

Abstract

A brushless electric machine comprising a housing fabricated from a magnetically permeable material and having an interior region, a stator mounted within the interior region and attached to the housing wherein the stator has a stator winding, a rotor mounted for rotation about a rotational axis within the stator. The rotor comprises a plurality of magnetic pole pieces and permanent magnets circumferentially arranged in an alternating configuration such that each permanent magnet is positioned intermediate a pair of consecutive magnetic pole pieces and the axis of magnetization lies in the plane of rotation of the rotor. The rotor is separated from the stator windings by a first air gap so as to form a first magnetic circuit. The rotor further comprises a first side, a first rotor end cap attached to the first side, a second side, and a second rotor end cap attached to the second side. Each rotor end cap contacts at least some of the magnetic pole pieces. Each rotor end cap is fabricated from a magnetically permeable material. The burshless electric machine further comprises a pair of excitation windings. Each excitation winding is secured to the housing on either side of the rotor such that the excitation winding extends circumferentially in the plane of rotation of the rotor and about a corresponding rotor end cap. The excitation windings are separated from the rotor end caps by a second air gap. The first and second air gaps cooperate to form a second magnetic circuit.