Discoidal dynamo-electric machine

Claim 2

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine having a discoidal stator and a discoidal rotor mounted on a central shaft so that the rotor can be positioned close to and rotate in a plane parallel to that of the stator with a gap therebetween, a plurality of permanent magnetic poles mounted on or in a surface of the discoidal rotor facing the stator, said stator having a plurality of wound poles on or in a substrate of the stator, wherein a majority of said wound poles are positioned on or in that surface of the stator which faces said rotor so that the wound poles are adjacent said gap, and the permanent magnetic poles are closely spaced in the form of a circular array around the rotor surface such that there are short substantially semi-circular magnetic flux paths between adjacent permanent magnetic poles, said short magnetic flux paths extending in a region intersected by said majority of said wound poles whereby said majority of said wound poles intersect substantially all of the magnetic flux paths substantially at right angles thereto, said region having a magnetic permeability of less than 20 relative to air and being substantially non-conducting.

Claim 3

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate of the stator has a magnetic permeability of less than 20 relative to air.

Claim 4

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are no less than 8 and no more than 64 permanent magnetic poles on said rotor.

Claim 5

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are about 28 permanent magnetic poles on said rotor.

Claim 6

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap between said rotor and said stator is about 1.5 mm.

Claim 7

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stator has an array of windings which meander on a repetitive series of radial paths, the number of such paths being equal to the number of permanent magnetic poles.

Claim 8

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the windings are upon or within a substrate having a magnetic permeability of less than 20, relative to air.

Claim 9

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein the permanent magnetic poles are provided by a plurality of high strength magnets each shaped in the form of a truncated sector of a circle so that they maintain close spacing between adjacent magnets in the circular array.

Claim 10

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor is formed from a ferromagnetic material.

Claim 11

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotor is formed from a mild steel plate.

Claim 12

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ferromagnetic material is selected from the group comprising powdered ferrite, iron or steel tape, iron or steel wire, and iron sand.

Claim 13

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine having a discoidal stator and a discoidal rotor mounted on a central shaft so that the rotor can be positioned close to and rotate in a plane parallel to that of the stator with a gap therebetween, a plurality of permanent magnetic poles mounted on or in a surface of the discoidal rotor facing the stator, said stator having a plurality of wound poles on or in a substrate of the stator, wherein a majority of said wound poles are positioned on or in that surface of the stator which faces said rotor so that the wound poles are adjacent said gap, and a ferromagnetic material having a permeability of over 20 relative to air is situated adjacent the wound poles, and the permanent magnetic poles are closely spaced in the form of a circular array around the rotor surface such that there are short magnetic flux paths between adjacent permanent magnetic poles, said relatively short magnetic flux paths between adjacent permanent magnetic poles, said short magnetic flux paths extending through a region intersected by said majority of said wound poles whereby said majority of said wound poles intersect substantially all of the magnetic flux paths substantially at right angles thereto.

Claim 14

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine having a discoidal stator and a discoidal rotor mounted on a central shaft so that the rotor can be positioned close to and rotate in a plane parallel to that of the stator with a gap therebetween, a plurality of permanent magnetic poles mounted on or in a surface of the discoidal rotor facing the stator, said stator having a plurality of wound poles on or in a substrate of the stator, wherein a majority of said wound poles are positioned on or in that surface of the stator which faces said rotor so that the wound poles are adjacent said gap, and a ferromagnetic material having a permeability of over 20 relative to air is situated adjacent the wound poles, and the permanent magnetic poles are closely spaced in the form of a circular array around the rotor surface such that there are short magnetic flux paths between adjacent permanent magnetic poles, said relatively short magnetic flux paths between adjacent permanent magnetic poles, said short magnetic flux paths extending through a region intersected by said majority of said wound poles whereby said majority of said wound poles intersect substantially all of the magnetic flux paths substantially at right angles thereto.

Claim 15

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein there are no less than 8 and no more than 64 permanent magnetic poles on said rotor.

Claim 16

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein there are about 28 permanent magnetic poles on said rotor.

Claim 17

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the gap between the rotor and stator is about 1.5 mm.

Claim 18

A discoidal dynamo-electric machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the stator has an array of windings which meander on a repetitive series of radial paths, a number of such paths being equal to the number of permanent magnetic poles.