Brushless motor

Claim 2

A brushless electric motor, characterized by (a) rotor means arranged to rotate about an axis having a circular cross-section and a plurality of permanent magnets located in equally-arcuately spaced relation adjacent the periphery of said rotor, and (b) stator means comprising magnetic field producing means located in operative relation to said rotor means whereby successive ones of said permanent magnets may align with said magnet field producing means and constructed to apply intermittent pulses of magnetic field of the same polarity as said permanent magnet when in said alignment to cause repulsion of said permanent magnet and rotation of said rotor about said axis.

Claim 3

The motor claimed in claim 1, in which said magnetic field producing means comprises electromagnetic coil means having means to apply pulses of d.c. current thereto.

Claim 4

The motor claimed in claim 1, in which said magnetic field producing means comprises a pole-­switching magnet which normally has a polarity opposite to that of said permanent magnet to draw the same into said alignment and which polarity is reversible under the influence of an electromagnetic coil to effect said repulsion when in said alignment.

Claim 5

The motor claimed in claim 1, in which said magnetic field producing means comprises a pole-­switching magnet which normally has a polarity opposite to that of said permanent magnet and which polarity is neutralizable under the influence of an electromagnetic coil to permit said permanent magnet to move into said alignment, whereby removal of the influence of said electromagnetic coil results in said repulsion.

Claim 6

The motor claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which said rotor takes the form of a fan having a plurality of radially directed arms extending from an axle to a circumferential periphery, said plurality of permanent magnets is positioned one at each radial extremity of said radially-directed arms, and said stator means comprises a plurality of said magnetic field producing means arranged in equally-arcuated spaced relation about said circumferential periphery.

Claim 7

The motor claimed in claim 5, in which each said permanent magnets has a north pole extending to one axial side of the circumferential periphery and a south pole extending the other axial side of the circumferential periphery, each said magnetic field producing means comprises a pair of pole-switching magnets mounted in facing relation to define a gap through which each said permanent magnet moves successively, core means magnetically joining said pole-­switching magnets and electromagnetic coil means mounted about said core to reverse the polarity of said pole-­switching magnets to effect said repulsion.

Claim 8

The motor claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, which is of claim 1 configured as a wheel hub onto which a tire may be mounted, and in which said rotor comprises a hollow housing rotatably mounted on a central stationary shaft and enclosing said stator element, two arrays of said permanent magnets each arranged with adjacent magnets of opposite polarity and in magnetic circuit via an annular steel plate and one on each side of a gap between which is located said stator with magnets of opposite poles facing each other, and said stator comprises a plurality of axially-directed electromagnetic coils located in said gap and corresponding in number with the number of permanent magnets in each of said arrays, whereby said wheel may act as a motor when pulses of d.c. electric current are applied to said coils and said wheel may act as a generator when rotative motion is applied to said rotor and means for removing pulses of d.c. current is connected to said coils.

Claim 9

The motor claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 configured as a drum, which constitutes said rotor, and in which at least one array of said permanent magnets is arranged on the external surface of the drum with north and south poles axially directed, and said magnetic field producing means comprises a pair of pole switching magnets of opposite polarity mounted in facing relation to define a gap through which each said permanent magnet moves successively, core means magnetically joining said pole-switching magnets and electromagnetic coil means mounted about said core to reverse the polarity of said pole-switching magnets to effect said repulsion.

Claim 10

The motor claimed in claim 8, in which an arc of said magnetic field producing means is provided adjacent one portion of the periphery of said drum.

Claim 11

The motor claimed in claim 8, in which a plurality of said magnetic field producing means is provided equally-arcuately spaced around the periphery of said drum.