Patent ID: 6949864

Claim:
A rotary electric motor comprising: a stator configured in the form of an annular ring having a plurality of groups of electromagnet poles, the groups substantially equidistantly distributed along the angular extent of the annular ring, each of the groups comprising magnetic material magnetically isolated and separated from the other groups, the electromagnet poles having pole faces separated from each other by gaps, gaps between pole faces within each group being of a substantially uniform first angular distance; and an annular rotor, concentric with an axis of rotation and concentric with the annular stator to form a radial air gap therebetween, comprising a plurality of permanent magnets substantially equidistantly distributed with alternating magnetic polarity along the angular extent of the air gap and separated from each other by gaps of a second angular distance different from the first angular distance, the permanent magnets having a common magnetic return path; wherein each group of electromagnet poles comprises windings that are switchably energized for driving electromotive interaction between the stator and rotor.