Patent ID: 7061152

Claim:
A rotor-stator structure for electrodynamic machines comprising: conical magnets having conical surfaces arranged axially on an axis of rotation such that said conical surfaces face each other, said conical magnets including at least two conical magnets being positioned so that the directions of polarization of said at least two conical magnets are in substantially opposite directions; and field pole members arranged coaxially to said axis and having flux interaction surfaces formed at the ends of said field pole members and adjacent to portions of said conical surfaces that confront said flux interaction surfaces, each of said field pole members forming a field pole gap with another of said field pole members, said flux interaction surfaces and said portions of said conical surfaces defining air gaps so that each of said conical magnets establishes an air gap with each of said field pole members, wherein said flux interaction surfaces are configured to magnetically couple said field pole members to said conical magnets, wherein said air gaps, said conical magnets and said field pole members are sufficient to form a closed flux path that passes through at least two of said field pole members in different directions and through said at least two conical magnets in substantially opposite directions.