Patent ID: 6920023

Claim:
A method of providing a current-limited machine, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a rotor design; selecting at least one magnetic material to comprise a stator; defining a stator geometry, including the steps of: defining a stator core; defining a plurality of spaced-apart teeth adapted to receive at least one winding therebetween; defining at least one primary magnetic flux path for guiding magnetic flux from an adjacent moving magnetic rotor along at least some teeth, through the core, past the at least one winding and back to the rotor to thereby cause a current to flow in the at least one winding; defining a secondary magnetic flux path within the stator for guiding around the at least one winding a magnetic flux induced by said current flow in the at least one winding, the secondary the flux path having a sufficient magnetic inductance relative to the induced current flow sufficient to permit an induced magnetic flux to encircle the windings via the secondary magnetic flux path and thereby induce associated induced voltage across the at least one winding of sufficient magnitude to limit the current passing through the at least one winding to a level below that at which a machine is thermally damaged by reason of excessive current flow in the at least one winding.