Patent ID: 8362731

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a stator supporting a winding; a rotor supporting a magnetic flux generating member, the magnetic flux generating member including a magnet, the rotor disposed for movement relative to the stator; and an air gap control system coupled to at least one of the stator or the rotor, the air gap control system including an air gap control device configured to exert a force on one of the stator and the rotor in response to movement of the other of the stator and the rotor in a direction that reduces a distance between the stator and the rotor to at least one of maintain a minimum distance between the stator and the rotor or substantially center the one of the stator and the rotor within a region defined by the other of the stator and the rotor, the air gap control device being separate from a primary magnetic flux circuit formed between the stator and the rotor.