Patent ID: 8212446

Claim:
A brushless electric machine, comprising: a first member that includes: an A-phase electromagnetic coil group including A-phase coils disposed at a constant coil pitch and with adjacent coils excited in opposite directions; and a B-phase electromagnetic coil group including B-phase coils disposed at the constant coil pitch and with adjacent coils excited in opposite directions; the A-phase coils and the B-phase coils being disposed at positions having a phase difference of π/2; and a second member that can move in a predetermined moving direction relative to the first member, the second member having sets of magnetic field forming member groups including: a first permanent magnet group on a first side rotor section; a second permanent magnet group on a central rotor section; and a third permanent magnet group on a second side rotor section, the first and second side rotor sections sandwiching the central rotor section therebetween, and each of the first, second and third permanent magnet groups including a plurality of permanent magnets disposed at a constant magnetic pole pitch, wherein the sets of magnetic field forming member groups are each disposed so that different magnetic poles face each other and create magnetic fields in the same direction having straight magnetic lines extending perpendicular to the moving direction, wherein the A-phase coils are disposed between the first and second permanent magnet groups in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction, and the B-phase coils are disposed between the second and third permanent magnet groups in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction, and wherein the magnetic pole pitch is equal to the coil pitch.