Patent ID: 7228616

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a rotor of an electrical machine, comprising: assembling an array of permanent magnet segments around a rotor spindle; determining desired orientation directions of the permanent magnet segments; and positioning the assembled permanent magnet segments in a magnetization fixture such that the desired orientation directions of the permanent magnet segments are aligned with corresponding flux directions of the magnetizing fixture, wherein the desired orientation directions of the permanent magnet segments are configured such that successive orientation directions vary from a direction generally normal to a direction of rotation of the rotor at a rotor pole D-axis to a direction generally tangential to the direction of rotation of the rotor at a rotor pole Q-axis, and wherein the desired orientation directions of the permanent magnet segments are determined via magnetic analysis comprising finite element method, generally having the characteristic that the desired orientation directions of the permanent magnet segments are such as to be nearly coincident in direction with the magnetic flux produced by the magnetizing fixture.