A hybrid drive system can include a shaft, an electrical machine comprising a rotor and a stator, and a mechanical disconnect system connecting the rotor to the shaft. The mechanical disconnect system is configured to mechanically connect the rotor to the shaft in a first state and to mechanically disconnect the rotor from the shaft in a second state such that rotor does not drive the shaft or such that the rotor is not driven by the shaft. The rotor can be a permanent magnet rotor, for example.

A permanent magnet electrical machine has a rotor supporting a circumferential row of permanent magnets. The electrical machine further has a stator coaxial with the rotor and having a circumferential row of stator teeth carrying respective coils. The teeth provide paths for magnetic flux produced by the magnets, thereby electromagnetically linking the magnets and the coils when the rotor rotates relative to the stator. The teeth have respective core portions on which the coils are mounted, and respective tip portions located between the core portions and the rotor, neighbouring tip portions being circumferentially spaced from each other by respective gaps. Each pair of neighbouring tip portions has a bridge member and a thermal switching mechanism carried by a first tip portion of the pair.

A permanent magnet electric machine (PM machine) includes a rotor with rotatable magnets and a stator defining an air gap with the rotor. An actuator rotates the rotatable magnets at predetermined operating points through an angular distance sufficient for changing magnetic pole orientations of the rotatable magnets, and thus modifies magnetic flux linkage with stator windings across the air gap. Fixed magnets may be arranged around a circumference of the rotor. The actuator may be actively or passively driven. Flux-shunting elements are optionally disposed in the rotor to further modify the flux linkage. A gear set connected to torque transfer elements may be driven by the actuator to rotate the rotatable magnets. A vehicle includes drive wheels, a transmission, and the PM machine. A method controls magnetic flux linkage in the PM machine noted above.

A magnetic motor comprising a timing controller and at least one cylinder having a piston, an upper cylinder head, and a lower cylinder head is disclosed. The piston, upper cylinder head, and lower cylinder head each include a set of one or more magnets characterized by a common pattern. The one or more magnets in the piston, the upper cylinder head, and lower cylinder head comprise poles oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The piston oscillates linearly in the cylinder but does not rotate, while the upper and lower cylinder heads rotate in place but do not move linearly. The timing controller is configured to vary the phase between longitudinal oscillation of the piston and angular oscillation of the upper and lower cylinder heads to optimally drive the piston up and down in the cylinder.

A rotor for an electrical machine includes a rotor body and an axis of revolution which extends in an axial direction and about which the rotor body is rotatable. The rotor further includes an outer casing surface which delimits the rotor body, at least one pole arrangement, and a movement mechanism for the at least one pole arrangement. The movement mechanism is designed such that the at least one pole arrangement is movable about a rotation axis which is oriented substantially parallel to the axis of revolution of the rotor. The at least one pole arrangement is also movable about the rotation axis in addition to rotation about the axis of revolution of the rotor.

A permanent magnet electric machine (PM machine) for a vehicle or other system includes a rotor assembly, fixed permanent magnets, a stator, an actuator, and one or more repositionable/moveable flux-shunting elements. The flux-shunting element is repositioned to control flux at specific operating points of the PM machine. The rotor assembly has a rotor coaxially surrounding and coupled to a rotor shaft. The permanent magnets are mounted to or in the rotor, and the moveable flux-shunting element is positioned between the rotor shaft and a respective one of the permanent magnets. Inboard and outboard ends of each respective permanent magnet may be oriented toward the rotor shaft and stator, respectively. The actuator selectively positions the moveable flux-shunting element at one or more operating points of the PM machine to vary reluctance in a magnetic circuit formed by the stator and rotor assembly.

A dynamoelectric machine having mechanical field weakening is provided. A design that is advantageous in terms of efficiency is brought about by a machine having a stator (1), a rotor (2) that is spaced from the stator (1) by an air gap (8), permanent magnets (4) for generating an exciter field in the air gap (8), which permanent magnets are arranged in magnet pockets (3) on the rotor (2), and displaceable flux-guiding elements (10) guided in radially extending grooves (12), wherein the density of the exciter field in the air gap (8) can be influenced by the radial position of the flux-guiding elements, and wherein the leakage flux-guiding elements (10) are arranged underneath the permanent magnets (4) when viewed in a radial direction.

A permanent magnet electric machine (PM machine) includes a rotor with rotatable magnets and a stator defining an air gap with the rotor. An actuator rotates the rotatable magnets at predetermined operating points through an angular distance sufficient for changing magnetic pole orientations of the rotatable magnets, and thus modifies magnetic flux linkage with stator windings across the air gap. Fixed magnets may be arranged around a circumference of the rotor. The actuator may be actively or passively driven. Flux-shunting elements are optionally disposed in the rotor to further modify the flux linkage. A gear set connected to torque transfer elements may be driven by the actuator to rotate the rotatable magnets. A vehicle includes drive wheels, a transmission, and the PM machine. A method controls magnetic flux linkage in the PM machine noted above.

A permanent magnet electric machine (PM machine) for a vehicle or other system includes a rotor assembly, fixed permanent magnets, a stator, an actuator, and one or more repositionable/moveable flux-shunting elements. The flux-shunting element is repositioned to control flux at specific operating points of the PM machine. The rotor assembly has a rotor coaxially surrounding and coupled to a rotor shaft. The permanent magnets are mounted to or in the rotor, and the moveable flux-shunting element is positioned between the rotor shaft and a respective one of the permanent magnets. Inboard and outboard ends of each respective permanent magnet may be oriented toward the rotor shaft and stator, respectively. The actuator selectively positions the moveable flux-shunting element at one or more operating points of the PM machine to vary reluctance in a magnetic circuit formed by the stator and rotor assembly.

A vehicle electric machine assembly including a stator core, a rotor, and a bridge is provided. The stator core defines a cavity. The rotor is disposed within the cavity and may include a channel defined between two magnets. The bridge is disposed within the channel for translation between at least a first and a second position. The translation of the bridge adjusts a path of magnetic flux from the rotor to the stator core based on the bridge position. The bridge may be of a ferromagnetic material. The assembly may further include a first non-magnetic guide mounted on a first side of the channel at a substantially central channel region and a second magnetic guide mounted on a second side of the channel at the substantially central channel region.