Permanent magnet motor with passively controlled variable rotor/stator alignment

An electric motor comprising:

• a shaft defining a rotation axis;
• a rotor disposed about the shaft and configured to rotate about the rotation axis;
• a stator, mechanically coupled to the shaft, having an electrically conductive region;
• a coil disposed on the stator;
• a first magnet disposed on the rotor and magnetically coupled to the coil;
• and
• a second magnet disposed on the rotor and configured to induce eddy currents in the electrically conductive region when the rotor rotates about the rotation axis with respect to the stator, the eddy currents producing a repulsive force between the electrically conductive region and the second magnet that moves the stator with respect to the rotor to change the magnetic coupling between the first magnet and the coil.

A method of adjusting a magnetic coupling between an electromagnet and a magnet in an electric motor, the method comprising:

• moving a magnetic field-generating element coupled to one of the electromagnet and the magnet with respect to an electrically conductive region coupled to the other one of the electromagnet and the magnet;
• in response to moving the magnetic field-generating element, inducing eddy currents in the electrically conductive region so as to produce a repulsive force between the electrically conductive region and the magnetic field-generating element;
• and
• applying the repulsive force to at least one of the electrically conductive region or the magnetic field-generating element so as to change at least one of an overlap or a separation distance between the electromagnet and the magnet thereby adjusting the magnetic coupling between the electromagnet and the magnet.