# US 2018/0323689 A1 · System and apparatus for axial field rotary energy device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0323689 A1 - Document ID: US20180323689A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/031,879 - Filed: 2018-07-10 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-01-11 - Assignees: Infinitum Electric Inc. - Applicants: Infinitum Electric Inc. - Inventors: Bernhard L. Schuler; Rich Lee; Jorgen Rasmussen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323689A1 ## CPC - H02K 16/02: Machines with one stator and two {or more} rotors - H02K 1/182: {to stators axially facing the rotor, i.e. with axial or conical air gap} - H02K 1/2798: where both axial sides of the stator face a rotor - H02K 3/26: consisting of printed conductors - H02K 3/28: Layout of windings or of connections between windings (windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32) - H02K 5/04: Casings or enclosures characterised by the shape, form or construction thereof - H02K 11/30: Structural association with control circuits or drive circuits - H02K 16/00: Machines with more than one rotor or stator {(machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029)} - H02K 21/24: with magnets axially facing the armatures, e.g. hub-type cycle dynamos - H02K 5/1732: {radially supporting the rotary shaft at both ends of the rotor (H02K5/1737 takes precedence)} - H02K 2203/03: Machines characterised by the wiring boards, i.e. printed circuit boards or similar structures for connecting the winding terminations - H02K 2213/03: Machines characterised by numerical values, ranges, mathematical expressions or similar information - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) ## Abstract An axial field rotary energy device can include a housing having an axis. A stator assembly is mounted to the housing and has stator panels that are axially-stacked and discrete panels from each other. Each stator panel includes a respective printed circuit board (PCB) having respective coils that are electrically conductive and interconnected within the respective PCB. In addition, a rotor assembly including rotors is rotatably mounted within the housing on opposite axial ends of the stator assembly. The rotors can be mechanically coupled together. Each rotor can include magnets having leading and trailing edges. The trailing edge of one magnet and the leading edge of an adjacent magnet can be parallel to each other to define a consistent circumferential spacing, relative to the axis, between adjacent ones of the magnets. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An axial field rotary energy device, comprising: a housing having an axis with an axial direction; a stator assembly mounted to the housing and comprising a plurality of stator panels that are axially-stacked and discrete panels from each other, each stator panel comprises a respective printed circuit board (PCB) having a respective plurality of coils that are electrically conductive and interconnected within the respective PCB, wherein the respective PCB is configured so that an electrical current that flows through any one of the respective plurality of coils likewise flows through all of the respective plurality of coils, such that each stator panel consists of a single electrical phase; and a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted within the housing on opposite axial ends of the stator assembly, the rotors are mechanically coupled together, each rotor comprises magnets, the magnets comprise leading and trailing edges, and the trailing edge of one magnet and the leading edge of an adjacent magnet are parallel to each other to define a consistent circumferential spacing, relative to the axis, between adjacent ones of the magnets. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each stator panel comprises two identical, C- shaped PCB segment halves that are electrically coupled together to form a respective one of the stator panels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the stator panels axially abut one another and are collectively mechanically coupled to the housing with fasteners in an axial-abutting relationship. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each stator panel comprises a plurality of perimeter mounting holes that are configured to permit the plurality of stator panels to, relative to the axis, be: (a) rotationally aligned at a single angle with respect to the axis to form a single electrical phase device, or (b) rotationally offset from each other at desired phase angles to form a multi-phase device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, where each of the magnets is trapezoidal in shape. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each magnet, relative to the axis, comprises an inner radial edge that is parallel to an outer radial edge thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the magnets comprise an even number of magnets and, relative to the axis, circumferentially adjacent ones of the magnets comprise opposite magnetic poles and, on opposed rotors, diametrically opposed ones of the magnets comprise opposite magnetic poles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each rotor comprises a rotor hub, a magnetic backing is mounted to one axial side of the rotor hub, the magnets are mounted to an opposite axial side of the rotor hub, collectively the magnets define a magnet inner diameter and a magnet outer diameter relative to the axis, the magnetic backing has a backing inner diameter that is less than the magnet inner diameter, and the magnetic backing has a backing outer diameter that is greater than the magnet outer diameter. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the rotor hub comprises a trapezoidal aperture for each of the magnets, and the magnets are secured to the rotor hub only by magnetic attraction to the magnetic backing. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device of claim 8, wherein the backing outer diameter is flush with an outer perimeter of the rotor hub. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein each stator panel comprises a plurality of cores comprising magnetic material, and each core is located in a center of a respective coil of the stator panel, and the cores are electrically insulated from the coils. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the cores comprise axial surfaces that are substantially flush with axial surfaces of the stator panel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the center of the respective coil comprises a volume located inside an innermost trace of the respective coil. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the volume is formed during manufacturing of the PCB, such that the cores are included during fabrication of the PCB. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the volume is removed from the PCB after the PCB is manufactured, such that the cores are added to the PCB after fabrication of the PCB. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises housing shells coupled together, each of the housing shells respectively comprises an internal perimeter having an axial shelf formed therein, and the stator assembly is mechanically coupled to at least one of the axial shelves; and the stator panels comprise outer perimeter edges that contact radial-facing inner surfaces of the housing shells at the internal perimeter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the stator assembly comprises three stator panels, each configured to operate with a respective electrical phase, and together configured to operate with a plurality of electrical phases. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit integrated within the housing, the control circuit comprises a circular, donut-like shape that is complementary to a shape of the stator panels to facilitate retention of a form factor of the device. ### Claim 19 An axial field rotary energy device, comprising: a housing having an axis with an axial direction; a stator assembly mounted to the housing and comprising a plurality of stator panels that are axially-stacked and discrete panels from each other, each stator panel comprises a respective printed circuit board (PCB) having a respective plurality of coils that are electrically conductive and interconnected within the respective PCB, wherein the respective PCB is configured so that an electrical current that flows through any one of the respective plurality of coils likewise flows through all of the respective plurality of coils, such that each stator panel consists of a single electrical phase; a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted within the housing on opposite axial ends of the stator assembly, the rotors are mechanically coupled together, each rotor comprises magnets, the magnets comprise leading and trailing edges, and the trailing edge of one magnet and the leading edge of an adjacent magnet are parallel to each other to define a consistent circumferential spacing, relative to the axis, between adjacent ones of the magnets; and each rotor comprises a rotor hub, a magnetic backing is mounted to one axial side of the rotor hub, the magnets are mounted to an opposite axial side of the rotor hub, collectively the magnets define a magnet inner diameter and a magnet outer diameter relative to the axis, the magnetic backing has a backing inner diameter that is less than the magnet inner diameter, and the magnetic backing has a backing outer diameter that is greater than the magnet outer diameter. ### Claim 20 An axial field rotary energy device, comprising: a housing having an axis with an axial direction; a stator assembly mounted to the housing and comprising a plurality of stator panels that are axially-stacked and discrete panels from each other, each stator panel comprises a respective printed circuit board (PCB) having a respective plurality of coils that are electrically conductive and interconnected within the respective PCB, wherein the respective PCB is configured so that an electrical current that flows through any one of the respective plurality of coils likewise flows through all of the respective plurality of coils, such that each stator panel consists of a single electrical phase; each stator panel comprises a plurality of cores comprising magnetic material, and each core is located in a center of a respective coil of the stator panel, and the cores are electrically insulated from the coils; and a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted within the housing on opposite axial ends of the stator assembly, the rotors are mechanically coupled together, each rotor comprises magnets, the magnets comprise leading and trailing edges, and the trailing edge of one magnet and the leading edge of an adjacent magnet are parallel to each other to define a consistent circumferential spacing, relative to the axis, between adjacent ones of the magnets.