I never really understood the outrunner until I seen the right 3D animation.
This one isn't very good, but worth a look
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attac...mentid=2691817
The internal waveform is moving ALOT faster than the outside can is. In other words, it takes advantage of quicker fet switching inside the esc.
In a 2 pole motor, the rotor spins 120 degrees. In a 12 pole motor, the outside can only spins 30 degrees for each phase shift. For me, this explains alot about the outrunner motor's lower kv compared to the inrunner.
It also says alot about the increased torque.
For timing, it is just a matter of finding that motors sweet spot. For the ESC, this is a relationship between the switching timing and the emf feedback that the esc receives from the motor. The emf feedback is what the esc uses to track rotor position and know when to "flip the switch" and fire the next phase.
If you notice in the winding information, all three legs of any 3 phase motor ARE connected to each other. The chopped DC pulse from the ESC ONLY goes through 2 legs at any given time. The pulse travels the path of least resistence and ignores the longer path. EMF is "sensed" and measured coming back through the "dead" leg. This applies to all sensorless motors.
There's ALOT to understanding an outrunner motor winding. Then check it out, there are many different ways to wind one.
For as many pole configurations as you can come up with, you can multiply that number times 2, since you can do any wind in either Delta or Wye.