A mount for supportably engaging an article. The mount includes a bulbous member that may include a convexly shaped surface area. The convexly shaped surface area may be supportively contactable with a first interconnect portion of a carrier member. An attachment member that is operatively associable with a device may be removably engageable with a second interconnect portion of the carrier member. The carrier member may be moved throughout a continuum of positions defined by the convexly curved surface area of the bulbous member. Additionally, the bulbous member may be supportably engaged by a variety of embodiments of support structures for supporting or mounting the mount.

An external adjustment device includes at least one permanent magnet configured for rotation about an axis with a first handle extending linearly at a first end of the device and a second handle at a second end of the device, the second handle extending in a direction substantially off axis to the first handle. The external adjustment device further includes a motor mounted inside the first handle and a first button located in the proximity to one of the first handle or the second handle, the first button configured to be operated by the thumb of a hand that grips the one of the first handle or second handle. The first button is configured to actuate the motor causing the at least one permanent magnet to rotate about the axis in a first direction.

A magnetic set-up for use in a rotary encoder is disclosed. The set-up includes a permanent magnet arrangement including at least one permanent magnet, which is rotatable with respect to a rotation axis, and a soft magnetic sleeve encompassing the rotation axis and thus the permanent magnet arrangement for shielding against external magnetic fields. The at least one permanent magnet includes a through-hole, which extends along the rotation axis, so that the permanent magnet fully extends around the rotation axis.

A system and method for perturbing a permanent magnet asymmetric field to move a body includes a rotating body configured to rotate about a rotation axis, a permanent magnet arrangement arranged on the rotating body containing two or more permanent magnets, and a perturbation element. The permanent magnet arrangement is configured such that an asymmetric magnetic field is generated by the permanent magnets about a perturbation point. Actuation of the perturbation element at or near the perturbation point causes a tangential magnetic force on the rotating body and/or the permanent magnet arrangement, thereby causing the rotating body to rotate about the rotation axis. The disclosure may also be used for linear motion of a body.

An optical device includes a movable section including an optical section that deflects video light in accordance with the angle of incidence of the video light incident on a light incident surface and outputs the deflected video light and a holder that supports the optical section, an actuator that rotates the movable section around a first axis, an actuator that rotates the movable section around a second axis, a drive circuit that supplies the actuator with a first drive signal and the actuator with a second drive signal, and a sensor disposed in a position different from the positions on the first and second axes detects the position of the optical section, and the drive circuit adjusts the first and second drive signals in accordance with the position of the optical section detected with the sensor.

A magnetic attachment mechanism and method is described. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach at least two objects together in a preferred configuration without fasteners and without external intervention. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach an accessory device to an electronic device. The accessory device can be used to augment the functionality of usefulness of the electronic device.

A magnetic pouch attachment mechanism includes one or more magnetic pouch mounts (500) having an alignment plate (505) with one or more magnetic areas (520) disposed within the alignment plate (505). The magnetic pouch mount (500) also includes a pouch (900) removably coupled with the one or more magnetic pouch mounts (500) such that when the pouch (900) is placed in proximity to the one or more magnetic pouch mounts (500), an attractive magnetic force is exerted between the pouch (900) and the one or more magnetic pouch mounts (500) such that the pouch (900) aligns with and couples to the one or more magnetic pouch mounts (500). A mounting bracket (920) coupled to the pouch (900) includes one or more bracket magnetic areas (935) disposed within the mounting bracket (920) and configured to induce an attractive magnetic force with the one or more magnetic areas (520).

A magnetic set-up for use in a rotary encoder is disclosed. The set-up includes a permanent magnet arrangement including at least one permanent magnet, which is rotatable with respect to a rotation axis, and a soft magnetic sleeve encompassing the rotation axis and thus the permanent magnet arrangement for shielding against external magnetic fields. The at least one permanent magnet includes a through-hole, which extends along the rotation axis, so that the permanent magnet fully extends around the rotation axis.

A tubing structure includes a first unit, a second unit movably connected to the first unit, and a controller. The first unit includes a first body and at least one first magnetic component disposed inside the first body. The second unit includes a second body movably engaging with the first body and at least one second magnetic component disposed inside the second body and located at a position corresponding to the at least one first magnetic component. The controller is electrically connected to at least one of the at least one first magnetic component and the at least one second magnetic component. The controller selectively controls the at least one first magnetic component and the at least one second magnetic component to magnetically attract or repulse each other to drive the second body to move relative to the first body for inclining the second unit relative to the first unit.

The invention provides a bistable electromagnetic actuator comprising a yoke extending in part around a pivot axis of the actuator, an excitation coil supported by the yoke in order to generate control magnetic flux, a rotor movable about the pivot axis of the actuator and suitable for being held stationary in two stable angular positions as a function of the magnetic flux generated by the coil, an actuator member coupled to the rotor in order to form an assembly that can be turned, and a manual control device including a drive shaft dynamically coupled to the rotor in such a manner that turning the drive shaft causes the rotor to turn.