A magnetic force control device includes a first pole piece having an interaction surface, made of a ferromagnetic material, and configured to be in contact with an N pole of a permanent magnet, a second pole piece having an interaction surface, made of a ferromagnetic material, and configured to be in contact with an S pole of the permanent magnet or another permanent magnet different from the permanent magnet, rotary permanent magnet configured to be rotatable to define a first arrangement state in which an N pole thereof is magnetically connected to the second pole piece and an S pole thereof is magnetically connected to the first pole piece and a second arrangement state in which the N pole is magnetically connected to the first pole piece and the S pole is magnetically connected to the second pole piece.

Variable pressure feedback using solenoid-based actuators. Actuators positioned proximate the surface a user's body can include a deflectable armature and a coiled wire to deflect the armature to apply pressure to the user's body surface. A method can control such actuators to apply a respective level of pressure to the user's body surface. Additionally or alternatively, actuators positioned proximate the user's body surface can include solenoid(s) configured for activation, by at least one electrical signal, to generate, for each solenoid, a respective magnetic field and apply a corresponding pressure to the user's body surface. Activation of a solenoid can repel magnetic material to provide the pressure against the user's body surface, or cause the solenoid (or solenoid core thereof) to repel away from magnetic material and toward the user's body surface to apply pressure thereto.

According to one embodiment, a linear control motor includes a first permanent magnet, a coil, a shaft, a first non-magnetic material, and a joint coupled between the shaft and a spool operable to convert rotations of the shaft into axial movements of the spool. The first non-magnetic material is disposed between at least one of the movable components and at least one of the static components and operable to prevent physical contact between at least one of the movable components and at least one of the static components.

According to one embodiment, a linear control motor includes a first permanent magnet, a coil, a shaft, a first non-magnetic material, and a joint coupled between the shaft and a spool operable to convert rotations of the shaft into axial movements of the spool. The first non-magnetic material is disposed between at least one of the movable components and at least one of the static components and operable to prevent physical contact between at least one of the movable components and at least one of the static components.

Floor panels are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system on long and short edges allowing installation with vertical snap folding that could be accomplished automatically without tools and where the short edge locking system has a tongue made in one piece with the panel.

A magnetic device comprising at least one stator (1) and one actuator (2), wherein the stator (1) and the actuator (2) respectively comprise at least one magnet with pole ends and a line of action of the magnet, and the actuator (2) can be moved linearly along a movement axis (3) and/or rotatably about a movement axis in a movement direction (4), wherein a stator line of action (15) of the stator (1) or a stator extension line (16) of the stator line of action (15), which stator extension line (16) extends as a geometric ray away from the pole end of the stator (1) as geometric tangent to the stator line of action (5), and an actuator line of action (25) of the translator (2) or an actuator extension line (26) of the translator line of action (25), which translator extension line (26) extends as a geometric ray away from the pole end of the translator (2) as geometric tangent to the translator line of action (25), respectively have intersection points (10), and the stator line of action (15), possibly the stator extension line (16), the translator line of action (25), and possibly the translator extension line (26) form a closed geometric shape so that the magnetic flux between the stator (1) and the translator (2) is bundled, wherein lines of action (5) and extension lines (6) extend through the magnetic device in an intersecting plane (11) comprising the movement axis (3).

A linear drive for a miniaturized optical system, as used for example in an endoscope, includes a stator and an armature. The stator has a coil with two stator pole shoes arranged in axial direction, and two magnetic field sensors arranged at the outer side of the stator pole shoes. The armature has permanent magnets which are polarized in opposite directions, and a center armature pole shoe between the two permanent magnets, and an armature pole shoe at each side of the permanent magnet, opposite to the center armature pole shoe in axial direction. The magnetic field of the outer armature pole shoe goes completely or only in part, dependent from the armature position, through the magnetic field sensor and thus generates a position-dependent signal. This signal can be used for measuring and/or controlling the position of the armature.

A linear drive for a miniaturized optical system, as used for example in an endoscope, includes a stator and an armature. The stator has a coil with two stator pole shoes arranged in axial direction, and two magnetic field sensors arranged at the outer side of the stator pole shoes. The armature has permanent magnets which are polarized in opposite directions, and a center armature pole shoe between the two permanent magnets, and an armature pole shoe at each side of the permanent magnet, opposite to the center armature pole shoe in axial direction. The magnetic field of the outer armature pole shoe goes completely or only in part, dependent from the armature position, through the magnetic field sensor and thus generates a position-dependent signal. This signal can be used for measuring and/or controlling the position of the armature.

A device and a method for simultaneous recording, in real time, parameters characterising the mechanical tension, elasticity, dynamical stiffness, creepability and mechanical stress of soft biological tissue are provided. By means of the myometer, a constant external pre-pressure is created, independently of the device's position, between the tissue and the testing end of the device. Next, the tissue is subjected to a short-term external dynamic influence. A mechanical change in the shape of the tissue and its mechanical response are registered as a graph of the tissue's oscillations. For calculating the parameters, a time span on the graph is used which involves an oscillation period from the beginning to the end of the effect on the tissue plus its subsequent first 1.5 self-oscillation period. This enables recording and data-processing to be carried out simultaneously as well as statistically significant estimates to be made in real time.

A bistable electromagnetic actuator device, a permanent magnet means (12; 12a, 12b), as well as an armature unit (18) with an elongate plunger unit (10) extending along a moving direction, wherein said armature unit can be moved into at least one of two end and/or stop positions that are stable in the deenergized state by means of stationary electromagnetic driving means (22), wherein stationary magnetic field detector means (34; 34a, 34b) are assigned to a housing (20), which at least sectionally encloses the armature unit, for the contactless interaction with the permanent magnet means in at least one of the end or stop positions provided for the armature position detection, wherein the plunger unit features a terminal contact and/or engagement section (28) for interacting with an actuating partner in a contacting and non-positive fashion such that a non-positive contact and/or actuation by the actuating partner causes a motion of the armature unit into one of the end or stop positions, in which the armature unit remains in a stable fashion in the deenergized state, when the electromagnetic driving means are deactivated, and wherein the magnetic field detector means are arranged and wired for generating and outputting a detector signal corresponding to this end or stop position.