A bi-stable pin actuator includes a soft magnetic core and having a first central portion and a second central portion spaced apart from the first central portion. The first central portion has a first passage extending there-through and the second portion has a second passage extending there-through which is coaxial with the first passage. A first coil is wound about the first central portion and a second coil is wound about the second central portion. A pair of permanent magnets are located in the space between the first central portion and second central portion and attached to the core. An armature is movably positioned between and spaced apart from the permanent magnets. A pin is attached to the armature and extends into the first passage and second passages such that movement of the armature results in movement of the pin within the first passage and second passage. The armature moves between a first position wherein the armature is adjacent to the first central portion of the core and a second position wherein the armature is adjacent to the second central portion of the core. The armature is in one stable state when in the first position and in another of the stable state when in the second position. The magnets generate magnetic flux having a magnetic flux density sufficient to hold the armature in either of the stable states when neither of the coils is energized. When the armature is in the first stable state, only a first end of the pin protrudes from the core. When the armature is in the second stable state, only an opposite second end of the pin protrudes from the core. Energizing at least one of the coils generates a magnetic flux in one section of the actuator that opposes the magnetic flux holding the armature in a current stable state and supplements the magnetic flux in another section of the actuator so as to shift the armature into another stable state.

An electromagnetic actuating device includes an armature, which has a permanent magnet and can move along a longitudinal axis between actuation positions relative to a stationary coil and in reaction to energization, armature has an engagement section for interacting with a plunger, and which armature can move from a first actuation position, which is stable in the currentless state, into a second actuation position against a restoring force of a spring, wherein the coil has a first coil unit, which acts on the armature and which releases the armature from the first actuation position, wherein the coil has a second coil unit which, during movement, applies to the armature a force which accelerates the armature, and wherein the coil has a restoring coil such that when the armature is returned from the second into the first actuation position, the restoring coil boosts the restoring force of the spring.

A solenoid assembly includes a solenoid actuator having a core. A coil is configured to be wound at least partially around the core such that a magnetic flux () is generated when an electric current flows through the coil. An armature is configured to be movable based on the magnetic flux (). A controller has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for controlling the solenoid assembly. The controller is configured to obtain a plurality of model matrices, a coil current (i.sub.1) and an eddy current (i.sub.2). The magnetic flux () is obtained based at least partially on a third model matrix (C.sub.0), the coil current (i.sub.1) and the eddy current (i.sub.2). Operation of the solenoid actuator is controlled based at least partially on the magnetic flux (). In one example, the solenoid actuator is an injector.

A bi-stable pin actuator includes a soft magnetic core and having a first central portion and a second central portion spaced apart from the first central portion. The first central portion has a first passage extending there-through and the second portion has a second passage extending there-through which is coaxial with the first passage. A first coil is wound about the first central portion and a second coil is wound about the second central portion. A pair of permanent magnets are located in the space between the first central portion and second central portion and attached to the core. An armature is movably positioned between and spaced apart from the permanent magnets. A pin is attached to the armature and extends into the first passage and second passages such that movement of the armature results in movement of the pin within the first passage and second passage. The armature moves between a first position wherein the armature is adjacent to the first central portion of the core and a second position wherein the armature is adjacent to the second central portion of the core. The armature is in one stable state when in the first position and in another of the stable state when in the second position. The magnets generate magnetic flux having a magnetic flux density sufficient to hold the armature in either of the stable states when neither of the coils is energized. When the armature is in the first stable state, only a first end of the pin protrudes from the core. When the armature is in the second stable state, only an opposite second end of the pin protrudes from the core. Energizing at least one of the coils generates a magnetic flux in one section of the actuator that opposes the magnetic flux holding the armature in a current stable state and supplements the magnetic flux in another section of the actuator so as to shift the armature into another stable state.

A magnetic spring assembly that uses the bistable magnetic nature of permanent magnets mediated by a spring material to allow one or more attached vibrating masses to take on the damping characteristics of the magnetic spring assembly includes a permanent magnet body with an attach point 15 for a first vibrating mass, two spring materials, and two magnetic disks firmly attached to a shaft having an attach point 23 for a second vibrating mass to manufacture a mass damper 20 for damping vibrations on at least one of the attached masses. The spring materials can be an elastic material or a spring that is placed between the magnetic disks and the magnetic body to allow the magnetic disks to vibrate in a spring like manner. Passive tuning of the damping characteristics of the magnetic spring assembly is achievable through selected force tuning between the magnetic force from the permanent magnet and the compression force of the spring materials, and active tuning of the magnetic spring assembly is achievable by adding control coils in the magnet body to alter the magnetic force or having spring materials with characteristics that are electrically control to alter the compression force.

A bistable electromagnetic actuator includes a housing extending along an exertion axis of the actuator, two excitation coils arranged inside the housing and having at least one winding around the exertion axis for generating a magnetic control flux, a core that can be moved along the exertion axis and immobilized in two end positions depending on the magnetic flux generated by the coils, an actuating member coupled to the core to form a movable assembly, and a manual control device comprising a drive shaft mounted such that it can rotate about a first axis orthogonal to the exertion axis. The drive shaft has at least one tooth engaging with at least one first raised part translationally connected to the actuating member such that rotation of the drive shaft generates translational movement of the movable assembly.

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.

The invention relates to an electromagnetic actuator and a valve having such an actuator. The actuator has a first magnetic coil and a second magnetic coil, as well as at least one permanent magnet and an anchor that can be moved axially by the magnetic coils and the permanent magnet between a first and a second position, on which at least one spring device acts in the axial direction. The first and second magnetic coils as well as the first permanent magnet are disposed axially behind one another thereby, such that the first permanent magnet is disposed coaxially between the first and second magnetic coils.

A bistable linear electromagnet comprising a first housing (10) and a second housing (11) in alignment, a movable armature (18) comprising a rod (19) and a shuttle (20) that is slidably mounted, and a first coil (13) positioned in the first housing and a second coil (15) positioned in the second housing. A cavity (25) is made in a measurement wall (4) of one of the housings, and the electromagnet comprises a magnetic field sensor (26) positioned in the cavity and designed to measure a magnetic flux existing in a magnetic path formed by the walls of said housing and by the shuttle, in order to detect whether the shuttle has moved towards or away from the abutment wall of said first or second housing.

The present invention concerns an electromagnetic actuator for a haptic display. The actuator comprises: a) a first, movable permanent magnetic element, the first magnetic element comprising a first latching layer facing side, a second latching layer facing side substantially opposite to the first latching layer facing side, and at least one lateral face between the first latching layer facing side and the second latching layer facing side; b) a shielding element for shielding laterally the first magnetic element to confine a magnetic field generated by the first magnetic element; c) a first actuation inductor facing the first latching layer facing side for actuating the first magnetic element and arranged to displace the first magnetic element from a first latching position to a second latching position, or vice versa; d) a first latching layer facing the first latching layer facing side and arranged to attract the first magnetic element for obtaining the first latching position; and e) a second latching layer facing the second latching layer facing side and arranged to attract the first magnetic element for obtaining the second latching position, different from the first latching position.