A method for actuating an electromagnetic valve in a fluid system includes, for a specified first time period, a switching current with a specified first amplitude is applied, the switching current switching the electromagnetic valve from a rest state into a switching state. After the specified first time period expires, a holding current with a specified second amplitude is applied, the holding current holding the electromagnetic valve in the switching state. The first amplitude of the first switching current is greater than the second amplitude of the holding current.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method for characterizing a fluid injector that includes receiving a collection of waveform data, identifying a pull locus, determining a detection threshold level value, identifying a first subset of the collection of data representative of a selected first electrical waveform of the collection of electrical waveforms, identifying an opening value, identifying a representative closing value, identifying an anchor value, identifying a second subset of the collection of data based on the collection of data, the pull locus, the first subset, and the opening value, identifying a maximum electrical value, identifying an opening locus based the collection of data, the anchor value, and the maximum electrical value, identifying a hold value, and providing characteristics associated with the fluid injector comprising the pull locus, the opening locus, the hold value, the anchor value, and the representative closing value.

A solenoid device has a solenoid and a control portion. The solenoid has a body, a plunger, an attracting coil, a retaining coil, and a biasing member. The plunger is arranged selectively either in an attracted position, pulled into the body, or in a returning position, protruding out of the body. Fed with a voltage, the attracting coil generates an attracting force causing the plunger to move from returning position to attracted position. Fed with a voltage, the retaining coil generates a retaining force, weaker than the attracting force, causing the plunger to move to attracted position. The biasing member biases the plunger toward returning position. The control portion controls operation of the solenoid. When moving the plunger from returning position to attracted position, the control portion first starts applying the voltage to the retaining coil and then starts applying the voltage to the attracting coil.

Electromagnetic locking devices, systems, and methods are provided. The electromagnetic locking devices, systems, and methods are configured to lock an actuating arm of an actuator in any desired position between and including a fully extended position and a fully retracted position with respect to an outer cover of the electromagnetic locking device and/or system. The electromagnetic locking devices, systems, and methods described herein may include an unpowered deformable member that imparts fail-safe functionality thereto.

An operation coil drive device includes a drive control unit to perform control to set, for a semiconductor switching element to switch on and off the source voltage applied to an operation coil of a magnetic contactor, a larger ON/OFF time ratio for a circuit-closing control and a smaller ON/OFF time ratio for a holding control, wherein the drive control unit includes: a circuit-closing-control inductance calculation unit to calculate an inductance of the operation coil immediately after a start of the circuit-closing control; a circuit-closing-control resistance value calculation unit to calculate a direct current resistance value of the operation coil based on the calculation result; and a circuit-closing-control switching correction unit to correct the ON/OFF time ratio of the semiconductor switching element for the circuit-closing control based on the calculation result.

A control device of an electromagnetic actuator for a restraint device, including an evaluation and control unit which generates a control signal which predefines a control sequence having control time periods, in which the actuator is activated, and pause time periods, in which the actuator is deactivated. A protective circuit including a counter is provided, the counter monitoring the control sequence and increments its counter content during the at least one control time period and decrements its counter content during the at least one pause time period, the protective circuit effectuating a deactivation of the actuator when the counter content reaches or exceeds a predefined first threshold value, and allows a reactivation of the actuator when the counter content reaches or falls below a predefined second threshold value after reaching or exceeding the first threshold value, the first counter content being greater than the second counter content.

A magnetic field adjusting method according to an embodiment includes: acquiring, by using a measuring device, first data related to a static magnetic field while a static magnetic field magnet is generating the static magnetic field having magnetic field intensity lower than rated magnetic field intensity required by an imaging process performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus; and calculating, by using processing circuitry, a positional arrangement of a shim member used for correcting uniformity of the static magnetic field on the basis of the first data.

Methods and apparatus provide for: at least one electromechanical relay including a coil and at least one pair of contacts, the contacts transitioning between a de-energized state and an energized state in response to current through the coil; a microcontroller having at least one tri-state output operating to produce ON, OFF, and FLOAT states; and a driver circuit operating, in conjunction with the tri-state output of the microcontroller, to control the current through the coil of the relay such that: (i) a transition of the tri-state output from OFF to FLOAT maintains the contacts of the relay in their de-energized state through the transition, and (ii) a transition of the tri-state output from ON to FLOAT maintains the contacts of the relay in their energized state through the transition.

A solenoid device has a solenoid and a control portion. The solenoid has a body, a plunger, an attracting coil, a retaining coil, and a biasing member. The plunger is arranged selectively either in an attracted position, pulled into the body, or in a returning position, protruding out of the body. Fed with a voltage, the attracting coil generates an attracting force causing the plunger to move from returning position to attracted position. Fed with a voltage, the retaining coil generates a retaining force, weaker than the attracting force, causing the plunger to move to attracted position. The biasing member biases the plunger toward returning position. The control portion controls operation of the solenoid. When moving the plunger from returning position to attracted position, the control portion first starts applying the voltage to the retaining coil and then starts applying the voltage to the attracting coil.

A circuitry for regulating a current for an electromechanical load comprises a first connection and a second connection for the electromechanical load. The first connection can be coupled to a first supply potential thereby, and a potential of the second connection can be modified by means of a pulse width modulation. The circuitry also comprises a measurement assembly having a first measurement signal input, which is coupled to the first connection and a second measurement signal input, which is coupled to the second connection. The measurement assembly is designed thereby to determine a measurement signal that is proportional to a potential difference between the first and second connection, in order to regulate the current for the electromechanical load on the basis of the measurement signal.