A radial flux electric machine comprising: a housing; an inner carrier having an inner surface; and an outer carrier spaced apart from the inner carrier by an airgap; wherein the inner carrier is one of: a stator fixedly attached to the housing, and a rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator about an axis, and the outer carrier is the other of: a stator fixedly attached to the housing, and a rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator about an axis; a plurality of electromagnetic elements defining magnetic poles, disposed on the rotor or stator so as to generate a radial flux between the rotor and stator as the rotor rotates; and at least one bearing having an outer bearing surface; wherein the outer bearing surface has a diameter that is at least as large as the inner diameter of the inner carrier.

A radial flux electric machine comprises an outer carrier assembly comprising an outer carrier; an inner carrier assembly comprising an inner carrier, the inner carrier assembly being movable relative to the outer carrier assembly about an axis; a bearing arrangement coupled between the inner carrier assembly and the outer carrier assembly; one or more auxiliary modules arranged radially inside of the inner carrier assembly, and coupled to the inner carrier assembly and the outer carrier assembly; an outer auxiliary member coupled between, and arranged to transfer rotation and/or torque between, the outer carrier assembly and the at least one auxiliary module wherein the inner carrier is a rotor and the outer carrier is a stator, or wherein the inner carrier is a stator and the outer carrier is a rotor.

An actuator is introduced that utilizes the forces that result from placing a current carrying coil in a magnetic field to rotate a connected object about at least one axis. In some embodiments, the introduced coil actuator includes a coil of conductor coupled to an arm or other type of structural element that extends radially from an axis of rotation. The introduced coil actuator can be utilized to provide motion control in a variety of different applications such as gimbal mechanisms. In some embodiments, the introduced coil actuator can be implemented in a gimbal mechanism for adjusting an orientation of a device such as a camera relative to a connected platform such as the body of an aerial vehicle.

Actuators for rotating or tilting an optical element, for example an optical path folding element, comprising a voice coil motor (VCM) and a curved ball-guided mechanism operative to create a rotation or tilt movement of the optical element around a rotation axis upon actuation by the VCM. In some embodiments, an actuator includes two, first and second VCMs, and two curved ball-guided mechanisms operative to create rotation or tilt around respective first and second rotation axes.

Drive coils in sections of a linear motor track that are normally used to electromagnetically propel movers along the track when such movers are nearby can be used to generate a mid-bus voltage for the section when not being used to propel movers. Such drive coils not being used to propel movers are considered idle and available for mid-bus voltage generation. The mid-bus voltage, and a full-bus voltage from which the mid-bus voltage is derived, in turn, can be applied across other drive coils that are near movers with varying polarities and magnitudes to propel movers along the track. Track sensors can be positioned along the track to detect presences or absences of movers with respect to drive coils for determining propulsion of such movers or generation of the mid-bus voltage. Accordingly, power supplies can be used more efficiently by not requiring them to generate mid-bus voltages in addition to full-bus voltages and DC references.

A positioning system, including: a first plate; a second plate coupled to the first plate and pivotable about an axis; a pair of voice coil actuators configured to rotate the second plate about this axis; and a processor configured to drive currents to the pair of voice coil actuators; wherein the pair of voice coil actuators comprises a first and second magnet structures mounted on the first plate at equal and opposite distance from the axis, and a first and second coils mounted on the second plate and positioned such that the respective first and second magnet structures move in and out of the first and second coils when the second plate rotates about the axis; wherein each of the first and second magnet structures substantially conforms to an arc having a center at the axis and a radius equal to the distance of the magnet structure from the axis.

A three-axis voice coil motor including a base, a spherical bearing, a magnetic component, an X-coil group, a Y-coil group, and at least one Z-coil group is provided. The base has a supporting pole. The spherical bearing is rotatably sleeved around the supporting pole. The magnetic component is securely sleeved around the spherical bearing and the magnetic component rotates along with the spherical bearing. The X-coil group is disposed around the magnetic component along an X-axial direction passing through the spherical bearing, and the X-coil group has first gaps. The Y-coil group is disposed around the magnetic component along a Y-axial direction passing through the spherical bearing, and the Y-coil group has second gaps. The Z-coil group is disposed around the magnetic component along a Z-axial direction passing through the spherical bearing.

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a base that includes a bottom wall and side walls standing along a circumference of the bottom wall, a housing that includes a cover facing the bottom wall and closing the base, an actuator assembly that is housed inside the housing and is rotatable around a rotation axis, a head movably supported by the actuator assembly, a control circuit board provided outside of the housing, a first sensor disposed on the control circuit board, and a second sensor disposed inside the housing.

An electrodynamic actuator, in particular for a microvalve or a micropump, includes a magnet arrangement for generating a magnetic field and a control element movable relative to the magnet arrangement. The control element includes an energizable air-core coil (22) which is arranged in the magnetic field and firmly coupled to a coil carrier (20) made from a nonmagnetic material.

An electromagnetic actuator is described the actuator comprising: a magnet assembly comprising: an array of permanent magnets arranged in a first direction and configured to generate, outside the magnet assembly, a spatially varying magnetic field distribution in the first direction; a ferromagnetic member onto which the array of permanent magnets is mounted; a coil assembly, at least partly arranged in the spatially varying magnetic field distribution, configured to co-operate with the magnet assembly to generate an electromagnetic force;
wherein a thickness of the array of permanent magnets in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction varies along the first direction and wherein a thickness of the ferromagnetic member in the second direction varies along the first direction such that a combined thickness of the array of permanent magnets and the ferromagnetic member in the second direction is substantially constant along the first direction.