Electromagnetic actuating apparatus

Abstract

An electromagnetic actuator device having a core unit (12;50) having a coil means (16), which core unit is constructed for interacting with armature means (34,36,38,32,30) that are movably guided relatively to the core unit, as a reaction to an energizing of the coil means, wherein the armature means have a plurality of tappet units (30, 32), which are spatially spaced from one another and can be driven simultaneously, to which tappet units, permanent magnet means (34) are assigned in the direction towards the core unit, which permanent magnet means have a permanent magnetization along a respective movement longitudinal axis of the tappet units, wherein the plurality of tappet units that can be driven parallel to one another magnetically interacts with an identically poled end face of the core unit and the permanent magnet means have an axially identically directed permanent magnetization.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic actuator device having a core unit (12;50) having a coil means (16), which core unit is constructed for interacting with armature means (34,36,38,32,30) that are movably guided relatively to the core unit, as a reaction to an energising of the coil means, wherein the armature means have a plurality of tappet units (30, 32), which are spatially spaced from one another and can be driven simultaneously, to which tappet units, permanent magnet means (34) are assigned in the direction towards the core unit, which permanent magnet means have a permanent magnetisation along a respective movement longitudinal axis of the tappet units, wherein the plurality of tappet units that can be driven parallel to one another magnetically interacts with an identically poled end face of the core unit and the permanent magnet means have an axially identically directed permanent magnetization, wherein the end face is realised with a plurality of core elements (24, 26) corresponding to the plurality of tappet units, which plurality of core elements are connected to one another mechanically via flux-conducting means (22) and in a flux-conducting manner via an electromagnetic flux of the coil means, and wherein the core elements (24, 26) are constructed in a disc-like manner and are orientated coaxially to a permanent magnet body (34) of the permanent magnet means, which is radially widened with respect to the tappet units.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tappet units are guided in a guide element (28) and/or guide section, which at the end side delimits a cylindrical housing (18, 40), which surrounds the coil means.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coil means have a single coil (14, 16) surrounding a section (10; 52) of the core means and the identically poled end face axially protrudes out of an overlap area of the single coil.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the core means have an individual core element (50), which has a diameter and/or cross-sectional dimension that widens towards the end face.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the core means form a cone section in the region of the end face.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the flux conducting means effect a magnetic flux division into the core elements, wherein an air gap is preferably formed between the core elements.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein electrical control means are assigned to the coil means, which are constructed for controlling and/or activating the unipolarly set-up energising.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coil means are set up for single-pole energising and no means for polarity reversal of the energising are connected upstream of or assigned to the coil means.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tappet units are constructed for interaction with an internal combustion engine assembly for switching or actuating a camshaft adjustment unit of an internal combustion engine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages, features and details of the invention result from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments, as well as on the basis of the drawings. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an end-face view onto the electromagnetic actuating device according to a first embodiment of the invention with multiple-piece core unit;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view along the section line A-A in the view of FIG. 1 in the de-energised state of the coil unit (a) or in the energised state and with tappet units extended into an engagement position (b);

(4) FIG. 3 shows various views of the core unit in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an end-face view analogous to FIG. 1 of an electromagnetic actuating device according to a second embodiment of the invention with one-piece core unit;

(6) FIG. 5 shows views analogous to FIG. 3 along the section line A-A in FIG. 4 for clarifying a de-energised (a) or energised (b) state of the coil unit in a longitudinal section, and

(7) FIG. 6 shows various views of the core unit of the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4, FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) A cylindrical core element 10 of the core unit 12, which is constructed in multiple pieces and illustrated in detail in FIG. 3, is surrounded on the shell side by a coil 16 wound on a coil carrier 14 and engages at one end into a disc-shaped base section 18 of a housing 20 of the actuating device of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

(9) At the end of the core element 10 axially opposite the housing base 18, the same is magnetically conductively connected to a connecting or bridge piece 22 extending transversely to the axial direction (vertical direction in the figure illustration of FIG. 2), into which plate-shaped (FIG. 3) core end pieces 24, 26 magnetically conductively engage as a pair.

(10) At the end, these form an end face of the core unit 12 essentially lying in a common plane running transversely to the longitudinal axis.

(11) The first exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 realises an electromagnetic actuator device with a plurality of tappet units 30, 32 guided parallel to one another in a guide piece 28 axially opposite the base surface 18, wherein these extended tappets 30, 32 construct respective armature units together with a permanent magnet module, which is widened relatively to the tappet diameter, which armature units can be moved and driven along or parallel to the axial direction relatively to the core unit 12. More precisely, each of the permanent magnet modules has a disc-shaped, axially magnetised permanent magnet 34, which is covered on both sides of a magnetic-flux-conducting-disc 36, 38. According to the invention, the permanent magnetisation of the respective permanent magnet modules 34, 36, 38 of the two tappet units 30, 32 is axially identically directed, wherein in the illustration shown in FIG. 2, the permanent magnetic south pole is directed upwards and in the direction towards the core unit 12.

(12) This arrangement of (stationary) core unit with assigned stationary coil unit 14, 16 including axially movably guided tappet/permanent magnet units opposite the same, is arranged on the shell side by a magnetically conductive, hollow cylindrical housing shell 40, which for example in the de-energised state of the coil winding 16 shown in FIG. 2(a), closes a permanent magnet flux of the respective magnet discs 34 radially via the discs 38 and the radially conically constructed core sections 24, 26. In this respect, the common (identically poled) polarity, shown as N-poled in FIG. 2(a), of the core end face formed by the units 24, 26, shows a permanent magnetisation impressed by the permanent magnets 34.

(13) If, as shown in direct comparison in FIG. 2(b), a current feed is introduced into the coil winding 16, the common polarity at the end face of the core unit (S in the FIG.) is changed by electromagnetic action, so that a repelling force is exerted (downwards in the figure plane of FIG. 2) onto the permanent magnet discs 34 of the tappet units 30 or 32. This leads to the extended state (engagement state) shown in FIG. 2 (b) of the tappet units 30, 32, which engage by means of respective end-side engagement sections 42 into control grooves (not shown) of a camshaft adjusting device to be actuated by the actuating device. In addition, it can be seen from FIG. 2(b), that in the extended position, a respective permanent magnetic flux circuit is closed via the housing shell 40 or the end-side guide and closure element 28, so that by means of permanent magnet force, the armature units adhere in the position shown in FIG. 2(b), to the extent that a current-free stable extended position can also be realised in a de-energised state of the coil unit.

(14) A resetting to the initial position of FIG. 2(a) takes place in the described exemplary embodiment in that the control grooves (not shown) by means of interaction with the engagement ends 42 of the tappets 30, 32 move the same back in the direction towards the core unit 12, wherein starting from a certain travel, thede-energisedsituation shown in FIG. 2 (a) then arises, in which by means of the permanent magnet action of the discs 34, the armature units are pulled back to the core unit or the end face thereof. This means that in the preferred exemplary embodiment, the resetting can take place without energising (particularly also without a reverse-poled energising) of the coil 16, even if, according to a development and alternatively, such a polarity reversal of this type may also support the resetting, if appropriate.

(15) FIG. 3 clarifies constructive details of the multiple-piece core unit of the first exemplary embodiment, with its front face view (a), its rearward view (d) and its side views (b) and (c), which are tilted through 90 with respect to one another. It is shown that the disc-like elements 24, 26 are adapted, flush and in accordance with the radial diameter, to the permanent magnet modules 34, 36, 38, so that to the extent that the magnetic flux conditions are optimised, it is possible to proceed in a compact and space-saving manner. In this case, it is advantageous for production and mounting reasons, and for reasons of reliable magnetic flux, to allow the disc-shaped core elements 24, 26 to engage by means of central protrusions into adapted bores or passages of the bridge element 22, as the sectional views of FIGS. 2(a) and (b) respectively clarify.

(16) The second exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6 describes an alternative configuration of the core unit, in an otherwise identical constructive realisation of the electromagnetic actuating device. In the constructive details of the second exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, in comparison with the first exemplary embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 3), identical reference numbers show identical or equivalent modules, so that only a description of the differently realised core unit takes place for the further description.

(17) As can be seen from the sectional views of FIGS. 5 (a) or (b) in particular, the core unit 50 is constructed in one piece in FIG. 1. According to the module 10 of the first exemplary embodiment, this one-piece core unit contains a central section 52, which is adjoined by a pair of radially widened core sections 54, which, in turn provided with a conical shape 56, construct an identically poled surface for interaction with the tappet units 30, 32 or the permanent magnet modules 34, 36, 38 situated thereon. In this respect, the one-piece core unit illustrated in FIG. 6 from various views (in turn analogously to FIG. 3), achieves the same geometry and functionality as the unit of the first exemplary embodiment, which is composed of individual parts, and the functionality when the coil 16 is energised also corresponds.

(18) Whilst the present exemplary embodiments have been illustrated as cylindrical coils with an single coil surrounding a core section and therefore cold drive a pair of tappet units synchronously and parallel, the present invention is not limited to these configurations. Rather, both a plurality of more than two tappet units can be driven, and a different geometry of the core unit, the housing shape and the guides can be imagined, so that the present invention can be applied for virtually any use purposes, beyond the described and preferred use case of camshaft adjustment.