| United States Patent | 5,038,066 |
| Pawlak, et. al. | Aug. 6, 1991 |
Claw pole rotary actuator with limited angular movement
| Inventors: | Pawlak; Andrzej M. (Troy, MI); Graber; David W. (Millington, MI); Zuraski; Jeffery A. (Saginaw, MI). |
| Assignee: | General Motors Corporation (Detroit, MI). |
| Appl. No.: | 580,982 |
| Filed: | Sept. 12, 1990 |
| Intl. Cl. : | H02K 1/22 |
| U.S. Cl.: | 310/263; 180/142; 180/143; 310/116 |
| Current U.S. Class: | 310/263 |
| Field of Search: | 310/263, 116, 36-38, 72, 75 R; 180/142, 148; 335/272, 277 |
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2,873,412 | Feb., 1959 | Pratt | 335/272 |
| 4,488,075 | Dec., 1984 | DeCesare | 310/263 |
| 4,644,246 | Feb., 1987 | Knapen | 310/75A |
| 4,886,138 | Dec., 1989 | Graber et al. | 180/142 |
Primary Examiner: Beha, Jr.; William H.
Assistant Examiner: Nguyen; Matthew
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Navarre; Mark A.
Abstract
An actuator has a permanent magnet ring with a plurality of radially magnetized poles rotatably positioned between a pair of toothed pole pieces with interdigitated teeth, an electromagnetic coil and pole elements coupling the coil flux to the pole pieces. The pole pieces may themselves be rotatable or stationary. The permanent magnet circuit attempts to move the magnet ring to a first position relative to the pole pieces, and the electromagnetic circuit, depending on the direction of current in the coil, torques the magnet in one direction or another toward stable positions on either side of the first position. The device is used as a two or three position actuator or as an actuator operating against an external force and seeking a position as a function of current.
9 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures
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