Linear motor

A linear motor comprising:

• an armature that includes a coil and a core, the core being made of a soft magnetic material;
• and
• a field magnet that includes a permanent magnet, the permanent magnet generating a magnetic field for the armature,
• wherein one of the armature or the field magnet is a mover and the other of the armature or the field magnet is a stator, the stator including a first section and a second section;
• wherein the armature and the field magnet are arranged such that the mover is interposed between the first section and the second section,
• wherein at least one of the armature or the field magnet is configured to have an asymmetrical property between a first magnetic action and a second magnetic action, the first magnetic action being caused by the permanent magnet between the mover and the first section, and the second magnetic action being caused by the permanent magnet between the mover and the second section, and
• wherein at least one of the armature or the field magnet is configured to have the asymmetrical property such that, throughout an entire movable range of the mover in an axial direction in which the mover faces the first section and the second section, a force acting on the mover in the axial direction is either in a direction toward the first section or in a direction toward the second section.