Actuators and Methods for Use

An aircraft comprising:

• a foldable wing comprising an inboard section and an outboard section;
• and
• an actuator comprising:
• a rotor comprising a permanent magnet, wherein the rotor is mechanically coupled to the outboard section;
• a stator that at least partially surrounds the rotor, wherein the stator is mechanically coupled to the inboard section;
• a plurality of electromagnets coupled to the stator that are configured to apply magnetic force to the permanent magnet to rotate the outboard section;
• a first lock that (i) has a first mechanical bias to engage the rotor and prevent rotation of the outboard section when the outboard section is in a home position and (ii) is configured to disengage the rotor against the first mechanical bias while receiving a first control signal;
• and
• a second lock that (i) has a second mechanical bias to disengage the rotor and (ii) is configured to engage the rotor against the second mechanical bias to prevent rotation of the outboard section while receiving a second control signal.

A method of operating an actuator, the method comprising:

• sending a first control signal to a first lock, thereby causing the first lock to disengage a rotor and allow rotation of the rotor with respect to a stator that at least partially surrounds the rotor;
• sending excitation currents to a plurality of electromagnets coupled to the stator to apply magnetic force to a permanent magnet of the rotor, thereby causing the rotor to rotate from a home position to a rotated position;
• sending a second control signal to a second lock, thereby causing the second lock to engage the rotor and prevent rotation of the rotor from the rotated position;
• deactivating the second control signal to cause the second lock to disengage the rotor via mechanical bias of the second lock;
• rotating the rotor from the rotated position to the home position;
• and
• deactivating the first control signal to cause the first lock to engage the rotor via mechanical bias of the first lock and prevent rotation of the rotor from the home position.