Mechanical drive apparatus for providing linear motion in response to electrical drive signals

A drive apparatus comprising:

• a first and a second stator winding on a first and a second magnetic yoke, said yokes providing a first and a second magnetic gap, respectively;
• a part moveable relative to said yokes and having a first and a second soft-iron portion thereof entered at least partially into a respective one of said first and second gaps, the moveable part being moveable relative to said magnetic gaps for changing the portion of said soft-iron portions in said gaps of said moveable part in a first direction, whereby said first soft-iron portion moves into said first gap and said second soft-iron portion moves out of said second gap, and a movement of said moveable part in a second direction moves said first soft-iron portion out from said first gap and moves said second portion into said second gap;
• and
• a current source having a signal input and two current outputs, each output coupled to a different one of said stator windings, said current source having means for emitting at one of said outputs a current to a connected winding having a magnitude increasing with an increase in magnitude of a signal to said signal input, and for emitting at the other of said output to another of said windings another current having a magnitude decreasing with an increase of said signal, said currents being related whereby when one of said currents is zero, the other one has a predetermined magnitude.

An apparatus for producing linear motion between a stator and magnetic member comprising:

• a plurality of magnetic yokes, each yoke including a pair of magnetic gaps located on opposite sides of a cylindrical aperture, said cylindrical aperture including annular grooves separated by a plateau, said cylindrical apertures aligned to have a center on a common line;
• a longitudinal magnetic member disposed within said cylindrical apertures, said member including a plurality of annular grooves, each separated by a plateau portion;
• and
• individual stator windings for each of said yokes, said stator windings adapted to receive related magnetic flux producing currents whereby linear motion between said yokes and longitudinal magnetic member is produced.

A drive apparatus comprising:

• magnetic yoke means including first and second planar magnetic gaps, said gaps lying in parallel planes, and angularly displaced with respect to each other;
• a rotatable shaft supporting first and second magnetic wings for rotation within said first and second planar magnetic gaps, respectively;
• said wings including planar segmented blades of soft-iron magnetic material substantially coincident with said planes of said magnetic gaps;
• and
• first and second stator windings for establishing a magnetic flux across said gaps in response to first and second currents;
• and,
• means for providing first and second complementary currents to said first and second stator windings, one of said currents increasing in response to an increasing input signal, the remaining of said currents decreasing in response to said increasing input signal, said currents being related whereby when one of said currents is zero, the other is a predetermined magnitude, whereby said currents and angularly displaced gaps produce a linear rotational movement of said blades and shaft.