Valve driving apparatus

A valve driving apparatus for driving a valve element controlling intake gas flow or exhaust gas flow of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a valve driving portion including a magnetic path which comprises:
• a magnetic flux generating element comprising an electromagnetic coil wound so as to generate a magnetic flux;
• and
• a magnetic field generating element comprising three pole members to distribute the magnetic flux and form at least one magnetic field;
• a magnetized member that is movable within said magnetic field in cooperation with a valve rod that is integral with a valve element, said magnetized member having two magnetized surfaces with different polarities;
• a current supply for supplying a driving current to said electromagnetic coil so as to correspond to a valve opening direction and a valve closing direction;
• wherein said three pole members are aligned in a lengthwise direction of said valve rod;
• wherein said electromagnetic coil is wound about an axis perpendicular to the lengthwise direction;
• wherein said magnetic field generating element comprises a yoke and a core inside said yoke, and said magnetic path comprises a gap in said yoke that magnetically separates a first part of said yoke including one of said three pole members from a second part of said yoke and from said core, said second part of said yoke and said core including the other two of said three pole members;
• and
• wherein a gap between said one of said three pole members and said valve rod that is larger than a gap between the other two of said three pole members and said valve rod.