Magnetic Actuators for Haptic Response

摘要

In an embodiment, an actuator or circuit includes elements moveably coupled via bearings positioned between curved grooves. The bearings and the curves may exert a restorative force to return the elements to an original position after movement and may be spherical, cubic, cylindrical, and/or include gears that interact with groove gears. In some embodiments, an electrical coil may be coplanar with a surface of an element and a hard magnet may be positioned in the center and be polarized to stabilize or destabilize the element with respect to another element. In various embodiments, a magnetic circuit includes an element with an electrical coil wrapped in multiple directions around the element. In some embodiments, an actuator includes attraction elements and exertion of force causes an element to approach, contact, and/or magnetically attach to one of the attraction elements.

主权项

1. An actuator, comprising:
a fixed body element, including at least one first groove and at least one electrical coil; a moveable body element, including at least one second groove and a first and second hard magnet; and at least one bearing positioned between the at least one first groove and the at least one second groove that separates the fixed body element from the moveable body element; wherein the moveable body element is magnetically attracted toward the fixed body element, the first hard magnet has an opposite polarity facing a surface of the moveable body element than the second hard magnet, and at least one of the at least one first groove or the at least one second groove is curved such that applying a lateral force to the moveable body element causes the at least one bearing to force the moveable body element vertically away from the fixed body element.