Magnetic actuator with long travel in one direction

摘要

An actuator made up of a plurality of actuator elements is provided which actuator provides long travel in one dimension and short travel in five additional dimensions, with each actuator element providing long travel in the one dimension and short travel in at least two additional dimensions. For preferred embodiments, each actuator element includes a suspension core, the long travel being in one linear dimension and each actuator element providing short travel in two additional linear dimensions and at least one rotary dimension. More particularly, each actuator element includes an electrodynamic drive for providing controlled movement in the first dimension, which drive includes a voice coil mounted in a voice coil gap and at least one elongated high permeability core which is movable in the first dimension with respect to the voice coil; an electromagnetic drive for providing controlled movement in the at least one additional dimension (and in the two additional linear dimensions and at least one rotary dimension for preferred embodiments), which drive includes at least one high permeability suspension core spaced from the at least one elongated core by small gaps and windings for selectively inducing fluxes in the small gaps; and a magnetic source for providing bias flux to both the voice coil gap and the small gaps.