Rotary actuator and indicator

Claim 2

A rotary actuator comprising: a coil, an armature to be rotated over a range of positions between first and second end positions; a shaft pivotally supporting said armature; first and second stator poles members magnetically coupled to said coil to be mutually oppositely magnetically energized thereby and having angularly spaced stator poles; stop means fixed with respect to said pole members; first and second abutments on said armature to engage said stop means to limit angular movement of said armature to said range of positions; third and fourth abutments to engage said stop means to maintain said armature in either of said end Positions when said coil is not energized; and a permanently magnetized section on said armature magnetically coupled to said stator poles, said armature being axially movable to disengage said third and fourth abutments from said stop means when coil is energized to magnetize said stator poles to shift said armature from one of said end positions to the other.

Claim 3

The actuator of claim 1 in which said armature comprises a disk and said abutments comprise slotted edge portions thereof.

Claim 4

The actuator of claim 2 in which said disk has an axial flange and said slotted edge portions are axial slots in said flange.

Claim 5

The actuator of claim 2 in which said slotted edge portions comprise a main angular slot, the ends of which form said first and second abutments, and said stop means comprises an axially extending member within said slot and having an axial length greater than the maximum axial movement of said armature.

Claim 6

The actuator of claim 2 in which said edge portions comprise an axial flange having an angular slot therein defined between first and second axially extending walls forming said first and second abutments, said slot being axially deeper at each end than in the middle thereof and defined by an edge having third and fourth walls facing said first and second walls, respectively but shorter axially, than said first and second walls and forming said third and fourth abutments, said stop means comprising an axial projection having a small enough angular width to fit between said first and third abutments or between said second and fourth abutments.

Claim 7

The actuator of claim 1 in which said shaft is a ferromagnetically soft cylinder extending through said coil and comprising a core therefor.

Claim 8

The actuator of claim 6 in which said shaft extends through said coil and said first and second stator pole members are affixed to opposite ends of said shaft.

Claim 9

The actuator of claim 7 in which said stop means comprises an axial pin affixed to one of said stator pole members.

Claim 10

The actuator of claim 7 in which said first stator pole member has a plurality of evenly spaced stator poles extending therefrom axially along the outer surface of said coil and said second stator pole member has a corresponding plurality of evenly spaced stator poles interleaved with the ends of the stator poles from said first stator pole member.

Claim 11

The actuator of claim 9 in which said first and second end positions of said armature are angularly spaced apart by a smaller angle then the angle between the center of a pole from said first stator pole member and the center of the adjacent pole from said second stator pole member.

Claim 12

The actuator of claim 1 comprising, in addition: an indicator attached to said armature to move therewith and having angularly spaced indicia thereon; and a cover over said indicator and having window means through which said indicia may be seen when said armature is in said first end position but not when said armature is in said second end position.

Claim 13

A rotary actuator comprising: a coil, stator pole means magnetically coupled to said coil; an armature rotatable between first and second angular positions and comprising permanently magnetized poles, said armature also being free to move axially a predetermined distance from one axial position when said coil is energized to an opposite axial position when said coil is not energized; latching means to hold said armature in either of said positions, said latching means comprising a stop, first and second abutments to engage said stop to fix the maximum angular movement of said armature, and third and fourth abutments between said first and second abutments and spaced therefrom whereby said stop may fit between said first and third abutments in one of said positions and between said second and fourth abutments in the other of said positions, said third and fourth abutments having a smaller axial dimension than the extent of movement of said armature whereby said armature can move past said third anD fourth abutments when said coil is energized to magnetize said stator poles to shift said armature from one of said angular positions to the other.

Claim 14

A rotary actuator comprising: a coil, stator pole means magnetically coupled to said coil; an armature rotatable between first and second angular positions and comprising permanently magnetized poles, said armature also being free to move axially a predetermined distance from one axial position when said coil is energized to an opposite axial position when said coil is not energized; latching means to hold said armature in either of said positions, said latching means comprising a stop, first and second abutments to engage said stop to fix the maximum angular movement of said armature, and third and fourth abutments between said first and second abutments and spaced therefrom whereby said stop may fit between said first and third abutments in one of said positions and between said second and fourth abutments in the other of said positions, said third and fourth abutments having a smaller axial dimension than the extent of movement of said armature whereby said armature can move past said third anD fourth abutments when said coil is energized to magnetize said stator poles to shift said armature from one of said angular positions to the other.

Claim 15

The actuator of claim 12 in which said stop is affixed to said stator pole means.

Claim 16

The actuator of claim 12 in which said stop is affixed to said armature.

Claim 17

The actuator of claim 12 in which said stop extends axially from said armature and said actuator comprises, in addition, a substantially planar index plate having portions raised above the plane of said plate and having edges comprising said first and second abutments, said plate having an additional portion between said raised portions, said additional portion having edges defining said third and fourth abutments.