Two position mechanism

Claim 1

A mechanism comprising: a member which is movable between two fixed positions; biasing means for applying oppositely directed biasing forces on said member to normally hold said member between said two positions such that said biasing means accelerates said member during a first portion of travel between said two positions and decelerates said member during a second portion of said travel, said biasing means comprising a spring system connected to said member and dimensioned such that, when said member is released from one of said fixed positions, said spring system accelerates said member during said first portion of travel and decelerates said member during said second portion causing said member to enter a location in the vicinity of the other fixed position, capture/release means for capturing said member in the vicinity of one of said two positons and releasing said member at will to permit said member to move toward the other of said two positions under the influence of said biasing means, said capture/release means comprising: force applying means for applying a force to said member to overcome said biasing means and cause said member to move from said location in the vicinity of said other fixed position into said other fixed position whereby each time said member is released from one of said positions, said member travels under the influence of said biasing means and said force applying means through substantially a half cycle of operation to the other of said fixed positions and said biasing means aids in the movement of said member during a first portion of said half cycle and retards the movement of said member during a second portion of said half cycle in order to accomplish a rapid changeover with minimum impact, wherein said capture/release means comprises two capture/release mechanisms positioned to capture said movable member in said two positions, respectively, wherein said movable member includes a ferromagnetic armature, and each of said capture/release mechanisms comprises a permanent magnet, and an electrical coil positioned to affect the magnet field produced by said permanent magnet, wherein the coils of each of the two capture/release mechanisms may be energized oppositely so that the effect of one of said permanent magnets is amplified while the effect of the other permanent magnet is neutralized.