Actuator device having a magnetic shape-memory element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10424717-B2
Application number	US-201415022473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 17, 2013
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

An actuator device having an expansion unit, which has a magnetic shape memory alloy material (MSM), is configured to interact with a preferably non-magnetic ram unit and executes an expansion movement in an actuating direction as a reaction to an introduced magnetic flow, the expansion unit being oriented towards the ram unit along a longitudinal axis defined by the expansion direction, and being intended to exert an actuating force on said ram unit, wherein the ram unit is guided on the casing side in an associated housing section of the actuator unit, wherein an end section of the expansion unit and/or end section of the ram unit, the end section being realized in a transition region between the expansion unit and the ram unit, is configured such that, at least during the exertion of the actuating force along the longitudinal axis, an overlap that effects a form- and/or force-fit transversely to the longitudinal axis arises in the transition region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator device comprising:
an expansion unit ( 10 ; 10 a to 10 d ) which has a magnetic shape memory alloy material (MSM), is configured to interact with a non-magnetic ram unit ( 16 ; 16 a to 16 d ) and executes an expansion movement in an actuating direction as a reaction to an introduced magnetic flow, which is directed perpendicular to the actuating direction;
said expansion unit being oriented towards the ram unit along a longitudinal axis defined by the expansion direction, and being intended to exert an actuating force on said ram unit;
wherein the ram unit is guided on a casing side in an associated housing section ( 21 ) of the actuator unit; and
an end section ( 11 a to 11 d ) of the expansion unit implemented in a transition region between the expansion unit and the ram unit and/or an end section ( 17 a to 17 d ) of the ram unit, is configured such that, at least during exertion of the actuating force along the longitudinal axis, an overlap occurs in the transition region that effects a form- and/or force-fit transverse to the longitudinal axis so as to receive play.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the end section of the expansion unit is constructed tapered in a wedge- or cone-like manner or curved in a concave-, flat dome- or calotte-like manner and for interaction with the end section of the ram unit having an inner cone, the wedge-, funnel-, dome- or calotte shape.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transition region has a connecting element ( 30 ) realizing the overlap, non-detachably secured at the end region of the expansion unit or of the ram unit, or connected in one piece with the expansion unit or with the ram unit, which offers a receiving section ( 32 ), at least partially surrounding the end region of the respectively other unit.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein a flow conducting section provided for magnetic flow introduction into the expansion unit adjacent to the latter has in longitudinal section a shape adapted to a longitudinal section contour of the connecting element and/or of the receiving section, or is shortened axially by an axial extent of the connecting element or of the receiving section.

5. An actuator device comprising:
an expansion unit which has a magnetic shape memory alloy material (MSM), is configured to interact with a non-magnetic ram unit and executes an expansion movement in an actuating direction as a reaction to an introduced magnetic flow,
said expansion unit being oriented towards the ram unit along a longitudinal axis defined by the expansion direction, and being intended to exert an actuating force on said ram unit,
wherein the ram unit is guided on a casing side in an associated housing section of the actuator device,
wherein the expansion unit, held in an MSM housing section of the actuator device on the casing side and/or on a face side lying axially opposite a transition region to the ram unit, has supporting- and/or righting means ( 28 ; 34 ; 36 ) in an associated manner so that at least on exerting the actuating force through the expansion unit a righting moment is exerted on the expansion unit so as to bring the expansion unit into a tilt-free longitudinal axis, wherein the supporting- or respectively righting means have buffer-, flexing- and/or spring means engaging on the casing side onto the expansion unit and supporting the latter from a surrounding housing section.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the buffer-, flexing- or respectively spring means are constructed so as to be magnetically flow-conducting and enable the introduction of the magnetic flow from the surrounding housing section into the expansion unit.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the supporting- or respectively righting means have a preferably form-fittingly and/or correspondingly profiled housing profile section interacting with the face side, which is constructed in a profiled manner.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the ram unit is embodied so as to be magnetically conducting at least in sections and is guided through magnetic bearing means in the associated housing section.

Assignees

• Eto Magnetic Gmbh

Inventors

• Schiepp Thomas
• Laufenberg Markus

Classifications

• H01L41/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L41/06 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N35/00 Primary

  Magnetostrictive devices (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N39/00) · CPC title

• H10N35/80 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title