Rotary solenoid actuator

• US 4,496,134 A
• Filed: 08/27/1981
• Issued: 01/29/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Kazuhiro, Idogaki, Takaharu, Hattori, Kyo, Kawai, Hisasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenthal, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US06/296,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 251/65, 251/129, 251/137, 251/133, 335/272, 335/230
• US Class Current: 251/65
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0682 with an articulated or pivot armature

Abstract

A rotary solenoid actuator for proportionally controlling the flow of fluid, such as air, in a pipe comprises a housing with a rotor rotatably mounted thereon. A stationary coreless coil for generating a magnetic field in response to a control current therethrough is mounted in the housing. A permanent magnet is affixed to a rotatably mounted shaft within the coil, and a return spring is attached to the rotating shaft. Due to low hysteresis in the coreless coil, there is a linear relationship between the control current and the fluid flow.

Claims

1. A rotary solenoid actuator for proportionally controlling the flow of fluid in a pipe, comprising:

a housing mounted on said pipe;

a coreless coil, attached to said housing, for generating a magnetic field in response to a control current flowing therethrough, said coreless coil having two coaxial coil sections;

a rotatable shaft disposed in a space between the coil sections of said coreless coil and having a longitudinal axis that is approximately perpendicular to the magnetic axis of said coreless coil;

a rotatable permanent magnet fixed coaxially to said rotatable shaft and disposed within said coreless coil;

a return spring having one end attached to said shaft and the other end attached to said housing; and

a valve rotor rotatably disposed within the housing, the valve rotor being fixed to said rotatable shaft and being coaxial to said rotatable permanent magnet, and wherein said rotatable shaft is a hollow shaft, and said return spring comprises a torsion bar disposed within said hollow shaft.

2. A rotary solenoid actuator according to claim 1 wherein said coreless coil is divided into two parts so as to accommodate said rotatable permanent magnet between said two parts.

3. A rotary solenoid actuator according to claim 1, further comprising screw means for adjusting said return spring.

4. A rotary solenoid actuator according to claim 1, further comprising at least one bobbin surrounding said permanent magnet and on which said coil is wound.

5. A rotary solenoid actuator according to claim 4 wherein the bobbin comprises an aluminum structure having a coating of insulating material.

6. A rotary solenoid actuator according to claim 1 wherein said valve rotor has two openings opposed to each other and alignable with said pipe.