Magnetic attachment system

• US 7,961,069 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cedar Ridge Research LLC
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark, Richards, James Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrera; Ramon M
• Application Number:
  US12/952,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20110063061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 203 Days
• Field of Search: 335/285, 335302-306, 243/03, 310/80, 310/90.5, 310/103, 310/308, 310/309
• US Class Current: 335/306
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 7/04 the elements being secured or adapted to be secured by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0263 Closures, bags, bands, engagement devices with male and female parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4998 Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material

Abstract

A magnetic attachment system for attaching a first object to a second object. A first magnet structure is attached to the first object and a second magnet structure is attached to the second object. The first and second objects are attached by virtue of the magnetic attraction between the first magnet structure and second magnet structure. The magnet structures comprise magnetic elements arranged in accordance with patterns based on various codes. In one embodiment, the code has certain autocorrelation properties. In further embodiments the specific type of code is specified. In a further embodiment, an attachment and a release configuration may be achieved by a simple movement of the magnet structures.

Claims

1. A magnetic attachment system for attaching a first object to a second object, said system comprising:

a first magnet structure for attachment to said first object, said first magnet structure comprising a plurality of magnetic field components, said plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a first pattern; and

a complementary magnet structure for attachment to said second object, said complementary magnet structure comprising a plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a complementary pattern complementary to said first pattern;

said first pattern based on a variable code having an autocorrelation function with a single maximum peak per code modulo and a plurality of off maximum peak positions;

said first magnet structure and said complementary magnet structure having an operational range of relative position;

wherein magnetic force between said first magnet structure and said complementary magnet structure as a function of position within said operational range corresponds to said autocorrelation function;

said autocorrelation function having a plurality of positions corresponding to said operational range wherein the greatest off maximum peak autocorrelation magnitude is less than half of the single maximum peak;

said first magnet structure and said complementary magnet structure capable of providing attachment of said first object to said second object through magnetic attraction of said first magnet structure to said complementary magnet structure.

2. The magnetic attachment system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first magnet structure having an alignment configuration relative to said complementary magnet structure, said alignment configuration having a maximum magnetic attraction to said complementary magnet structure corresponding to said single maximum peak autocorrelation, said first magnet structure having a release configuration relative to said complementary magnet structure, said release configuration realized by movement of said first magnet structure from said alignment configuration to said release configuration in accordance with a degree of freedom between said first magnet structure and said complementary magnet structure.

3. The magnetic attachment system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said movement less than a full width of said first magnet structure.

4. The magnetic attachment system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the degree of freedom includes lateral motion and the movement is a lateral width of a magnetic field component of said first magnet structure.

5. The magnetic attachment system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the degree of freedom includes rotational motion and the movement is a rotational angular width of a magnetic field component of said first magnet structure.

6. The magnetic attachment system in accordance with claim 2, wherein said movement from said alignment position is across an interface boundary between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

7. A magnetic system comprising:

a first magnet structure, said first magnet structure comprising a first plurality of magnetic field components, said first plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a first pattern; and

a second magnet structure, said second magnet structure comprising a plurality of complementary magnetic field components arranged according to a complementary pattern, said first magnet structure providing attachment to said second magnet structure through magnetic attraction between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure when a first interface surface of said first magnet structure is in proximity to a complementary interface surface of said second magnet structure, said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure providing a unique attachment alignment region of relative position between said first interface surface and said complementary interface surface, said unique attachment alignment region having a half strength width equal or less than a half strength width of a single magnetic field component of said first magnet structure, said unique attachment alignment region having a maximum strength at least double the strength of any other alignment of said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

8. The magnetic system of claim 7, said region being less than a dimension of said first interface surface, wherein said first pattern is based on a random or pseudorandom code.

9. The magnetic system of claim 8, wherein a spacing from each magnetic field component to another magnetic field component of said first plurality of magnetic field components is determined according to said random or pseudorandom code.

10. The magnetic system of claim 8, wherein a polarity of each magnetic field component of said first plurality of magnetic field components is determined according to said random or pseudorandom code.

11. An attachment system comprising:

a first magnet structure, said first magnet structure comprising a first plurality of magnetic field components, said first plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a first pattern, said first pattern being a random or pseudorandom pattern in accordance with a code having an autocorrelation function with a single maximum peak and a plurality of off peaks per code modulo; and

a second magnet structure, said second magnet structure comprising a second plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a complementary pattern, said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure providing an attachment configuration and a plurality of release configurations, said plurality of release configurations realized by movement of said first magnet structure or said second magnet structure from said attachment configuration to one of said plurality of release configurations, attachment configuration corresponding to said single maximum peak and a respective peak attractive magnetic force, said plurality of release configurations corresponding to said plurality of off peaks and a respective plurality of off peak magnetic forces wherein the greatest magnitude of said plurality of off peak magnetic forces is less than half of the magnitude of said peak attractive force.

12. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said pseudorandom pattern comprises at least one of the group:

a Barker code, an LFSR code, a Kasami code, a Gold code, Golomb ruler code, and a Costas array.

13. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said movement is based on a spacing between two magnetic field components of said first plurality of magnetic field components.

14. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said movement comprises a lateral movement.

15. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said movement comprises a rotational movement between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

16. The attachment system of claim 15, wherein said rotational movement is about an axis of symmetry of an interface boundary between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

17. The attachment system of claim 15, wherein said rotational movement is about an axis perpendicular to an interface plane between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

18. The attachment system of claim 11, further including a mechanical limit limiting lateral motion between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure and allowing rotational motion of one of said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure relative to the other of said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

19. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said release configuration imparts an attracting force to said panel less than one quarter of the attracting force of said attachment configuration.

20. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said release configuration imparts a repelling force.

21. The attachment system of claim 11, further including a mechanical limit to a movement between said first magnet structure and said second magnet structure.

22. The attachment system of claim 11, wherein said first plurality of magnetic field components comprises at least two said components magnetized in a single contiguous piece of magnet material.

23. The attachment system of claim 11, further including a second magnet structure, said second magnet structure comprising a second plurality of magnetic field components, said second plurality of magnetic field components arranged according to a second pattern, said second magnet structure offering a different magnetic force than said first magnet structure when mechanically aligned with said second magnet structure.