Camcon Limited

Camcon Oil Limited

Cambridge Enterprise Limited

Haldex Brake Products Corporation

Camcon Auto Limited

Camcon Technology Ltd.

Comcon, Inc.

Camcon Medical Limited

Wladyslaw Wygnanski

Robert David Prescott

David Cebon

Laurence John Potter

Neil E Houghton

Andrews Odhams

Jonathan Miller

Leon M Henderson

Graham Paul Ford

Frank Kienhofer

Christopher McDouall

Leon Michael Henderson

Neil Houghton

Charles Potter

A rotary electromagnetic actuator is provided which is suitable for opening and closing a valve for example. The actuator comprises a rotor, a stator, and a biasing arrangement for applying a torque to the rotor during at least part of its rotation. A plurality of stable rest positions for the rotor are defined by forces acting on the rotor and the actuator is controllable to move the rotor from one stable rest position to another. The torque applied by the biasing arrangement varies with the rotational position of the rotor such that at a primary rest position and at least a second rest position, it is sufficiently low to enable selection of those positions, and then it increases beyond the second rest position.

Rotary electromagnetic actuator

An air braking unit for use in an air braking system. The air braking unit is arranged to be positioned, in use, at a vehicle wheel, and comprises an inlet for receiving, in use, compressed air from a central source. At least one first valve is arranged to selectively allow compressed air from the inlet to enter a wheel brake chamber in use. At least one second valve is arranged to selectively allow air from the brake chamber to be released via an outlet to the atmosphere in use and control means controls the first and second valves to operate to selectively control the air pressure in the brake chamber in use.

Air braking system

An electromagnetic valve comprises a yoke, a magnet having pole pieces defining a gap, a flexure assembly having one end attached to the yoke such that part of the flexure assembly extends into the gap, and a mechanism configured to polarize the magnetizable portion so that the extending part of the flexure assembly is attracted towards a pole piece by a magnetic force, thereby defining a valve state. The flexure assembly has at least one resilient portion and at least one magnetizable portion, wherein the extending part of the flexure assembly is movable between the pole pieces through an intermediate position towards which it is resiliently biased such that a resilient mechanical force is generated by deflecting the resilient portion from an undeflected position. The magnetizable portion and the resilient portion are configured such that the magnetic force defining the valve state is greater than the resilient mechanical force.

Electromagnetic flexure

A rotary electromagnetic actuator is provided which is suitable for opening and closing a valve for example. The actuator comprises a rotor (), a stator (), and a biasing arrangement () for applying a torque to the rotor during at least part of its rotation. A plurality of stable rest positions () for the rotor are defined by forces acting on the rotor and the actuator is controllable to move the rotor from one stable rest position to another. The torque applied by the biasing arrangement varies with the rotational position of the rotor such that at a primary rest position and at least a second rest position, it is sufficiently low to enable selection of those positions, and then it increases beyond the second rest position.

An electromagnetically operated switching device comprises an armature () having a magnetisable and moveable portion () for displacement between two stable rest positions. Two pole pieces () are disposed on opposite sides of the armature. The pole pieces form poles of opposing polarity adjacent to the armature, and the armature is magnetically attracted to a respective pole piece in each of its stable rest positions. A coil () is arranged to polarise the moveable portion of the armature when the coil is energised, such that the moveable portion of the armature is displaced from one stable rest position to the other by energising the coil so as to polarise the portion to the opposite polarity to the adjacent pole piece. Each pole piece () comprises a permanent magnet () with the permanent magnets disposed on opposite sides of the moveable portion () of the armature (). The device may be configured to control the flow of fluids.

Electromagnetically operated switching devices and methods of actuation thereof

Gas injection control devices are provided, particularly for deployment in a well-bore to control injection of a gas into a tube or pipe to lift a liquid up the tube, such as crude oil for example. A gas control device is described which comprises a housing, and at least two control valve arrangements within the housing. Each arrangement has an inlet for receiving gas from a pressurized supply, an outlet for supplying pressurized gas for injection into the tube, an inlet valve in a fluid path between the inlet and outlet, and an actuator associated with the inlet valve. Each actuator is independently controllable to switch the respective inlet valve between its open and closed configurations. This allows the gas injection to be switched on and off, and facilitates control of the injection gas flow rate.

Gas injection control devices and methods of operation thereof

A multistable electromagnetic actuator is provided which addresses a need for a more robust, reliable and energy efficient actuation device. It comprises an armature () having a permanent magnet (), wherein the armature is movable between first and second stable positions, and two electric coils () disposed on opposing sides of the armature along its direction of movement, with their axes substantially aligned with said direction. A magnetic flux container () substantially surrounds the armature and the coils to contain magnetic flux generated thereby and to shield its interior from external magnetic flux. In each stable position magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet () extends around a magnetic circuit path including the container so as to retain the armature in its stable position. Energising the coils () causes the armature () to move from one stable position to the other. It is suitable for a broad range of applications, including fluid flow control for example.

Multistable electromagnetic actuators

Actuators and valve-actuator combinations are disclosed which require low power for actuation, and which are particularly suitable for use to control a valve associated with a pipeline. Such an actuator () comprises a thrust member () moveable between two end of travel positions, an annular rotor having magnetic poles, an annular magnetisable stator having at least one winding and poles with which the rotor poles are aligned in each of a plurality of rotational positions of the rotor relative to the stator, and a drive connection between the rotor and the thrust member which is adapted to convert rotational movement of the rotor into linear movement of the thrust member. The actuator is able to hold its position using minimal energy, and may be located within or around an associated pipe.

Low power actuator and valve-actuator combination

An electromagnetic actuator is described in which a rotor comprising permanent magnet means is rotatable in a stator which is magnetisable by causing an electric current to flow through at least one winding associated with the stator. The rotor has at least two stable rest positions, each defined by spring and/or magnetic forces acting on the rotor. Spring means stores energy during part of the movement of the rotor and provides kinetic energy for accelerating the rotor during subsequent movement thereof away from rest in one position towards another. A magnetic torque is exerted on the rotor when a current flows in said at least one winding which is sufficient to overcome the force(s) holding the rotor in that rest position, to cause the rotor to rotate in a direction from that rest position towards another a rest position. The rotor is connected to a thrust member by a mechanical linkage by which the rotational movement of the rotor is converted into substantially linear movement. The linkage has a mechanical advantage which varies in a predetermined manner during the rotation of the rotor. The actuator can be used to open and close a valve of an internal combustion engine. A power supply is provided for delivering current to the actuator from a current source so as to operate the actuator in an energy efficient manner.

Programmable high speed valve actuator and power supply therefor

An electromagnetic actuator status defines two pairs of poles between which an elongate magnetisable armature can see-saw through a mid position between two home positions defined by two of the poles. A closed low reluctance path in each home position includes a permanent magnet which keeps the armature in either home position. An electromagnet is energised by a current pulse, to repel the armature from one home position and attract it to the other. Resilient energy storage means resists the final movement of the armature towards each pole. A non-magnetisable curved central region of the armature makes rolling contact with a complementary curved surface with the stator to cover and uncover openings therein. The stator is housed within, or forms a fluid chamber and fluid supplied thereto can be delivered selectively through one or the other of the two openings.

Electromagnetic fluid flow control valve

An electro-magnetically operated device is described in which a magnetisable armature, typically a length of thin naturally resilient mild steel, is sandwiched between, and extends from, two parts of a magentic circuit which contains an air gap into which the armature extends. An electromagnet polarizes the armature along its length so as to cause the end thereof in the air gap to be attached to one or the other of the two poles of the magnetic circuit defining the gap. The armature is designed so as to be capable of adopting a mid-position between the poles of the air gap if the curent flowing in the electromagnet is reduced to zero. Equalising the air gaps and adjusting the size of the gap relative to the resilience of the armature will produce a bistable characteristic in which the armature will not remain in the mid-position, but will always remain in contact with one pole or the other, and is shifted from one to the other by a pulse of current of appropriate polarity. Adjustment of the size of the air gap on one side or the other of the armature introduces an out of balance in the magnetic circuit enabling the device to adopt a monostable characteristic instead of a bistable characteristic.

Electro-magnetically operable device

A valve for controlling fluid flow having a chamber of non magnetizable material having an inlet opening and at least one outlet opening, a magnetizable armature having a valve closure member, an electromagnetic drive for moving the closure member from one end to the other of a path defined by the chamber. A seating is provided at each end of the path within the chamber, each seating being complementary to the external surface of the closure member, so that the closure member is a snug fit in each seating. A permanent magnet and pole pieces create two opposite, spaced apart powerful magnetic fields in each of which the flux extends across the chamber perpendicular to the direction of movement of the closure member, and a solenoid surrounds the chamber, which when energized creates a second magnetic field, in which the flux is parallel to that of the permanent fields.

Electromagnetically operated valve

A magnetic device is formed from a permanent magnet ( ) generating magnetic flux, and an armature ( ) which can occupy either a first air gap in which the flux is in one direction, or a second air gap in which the flux is in the opposite direction, with a region of flux cancellation between the two air gaps. At least one electromagnet winding ( ) may be provided to which current can be supplied which when energised produces a magnetic flux in one direction or the other, depending on the direction of the current, the flux from the winding increasing the flux density in one of the air gaps and reducing the flux density in the other air gap. This effectively shifts the flux cancellation region towards or into one of the two air gaps so as to produce a flux density gradient extending from one air gap to the other, which will cause the armature to move into (or remain in) the air gap having the higher flux density, and continue to remain in that air gap after the current flow ceases. The device can be incorporated into a fluid valve to act as a drive for opening and closing the valve. It may also serve as the drive for opening and closing electrical contacts. Monostable operation can be achieved by locating a magnetic flux shunt at one end of the armature travel. A holding solenoid may be incorporated. A plurality of such devices controlling the opening and closing of a plurality of orifices in a manifold containing fluid especially gas or air, under positive pressure, may be controlled by signals from a computer controlled signal generator to produce an air cushion for supporting and/or conveying articles, or a sound wave whose amplitude and frequency is controlled by the signal generator. Such a device may be incorporated into a pipeline to influence the flow of fluid therethrough or into the exhaust or inlet manifold of a turbine or engine, especially a jet engine, to interact with the gases flowing therethrough and introduce or reduce turbulence or otherwise alter the gas flow.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Wladyslaw Wygnanski