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Arrays of magnets configured to create linear or rotary magnetic springs with multiple equilibrium points. Some of the equilibrium points are stable, while others are unstable. No mechanical contact is required between moving and stationary elements of the magnetic springs, resulting in a virtually

Arrays of magnets configured to create linear or rotary magnetic springs with multiple equilibrium points. Some of the equilibrium points are stable, while others are unstable. No mechanical contact is required between moving and stationary elements of the magnetic springs, resulting in a virtually unlimited lifetime. The magnetic springs can be utilized in conjunction with low force electromagnetic actuators to implement multi-step linear or rotary actuators with high force, very short movement time between unstable equilibrium points, and with near-zero holding power required to maintain actuator position at any unstable equilibrium point. Specific applications that embody the present invention may include, but are not limited to, optical filters, linear valves, or any mechanism that would benefit from an efficient magnetic spring.

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What is claimed is: 1. A rotary actuator, said rotary actuator comprising: an arrangement of magnets including at least two arrays movable relative to one another and forming a plurality of stable equilibrium points and a plurality of unstable equilibrium points, said plurality of stable equilibriu

What is claimed is: 1. A rotary actuator, said rotary actuator comprising: an arrangement of magnets including at least two arrays movable relative to one another and forming a plurality of stable equilibrium points and a plurality of unstable equilibrium points, said plurality of stable equilibrium points located about a rotational axis of said rotary actuator and said plurality of unstable equilibrium points located about said rotational axis of said rotary actuator and interspersed between said plurality of stable equilibrium points; and wherein said rotary actuator is capable of moving towards and past any given one of said stable equilibrium points in a springing manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets and said rotary actuator is capable of being moved towards and held in any given one of said unstable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via low power forces created by a motive source. 2. The rotary actuator as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said rotary actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets. 3. The rotary actuator as claimed in claim 2 further including an inner array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles radially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization, an outer array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles radially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization in a manner identical to said inner array, where said inner array and said outer array are arranged concentric to one another such that at least one of said inner array and said outer array are rotatable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 4. The rotary actuator as claimed in claim 2 further including an inner array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a first Halbach array, an outer array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a second Halbach array, where said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and said inner array and said outer array are arranged concentric to one another such that at least one of said inner array and said outer array are rotatable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 5. The rotary actuator as claimed in claim 2 further including an inner array of elongated permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a first Halbach array, an outer array of elongated permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a second Halbach array, where said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and said inner array and said outer array form cylinders that are arranged concentric to one another such at least one of said inner array and said outer array are rotatable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 6. A linear actuator, said linear actuator comprising: an arrangement of magnets including at least two arrays movable relative to one another and forming a plurality of stable equilibrium points and a plurality of unstable equilibrium points, said plurality of stable equilibrium points located along a linear dimension of said linear actuator and said plurality of unstable equilibrium points located about said linear dimension of said linear actuator and interspersed between said plurality of stable equilibrium points; and wherein said linear actuator is capable of moving towards and past any given one of said stable equilibrium points in a springing manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets and said linear actuator is capable of being moved towards and held in any given one of said unstable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via low power forces created by a motive source. 7. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 wherein said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said linear actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets. 8. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 further including a first array of permanent magnets arranged linearly and having magnetic poles oriented along the direction of actuation in alternating directions of magnetization, a second array of permanent magnets arranged linearly and having magnetic poles oriented along the direction of actuation in alternating directions of magnetization in a manner identical to said first array, where at least one of said first array and said second array is linearly moveable along the direction of actuation relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 9. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 further including an first array of permanent magnets arranged linearly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a first Halbach array, a second array of permanent magnets arranged linearly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a second Halbach array, where said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and at least one of said first array and said second array is linearly moveable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 10. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 further including an inner array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about a linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization, an outer array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about said linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization in a manner identical to said inner array, where said outer array is radially disposed about said inner array and at least one of said inner array and said outer array is moveable relative one to another along said linear axis via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 11. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 further including an inner array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about a linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization, an outer array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about said linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented in alternating directions of magnetization in a manner opposite to said inner array, where said outer array is radially disposed about said inner array and at least one of said inner array and said outer array is moveable relative one to another along said linear axis via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 12. The linear actuator as claimed in claim 6 further including an inner array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about a linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented so as to form as a first Halbach array, an outer array of permanent magnets arranged adjacent one another and disposed about said linear axis, said permanent magnets having magnetic poles axially oriented so as to form as a second Halbach array, where said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and said outer array is radially disposed about said inner array and at least one of said inner array and said outer array is moveable relative one to another along said linear axis via said magnetic forces and said low power forces. 13. A rotary actuator, said rotary actuator comprising: a plurality of stable equilibrium points formed by an arrangement of magnets, said plurality of stable equilibrium points located about a rotational axis of said rotary actuator; a plurality of unstable equilibrium points formed by said arrangement of magnets, said plurality of unstable equilibrium points located about said rotational axis of said rotary actuator and interspersed between said plurality of stable equilibrium points; said rotary actuator is capable of moving towards and past any given one of said stable equilibrium points in a springing manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets and said rotary actuator is capable of being moved towards and held in any given one of said unstable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via low power forces created by a motive source; said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said rotary actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets; an inner array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a first Halbach array; an outer array of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a second Halbach array; said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and said inner array and said outer array are arranged concentric to one another such that at least one of said inner array and said outer array are rotatable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces; an inner subassembly of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented all in a first direction; an outer subassembly of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented all in a second direction, said second direction being identical to said first direction and arranged such that said permanent magnets of said inner subassembly are attracted to said permanent magnets of said outer subassembly; said inner subassembly and said outer subassembly are arranged concentric to one another such that at least one of said inner subassembly and said outer subassembly are rotatable relative one to another via a shaft coupling said inner subassembly to said inner array; and said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said rotary actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets. 14. A rotary actuator, said rotary actuator comprising: a plurality of stable equilibrium points formed by an arrangement of magnets, said plurality of stable equilibrium points located about a rotational axis of said rotary actuator; a plurality of unstable equilibrium points formed by said arrangement of magnets, said plurality of unstable equilibrium points located about said rotational axis of said rotary actuator and interspersed between said plurality of stable equilibrium points; wherein said rotary actuator is capable of moving towards and past any given one of said stable equilibrium points in a springing manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets and said rotary actuator is capable of being moved towards and held in any given one of said unstable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via low power forces created by a motive source; said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said rotary actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets; an inner array of elongated permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a first Halbach array; an outer array of elongated permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented so as to form a second Halbach array; said magnetic forces are created in a region between said first Halbach array and said second Halbach array, and said inner array and said outer array form cylinders that are arranged concentric to one another such at least one of said inner array and said outer array are rotatable relative one to another via said magnetic forces and said low power forces; an inner subassembly of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented all in a first direction; an outer subassembly of permanent magnets arranged circularly and having magnetic poles oriented all in a second direction, said second direction being identical to said first direction and arranged such that said permanent magnets of said inner subassembly are attracted to said permanent magnets of said outer subassembly; said inner subassembly and said outer subassembly are arranged concentric to one another such that that at least one of said inner subassembly and said outer subassembly are rotatable relative one to another via a shaft coupling said inner subassembly to said inner array; and said plurality of unstable equilibrium points includes a shallow stable equilibrium point centered within each of said plurality of unstable equilibrium points such that said rotary actuator is capable of being moved into any given one of said unstable equilibrium points via said motive source and held in a corresponding one of said shallow stable equilibrium points in a stationary manner via magnetic forces created by said arrangement of magnets.