Oscillatory motors and devices incorporating them

Abstract

An oscillatory device incorporating a limited angle torque motor capable of oscillating one or more end effector(s) is provided. The device may additionally incorporate an ultrasound transducer and/or a waveguide structure.

1 . An oscillatory motor comprising a rotor assembly, a drive shaft mounted to move with the rotor assembly, a stator assembly, and a centering mechanism, wherein the rotor assembly comprises a wound wire rotor and the stator assembly incorporates at least one multipole permanent magnet, whereby when the stator assembly is energized, the rotor assembly and drive shaft are moved from a neutral position through an arc or an angular displacement of less than 180° with respect to the stator assembly and the drive shaft is returned to a neutral position by the centering mechanism. 
     
     
         2 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 1 , wherein the stator assembly comprises an arced multipole permanent magnet. 
     
     
         3 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 1 , wherein the stator assembly comprises multipole permanent magnets mounted on plates spaced apart to form at least one gap and the rotor assembly is positioned in the at least one gap, 
     
     
         4 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 1 , wherein the centering mechanism is a spring. 
     
     
         5 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 1 , wherein the centering mechanism is a leaf spring. 
     
     
         6 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 1 , wherein the centering mechanism is mounted inside the magnetic rotor. 
     
     
         7 . An oscillatory motor of  claim 3 , wherein the arc or angular displacement of a drive portion of the drive shaft is less than 10° in each direction from the neutral position. 
     
     
         8 . An oscillatory device comprising: a handle housing a power supply and an oscillatory motor having a rotor assembly, a drive shaft mounted to move with the rotor assembly, a stator assembly, and a centering mechanism, wherein the rotor assembly comprises a wound wire rotor and the stator assembly incorporates at least one multipole permanent magnet, whereby when the stator assembly is energized, the rotor assembly and drive shaft move from a neutral position through an arc or an angular displacement of less than 180° and, when the stator assembly isn't energized, the drive shaft is returned to the neutral position by the centering mechanism. 
     
     
         9 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the rotor assembly and drive shaft are moved in opposite directions from the neutral position when the polarity of the input current is changed. 
     
     
         10 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , additionally comprising an accessory adapted to be mechanically coupled to the drive shaft, wherein the combination of the oscillatory motor and the accessory form a resonant system during operation of the oscillatory motor. 
     
     
         11 . An oscillatory device of  claim 10 , wherein the resonant frequency of the resonant system is between 20 Hz and 10,000 Hz. 
     
     
         12 . An oscillatory device of  claim 11 , wherein resonant frequency of the resonant system is greater than about 50 Hz and less than about 500 Hz. 
     
     
         13 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the stator assembly comprises an arced multipole permanent magnet. 
     
     
         14 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the stator assembly comprises multipole permanent magnets mounted on plates spaced apart to form at least one gap and the rotor assembly is positioned in the at least one gap. 
     
     
         15 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the centering mechanism is a leaf spring. 
     
     
         16 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the arc or angular displacement of a drive portion of the drive shaft is less than 10° in each direction from the neutral position. 
     
     
         17 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , wherein the power supply is a rechargeable battery mounted in the handle. 
     
     
         18 . An oscillatory device of  claim 17 , wherein the rechargeable battery is inductively chargeable, and a charge coil and a charge core are additionally mounted in the handle. 
     
     
         19 . An oscillatory device of  claim 8 , additionally comprising a charger assembly including an inductive charger base for inductive charging of the rechargeable battery, a cord detachably connectible to the charger base at one end and connectible to an electrical source by means of a plug at the other end. 
     
     
         20 . An oscillatory device of  claim 17 , wherein the charger base incorporates charging elements that permit inductive charging of rechargeable batteries from multiple sources, including alternating current sources and direct current sources.