US Patent 7355305 Small-size direct-acting actuator

A direct-acting actuator is provided comprising a stator section (16), an attachment section (6) secured to the stator section, micro-beams (8, 10) extending from the attachment section, a rotor section (12) supported for swing motion by the micro-beams, a permanent magnet (18) disposed in the stator section, and a coil (4) disposed in the rotor section. Electric current is conducted through the coil in the magnetic field created by the permanent magnet for causing the micro-beams to be displaced for inducing swing motion of the rotor section. The actuator can be assembled to a small size, typically a width of 1-10 mm, a length of 1-10 mm, and a height of 0.1-5 mm.