<< Various and Sundry

Voice Coil Actuators

Introduction

A voice coil is a kind of linear actuator, it moves a given mass

along a line. To be precise, it pushes or pulls on the mass, the mass
then moves as a result of this force. Thus a voice coil does not
primarily move the mass, motion is the consequence of the force it
applies to it.

The name “voice coil” is due to one of its historically first

applications: vibrating the paper cone of a loudspeaker. The name
stuck and voice coils designed to move larger masses in other
applications are called “voice coils.”

It is sometimes said that voice coils are intended for fast motion
but they work just as well for slow motion. Again, a voice coil exerts
a force, the consequence of that force depends on the circumstances.

Principle of Operation

The voice coil works because of the force between a magnetic field
and an electric current perpendicular to the field, what is called the
Lorentz force. Below is a schematic diagram of a current-carrying
wire (orange) and a magnet (blue). Arrows indicate the direction of
the electric current (right) and of the magnetic field (up):

The Lorentz force is proportional to the product of the magnetic field

and the current, in a direction perpendicular to both of them. In the
diagram this direction would be directly toward you. If the current
were reversed it would be directly away from you.

If the magnet is fixed you can think of the magnet as pushing on

the wire, and if the wire were free to move it would accelerate toward
you all along its length.
 If the magnetic field strength is constant, as with a permanent
magnet, the magnitude of the force it exerts on the wire is
proportional to the magnitude of the current through the wire.

From Principle to Voice Coil

Now imagine the magnet above as a rectangular slab extending

into the page, and the single wire replaced by multiple wires repeated
into the page. Bend both magnet and wires up and around until the
left and right edges meet at the top forming one cylinder inside
another. However, when the left and right ends of the wire segments
meet, offset them so they form a single coil with only two wire ends.
Voilà, the voice coil !

The inner cylinder pushes out of or into the page depending on the
direction of the current. The magnitude of the force is proportional to
the magnitude of the current.

To help focus the magnetic field where it belongs the permanent

magnet is surrounded and held by “keeper” material – soft iron –
capped at one end and penetrating the middle of the coil. It helps
complete the magnetic circuit, in the course of which the field lines
out of the North face become field lines into the South face. The coil
is wrapped about a non-conducting cylinder capped at the other end.
Below is a cross-section of the side view. The magnet pushes the coil
(which in turn pushes the coil holder) to the right and left:
 Advantages of Voice Coils

Voice coils have two advantages over other kinds of actuators:

Simplicity of construction.
No gears. They are completely silent and there is no backlash
when direction is reversed (very low “hysteresis”).
They are force actuators, they naturally provide a force, specified
by the current through the coil – or what amounts to the same thing
(because of the fixed electrical resistance of the coil) the voltage
across the coil. Acceleration and subsequent velocity and position are
consequences of the specified force.

... That was three advantages you moron.

All right three advantages. Typically voice coils are used in

conjunction with position and/or velocity feedback. Force feedback
from a strain gauge might also be used.

Complications

Voice coils have some disadvantages, or at any rate different

characteristics that must be taken into account, compared to other
types of actuators. In those other types (stepper, DC) a motor is
considerably geared down to move the working end of the actuator.
Thus the motor can move the actuator end but because of gear friction
the actuator end cannot move the motor. The actuator can maintain a
force against the load while drawing no current. With a voice coil, a
position that is intended to be fixed must be actively maintained
against any force that would change it.
 This must especially be taken into account with a vertically
mounted voice coil. Current is required merely to counteract the static
weight of the load. If that is a problem, the static weight can be
counterbalanced by either springs or counterweights, like the window
sash in some window mechanisms and the counterweights in
elevators (lifts). Then the actuator need only draw current when
accelerating the load.

Also the design must account for a sudden power outage, that is, it
must fail safely when the actuator force summarily drops to zero.

Another possible complication is that when the coil moves rapidly

the magnet induces a current in it opposing the current due to the
driving voltage – a “back EMF.” However this is negligible when the
operation is slow. The inductance of the coil, which introduces a time
lag between applied voltage and current, is negligible when the
movement changes slowly.

Voice Coil Parameters

Several numbers describe a particular voice coil. Here are the most
important ones.

Mechanical parameters:

Size of housing (diameter and length, or height and width and

length).
Length of stroke, measured either starting from full retraction or
mid-stroke. (The second is plus or minus half the first.)
Protruding length of shaft at either full retraction or mid-stroke.

Electrical parameters:
The force exerted per amp of current.
Coil resistance.
Coil inductance.
Back EMF (volts per unit velocity)

Electrical extremes and ratings:

Allowed peak (transient) current.
Allowed steady (“stall”) current.
Force at peak current.

Types of Voice Coils

Voice coils come in two shapes: cylindrical (circular as viewed

along the axis) just described, and rectangular (as viewed along the
axis). Another variation is to bend the voice coil sideways into an arc,
like a macaroni noodle (in that case the actuator is no longer linear).

Bearings can be added between the coil and magnet/keeper so that

they maintain alignment and don’t touch one another. Such voice
coils are called “housed.” Voice coils are also made without bearings
and called “unhoused.”

The alignment for unhoused voice coils is provided by the

particular application. The magnet part and electric part are rigidly
attached to two other parts of the assembly (one fixed, the other
movable) which are themselves aligned and consequently keep the
voice coil aligned. This is useful for not over-determining the
assembly (having to align two alignments).

Further Reading

Links to publications available online (the first two are PDF files):

Design and Control of a Voice Coil Actuated Robot Arm ...

by John McBean, Mechanical Engineering Masters thesis, 2004.

Basics of Voice Coil Actuators

by Bill Black, et al in PCIM Power Electronics Systems, July 1993.

What is a Voice Coil Actuator?

from BEI Kimco Magnetics.

Selecting the Correct Voice Coil Actuators

from BEI Kimco Magnetics.

Voice-coil actuators
by George Gogue & Joseph Stupak, G2 Consulting.