Patent ID: 7679229

Claim:
A linear motor comprising: a housing; a first coil supported by the housing; a second coil supported by the housing; a magnet; and a flexure supporting the magnet at a position between the first and second coils, having flexibility to permit the magnet to move along an axis extending between the first and second coils while also having stiffness to restrain movement of the magnet towards either the first or second coils such that the magnet is prevented from coming into contact with either first or second coils, the flexure comprising a shaped sheet of material comprising: a middle portion; a first end portion joined to the housing; a second end portion substantially parallel to the first end portion and joined to the housing; a first corner portion joining the first end portion to the middle portion, and comprising both a curve having a positive radius of curvature that is concave relative to a point of view inside the linear motor and a curve having a negative radius of curvature that is concave relative to a point of view outside the linear motor; and a second corner portion joining the second end portion to the middle portion, and comprising both a curve having a positive radius of curvature that is concave relative to a point of view inside the linear motor and a curve having a negative radius of curvature that is concave relative to a point of view outside the linear motor.