Patent ID: 7834727

Claim:
A magnetic actuator, comprising: a mobile magnetic portion including a magnet-based part with reduced magnet weight, the reduced magnet weight magnet-based part having an overall volume in which the reduced magnet weight occurs, and a mass, the mass of the reduced magnet weight part is less than the mass of a part having the same overall volume and whose overall volume is totally occupied by the magnet; a fixed magnetic portion provided with at least two attraction areas for the mobile magnetic portion, and means for triggering the displacement of the mobile magnetic portion, the mobile magnetic portion being in levitation when it is not in contact with one of the attraction areas, wherein the reduced magnet weight part comprises, in the direction of the displacement, a first magnet bar and a second magnet bar, the first and second magnet bars having a same magnetization orientation, and the first and second magnet bars being spaced by a lesser density portion having a density less than that of the magnet bars, wherein said means for triggering the displacement includes at least one conductor arranged as at least two meanders each formed with sections of successive conductors in which a current flows in opposite directions, and wherein, when the mobile magnetic portion is stuck on one of said attraction areas, the first and second magnet bars cooperate with one of the sections ( 31 . 1 or 31 . 2 ), and the current flows in the same direction in said one of the sections.