Design and analysis of an electromagnetic actuator for a magnetic switch

The conventional solenoid-type magnetic contactor (MC) has a critical problem, which is high power consumption. To address this problem, we propose the novel MC of which power consumption and energy loss are low. The suggested MC maintains the closed state using the permanent magnet without any electrical energy consumption. By arranging the permanent magnet appropriately, the proposed MC has competitive operating characteristics compared to the solenoid-type MC. Furthermore, the structures of moving bodies are improved to stabilize mechanically and reduce kinetic energy losses during closing or opening operation. For the characteristics analysis of the MC, we proposed the circuit equation and the magnetic field analysis. The circuit equation was combined with a time differential method (TDM) and the magnetic field was analyzed using 3-dimensional finite element method (3D FEM).