Electrical generator or motor structure – Non-dynamoelectric – Charge accumulating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-29
2001-02-06
Budd, Mark (Department: 2834)
Electrical generator or motor structure
Non-dynamoelectric
Charge accumulating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06184608
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to microactuators having macroscopic force and displacement. More particularly the invention relates to microactuators comprising a 3-D array of small actuator cells which are formed from plastic sheets provided with electrodes and stacked.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most microactuator arrays, used as MEMS devices, are fabricated in silicon. Despite the many favorable attributes of silicon, however, it is not always a suitable or ideal material for every application of MEMS. Silicon is brittle and subject to breaking, particularly as the total device size increases. This brittleness limits devices, especially actuators, to relatively small sizes capable of only small displacements and forces. The shapes that can be realized in silicon are typically restricted by crystalline planes or 2-D fabrication processes, and more complicated structures often result in prohibitively high cost and low yield.
It would be of great advantage to the art if another material, other than silicon, could be used for MEMS and actuators.
It would be another great advance in the art if the material would not be brittle and subject to breaking, thus not limiting the size and therefore the displacement and force of the final device. Other advantages will appear hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been discovered that the above and other advantages of the present invention may be realized in the following manner. Specifically, the present invention comprises a microactuator capable of macroscopic forces and displacements suitable for many “real world” applications.
The invention contemplates the formation of a 3-D array of small actuator cells, each of which is capable of a small force and small displacement. When coupled or ganged together, either in parallel, in series, or both, the resultant array is capable of generating macroscopic forces and displacements simultaneously.
In the present invention, position resolution is as small as the displacement of the smallest unit cell or cells in the array. Actuation is accomplished electrostatically, using the attraction at the smallest gap between electrodes to produce a “rolling” motion in the cells. The invention may be operated.
Key to the invention is the use of polymer materials rather than silicon, as silicon is not capable of being formed into the present device. A resulting lightweight, easily fabricated, low cost device is the result of the present invention.
The microactuator array device of this invention is formed from a plurality of generally parallel thin flexible polymer sheets bonded together in a predetermined pattern to form an array of unit cells on the various layers. Thin layers of conductive films and dielectric materials are deposited on the sheets to form a plurality of electrodes associated with the array of unit cells in a conventional manner.
Inlets and outlets are used during generation of electrostatic forces.
A source of electric potential operably connects the electrodes whereby adjacent layers of electrodes are biased with respect to each other to generate electrostatic action. Electrostatic actuation is a pull type action, so pairs of actuators work with each other to accomplish bi-directional activation.
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Motoharu Yamaguchi et al: “Distributed Electrostatic Micro Actuator” Proceedings of the Workshop on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), US, New York, IEEE, vol. Workshop 6, 1993, pp. 18-23, XP000366849 ISBN: 0-7803-0957-X The Whole Document.
Minami et al.: “Fabrication of Distributed ELectrostatic Micro Actuator (DEMA)”, Journal of MIcroelectromechanical Systems, US, IEEE, Inc. New York., vol. 2, No. 3 1 Sep. 1993 (Sep. 2, 1993) pp. 121-127, XP000426532, ISSN: 1057-7157, The Whole Document.
Cabuz Cleopatra
Herb William R.
Horning Robert D.
Budd Mark
Honeywell International , Inc.
Shudy, Jr. John G.
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