Torsionally hinged devices with support anchors
First Claim
1. A device integrally formed from a single piece of material and adapted for mounting to a support structure comprising:
- a pair of support anchors, said pair of support anchors being the only portions of said device adapted for mounting said device to said support structure;
a functional surface portion for pivoting about a first axis and located between said pair of anchors; and
a first pair of torsional hinges, each hinge of said pair having a first end terminating at one of said pair of support anchors adapted for mounting and a second end of each hinge for supporting said functional surface portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A functional surface, such as a reflective surface, is supported by a pair of torsional hinges for pivoting about a first axis which in turn is supported by a pair of anchors, according to one embodiment. The reflective surface may be driven into resonant oscillations about the first axis by inertially coupling energy to the device. According to a dual axis embodiment, the reflective surface is attached by torsional hinges to a gimbals portion which in turn is attached to the support members by a second pair of torsional hinges which are orthogonal with the first pair of hinges so as to provide for pivoting of the surface about both pairs of torsional hinges. Thus, a light source may be reflected from a reflective surface to produce a beam sweep and moved orthogonally by the gimbals portion. The devices may be etched from silicon.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A device integrally formed from a single piece of material and adapted for mounting to a support structure comprising:
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a pair of support anchors, said pair of support anchors being the only portions of said device adapted for mounting said device to said support structure;
a functional surface portion for pivoting about a first axis and located between said pair of anchors; and
a first pair of torsional hinges, each hinge of said pair having a first end terminating at one of said pair of support anchors adapted for mounting and a second end of each hinge for supporting said functional surface portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A mirror device for providing bi-directional beam movement, comprising:
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a reflective surface portion positioned to intercept a beam of light from a light source, said reflective surface pivotally attached to a gimbals portion by a first pair of torsional hinges, and said gimbals portion supported by a second pair of torsional hinges extending to first and second support anchors such that pivoting of said device about said first pair of torsional hinges results in a light beam reflected from said reflective surface moving along a first path and pivoting of said device about said second pair of torsional hinges results in said reflective light moving in a direction substantially orthogonal to said first path;
a first driver for generating vibrational energy in at least one of said first and second support anchors and wherein said vibrational energy is inertially coupled through said second pair of torsional hinges to said gimbals portion and from said gimbals portion through said first pair of torsional hinges to said reflective surface portion for causing resonant pivoting in one direction about said first pair of said torsional hinges and then the opposite direction such that said reflected light beam sweeps or traces across a target area having a first dimension and a second dimension that is orthogonal to said first dimension, said reflected light beam sweeping along said first dimension of said target area as said mirror device pivots about said first pair of torsional hinges; and
a second driver for pivoting said mirror device about said second pair of torsional hinges such that consecutive beam sweeps across said target are repositioned substantially orthogonal with respect to said beam sweep. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A printer comprising:
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a light source providing a beam of light;
a first mirror device comprising a reflective surface portion positioned to intercept said beam of light, a first pair of torsional hinges attached to said reflective surface portion and extending to first and second support anchors for resonant pivoting about a first axis such that light reflected from said reflective surface sweeps along a first path, said first and second support anchors defining a pivotal axis extending through sad reflective surface portion for supporting said mirror device;
a first drive circuit for generating vibrational energy in at least one of said first and second support anchors, said vibrational energy inertially coupled through said first pair of torsional hinges to said reflective surface portion to cause resonant pivoting of said first device about said first axis to provide a resonant beam sweep;
a second mirror device for rotating about a second axis and positioned such that light from said reflective surface moves in a second direction substantially orthogonal to said first path;
a moving photosensitive medium having a first dimension and a second dimension orthogonal to said first dimension, and located to receive an image of said reflected light beam as said beam sweeps across said photosensitive medium along said first dimension, said photosensitive medium moving in a direction along said second dimension such that subsequent traces are spaced apart; and
a second drive circuit for rotating said second mirror device about said second axis such that light traces are received on said moving photosensitive medium along a line substantially orthogonal to the movement of said photosensitive medium.
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21. A printer comprising:
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a light source providing a beam of light;
a mirror device comprising a reflective surface portion positioned to intercept said beam of light from said light source, said reflective surface supported by a first pair of torsional hinges for pivoting about a first axis and supported by a second pair of torsional hinges extending one each to first and second support anchors for pivoting about a second axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis such that pivoting of said device about said first axis results in light reflected from said reflective surface defining a first path, and pivoting of said device about said second axis results in said reflective light moving in a second direction substantially orthogonal to said first path;
a first driver for generating vibrational energy inertially coupled through said second pair of torsional hinges and through said first pair of torsional hinges to said reflective surface portion to cause resonant pivoting of said reflective surface in one direction about said first axis and then the opposite direction;
a moving photosensitive medium having a first dimension and a second dimension orthogonal to said first dimension, and located to receive an image of said reflected light beam as it sweeps or traces across said medium along said first dimension as said mirror device is resonantly pivoting about said first axis, said photosensitive medium moving in a direction along said second dimension such that an image of a subsequent trace of light is spaced from a previous trace; and
a second driver for pivoting about said second axis such that traces are received on said moving photosensitive medium along a line substantially orthogonal to the movement of said photosensitive medium.
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22. A display device comprising:
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a light source providing a beam of light;
a first mirror device comprising a reflective surface portion positioned to intercept said beam of light, a first pair of torsional hinges attached to said reflective surface portion and extending to first and second support anchors for resonant pivoting about a first axis such that light reflected from said reflective surface sweeps along a first path, said first and second support anchors defining a pivotal axis extending through said reflective surface portion for supporting said mirror device;
a first drive circuit for generating vibrational energy in at least one of said first and second support anchors, said vibrational energy inertially coupled through said first pair of torsional hinges to said reflective surface portion to cause resonant pivoting of said first device about said first axis to provide a resonant beam sweep;
a second mirror device for rotating about a second axis such that light from said reflective surface moves in a second direction substantially orthogonal to said first plane;
a display screen having a first dimension and a second dimension orthogonal to said first dimension, and located to receive a multiplicity of modulated image lines of said reflected light beam as said beam sweeps across said display screen along said first dimension, each image line of said multiplicity being equally spaced from the preceding image line in a direction along said second dimension to generate an image frame; and
a second drive circuit for rotating said second mirror device about said second axis such that said multiplicity of image lines are spaced across said display screen along a line substantially orthogonal to said resonant beam sweep.
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23. A display device comprising:
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a light source providing a beam of light;
a mirror device comprising a reflective surface portion positioned to intercept said beam of light from said light source, said reflective surface supported by a first pair of torsional hinges for pivoting about a first axis and supported by a second pair of torsional hinges extending one each to first and second support anchors for pivoting about a second axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis such that pivoting of said device about said first axis results in light reflected from said reflective surface defining a first path, and pivoting of said device about said second axis results in said reflective light moving in a second direction substantially orthogonal to said first path;
a first driver for generating vibrational energy inertially coupled through said second pair of torsional hinges and through said first pair of torsional hinges to said reflective surface portion to cause resonant pivoting of said reflective surface in one direction about said first axis and then the opposite direction;
a display screen having a first dimension and a second dimension orthogonal to said first dimension, and located to receive a multiplicity of modulated image lines of said reflected light beam as it sweeps or traces across said display screen along said first dimension as said mirror device is pivoting substantially at its resonant frequency about said first axis, each image line of said multiplicity being equally spaced from the preceding image line in a direction along said second dimension to generate an image frame; and
a second driver for pivoting about said second axis such that said multiplicity of image lines are spaced across said display screen along a line substantially orthogonal to said resonant beam sweep.
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24. A multiplicity of integrally formed devices defined on a wafer, each of said multiplicity of devices adapted for mounting to a support structure and each devise comprising:
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a pair of support anchors, said pair of support anchors being the only portions of said device adapted for mounting said device to said support structure;
a functional surface portion for pivoting about a first axis and located between said pair of anchors; and
a first pair of torsional hinges, each hinge of said pair having a first end terminating at one of said pair of support anchors adapted for mounting and a second end of each hinge for supporting said functional surface portion. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification