Flexure

• US 20060056004A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Charles Gustav, Jilani, Adel, Faase, Kenneth James
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/291
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/047 Optical MEMS not provided for in B81B2201/042 - B81B2201/045
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00182 Arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures, e.g. membrane and cavity for use in a transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/903 Modular display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

An apparatus includes a first member, a second member and a flexure. The flexure has a central portion connected to the first member, outer portions connected to the second member and an intermediate portion spaced from the first member and the second member.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first member;

a second member;

a flexure having a central portion connected to the first member, outer portions connected to the second member and an intermediate portion spaced from the first member and the second member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first member is electrically conductive.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second member is electrically conductive.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure is circular.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the flexure is rectangular.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure is a hypocycloid.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure is triangular.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure and the second member are connected so as to prevent contact between the central portion and the second member.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 including a spacer spacing the flexure from the second member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the spacer interconnects the flexure and the second member.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 including at least three spaced spacers spacing the flexure and the second member.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first member has a reflective surface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 including a third member, wherein the third member is at least semi-transparent and wherein the first member is between the second member and the third member.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the third member is electrically conductive.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the reflective surface is no greater than about 400 square micrometers.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 including a third member between the first member and the flexure, wherein the third member is electrically conductive.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second member has a reflective surface.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 including a third member, wherein the third member is semi-transparent and wherein the second member is between the first member and the third member.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the third member is electrically conductive.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the reflective surface is no greater than 400 micrometers squared.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure is formed from at least one of a group of materials including:

TaAl, Al₃Ti.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first member is formed from at least one of a group of materials including:

AlCu, Al, Ag, Au and their alloys, dielectric and metal/dielectric composite thin film stacks.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the first member and the second member includes a reflective surface and wherein the apparatus includes a light source configured to direct light upon the reflective surface.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 including at least one lens through which reflected light from the reflective surface passes.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 including at least one lens between the light source and the reflective surface.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 including a voltage source configured to electrically bias at least one of the first member and the second member to a non-zero voltage.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure has a stiffness of no greater than 15 micro newtons per micrometer.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the flexure has a stiffness of at least 7 micro newtons per micrometer.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure has a thickness of between about 200 angstroms and 600 angstroms.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer portions of the flexure connected to the second member continuously extend about the central portion.

31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer portions of the flexure connected to the second member are spaced from one another about the central portion.

32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central portion of the flexure connected to the first member is equidistantly spaced from the outer portions of the flexure that are connected to the second member.

33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first member, the second member and the flexure are integrally formed as part of a single unitary body.

34. The apparatus of claim 1 including a central via connecting the flexure to the first flexure and at least one outer via connecting the outer portions of the flexure to the second member.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the at least one outer via and the flexure are formed from a first common material and wherein the central via and the first member are formed from a second common material.

36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure comprises a membrane.

37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexure includes legs, wherein first portions of the legs converge towards one another and are connected to the first member and second portions connected to the second member.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the first portions have ends spaced from one another.

39. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexure is spaced from the first member and the second member in a direction perpendicular to the flexure.

40. A flexure system for movably supporting a first member relative to a second member, the flexure system comprising:

a flexure having a perimeter, a central portion, and an intermediate portion wherein the central portion is configured to be connected to a first member and wherein at least a portion of the perimeter is configured to be connected to the second member such that the intermediate portion is spaced from the first member and the second member.

41. An electronic device for displaying a pixel of a displayable image, the device comprising:

a first reflector and a second reflector defining an optical cavity therebetween;

a base; and

a flexure having a central portion connected to one of the base and the first reflector, an outer portion connected to the other of the base and the first reflector, and an intermediate portion spaced from the first reflector and the second reflector.

42. An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of pixels, each pixel including;

a first member;

a second member spaced from the first member by an electrostatic gap; and

means for electrostatically moving the first member towards the second member for up to at least 50% of the electrostatic gap without contacting the second member.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein each pixel further includes a third member, wherein the third member extends between the first member and the second member.

44. A method of displaying an image, the method comprising:

movably supporting a first reflective surface with a flexure having an outer portion connected to one of a base and the reflective surface, a central portion connected to the other of the base and the reflective surface and an intermediate portion spaced from the first reflective surface and the base in a direction perpendicular to the flexure; and

moving the first reflective surface relative to a second reflective semi-transparent surface.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein moving the first reflective surface includes moving the first reflective surface away from the second surface.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein moving the first reflective surface includes moving the first reflective surface towards the second surface.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein moving the first reflective surface is achieved using electrostatic forces.

48. The method of claim 44 including:

biasing the first surface to a first charge; and

biasing the second surface to a second charge.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein moving the first reflective surface including:

biasing the first surface to a first charge; and

biasing the base to a second charge.

50. A method comprising:

mounting a central portion of a flexure to a first member; and

mounting an outer portion of a flexure to a second member such that an intermediate portion of the flexure is spaced from the first member and the second member, wherein one of the first member and the second member includes a reflective surface.