Electromechanical Filter

• US 20070216496A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kunihiko, Nakanishi, Yoshito
• Granted Patent: US 7,439,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/186
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02519 Torsional
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/0072 of microelectro-mechanical resonators or networks micromembranes or microbeams B81B2203/01; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02433 Means for compensation or elimination of undesired effects
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2405 of microelectro-mechanical resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/462 Microelectro-mechanical filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/724 Devices having flexible or movable element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/932 for electronic or optoelectronic application

Abstract

An object is to provide an electromechanical filter which can define a vibration mode so that a vibrator can be excited only in a desired vibration mode, that is, a filter which can suppress any vibration mode other than a desired vibration mode. The electromechanical filter includes a first member for inputting a signal, a second member disposed at a predetermined distance from the first member so as to surround the first member and to be excited due to an electrostatic force caused by the signal input from the first member, and a third member disposed at a predetermined distance from the second member so as to surround the second member and to detect vibration of the second member. The second member is designed to receive an attractive force from the first member and the third member so as to be bound and regulated as to a vibration direction.

Claims

1. An electromechanical filter comprising:

a first member for inputting a signal;

a second member disposed at a predetermined distance from the first member so as to surround the first member and to be excited due to an electrostatic force caused by the signal input from the first member; and

a third member disposed at a predetermined distance from the second member so as to surround the second member and to detect vibration of the second member,

wherein the second member receives an attractive force from the first member and the third member so as to be bound and regulated to generate vibration in a rotation direction,

wherein the first to third members are conductors, and each of the second and third members has portions differing in permittivity circumferentially, and

wherein signal transfer is performed in accordance with a change in electrostatic capacity between the second and third members.

2. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein a vibration mode of the second member is a torsional vibration mode.

3. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein a force to suppress vibration of the second member is a Van der Waals force.

4. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein, of the first to thirdmembers, at least the second member comprises a material to be formed by self-organization, and the predetermined distance is a narrow gap at least formed by the self-organization of the first member.

5. The electromechanical filter according to claim 4,

wherein the material to be formed by self-organization is a carbon nanotube.

6. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein the second member and the third member include regions having uneven physical property values.

7. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein the second member and the third member include regions having uneven shapes.

8. The electromechanical filter according to claim 7,

wherein the regions having uneven shapes comprise slits or holes.

9. The electromechanical filter according to claim 1,

wherein the first member comprises a conductive column serving as a signal line,

wherein the second member comprises a cylinder disposed at a predetermined distance from the first member so as to surround the first member,

wherein the third member comprises a cylinder disposed at a predetermined distance from the second member so as to surround the second member, and

wherein the first to third members are formed so that electrostatic capacity can change due to a change in relative position among the first to third members.

10. The electromechanical filter according to claim 9,

wherein the first to thirdmembers have different lengths so that the first member is the longest and the third member is the shortest, and the first to third members are supported in their opposite ends.

11. The electromechanical filter according to claim 10,

wherein the second and third members comprise conductive spheres rotatably supported in their opposite ends.

12. The electromechanical filter according to claim 9,

wherein the second and third members are formed to have slits so that electrostatic capacity changes due to a change in relative position therebetween.

13. The electromechanical filter according to claim 9,

wherein the second and third members are formed so that conductive regions and insulating regions are mixed in each of the second and third members.

14. The electromechanical filter according to claim 9,

wherein the second and third members comprise insulating cylinders, and conductive pattern are formed in surface of the cylinders so as to face each other.