Micromachined electrothermal rotary actuator
First Claim
1. A micromachined rotary actuator, comprising:
- a central portion;
an outer portion at least partially surrounding said central portion and separated from said central portion by an in-plane gap;
a plurality of arms each connected at one end to said central portion and at another end to said outer portion so as to span said in-plane gap, said arms comprised of a plurality of horizontally stacked materials positioned to enable said arms to bend in-plane when heated; and
conductors for heating said arms.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a micromachined rotary actuator constructed of a central portion and an outer portion at least partially surrounding the central portion and separated from the central portion by an in-plane gap. A plurality of arms are each connected at one end to the central portion and at another end to the outer portion so as to span the in-plane gap. The arms are constructed of a plurality of horizontally stacked materials positioned to enable the arms to bend in-plane when heated. Conductors are positioned within the actuator for heating the arms. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.
21 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A micromachined rotary actuator, comprising:
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a central portion; an outer portion at least partially surrounding said central portion and separated from said central portion by an in-plane gap; a plurality of arms each connected at one end to said central portion and at another end to said outer portion so as to span said in-plane gap, said arms comprised of a plurality of horizontally stacked materials positioned to enable said arms to bend in-plane when heated; and conductors for heating said arms. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A head assembly for a disk drive, comprising:
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a micromachined rotary actuator having a stationary portion configured for connection to a flexure and a moving portion capable of providing rotary motion with respect to said stationary portion; a slider connected to said moving portion; and a transducer head carried by said slider. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of providing in plane rotary motion with a micromachined rotary actuator, comprising:
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providing a central portion; providing an outer portion at least partially surrounding said central portion and separated from said central portion by an in-plane gap; providing a plurality of arms each connected at one end to said central portion and at another end to said outer portion so as to span said in-plane gap, said arms comprised of a plurality of horizontally stacked materials positioned to enable said arms to bend in-plane when heated; and supplying current to conductors within the rotary actuator for heating said arms. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification