Complementary electrostatic driving apparatus for microactuator with parasitic capacitances offset

• US 6,127,767 A
• Filed: 10/29/1997
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Yong-soo, Lee, Byung-leul, Song, Ci-moo
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAMAI, KARL I
• Application Number:
  US08/959,922
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 310/309, 310/40 MM, 333/186, 333/189, 324/457, 73/514.18, 73/514.32
• US Class Current: 310/309
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5726 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5755 the devices having a single sensing mass
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/008 Laterally driven motors, e.g. of the comb-drive type

Abstract

An electrostatic driving apparatus for a microactuator is provided, in which a parasitic capacitance is offset to improve the performance thereof. According to the complementary electrostatic driving apparatus for the microactuator, in order to prevent an excitation signal from being mixed with a sensing signal via the parasitic path formed of parasitic capacitance according to the structure of the microactuator and vibration characteristics thereof, which cause noise, signals having opposite polarities are applied to activating vibration plates using an inverter such that the activating vibration signals of each plate, which cause noise, are offset, thereby markedly improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Also, the vibration displacement can be easily detected by a circuit which is not integrated with an actuator. In addition, a sensing unit is simplified, reducing the initial costs. Further, when the excitation signals are applied at the both sides of the vibration direction of the suspended vibration plate, only the AC component, i.e., the ω component, of the electrostatic force acts, so that the resonant characteristics can be improved without an offset of the displacement.

Claims

1. An electrostatic driving apparatus for a comb type microactuator, comprising:

a suspended vibration plate having a combed portion at both sides thereof;

a first activating vibration plate and a second activating vibration plate each having a combed portion engaged with one and the same side of the combed portion of the suspended vibration plate;

a sensing plate having a combed portion engaged with the other side of the combed portion of the suspended vibration plate;

a sensing unit for sensing the displacement of the suspended vibration plate by a capacitance between the suspended vibration plate and the sensing plate; and

a power unit for applying an electrostatic force to the activating vibration plate to excite the suspended vibration plate,

wherein the power unit comprises an inverter and a power source which is directly connected to the first activating vibration plate and connected to the second activating vibration plate via the inverter.

2. An electrostatic driving apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power source comprises an AC component and a DC component connected in series.

3. An electrostatic driving apparatus for a comb type microactuator, comprising:

a suspended vibration plate having two combed portions at each side thereof;

an activating vibration plate having a combed portion engaged with combed portions of the suspended vibration plate;

a sensing plate having a combed portion engaged with combed portions of the suspended vibration plate;

a sensing unit for sensing displacement of the suspended vibration plate by a capacitance between the suspended vibration plate and the sensing plate; and

a power unit for applying an electrostatic force to the activating vibration plate to activate the suspended vibration plate,

wherein the activating vibration plate is divided into two combed fixed plates located centrally at each side of the suspended vibration plate, and the sensing plate is divided into two combed fixed plates located at the sides of the suspended vibration plate,

wherein all fixed plates are fixed, having separated combed portion engaged with the combed portion of either side of the suspended vibration plate,

wherein the power unit comprises an inverter and a power source which is directly connected to one of the fixed plates of the activating vibration plate and connected via the inverter to the other one of the fixed plates of the activating vibration plate.

4. An electrostatic driving apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the power source of the power unit comprises an AC component and first and second DC components, wherein the AC component and first DC component are connected in series to one of the fixed plates of the activating vibration plate, and AC component is connected to the other one of the fixed plates of the activating vibration plate via the inverter and the second DC component is directly connected to the other one of the fixed plates of the activating vibration plate.

5. An electrostatic driving apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensing unit further comprises a differential amplifier having one input port connected to one pair of said fixed plates of said sensing plate, and the other input port connected to the other of said fixed plates of said sensing plate.

6. An electrostatic driving apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensing unit further comprises a differential amplifier having one input port connected to one pair of said fixed plates by shortening each other, and the other input port connected to the other of said fixed plates by shortening each other.

7. An electrostatic driving apparatus for a parallel plate type microactuator, comprising:

first and second activating vibration plates formed on a planar substrate, said first and second activating vibration plates being separated from each other;

a sensing plate formed on the substrate interposed the first and second activating vibration plates;

a parallel suspended vibration plate formed parallel to the substrate and separated from a surface of said substrate by a predetermined distance and over the first and second activating vibration plates and the sensing plate;

a sensing unit for sensing a displacement of the parallel suspended vibration plate by a change in the capacitance according to the distance between the parallel suspended vibration plate and the sensing plate; and

a power unit for applying an electrostatic force to the first and second activating vibration plates to activate the parallel suspended vibration plate,

wherein the power unit comprises an inverter and a power source which is directly connected to the first activating vibration plate and connected to the second activating vibration plate via the inverter.

8. An electrostatic driving apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the power source comprises AC and DC components connected in series.