Micromachined electrothermal rotary actuator
First Claim
Patent Images
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, each arm being comprised of a plurality of different horizontally stacked materials laterally offset in the same plane positioned to enable each arm to bend in-plane when heated; and
conductors for heating said arms.
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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.
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Citations
26 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, each arm being comprised of a plurality of different horizontally stacked materials laterally offset in the same plane positioned to enable each arm 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; wherein said actuator comprises a plurality of arms each connected at one end to a central portion and at another end to an outer portion so as to span an in-plane gap, each arm being comprised of a plurality of different horizontally stacked materials laterally offset in the same plane positioned to enable said arms to bend in-plane when heated; 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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25. 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, each arm being comprised of a plurality of different horizontally stacked materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion positioned to enable each arm to bend in-plane when heated; and conductors for heating said arms.
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26. 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; wherein said actuator comprises a plurality of arms each connected at one end to a central portion and at another end to an outer portion so as to span an in-plane gap, each arm being comprised of a plurality of different horizontally stacked materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion positioned to enable each arm to bend in-plane when heated; a slider connected to said moving portion; and a transducer head carried by said slider.
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Specification