Tilting actuator with close-gap electrodes
First Claim
1. An electromechanical tilting device comprisinga first electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes,a second electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes,wherein the electrodes of the first electrode structure are at least partially interdigitated with the electrodes of the second electrode structure to form overlapping regions defining gaps between the electrodes of the first electrode structure and the electrodes of the second electrode structure within the overlapping regions, anda suspension associated with the second electrode structure configured to define a tilt-containing motion path for rotating the second electrode structure with respect to the first electrode structure about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the electrodes of the first electrode structure and to the electrode the second electrode structure,wherein the rotation axis is positioned so that the rotating changes angles and distances between the electrodes of the first structure within the overlaps and the electrodes of the second structure within the overlaps, andwherein the tilt-containing motion path changes dimensions of the overlapping regions and of the gaps between the interdigitated electrodes.
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Abstract
An electromechanical tilting device including a first and a second electrode structures, shaped, positioned and oriented to define at least partially interdigitated electrodes, and a suspension defining a tilt-containing motion path for the second structure with respect to the first structure. The motion path is selected to cause changes in overlapping regions and overlapping regions'"'"' gaps of the interdigitated electrodes. The device is configured such that an increase in one or more voltage bias applied to interdigitated driving electrodes makes a decrease in a total area of overlapping regions of the driving electrodes electrically energetically favorable.
33 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An electromechanical tilting device comprising
a first electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes, a second electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes, wherein the electrodes of the first electrode structure are at least partially interdigitated with the electrodes of the second electrode structure to form overlapping regions defining gaps between the electrodes of the first electrode structure and the electrodes of the second electrode structure within the overlapping regions, and a suspension associated with the second electrode structure configured to define a tilt-containing motion path for rotating the second electrode structure with respect to the first electrode structure about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the electrodes of the first electrode structure and to the electrode the second electrode structure, wherein the rotation axis is positioned so that the rotating changes angles and distances between the electrodes of the first structure within the overlaps and the electrodes of the second structure within the overlaps, and wherein the tilt-containing motion path changes dimensions of the overlapping regions and of the gaps between the interdigitated electrodes.
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22. An electromechanical tilting device comprising
a first and a second electrode structures and a suspension for rotating the second structure with respect to the first structure about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the electrodes of the first electrode structure and of the second electrode structure, wherein the rotation axis is positioned so that the rotating changes angles and distances between the electrodes of the first structure and the second structure within overlaps between the first structure and the second structure, at least one of the structures comprising two electrically isolated electrodes, the device being configured to have in at least a portion of said rotation an electrically energetically favorable direction of motion being dependent on selection of whichever one of said two electrically isolated electrodes is biased.
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23. A tunable tilting device comprising
a holding element (152), a tilting element (154) and a suspension structure (156A and 156B) coupling the holding element and the tilting element and defining a tilt-containing motion path for the tilting element with respect to the holding element, the tilting element being substantially responsive to an actuating field of a type acting to cause a motion of the element along said motion path, the suspension structure being configured to bend with a certain bending stiffness to provide the tilting element said motion path, said suspension structure being substantially responsive to a tuning force acting to change an extension or compressive stress or the structure and thereby to change the bending stiffness of the suspension structure, wherein the force is delivered by: -
a first electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes coupled to the holding element (152), and a second electrode structure comprising substantially mutually parallel electrodes coupled to the tilting element (154), wherein the electrodes of the first structure are at least partially interdigitated with the electrodes of the second structure to form overlaps, wherein the suspension structure is associated with the second electrode structure for tilting the second electrode structure with respect to the first electrode structure about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the electrodes of the first electrode structure and to the electrodes of the second electrode structure, and wherein the rotation axis is positioned so that the rotating changes angles and distances between the electrodes of the first structure within the overlaps and the electrodes of the second structure within the overlaps. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification