# US 11,999,613 B2 · Electromechanical microsystem > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,613 B2 - Document ID: US11999613B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/828,091 - Filed: 2022-05-31 - Published: 2022-12-01 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-31 - Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Applicants: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Inventors: Laurent Mollard; Stéphane Nicolas; Damien Saint-Patrice - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999613B2 ## CPC - B81B 3/0027: {Structures for transforming mechanical energy, e.g. potential energy of a spring into translation, sound into translation} - B81C 1/00158: {Diaphragms, membranes (manufacture process for semi-permeable inorganic membranes B01D67/0039)} - B81B 3/0021: {Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa (dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00)} - B81B 2201/0264: Pressure sensors - B81B 2203/0127: Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function - B81B 2203/0181: See-saws - H04R 2201/003: Mems transducers or their use - B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00) - B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01) - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract An electromechanical microsystem including an electromechanical transducer, a deformable diaphragm and a cavity hermetically containing a deformable medium keeping a constant volume under the action of an external pressure change. The deformable diaphragm forms a wall of the cavity and has at least one free area so as to be elastically deformed. The electromechanical transducer is configured so that its movement depends on the change in the external pressure, and vice versa. The free area cooperates with an external member so that its deformation induces, or is induced by, a movement of the external member. Thus, the electromechanical microsystem is adapted to displace the external member or to detect a movement of this member, the electromechanical microsystem includes at least one pin, configured to bear on a peripheral portion of the free area so that a deformation of the free rea causes an inclination of the pin. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electromechanical microsystem comprising: at least one electromechanical transducer comprising a portion movable between a balance position, off-load, and an out-of-balance position, under load, at least one deformable diaphragm, a first deformable cavity, delimited by walls, at least one portion of the deformable diaphragm forming at least one portion of a first wall selected amongst said walls of the cavity, the cavity being configured to hermetically contain a deformable medium capable of keeping a substantially constant volume under the action of a change of an external pressure exerted on the deformable medium through one of the walls of the cavity, wherein the movable portion of the electromechanical transducer is configured so that its movement depends on said change in the external pressure, or conversely its movement induces a change in the external pressure, and wherein said at least one portion of the deformable diaphragm has at least one free area freely deformable, elastically, as a function of said change in the external pressure, the free area having an outer perimeter and a peripheral portion which extends from the outer perimeter and up to a central portion of the free area, the electromechanical microsystem comprising at least one pin, configured to bear on the peripheral portion of the free area so that a deformation of the free area of the diaphragm causes an inclination of the pin. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein in the absence of deformation, the free area of the diaphragm extends primarily in an off-deformation plane, and the perpendicular to the tangent at a given point of the free area extends according to a direction T1 perpendicular to the off-deformation plane, and when the diaphragm is deformed, the perpendicular to the tangent at a given point of the peripheral portion of the free area extends according to a direction Ti inclined by an angle αi with respect to the direction T1, the angle αi increasing progressively when getting away from the central portion and approaching the outer perimeter of the free area. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 2, wherein the pin extends primarily according to a longitudinal direction and wherein when the diaphragm is not deformed, the longitudinal direction of the pin is substantially perpendicular to a plane wherein an outer face of the diaphragm primarily extends when the diaphragm is not deformed, the electromechanical microsystem being configured so that a deformation of the free area of the diaphragm causes an inclination of the first end in the direction of the central portion of the free area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the central portion comprises a centre which corresponds to the barycentre of the free area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 4, wherein the free area forms a disk, an ellipse or a polygon. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the free area is delimited by an outer perimeter, the pin being located at a minimum distance D122 from the outer perimeter such that D122 is smaller than k times a distance D124, D122 being measured between the pin and the point of the outer perimeter the closest to the pin, and the distance D124 being measured between this same point and the centre of the free area, k being less than 0.7. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of pins, each bearing on the peripheral portion of the free area so that a deformation of the free area of the diaphragm causes an inclination of the pins. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 7, wherein the pins have a free end, opposite to the end by which they bear on the peripheral portion of the free area, the pins being shaped so that a deformation of the free area of the diaphragm selectively causes an approach or a separation of the free ends of the pins. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the pins are shaped so that a deformation of the free area of the diaphragm selectively causes a contact or a separation of the free ends of the pins. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the pins are distributed over the peripheral portion so that the approach of their free ends allows forming a cage above the free area. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the pin(s) is/are configured so as to cooperate with an object forming an external member so that the movement of the movable portion of the electromechanical transducer depends on a displacement of the pin(s) driven by the external member or conversely so that the movement of the movable portion of the electromechanical transducer induces a displacement, in particular an inclination, of the external member through the pin(s). ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 11, wherein the pin(s) is/are configured so as to be able to be secured to the external member by gluing or magnetically. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 11, further comprising at least one lateral stop, supported by said first wall of the cavity, configured to guide the movement of the external member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the pin(s) is/are fastened on said free area, preferably by direct contact with said free area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of electromechanical transducers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 15, wherein at least some of the electromechanical transducers of said plurality are configured so that, under load, their movable portions induce deformations of the free area of the diaphragm causing an inclination of the at least one pin in the same direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the electromechanical transducers of said plurality are configured so that, under load, their movable portions induce deformations of the free area of the diaphragm causing an inclination of the at least one pin in two opposite directions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, comprising several free areas, separated from each other by a non-zero distance. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, wherein the deformable diaphragm is configured so that its free area could be deformed with an amplitude of at least 50 μm, and possibly about 100 μm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 19, wherein the electromechanical transducers completely surrounds the free area of the deformable diaphragm, the electromechanical transducers having an annular shape whose circular centre defines the extent of the free area of the deformable diaphragm. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, further comprising a bottom stop supported by the wall of the cavity opposite to the free area of the deformable diaphragm, the bottom stop extending in the cavity towards the free area and having a shape and dimensions configured so as to limit the deformation of the free area of the deformable diaphragm or limit a contact surface between the diaphragm and the wall of the cavity opposite to the free area of the deformable diaphragm. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) An opto-electro-mechanical system comprising at least one electromechanical microsystem according to claim 1, and at least one optical microsystem, the optical microsystem comprising at least one mirror based on silicon, the opto-electro-mechanical system being configured so that the movement of the movable portion of the electromechanical transducer causes a displacement of the at least one mirror.