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US 12,600,619 B2Granted
Early-impact out-of-plane motion limiter for MEMS device
AssigneeMurata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorMikko Partanen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microelectromechanical device having a mobile rotor and a fixed stator in a device plane, and a motion limiter that prevents the mobile rotor from contacting a fixed wall in a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the device plane. Moreover, the motion limiter extends between the rotor and the stator and includes a stopper lever that is configured to rotate out of the device plane.
Claims19
A microelectromechanical device comprising:
- a mobile rotor that lies in a horizontal device plane in a rest position;
- a fixed stator that lies in the horizontal device plane adjacent to the mobile rotor;
- a fixed wall that defines a wall plane adjacent to the horizontal device plane and that is separated from the mobile rotor in a vertical direction by a rotor-wall gap, with the vertical direction being perpendicular to the horizontal device plane;
- a motion limiter comprising a stopper element;
- a counter-structure that is adjacent to the horizontal device plane and that is separated from the horizontal device plane in the vertical direction, with the counter-structure being separated from the stopper element by a vertical stopper gap when the mobile rotor is in the horizontal device plane,
- wherein, when the mobile rotor undergoes motion in the vertical direction toward the fixed wall, the stopper element contacts the counter-structure across the stopper gap before the mobile rotor contacts the fixed wall across the rotor-wall gap,
- wherein the mobile rotor is one of a first device part and a second device part and the fixed stator is the other of the first device part and the second device part,
- wherein an edge of the first device part is separated from an edge of the second device part in the horizontal device plane by a rotor-stator gap that extends in a transversal direction, and the motion limiter extends from the first device part to the second device part across the rotor-stator gap and comprises a torsionally flexible first attachment section that extends from the edge of the first device part in the transversal direction toward the second device part, and a stopper lever is attached to the attachment section,
- wherein a first side of the stopper lever extends in a first side direction from the attachment section, and a second side of the stopper lever extends in a second side direction from the attachment section, with the second side direction being opposite to the first side direction, and
- wherein the stopper lever comprises the stopper element on the second side, and the motion limiter further comprises a torsionally flexible connecting section that extends from the edge of the second device part to the first side of the stopper lever.
7 more elements
A microelectromechanical device comprising:
- a mobile rotor disposed in a horizontal device plane in a resting position;
- a fixed stator disposed in the horizontal device plane and adjacent to the mobile rotor;
- a fixed wall that defines a wall plane adjacent to the horizontal device plane and that is separated from the mobile rotor by a rotor-wall gap in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal device plane;
- a motion limiter comprising a stopper element;
- a counter-structure that is separated from the horizontal device plane in the vertical direction and from the stopper element by a vertical stopper gap,
- wherein, when the mobile rotor undergoes motion in the vertical direction toward the fixed wall, the stopper element contacts the counter-structure across the stopper gap before the mobile rotor contacts the fixed wall across the rotor-wall gap,
- wherein an edge of the mobile rotor is separated from an edge of the fixed stator in the horizontal device plane by a rotor-stator gap that extends in a transversal direction, and the motion limiter comprises a torsionally flexible first attachment section having a stopper lever attached thereto and that extends from the edge of the mobile rotor in the transversal direction toward the fixed stator,
- wherein a first side of the stopper lever extends in a first side direction from the first attachment section, and a second side of the stopper lever extends in a second side direction from the first attachment section, with the second side direction being opposite to the first side direction, and
- wherein the stopper lever comprises the stopper element on the second side, and the motion limiter further comprises a torsionally flexible connecting section that extends from the edge of the fixed stator to the first side of the stopper lever.
6 more elements
A microelectromechanical device comprising:
- a mobile rotor disposed in a horizontal device plane in a resting position;
- a fixed stator disposed in the horizontal device plane and adjacent to the mobile rotor;
- a fixed wall that defines a wall plane adjacent to the horizontal device plane and that is separated from the mobile rotor by a rotor-wall gap in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal device plane;
- a motion limiter comprising a stopper element;
- a counter-structure that is separated from the horizontal device plane in the vertical direction and from the stopper element by a vertical stopper gap,
- wherein, when the mobile rotor undergoes motion in the vertical direction toward the fixed wall, the stopper element contacts the counter-structure across the stopper gap before the mobile rotor contacts the fixed wall across the rotor-wall gap,
- wherein an edge of the fixed stator is separated from an edge of the mobile rotor in the horizontal device plane by a rotor-stator gap that extends in a transversal direction, and the motion limiter comprises a torsionally flexible first attachment section having a stopper lever attached thereto and that extends from the edge of the fixed stator in the transversal direction toward the mobile rotor,
- wherein a first side of the stopper lever extends in a first side direction from the first attachment section, and a second side of the stopper lever extends in a second side direction from the first attachment section, with the second side direction being opposite to the first side direction, and
- wherein the stopper lever comprises the stopper element on the second side, and the motion limiter further comprises a torsionally flexible connecting section that extends from the edge of the mobile rotor to the first side of the stopper lever.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.