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US 12,716,449 B2Granted
Out of plane inter-stage connection in flexure mechanisms
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsSiddharth Rath, Shorya Awtar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multitude of flexure mechanism designs are set forth herein that furnish enhanced stiffness properties. The flexure mechanism designs can have various stages including ground stages, motion stages, flexure stages, and reinforcement stages, among other possible stages depending on the construction of the flexure mechanism designs. It has been determined that stages constituting twin stages can be connected via one or more inter-stage connections.
Claims9
A flexure mechanism assembly, comprising:
- a first ground body plate;
- a first motion body plate disposed within a central aperture of said first ground body plate, said first motion body plate being coplanar with or parallel to said ground body plate and having a first degree of freedom with respect to said first ground body plate in a first direction, and having a second degree of freedom with respect to said first ground body plate in a second direction;
- a plurality of first intermediate bodies arranged between said first motion body plate and said first ground body plate;
- a plurality of first flexure module assemblies each comprising a plurality of first flexure blades arranged between said first ground body plate and said first motion body plate in a first plane;
- a pair of first flexure blades from a corresponding one of said plurality of first flexure module assemblies extending between said first ground body plate and each first intermediate body, and another pair of first flexure blades from said corresponding first flexure module assembly extending between said first motion body plate and said first intermediate body;
- a second ground body plate spaced from said first ground body plate in a third direction;
- a second motion body plate disposed within a central aperture of said second ground body plate, said second motion body plate being coplanar with or parallel to said second ground body plate and having a first degree of freedom with respect to said second ground body plate in the first direction, and having a second degree of freedom with respect to said second ground body plate in the second direction;
- a plurality of second intermediate bodies arranged between said second motion body plate and said second ground body plate;
- a plurality of second flexure module assemblies each comprising a plurality of second flexure blades arranged between said second ground body plate and said second motion body plate in a second plane, said plurality of second flexure module assemblies being spaced from said plurality of first flexure module assemblies in the third direction;
- a pair of second flexure blades from a corresponding one of said plurality of second flexure module assemblies extending between said second ground body plate and each second intermediate body, and another pair of second flexure blades from said corresponding second flexure module assembly extending between said second motion body plate and said second intermediate body;
- a first rigid inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between said first ground body plate and said second ground body plate, said first rigid inter-stage connection member providing six degrees of constraint between said first ground body plate and said second ground body plate;
- a second rigid inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between said first motion body plate and said second motion body plate, said second rigid inter-stage connection member providing six degrees of constraint between said first motion body plate and said second motion body plate;
- and
- at least one third inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between at least one said first intermediate body and at least one said second intermediate body, said at least one third inter-stage connection member providing at least three degrees of constraint between said at least one first intermediate body and said at least one second intermediate body, wherein said at least one third inter-stage connection has a distance in the third direction that is at least approximately twenty percent of a length of at least one flexure blade of said plurality of first flexure module assemblies or of said plurality of second flexure module assemblies.
11 more elements
A flexure mechanism assembly, comprising:
- a pair of opposing ground body plates;
- a pair of opposing motion body plates each disposed within a central aperture of a corresponding one of said ground body plates, each said motion body plate being coplanar with or parallel to said corresponding ground body plate and having a first degree of freedom with respect to said ground body plate in a first direction, and having a second degree of freedom with respect to said ground body plate in a second direction;
- a plurality of first intermediate bodies arranged between a first of said motion body plates and a corresponding first of said ground body plates;
- a plurality of first double parallelogram flexure modules arranged between said first ground body plate and each first intermediate body and between said first intermediate body and said first motion body plate, said plurality of first double parallelogram flexure modules each comprising a first secondary body having pairs of first flexure blades with a plurality of first reinforcement bodies extending therefrom a plurality of first flexure blades extending between said first ground body plate and each first intermediate body and between said first intermediate body and said first motion body plate;
- a plurality of second intermediate bodies arranged between a second of said motion body plates and a corresponding second of said ground body plates;
- a plurality of second double parallelogram flexure modules arranged between said second ground body plate and each second intermediate body and between said second intermediate body and said second motion body plate, said plurality of second double parallelogram flexure modules being spaced from said plurality of first double parallelogram flexure modules in a third direction, said plurality of second double parallelogram flexure modules each comprising a second secondary body having pairs of second flexure blades with a plurality of second reinforcement bodies extending therefrom, a plurality of second flexure blades extending between said second ground body plate and each second intermediate body and between said second intermediate body and said second motion body plate;
- at least one first inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between at least one of said plurality of first reinforcement bodies and at least one of said plurality of second reinforcement bodies, said at least one first inter-stage connection member providing at least three degrees of constraint between said at least one of said plurality of first reinforcement bodies and said at least one of said plurality of second reinforcement bodies;
- at least one second inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between at least one of said plurality of first secondary bodies and at least one of said plurality of second secondary bodies, said at least one second inter-stage connection member providing at least three degrees of constraint between said at least one of said plurality of first secondary bodies and said at least one of said plurality of second secondary bodies;
- and
- at least one third inter-stage connection member extending in the third direction between at least one said first intermediate body and at least one said second intermediate body, said at least one third inter-stage connection member providing at least three degrees of constraint between said at least one first intermediate body and said at least one second intermediate body.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.