Method and apparatus for maintaining a liquid metal switch in a ready-to-switch condition
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorsArthur Fong, Marvin Glenn Wong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for maintaining a liquid metal switch in a state of readiness for switching. The liquid metal switch has a liquid metal volume contained in a cavity of a switch body. A signal path though the cavity is made or broken by energizing an actuator to move the liquid metal volume within the cavity in response to a switching signal. To maintain readiness, a signal generator supplies a vibratory signal to the actuator. The resulting vibrations in the liquid metal volume allow the liquid metal volume to be subsequently moved with reduced power.
Claims21
A method for operating a liquid metal switch, the method comprising:
- vibrating a liquid metal volume within the switch in response to vibratory signal supplied to an actuator acting on the liquid metal volume, whereby the switch is maintained in a state of readiness;
- and
- moving the liquid metal volume in response to a switching signal supplied to the actuator so as to make or break a signal path through the switch.
A liquid metal switch comprising:
- a switch body having a cavity therein;
- a liquid metal volume contained in the cavity;
- an actuator operable to make or break a signal path though the cavity by moving the liquid metal volume within the cavity in response to a switching signal;
- and
- a signal generator electrically coupled to the actuator and operable to supply a vibratory signal to the actuator, thereby maintaining the switch in a state of readiness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.