US 2020/0064804 A1 · SYSTEM, A METHOD AND A COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CONTROLLING A SET OF ACTUATOR ELEMENTS

Abstract

A system includes an apparatus and a processor. The apparatus includes a set of actuator elements that move between two positions. Each actuator element is comprised in: exactly one first subset out of a plurality of non-empty first subsets and exactly one second subset out of a plurality of non-empty second subsets. The processor is configured to generate one or more control commands for a group of subsets out of the first and the second pluralities of subsets in response to a number of moving elements which, if released from the first extreme position during a second sampling cycle, enables production by the apparatus during the second sampling cycle of a sound.

A method of reconstruction of a digital audio signal;

said digital audio signal being digitized representing a sequence of enumerated values v(m) in time domain, where m is sequential number, 0≤m≤M, where M is a big integer number of said sequence samples, wherein the value v(0) enumerated by zero sequential number is of zero value, namely v(0)=0;
said method for reconstruction of said digital audio signal is based on:
an Nr×Nc matrix of N actuator elements arranged in Nr rows and Nc columns, each of said N actuator elements is indicated by a pair of numbers (n,k), where:
N=Nr×Nc;
n is a row number belonging to interval from 1 to Nr;
k is a column number belonging to interval from 1 to Nc;
and
said actuator elements are embodied using MEMS technology specifically adapted to produce an audible sound such that said Nr'Nc matrix is capable of producing a resulting audio sound;
a specific drive scheme allowing for addressed controlling a manipulatable state of a selected said (n,k)-th actuator element only, thereby providing a degree of freedom to control said resulting audio sound by varying a number of said actuator elements subjected to said specific drive scheme;
and
a simplified algorithm for controlling said manipulatable state of said Nr×Nc matrix of said (n,k)-th actuator elements to reconstruct said digital audio signal;
wherein
said an Nr×Nc matrix of N actuator elements is further detailed as follows:
said (n,k)-th actuator element comprising three mutually aligned electroconductive plates, called:
a top electrode, a membrane, and a bottom electrode, correspondingly;
said top and bottom electrodes and said membrane are characterized by properties as follows:
said top electrode being stationary and capable to be subjected to controllable electric potential by means of a column-oriented conductive wire, called a k-th A-wire;
said bottom electrode being stationary and capable to be subjected to controllable electric potential by means of a column-oriented conductive wire, called a k-th B-wire;
said membrane being movable and capable to be subjected to controllable electric potential by means of a row-oriented conductive wire, called an n-th R-wire;
said movable membrane is further capable to reach at least one of three positions determining said manipulatable state of said (n,k)-th actuator element as follows:
an A-position, adjacent to said top electrode, due to an action of electrostatic forces when a certain voltage bias is applied between said membrane and said top electrode,
a B-position, adjacent to said bottom electrode, due to the action of electrostatic forces when said certain voltage bias is applied between said membrane and said bottom electrode, and
an intermediate-position, called I-position, between said top electrode and said bottom electrode, when a relatively low voltage bias is applied between said membrane and both of said top and bottom electrodes;
wherein:
a jump of said movable membrane from said B-position to said A-position is accompanied by a physical effect manifested as a positive pulse of sound determining a positive quantization portion, indicated by (+s), destined for said reconstruction of said digital audio signal;
and
a jump of said movable membrane from said A-position to said B-position is accompanied by a physical effect manifested as a negative pulse of sound determining a negative quantization portion, indicated by (−s), destined for said reconstruction of said digital audio signal;
wherein:
when:
said membrane is in said I-position,
said certain voltage bias between said membrane and said top electrode is lower than a certain voltage VLatch, and
a voltage bias between said membrane and said bottom electrode is lower than the certain voltage VLatch,
said membrane remains in said I-position;
when:
said membrane is in said I-position,
a certain voltage bias between said membrane and said top electrode is at least of a certain voltage VLatch, and
a voltage bias between said membrane and said bottom electrode is lower than a certain voltage VHold,
said membrane gets a conditional tendency to become latched in said A-position;
when:
said membrane is in said I-position,
a certain voltage bias between said membrane and said bottom electrode is at least of a certain voltage VLatch, and
a voltage bias between said membrane and said top electrode is lower than a certain voltage VHold,
said membrane gets a conditional tendency to become latched in said B-position;
when:
said membrane is in said A-position,
a certain voltage bias between said membrane and said top electrode is lower than a certain voltage VHold,
said membrane gets a conditional tendency to become released from said A-position and move to said I-position;
and
when:
said membrane is in said B-position,
a certain voltage bias between said membrane and said bottom electrode is lower than a certain voltage VHold,
said membrane gets a conditional tendency to become released from said B-position and move to said I-position;
said N actuator elements are enumerated sequentially and grouped as follows:
said N actuator elements are enumerated sequentially to form a continuous wraparound sequence from 0 to (N−1) in a column-oriented-boustrophedon trajectory, namely, a certain said (n,k)-th actuator element has a sequential number Nseq (n,k), calculated as:
{
N
seq

(
n
,
k
)
=
(
k
-
1
)
×
N
r
+
(
n
-
1
)
if


k


is


odd
N
seq

(
n
,
k
)
=
(
k
-
1
)
×
N
r
+
(
Nr
-
n
)
if


k


is


even
;
an aggregation of said (n,k)-th actuator elements, where n is a certain number and k is any integer between 1 and Nc, forms the n-th row subset and is denoted as the n-th R-subset of actuator elements, thereby, the n-th R-wire is common for all said movable membranes of the n-th R-subset of actuator elements;
an aggregation of said (n,k)-th actuator elements, where k is a certain number and n is any integer between 1 and Nr, forms the k-th column subset and is denoted as the k-th C-subset of actuator elements;
thereby:
the k-th A-wire is common for all the top electrodes of the k-th C-subset of actuator elements;
and
the k-th B-wire is common for all the bottom electrodes of the k-th C-subset of actuator elements;
said specific drive scheme applied to said selected (n,k)-th actuator element is embodied using:
a set of said n-th R-wires, 1≤n≤Nr;
a set of said k-th A-wires, 1≤k≤Nc;
a set of said k-th B-wires, 1≤k≤Nc;
and
a controller,
wherein:
said controller being capable of synchronous manipulating said electric potentials applied to said conductive wires in accordance with a clock to provide for the electric potentials of a certain restricted number Npot=4 of certain values:
VCol,Low, VCol,High, VRow,Low, and VRow,High, as follows:
a reference potential, indicated by VCol,Low, applied to said k-th column associated with at least one of said k-th A-wire and said k-th B-wire, normally, said reference potential is the zero-ground potential;
a column manipulation potential, indicated by VCol,High, applied to said k-th column associated with at least one of said k-th A-wire and said k-th B-wire, being higher than the reference potential on
at least the difference (VHold−VRelease);
and
at most the difference (VLatch−VHold);
a membrane potential for latching, indicated by VRow,High, defined as a potential higher than the reference potential on at least the certain voltage VLatch, and
a membrane manipulation potential, indicated by VRow,Low, defined as a potential higher than the reference potential on
at least the VHold;
and
at most the difference (VLatch−VHold+VRelease);
and
said restricted number Npot=4 of the electric potentials being applied to:
said set of said n-th R-wires, 1≤n≤Nr;
said set of said k-th A-wires, 1≤k≤Nc;
and
said set of said k-th B-wires, 1≤k≤Nc;
said specific drive scheme applied to said Nr×Nc matrix having said selected (n,k)-th actuator element is based on three tuples of said potentials indicated and specified as follows:
an R-tuple of Nr potentials comprising:
an item Pm(n), being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Row Selected” denoted by acronym “VRS”, being manipulated and applied to the n-th R-wire;
and
items Pm(i), where i belongs to interval from 1 to Nr and i≠n, being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Row Unselected” denoted by acronym “VRU”, being manipulated and applied to all the remained i-th unselected rows;
said R-tuple being restricted by two possible values of said potentials:
VRow,High and VRow,Low;
an A-tuple of Nc potentials comprising:
an item Pa(k) being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Column-A Selected” denoted by acronym “VCSA”, being manipulated and applied to the selected k-th column;
and
items Pa(j), where j belongs to interval from 1 to Nc and j≠k, being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Column-A Unselected” denoted by acronym “VCUA”, being manipulated and applied to all the remained j-th unselected columns;
said A-tuple being restricted by two possible values of said potentials:
VCol,High and VCol,Low;
and
a B-tuple of Nc potentials comprising:
an item Pb(k) being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Column-B Selected” denoted by acronym “VCSB”, being manipulated and applied to the selected k-th column;
and
items Pb(j), where j belongs to interval from 1 to Nc and j≠k, being defined as said electric potential, called “Voltage of Column-B Unselected” denoted by acronym “VCUB”, being manipulated and applied to all the remained j-th unselected columns;
said B-tuple being restricted by two possible values of said potentials:
VCol,High and VCol,Low;
wherein said simplified algorithm comprising major conditional steps using said drive scheme as follows:
(a) an initialization step-a, using said conditional tendencies, providing for:
said values v(m) are normalized such that the maximal absolute value of difference |v(m)−v(m−1)| is at most equal to min(Nh;N−Nh)×s;
said (n,k)-th actuator elements with any said index n and with said index k belonging to a range from 1 to Nh, where Nh is an integer number nearest to a half of Nc, to be latched in said A-position due to applied potentials as follows:
{
said


VCUA


are


P
a

(
j
)
=
V
Col
,
Low
=
V
Col
,
Latch
,
where


1
≤
j
≤
N
h
said


VRU


are


P
m

(
i
)
=
V
Row
,
High
,
where


1
≤
i
≤
N
r
said


VCUB


are


P
b

(
j
)
=
V
Col
,
High
=
V
Col
,
Release
,
where


1
≤
j
≤
N
h
;
thereby, providing a top latching condition as follows:
{

P
a

(
j
)
-
P
m

(
i
)

≥
V
Latch
,
where


1
≤
j
≤
N
h

P
b

(
j
)
-
P
m

(
i
)

<
V
Hold
,
where


1
≤
j
≤
N
h
;
and
said (n,k)-th actuator elements with any said index n and with said index k belonging to a range from Nh+n to Nc to be latched in said B-position due to applied potentials:
{
said


VCUA


are


P
a

(
j
)
=
V
Col
,
High
=
V
Col
,
Release
,
where


N
h
+
1
≤
j
≤
N
e
said


VRU


are


P
m

(
i
)
=
V
Row
,
High
,
where


1
≤
i
≤
N
r
said


VCUB


are


P
b

(
j
)
=
V
Col
,
Low
=
V
Col
,
Latch
,
where


N
h
+
1
≤
j
≤
N
c
;
thereby, providing a bottom latching condition as follows:
{
⌊
P
a

(
j
)
-
P
m

(
i
)
⌋
≥
V
Latch
,
where


1
≤
j
≤
N
h
⌊
P
b

(
j
)
-
P
m

(
i
)
⌋
<
V
Hold
,
where


N
h
+
1
≤
j
≤
N
c
;
thereby, a continuous wraparound sequence of enumerated actuator elements having said movable membrane in said A-position comprise:
a lower sequential number, A1=Nseq(n,k) calculated for k=1 and n=1, resulting in A1=0, and
a bigger sequential number, Apos=Nseq(n,k), calculated for k=Nh and n=1, resulting in Apos=NhNr−1,
(b) a step-b for definition of said quantities Na and Nb of actuator elements having said movable membrane in said A-position and in said B-position, correspondingly, to be selected, where said quantities Na and Nb are defined as ratios of the change in the neighbor enumerated values v(m) and v(m−1) to the quantization portions −s and +s, correspondingly, namely,
{
N
a
=
max

(
0
;
int

(
v

(
m
)
-
v

(
m
-
1
)
-
s
)
)
N
b
=
max

(
0
;
int

(
v

(
m
)
-
v

(
m
-
1
)
+
s
)
)
resulting in that at least one of said quantities Na and Nb is zero and the other of said quantities Na and Nb is at least zero and at most N/2;
(c) a step-c for an actuation a certain quantity Nact of said actuator elements;
wherein:
said certain quantity Nact is further specified as:
N
act
=
{
N
a
when


the


value


N
a


is


positive


and


N
b
=
0
N
b
when


the


value


N
a
=
0


and


N
b


is


positive
,
said Nact actuator elements are at least one of:
Na said actuator elements having sequential numbers from A1 to Aa, where Aa is a remainder after division of (A1+Na) by N, namely, Aa=mod(A1+Na, N);
said Na actuator elements being subjected to changing said manipulatable state from said A-position to said B-position, to provide for contribution of Na said negative quantization portions (−s) to said physical effect manifested as said audible sound for said reconstruction of said digital audio signal;
and
Nb said actuator elements having sequential numbers from B1 to Bb, where B1=mod(Apos+1, W) and Bb=mod(Apos+Nb, N);
said Nb actuator elements being subjected to changing said manipulatable state from said B-position to said A-position, to provide for contribution of Nb said positive quantization portions (+s) to said physical effect manifested as said audible sound for said reconstruction of said digital audio signal;
and
said Nact actuator elements are subjected to changing said manipulatable state to create said physical effect manifested as said audible sound having local value v(m);
(d) a step-d for a continuation of said simplified algorithm;
wherein,
said sequential number m is increased on 1;
and
while m≤M, return to said step-b.

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System, a method and a computer program product for controlling a set of actuator elements

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System, a method and a computer program product for controlling a set of actuator elements

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Abstract

Claims3