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US 6,603,386 B2Granted
Bi-stable microswitch including shape memory alloy latch
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsDinesh Kumar Sood, Ronald Barry Zmood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bi-stable microswitch (1) including a pair of contacts (6, 7) and an armature (4) movable between a first position and a second position to selectively make or break the pair of contacts, the armature being latched in the second position by a shape memory alloy latch (14), wherein the shape memory alloy latch is caused to deform upon heating so as to permit the armature to return to the first position.
Claims16
A bi-stable micro switch including:
- a pair of contacts;
- and
- an armature movable between a first position and a second position to selectively make or break the pair of contacts, the armature being latched in the second position by a shape memory alloy latch heated by a heating means proximate to the armature, wherein the shape memory alloy latch is caused to deform upon heating, so as to permit the armature to return to the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.