Articulated scan elements with elastomeric hinges, and methods for manufacture of same

Abstract

A flexible scan element for scanning a light beam, and methods for making and actuating the scan element. The scan element includes a first leaf that is rigidly affixed to a substrate, a second leaf having a mirror affixed thereto, and a flexible hinge that couples the first leaf to the second leaf. The second leaf is moveable and pivots about an axis of the flexible hinge. The first leaf is coupled to the second leaf solely by the flexible hinge, and the flexible hinge is formed solely from an elastomer material. The first and second leaves are preferably formed from flat rigid metal, and optionally include bonding flanges that couple the leaves to the elastomeric hinge forming material. The mirror is affixed on one side of the second leaf and a magnet is optionally affixed on the opposite side of the second leaf. The scan element optionally includes tabs for mounting the device to a flat substrate or circuit board, and, in one embodiment has a resonant frequency in the range of 20 Hz-100 Hz.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.