System and method for microstructure positioning using metal yielding
AssigneeZyvex Corporation
InventorsNiladri Sarkar, Aaron Geisberger
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Abstract
A system and method of adjusting the power off positioning of a microactuator is disclosed. The microactuator has a first power off position and comprises a bimorph component. The bimorph comprises at least two materials, wherein the materials have different thermal expansion characteristics. When heated, the bimorph component of the microactuator bends due to asymmetric thermal expansion of the materials. If one of said materials is forced beyond a yield point, then when cooled, the actuator assumes a second power off position. The microactuator maintains the second power off position due to stress in the bimorph, which is induced by forcing the material beyond its yield point.
Claims49
A method of adjusting the power off positioning of a microactuator having a first power off position, comprising:
- providing a bimorph component of said microactuator, the bimorph comprising at least two materials, wherein the materials have different thermal expansion characteristics;
- heating the bimorph component of the microactuator until one of said materials is forced beyond a yield point;
- and
- allowing said bimorph component to cool and to assume a second power off position, wherein said microactuator maintains said second power off position due to stress in said bimorph, the stress induced by forcing said material beyond said yield point.
A microactuator device comprising:
- an actuator arm having at least two materials bonded together to form a bimorph, the materials having different thermal expansion coefficients, the actuator arm having a first end and a second end, the first end attached to a fixed structure and the second end adapted to receive a microcomponent,
- wherein one of the at least two materials comprises a residual stress, the residual stress induced by heating the one of the at least two materials until forced beyond a yield point.
A rotary actuator comprising:
- a plurality of cascaded coupled beams, each of said beam having a first arm and a second arm, said plurality of cascaded beams disposed in at least one substantially planar folded serpentine array structure such that a first arm of a first adjacent beam is rigidly joined to a second arm of a second adjacent beam in said serpentine array structure;
- wherein said first arm of each beam is operable when activated to deflect in a first direction out of a plane of said substantially planar folded serpentine array structure;
- wherein said second arm is operable when activated to remain undeflected;
- an initial beam and a final beam in said serpentine array structure each having a terminal end not joined together with an adjacent beam;
- said folded serpentine array structure operable when activated to rotate said final terminal end relative to said initial terminal end through an angle of rotation substantially proportional to the sum of the deflections of all of said cascaded coupled beams in said folded serpentine array structure;
- and
- wherein said first arm of at least one of said beams is a bimorph having an initial configuration that is modified to a second configuration when heated beyond a yield point.
A method of rotary actuation of an actuator comprising the steps of:
- coupling a plurality of beams together in at least one substantially planar folded serpentine array structure such that adjacent beams in said serpentine array structure are substantially parallel in length to one another, each beam comprising a first arm and a second arm, wherein said beams are rigidly joined together such that the first arm of a first adjacent beam is rigidly joined to a second arm of a second adjacent beam in said serpentine array structure, wherein said first arm of at least one of said beams is a bimorph having an initial configuration that is modified to a second configuration when heated beyond a yield point, and
- activating said beams such that said first beams deflect in a first direction in a plane substantially perpendicular with said substantially planar folded serpentine array structure and substantially parallel with said lengths of said beams and such that said second beams remain undeflected, such that a final terminal end is rotated relative to an initial terminal end through an angle of rotation substantially proportional to the sum of the deflections of all of said first beams in said folded serpentine array structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.