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US 7,924,018 B2Granted
MEMS electrometer that measures amount of repulsion of adjacent beams from each other for static field detection
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorRoger J. Peirce
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting a static field includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device having two cantilevered beams of conductive material that are adjacent and substantially parallel to each other. The two beams repel each other in the presence of a static field. At least one sensor detects a respective amount of displacement of the two cantilevered beams from a rest position and determines an amount of repulsion of the two cantilevered beams from each other.
Claims14
An apparatus for detecting a static field comprising:
- (a) a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device having two cantilevered beams of conductive material that are adjacent and substantially parallel to each other, wherein the two beams repel each other in the presence of a static field;
- and
- (b) at least one sensor that detects a respective amount of displacement of the two cantilevered beams from a rest position and determines an amount of repulsion of the two cantilevered beams from each other.
An apparatus for detecting a static field comprising:
- a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device having two frangible cantilevered beams of conductive material that are adjacent and substantially parallel to each other, wherein the two frangible cantilevered beams repel each other in the presence of a static field, and at least one of the two frangible cantilevered beams fractures upon a repulsion of the two beams from each other by at least a predetermined distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.