Drive element and method for operating a drive element
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorAxel Franke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive element is provided having a substrate, a seismic mass, a drive electrode and a counter-electrode, one of the two electrodes being connected to the substrate and the other of the two electrodes being connected to the seismic mass; and the drive electrode and the counter-electrodes being provided for the excitation of motion of the seismic mass in a main direction of motion; and in addition, the drive electrode includes a first and a second partial electrode, which are switchable separately from each other.
Claims12
A drive element comprising:
- a substrate;
- a seismic mass;
- a drive electrode including a first partial electrode and a second partial electrode which are switchable separately from each other to generate different drive forces and which are connected in a stepwise manner using a binary signal with each of the different drive forces represented within a scope of a smallest quantization unit of the binary signal;
- and
- a counter-electrode,
- wherein one of the drive electrode and the counter-electrode is connected to the substrate and the other of the drive electrode and the counter-electrode is connected to the seismic mass, and
- wherein the drive electrode and the counter-electrode are provided for an excitation of motion of the seismic mass in a main direction of motion.
A method for operating a drive element having a drive electrode and a counter-electrode, one of the drive electrode and the counter-electrode being connected to a substrate and the other of the drive electrode and the counter-electrode being connected to a seismic mass, the method comprising:
- in a first method step, for exciting a motion of the seismic mass in a main direction of motion, connecting a first partial electrode of the drive electrode;
- in a second method step, for exciting the motion of the seismic mass in the main direction of motion, connecting a second partial electrode of the drive electrode;
- and
- switchable connecting the first and the second partial electrodes using a binary signal to generate different drive forces, each drive force represented within a scope of a smallest quantization unit of the binary signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.