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US 8,551,599 B2Granted
Reconfigurable microactuator and method of configuring same
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsZhishan Hua, Erdogan Gulari, Mark A. Burns, Rohit Pal, Onnop Srivannavit
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microactuator may be configured by activating a source of electromagnetic radiation to heat and melt a selected set of phase-change plugs embedded in a substrate of the microactuator, pressurizing a common pressure chamber adjacent to each of the plugs to deform the melted plugs, and deactivating the source of electromagnetic radiation to cool and solidify the melted plugs.
Claims9
A reconfigurable microactuator system comprising:
- a substrate having opposing outer surfaces and including a plurality of thru chambers formed therein;
- a plurality of plugs each disposed within one of the thru chambers, having opposing end surfaces, and configured to melt if heated;
- a flexible layer attached with the substrate and covering one of the end surfaces of each of the plugs and one of the opposing outer surfaces;
- and
- a cap, the flexible layer and cap arranged to form a common pressure chamber such that each of the plugs deforms, when melted, if subjected to pressure via the common pressure chamber.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.