MEMS actuator device deployment

An actuator device, comprising:

• a substantially planar structure having
• a stage resiliently supported for movement within a plane of the structure,
• an actuator coupled to an outer periphery of the stage and operable to apply a force acting in the plane and tangentially to the stage when actuated, the actuator including a fixed frame and a moving frame resiliently supported for reciprocal movement relative to the fixed frame by a motion control flexure, and
• an outer frame surrounding and supporting the stage and the actuator, wherein
• either the moving frame or the fixed frame is a deployed frame that is disposed at a deployed position that is coplanar with, parallel to and spaced apart from the other of the moving frame or the fixed frame at a selected distance, and
• the frame is fixed at the deployed position for substantially rectilinear movement toward and away from the other frame.

A method for making an actuator device, the method comprising:

• forming a substantially planar structure having
• a stage resiliently supported for both in-plane and out-of-plane movement relative to a plane of the device,
• an actuator coupled to an outer periphery of the stage, the actuator comprising
• an out-of-plane portion operable to apply a force acting perpendicular to the plane of the device and the stage when actuated, the out-of-plane portion including an out-of-plane fixed frame and an out-of-plane moving frame coupled to the stage and resiliently supported for rotational movement relative to the out-of-plane fixed frame,
• an in-plane portion operable to apply a force acting in the plane of the device and tangentially to the stage when actuated, the in-plane portion including an in-plane fixed frame and an in-plane moving frame coupled to the out-of-plane fixed frame and resiliently supported for translational movement relative to the in-plane fixed frame, and
• an outer frame surrounding and supporting the stage and the actuator;
• rotating either the out-of-plane fixed frame or the out-of-plane moving frame to a deployed position disposed at a selected angular position relative to the other out-of-plane frame;
• translating either the in-plane moving frame or the in-plane fixed frame to a deployed position that is coplanar with and spaced a selected distance apart from the other in-plane frame;
• and
• fixing the deployed out-of-plane frame and the deployed in-plane frame at their respective deployed positions.

An actuator device, comprising:

• a substantially planar structure having
• a stage resiliently supported for both in-plane and out-of-plane movement relative to a plane of the device;
• and
• an actuator coupled to an outer periphery of the stage, the actuator comprising
• an out-of-plane portion operable to apply a force acting perpendicular to the plane of the device and the stage when actuated, the out-of-plane portion including an out-of-plane fixed frame and an out-of-plane moving frame coupled to the stage and resiliently supported for rotational movement relative to the out-of-plane fixed frame,
• an in-plane portion operable to apply a force acting in the plane of the device and tangentially to the stage when actuated, the in-plane portion including an in-plane fixed frame and an in-plane moving frame coupled to the out-of-plane fixed frame and resiliently supported for translational movement relative to the in-plane fixed frame, and
• an outer frame surrounding and supporting the stage and the actuator, wherein
• either the out-of-plane fixed frame or the out-of-plane moving frame is rotated to a deployed position disposed at a selected angular position relative to the other out-of-plane frame,
• either the in-plane moving frame or the in-plane fixed frame is translated to a deployed position that is coplanar with and spaced a selected distance apart from the other in-plane frame, and
• the deployed out-of-plane frame and the deployed in-plane frame are fixed at their respective deployed positions.