Stichting Imec Nederland

Panasonic Corporation

Dennis Hohlfeld

Martijn Goedbloed

Yasuyuki Naito

Koray Karakaya

Geert Altena

Rob Van Schaijk

Christine De Nooijer

Disclosed is a highly reliable inductive vibration power generator wherein mechanical damping caused by the phenomenon of electrostatic pulling-in (stiction) and the like is suppressed even if the potential of an electret is increased and/or the gap between an electrode and the electret is reduced in order to increase the amount of power generation. The two surfaces of a movable substrate are respectively provided with first electrets and second electrets. By means of providing first electrodes and second electrodes to a lower substrate and an upper substrate and facing the respective electrets with a predetermined gap therebetween, electrostatic force is caused to arise on both sides of the movable substrate, and the pulling of the movable substrate in only one direction is prevented.

Micro-electromechanical generator and electric apparatus using same

Tunable vibration energy scavengers and methods of operating the same are disclosed. The disclosed energy scavengers comprise a beam with a main body, wherein the beam comprises at least one flap and means for changing a shape of the at least one flap, wherein the at least one flap is physically attached to the main body along a longitudinal side of the main body. The disclosed methods comprise tuning the shape of the at least one flap, thereby tuning the stiffness of the structure.

System and method for resonance frequency tuning of resonant devices

A microstructure has a substrate, a fixed electrode having a plurality of fixed fingers fixed to the substrate, a movable electrode having a body () and a plurality of fingers () extending from the body, the movable electrode being movable relative to the fixed fingers to vary a capacitance of the electrodes. The fixed fingers () extend in a first plane parallel to a main surface of the substrate, wherein the body of the movable electrode extends in a second plane adjacent to the first plane so that the body faces at least some of the plurality of fixed fingers. Such vertical integration can help enable such devices to be made more compact.

Microstructure with enlarged mass and electrode area for kinetic to electrical energy conversion

Growing community of inventors

Veldhoven, Netherlands

Dennis Hohlfeld