Silmach

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Université De Franche Comte

Gilles Bourbon

Patrice Minotti

Patrice Le Moal

Eric Joseph

Hiroyuki Fujita

Paul Vescovo

Cyrille Hibert

Takahisa Masuzawa

Philippe Langlet

Thierry Côte

Moal Patrice Le

The invention relates to a device including: a movable element () comprising teeth (, i,); a driving element () for engaging with the teeth () of the movable element () so as to set the movable element () in motion in a direction of movement; an actuator element () capable of generating an alternating movement so as to move the driving element () according to at least two phases, i.e. a driving phase, during which the driving element () is engaged with a tooth () of the movable element (), and a return phase without driving, during which the driving element () is shifted with respect to the movable element (); and a first indexing element (), which includes a first indexing finger () to be positioned between two teeth () of the movable element (), and which is connected to the actuator element () in order to move the driving element () and the first indexing finger () simultaneously.

Passive indexing of a movable element having teeth

An actuation device () which includes an actuation element () with a fixed 10 portion () and a driving portion (); wherein the fixed portion () includes a crawling surface (). The driving portion () includes a flexible moveable blade () positioned in parallel and at a distance from the crawling surface (). When a power supply voltage is applied between the moveable blade () and the crawling surface (), the free end () comes into contact with the crawling surface (), and a contact area, between the moveable blade () and the crawling surface (), increases by propagation of the crawling front () along the moveable blade (). The propagation of the crawling front displaces the moveable blade () according to a first orientation.

Actuation device with a drive element actuated by crawling

The invention concerns an element to be driven, a driving element designed to be urged into engagement with the element to be driven and an actuating element adapted to move the driving element so that it drives the element to be driven in step-by-step displacement, the driving element and the actuating element being formed by etching in a semiconductor material wafer. The invention is characterized in that it comprises elastic prestressing means for maintaining the driving element in contact with the element to be driven.

Method and device for moving an element to be driven using an actuating element formed by etching in a semiconductor material

A device comprising an element to be driven and a driving element designed to be urged into engagement with the element to be driven and an actuating element adapted to generate a reciprocating movement to move the driving element, the driving element and the actuating element being formed by etching in a semiconductor material block, are provided. During a first alternation (a) of the movement generated by the actuating element, the driving element is urged into engagement with the element to be driven to pull the element to be driven. During a second alternation (b) in the opposite direction generated by the actuating element, the driving element slides on the element to be driven, such that the element to be driven is displaced in a step-by-step movement by the driving element.

A drive device formed by etching a wafer. The drive device includes a drive element that can sequentially mesh with a driven element and an actuating element that can displace the drive element according to a hysteresis movement thereby driving the driven element. Placement of the drive element on an outer edge of the wafer enables an interfacing of the drive element with a driven element placed opposite therefrom. A clockwork mechanism including a drive device of the aforementioned type and an input gear that can be rotationally driven by the drive device is also provided.

Drive device, particularly for a clockwork mechanism

A MEMS device is provided which includes a driven element having a series of teeth. The MEMS device includes a driving element operable to engage the driven element when the driving element is in a meshed position with the series of teeth. A driving actuator of the MEMS device is operable to (i) move the driving element with a hysteresis-type motion from an initial position into the meshed position to engage the driven element, (ii) move the driving element causing the driven element to move while the driving element is in the meshed position, (iii) move the driving element away from the meshed position, and (iv) cause the driving element to return to the initial position while the driving element is not in the meshed position.

MEMS device comprising an actuator generating a hysteresis driving motion

An electrostatic microactuator, known as a &ldquo;Scratch Drive Actuator&rdquo; or SDA, is based on a collective set of distributed elementary SDAs of small size that are associated with one another and that integrates a large number so as to allow the addition of the forces generated by each of the SDAs in the collective set. An external mechanical prestress, formed by a homogeneous external pressure in the form of a bias voltage applied at rest to the associated SDAs, is applied to the SDAs to allow a superposition of the forces generated by the associated SDAs. This is done while communicating to an external load the entire driving force emanating from the collective behavior of the SDAs. The electrostatic attraction forces established by the bias voltage are used to calibrate an individualized prestress for each actuator involved in the collective set. Such an electrostatic microactuator forms part of an active three-dimensional microcatheter, as one possible application, that can be used in a blood vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Besancon, France

Gilles Bourbon