Denso Corporation

Hideaki Nishikawa

Koichi Oyama

Yusuke Kawai

Kenichi Sakai

Takeshi Matsui

Tetsuo Yoshioka

Makoto Inomata

Nobuaki Kawahara

Kunihiro Onoda

A reflector has a reflective surface on first and second directions. Each of torsion beams extends to each opposite side of the reflective surface in the first direction. Each of coupling portions is to each opposite side of the reflector in the first direction and includes a central portion with U-shape having two projection portions and a bottom portion joined to the torsion beam. The projection portions include first concave portions opposing across the torsion beam by being penetrated in thickness direction. Each first concave portion extends in the second direction from an opening to a side surface facing the torsion beam towards an opposite side surface up to a bottom. A distance between the bottoms of the first concave portions across the torsion beam is greater than a distance between the side surfaces each facing the torsion beam of the projection portions.

Optical scanning apparatus having pivoting reflector and piezoelectric element

An optical scanner includes a substrate having a rigid body and a beam, and a layered body having multiple layers, including a lower conductive layer, a interlayer insulation film and an upper conductive layer, the layered body layered on and protruding outward from the rigid body and the beam. The layered body is patterned to form a resonance scanner portion and a vari-focal mirror, the resonance scanner portion (i) made as a part of the layered body and (ii) having an actuator part, and the vari-focal mirror made as a part of the layered body. The layered body including the resonance scanner portion and the vari-focal mirror is patterned to form a mirror driving wire. In such structure, the size of the optical scanner is reduced, and a frequency change of the resonance scanner portion due to the voltage application to the mirror driving wire is suppressed.

Optical scanner having a variable focus mirror

An electrostatic actuator for increasing a swing (deflection angle) of a movable structure includes a laminate substrate in which a thin film silicon layer is formed on a silicon substrate through a buried insulating film and a torsion beam movable structure constructed with the thin film silicon layer. A potential difference is generated between a movable side comb-tooth electrode of the movable structure and a fixed side comb-tooth electrode disposed to face the movable side comb-tooth electrode to swing the movable structure. The fixed side comb-tooth electrode is formed in the inside of a through hole bored through the laminate substrate.

Method of manufacturing an electrostatic actuator

An optical scanner and a two-dimensional scanning device using the same are provided. The optical scanner includes a scanning mechanism and a swing support. The swing support is designed to support the scanning mechanism on a housing so as to allow the scanning mechanism to swing and made up of a plurality of springs. The springs are so constructed so as resist unwanted vibrations acting on the optical scanner in directions different from a scan direction, thereby ensuring a stable scan of a light beam at all the time.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Hideaki Nishikawa