The University of Tokyo

Saginomiya Seisakusho, Inc.

Seiko Epson Corporation

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Shizuoka University

Santec Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Japan Science and Technology Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Saginomiya Seisakusho

The Foundation for the Promotion of Industrial Science

Koshin Kogaku Co., Ltd.

Yamichi Electroncis Co., Ltd.

Saginomiva Seisakusho, Inc.

Hiroshi Toshiyoshi

Hiroyuki Mitsuya

Hisayuki Ashizawa

Hiroyuki Fujita

Masahiro Morita

Hiroaki Honma

Mitsuhiro Yoda

Gen Hashiguchi

Kazunori Ishibashi

Hirobumi Saito

Hiroshi Imamoto

Keiji Isamoto

Makoko Mita

Toshihiko Nakata

Yukihiro Shibata

Atsushi Taniguchi

Taketo Ueno

Takuya Takahashi

Nobuaki Konno

Masahiro Tsugai

Hideki Kawakatsu

Takeaki Yajima

Hiroshi Obi

Makoto Mita

Kuniyuki Kakushima

Yoshio Mita

Yukiya Tohyama

Akio Higo

Yuko Yamauchi

Kentaro Motohara

Shun'ichi Matsumoto

An electrostatic device includes: a fixed portion, a moveable portion, and an elastically-supporting portion that are formed in a same substrate; and a first glass package and a second glass package that are anodically bonded to each other on one and the other of front and back surfaces of the substrate with the fixed portion and the elastically-supporting portion separated from each other, the second glass package forms a sealed space in which the moveable portion is arranged between the first and second glass packages, an electret is formed at least partially in the fixed portion and the moveable portion, and a first electrode connected to the fixed portion and exposed on an outer surface of the second glass package and a second electrode connected to the elastically-supporting portion and exposed on the outer surface of the second glass package are formed in the second glass package.

Electrostatic device, electrostatic device intermediate body and production method

An energy harvesting device having an energy converting element that converts environmental energy into electric energy, an environmental sensor that is disposed in an identical environment as the energy converting element, and a power supply circuit that receives electricity from the energy converting element and outputs the electricity to an external load. The power supply circuit is configured to change an operation condition of, for example, a voltage converting circuit of the power supply circuit, in accordance with an output of the environmental sensor.

Environmental energy harvesting device

A power supply circuit that outputs an electric power that is input from a vibration-driven energy harvesting element to an external load, includes: a negative half-wave rectifying circuit that half-wave rectifies an alternating current power that is input from the vibration-driven energy harvesting element, into a negative voltage output; an inverting chopper circuit that inverts and outputs the negative voltage output which is output from the negative half-wave rectifying circuit, into a positive voltage output.

Power supply circuit and vibration-driven energy harvester

A vibration-driven energy harvesting element includes: a pair of fixed electrode portions that have a plurality of fixed comb teeth and are arranged such that the plurality of fixed comb teeth face each other; and a movable electrode portion that is arranged between the pair of fixed electrode portions and has a pair of a plurality of movable comb teeth being inserted between the fixed comb teeth of the respective fixed electrode portions, wherein: the vibration-driven energy harvesting element has a three-terminal structure in which the fixed comb teeth and/or the movable comb teeth are electretized; a gap dimension of a clearance region between the fixed comb teeth and the movable comb teeth is smaller than 20 &#x3bc;m; and an aspect ratio being a ratio of a dimension of the clearance region in a comb tooth height direction to the gap dimension of the clearance region, is 20 or more.

Vibration-driven energy harvesting element

A vibration-driven energy harvesting element that outputs an alternating current power from an output line, due to vibration from outside includes: an intermediate electrode that is not connected to the output line; a plurality of electret electrodes, each electret electrode being arranged to face the intermediate electrode and having an electret on at least a part of a surface of the electret electrode on a side facing the intermediate electrode; a holding unit that holds the intermediate electrode and the plurality of electret electrodes such that the intermediate electrode and the plurality of electret electrodes can vibrate with respect to each other; and a charge injector that injects a charge having characteristics opposite to a charge of the electrets formed in the surfaces of the plurality of electret electrodes, to the intermediate electrode.

Vibration-driven energy harvesting element and vibration-driven energy harvesting device

A power supply circuit that outputs an electric power input from a vibration-driven energy harvesting element to an external load includes a rectifying circuit that rectifies an alternating current power input from the vibration-driven energy harvesting element; a first capacitor that accumulates a power output from the rectifying circuit; a chopper circuit that has a switching element controlling a chopper timing and has an input terminal connected to the first capacitor; and a control signal generation unit that supplies a control signal to the switching element, wherein: the control signal generation unit generates the control signal without referring to a voltage of the first capacitor.

A vibrational energy harvester element includes: a first electrode; a second electrode that moves in a predetermined direction with respect to the first electrode; a third electrode; a fourth electrode that moves in the predetermined direction with respect to the third electrode; and a support portion that supports the second electrode and the fourth electrode so that they are movable along the predetermined direction; and wherein: the first electrode and the third electrode are disposed along the predetermined direction; at least one of facing surfaces of the first electrode and the second electrode, and at least one of facing surfaces of the third electrode and the fourth electrode, are electrically charged; and the support portion supports the second electrode and the fourth electrode in a state in which electrostatic force between the first electrode and the second electrode, and electrostatic force between the third electrode and the fourth electrode are balanced along the predetermined direction.

Vibrational energy harvester element

The vibration-driven energy harvester includes: a first electrode; a second electrode facing the first electrode; a holder holding the first electrode and the second electrode so as to be movable relative to each other; a half-wave rectifier electrically connected to the first and the second electrodes that causes current flowing from the first electrode to the second electrode to flow to an output unit, and cuts off current flowing from the second electrode toward the first electrode; and a second rectifying element electrically connected to the first and the second electrodes that allows the current flowing from the second electrode to the first electrode and blocks the current flowing from the first electrode to the second electrode, wherein: the first electrode has a positively charged electret in a surface facing the second electrode, or the second electrode has a negatively charged electret in a surface facing the first electrode.

Vibration-driven energy harvester

A vibration-driven energy harvesting device includes: a first vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly constituted with a first fixed comb tooth portion and a first movable comb tooth portion that are interdigitated with each other; a second vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly constituted with a second fixed comb tooth portion and a second movable comb tooth portion that are interdigitated with each other; a first output electrode connected to the first vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly; and a second output electrode connected to the second vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly, wherein: an output of the first vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly is different from an output of the second vibration-driven energy harvesting assembly.

Vibration-driven energy harvesting device and vibration-driven energy harvester

The present invention enables frequency response in a wide band without lowering the Q value. This vibrational energy harvester device is provided with: a movable part capable of vibration in a vibration direction as a result of mechanical vibrational energy applied from the exterior, said movable part being provided with a first surface along the vibration direction; and a fixed part provided with a second surface facing the first surface of the movable part with an interval therebetween, said fixed part being configured so as to be positionally fixed even against vibrational energy. A plurality of projections protruding in a direction orthogonal to the vibration direction are formed so as to be arranged like comb teeth in the vibration direction on each of the first surface of the movable part and the second surface of the fixed part. An electret film is formed on at least the first surface of the fixed part or on at least the second surface of the movable part. The vibrational energy harvester device is configured so that the spring rate of the movable part is modulated as a function of the position of the vibration direction by electrostatic force acting between the movable part and the fixed part.

Vibrational energy harvester device

Provided is an electrostatic-type vibrational energy harvester device that makes it possible to efficiently rectify and charge power from low acceleration to high acceleration of vibrational energy applied from the exterior. The vibrational energy harvester device is provided with: a movable part capable of vibrating in a vibration direction as a result of mechanical vibrational energy, said movable part being provided with a first surface along the vibration direction; and a fixed part provided with a second surface facing the first surface of the movable part with a gap therebetween so that it is possible for the movable part to vibrate in the vibration direction. A plurality of recessed portions and protruding sections are formed in an alternating manner in the vibration direction on the surfaces of each of the first surface of the movable part and the second surface of the fixed part. An electret film is formed on at least one of the fixed part and the movable part. The vibrational energy harvester device is configured so that a force factor (electromechanical conversion factor) having a value that corresponds to the gap between the first surface of the movable part and the second surface of the fixed part becomes small when the vibration amplitude of the movable part is small and large when the vibration amplitude of the movable part is large.

A vibration energy harvester includes: a first electrode; and a second electrode that can be displaced relative to the first electrode along a predetermined vibrating direction. At least either of a surface of the first electrode and a surface of the second electrode facing opposite each other is electrically charged. Power is generated as the second electrode becomes displaced causing a change in electrostatic capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode. A range having included therein at least a vibrational center of the second electrode, over which the electrostatic capacitance remains unchanged even as the second electrode is displaced, is set.

Vibration energy harvester

A device member including a cavity, includes a base member, an interlayer, an upper layer, an opening portion, and a gas-permeable sealing layer. The base member includes a first semiconductor. The interlayer is formed on the base member and is non-conductive. The upper layer is formed on the interlayer and includes a second semiconductor. The opening portion is formed at the upper layer. The gas-permeable sealing layer is formed to seal the opening portion formed at the upper layer. The cavity is formed by removing the interlayer with an etching gas that penetrates through the sealing layer.

Device member including cavity and method of producing the device member including cavity

An optical filtering device and an optical inspection apparatus for detecting a defect in a high sensitivity using an optical filtering device which includes a shutter array formed in a two-dimensionally on an optically opaque thin film produced on a SOI wafer and the SOI wafer is removed at portions thereof on the lower side of the shutter patterns to form perforation portions while working electrodes are formed at the remaining portion of the SOI wafer, a glass substrate having electrode patterns formed on the surface thereof and having the shutter array mounted thereon, and a power supply section for supplying electric power to the electrode patterns formed on the glass substrate and the working electrodes of the SOI wafer. And the working electrodes is controlled to cause the shutter patterns to carry out opening and closing movements with respect to the perforation portions to carry out optical filtering.

Optical filtering device, defect inspection method and apparatus therefor

To provide a compact and high performance gyroscope. A gyroscope () comprises an outer frame (); an inner frame () positioned inside the outer frame and supported to be movable in one reciprocating direction; a plurality of proof masses () positioned inside the inner frame and supported to be movable in the direction orthogonal to the one reciprocating direction; a plurality of outer support suspensions () which connect the outer frame and the inner frame; a plurality of inner support suspensions () which connect the inner frame and each of the proof masses; actuators () for accelerating each of the proof masses; and detectors () for detecting displacement of the inner frame against the outer frame. The actuators oscillate the plurality of proof masses in-phase, and wherein Coriolis forces induced on each of the proof masses are summed up in the inner frame.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hiroshi Toshiyoshi