Atomic Machines, Inc.

James Stölken

Fabian T Goericke

Eric Meshot

William Boettcher

Gregory C Ghahramani

Klaus Zietlow

Jeffrey Holden

A power relay having an actuator with a microelectromechanical systems stator assembly and plunger assembly that moves along the central longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position, the plunger assembly including a plunger that includes a pair of ferromagnetic plates with a magnet situated therebetween, and a first ferromagnetic plate of the pair of ferromagnetic plates is situated between first and second ferromagnetic layers in the stator assembly and a second ferromagnetic plate of the pair of ferromagnetic plates is situated between the second and third ferromagnetic layers in the stator assembly. Contacts formed by the ferromagnetic plates and ferromagnetic layers may include an array of micromachined flexures or a stabilized liquid-solid electrical contact.

Microelectromechanical systems power relay

A contact is provided that includes a first contact member formed of material containing tungsten, the first contact member having an exposed surface and a first pocket opening to the exposed surface, the first pocket having a circumscribing side wall and a bottom wall that define an interior of the first pocket; a first metal layer on the bottom wall of the first pocket and having a top surface that is below the exposed surface of the first contact member; a liquid metal layer formed of a material containing a Galinstan alloy on the top surface only of the first metal layer and extending above the exposed surface of the first contact member, and the liquid metal layer is compliant and is displaced by pressure applied to the liquid metal layer and returns to an original shape in response to removal of the pressure on the liquid metal layer.

Stabilized liquid-solid electrical contact

A contact having a first contact member having an exposed surface, the exposed surface having irregularities, undulations, or asperities that form one or more high points and low points on the exposed surface, a second contact member having a contact base surface, a plurality of electrically conductive flexures extending from the contact base surface, and when the first contact member is positioned adjacent to the second contact member in a closed position in which the contact base surface of the second contact member is not in electrical contact with the one or more high points on the exposed surface of the first contact member, each flexure of the plurality of flexures is in electrical contact with the exposed surface of the first contact member.

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Berkeley, CA, United States of America

James Stölken