Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Kimiya Ikushima

Hiroyoshi Komobuchi

Asako Baba

Takeshi Okada

Kazuo Yokoyama

Mikiya Uchida

Sachio Nagamitsu

Hidekazu Tanaka

Hiroyuki Togawa

Takatoshi Ono

Norifumi Sata

Tatsuya Miyazaki

Takuo Osaki

Satoshi Nishita

An electromagnetic relay includes a fixed contact holder, a moving contact holder, an electromagnetic device, and a magnet. The fixed contact holder extends in a predetermined direction and is provided with a fixed contact. The moving contact holder also extends in the predetermined direction, and is provided with a moving contact. The magnet is arranged perpendicularly to an opening/closing direction of the fixed contact and the moving contact. A stretch space in which an arc generated between the fixed contact and the moving contact is stretched is provided, in the predetermined direction, beyond respective tips of the fixed contact holder and the moving contact holder. The stretch space also faces a surface of the fixed contact holder and a surface of the moving contact holder.

Electromagnetic relay

A first end portion includes a first contact. A second end portion includes a second contact. At least a first end portion, out of the first end portion and a second end portion, is curved to be folded back from a tip in one direction of the first end portion. The first contact is located in a folded-back part of the first end portion and faces the second contact.

Contact device and electromagnetic relay

In a lens actuator according to an exemplary embodiment, wires that connect a holder and a base of a movable unit have diameters of 30 &#x3bc;m or more and less than 70 &#x3bc;m, and the wires have longitudinal elastic moduli of 100 GPa or more and less than 500 GPa. The wire is flexible even if a small amount of currents are passed through a plurality of OIS coils, and the lens actuator suitable to electric power saving can be provided.

Lens actuator

A lens actuator includes a carrier that is configured to retain a lens; a first AF coil that is disposed in the carrier while wound about an axis perpendicular to a lens retaining surface; first to fourth magnets that are disposed opposite the first AF coil in four directions parallel to the lens retaining surface; a first OIS coil that is disposed opposite the first magnet; and a second OIS coil that is disposed opposite the second magnet. A current is passed through the first AF coil to move the carrier in a vertical direction along an axis. The currents are passed through the first and second OIS coils to a movable unit in front-back and left-right directions. Therefore, weight reduction of the movable unit can be achieved to provide a lens actuator, in which electric power saving can be achieved.

An actuator is provided with a conductive polymer film portion, an electrode, and an electrolyte portion, and by detecting a waveform of a current that flows upon application of a voltage between the conductive polymer film portion and the electrode, a displacement amount of the actuator is detected so that based on the displacement amount thus detected, a voltage is applied to the conductive polymer film portion so that the displacement amount of the actuator is adjusted.

Conductive polymer actuator device, conductive polymer actuator control device and control method

There is provided a polymer actuator including a first electrode layer as an active member layer made of a conductive polymer, a second electrode layer opposing to the first electrode layer, and an electrolyte placed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, so that the polymer actuator is driven by a voltage applied between both the electrode layers, wherein the electrolyte is constituted by a first electrolyte layer having a sliding function and a second electrolyte layer having an insulation maintaining function.

Polymer actuator

A fluid transporting device is provided with a pump chamber that has a pump function for sucking and discharging a fluid, and is filled therein with the fluid, a casing unit which forms one portion of a wall surface of the pump chamber, a diaphragm which is formed by a conductive polymer film that is subjected to electrochemomechanical expansion and contraction, and forms one portion of the wall surface of the pump chamber, an electrolyte chamber that contains an electrolyte therein, with one portion of the electrolyte being made in contact with the diaphragm, a power supply that applies a voltage to the diaphragm, and a pressure maintaining unit that maintains a pressure of the diaphragm within a predetermined range by moving or deforming the one portion of the wall surface of the electrolyte chamber.

Fluid transporting device using conductive polymer

A fluid transporting device is provided with a pump chamber that has a pump function for sucking and discharging a fluid, and is filled therein with the fluid, a casing unit which forms one portion of a wall surface of the pump chamber, a diaphragm which is formed by a conductive polymer film that is subjected to electrochemomechanical expansion and contraction, and forms one portion of the wall surface of the pump chamber, an electrolyte chamber that contains an electrolyte therein, with one portion of the electrolyte being made in contact with the diaphragm, a power supply that applies a voltage to the diaphragm, and a pressure maintaining unit that maintains a pressure to be applied to the diaphragm.

An electronic device according to the present invention includes an infrared ray absorbing section, which comes to have an increased temperature when irradiated with an incident infrared ray, and at least one heat sensing section, of which a physical property varies with the variation in temperature that has been caused due to the heat generated by the infrared ray absorbing section. The relative positions of the heat sensing sectionand the infrared ray absorbing sectioncan be changed so as to switch their states from a first state, in which the infrared ray absorbing sectionand the heat sensing sectionare in contact with each other, into a second state, in which the infrared ray absorbing sectionand the heat sensing sectionare out of contact with each other, and vice versa.

Electronic device

In the present invention, an etching holeis formed in a polysilicon filmas a cavity-wall member. Through the etching hole, hydrofluoric acid is injected, so as to dissolve a silicon oxide film, thereby forming a cavity. In the cavity, a detecting unitof a sensor is in an exposed condition. Next, by sputtering, an Al filmis deposited in the etching holeand on an upper face of a substrate. Thereafter, a portion of the Al filmpositioned on the polysilicon filmis removed by etching back, thereby leaving only a metal closureof Al which closes the etching hole. The sputtering step is performed under a pressure of 5 Pa or less, so that the pressure in the cavity can be held to be low.

Electronic device and method of manufacturing the same

An electronic device according to the present invention includes: at least one heat sensing section (), which includes a first contact portion () and of which a physical property varies responsive to an incoming infrared ray; a detector circuit section, which includes a second contact portion () and which senses the variation in the physical property of the heat sensing section (); and a driving section (), which is able to change a first state, in which the first and second contact portions () are in contact with each other and electrically connected to each other, into a second state, in which the first and second contact portions () are out of contact with each other and electrically disconnected from each other, and vice versa.

Electronic device and method for fabricating the same

An electronic device according to the present invention includes: a cavity, which is surrounded with a cavity wall portion and which has a reduced pressure; a gettering thin film, which is arranged in the cavity and has the function of adsorbing a surrounding substance; and an activating portion, at least a part of which is arranged in the cavity and which has the function of activating the gettering thin film by generating heat.

Electronic device having infrared sensing elements

A method for fabricating an electronic device includes the steps of: preparing a cavity defining sacrificial layer, at least the upper surface of which is covered with an etch stop layer; forming at least one first opening in the etch stop layer, thereby partially exposing the surface of the cavity defining sacrificial layer; etching the cavity defining sacrificial layer through the first opening, thereby defining a provisional cavity under the etch stop layer and a supporting portion that supports the etch stop layer thereon; and etching away a portion of the etch stop layer, thereby defining at least one second opening that reaches the provisional cavity through the etch stop layer and expanding the provisional cavity into a final cavity.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Kimiya Ikushima