Cambridge Mechatronics Limited

Konstantinos Pantelidis

Robin Eddington

Andrew Benjamin Simpson Brown

James Robert Howarth

Stephen Matthew Bunting

Adam South

Oliver Hart

Peter Van Wyk

Joshua Carr

Daniel John Burbridge

Andreas Flouris

Paul Windle

Valerio Polenta

Stephen Kindness

A shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator () for a camera assembly, comprising:—a support structure supporting an electronic component, wherein the electronic component is susceptible to interference caused by magnetic flux; —a moveable part moveable relative to the support structure; one or more SMA components () connected between the moveable part and the support structure, wherein the one or more SMA components are configured to, on contraction, drive movement of the movable part; —a first electrical path and a second electrical path defined between, and/or including, each of the one or more SMA components () and respective electrical terminals (a); and wherein the first and second electrical paths of each of the one or more SMA components are configured to, at least in part, extend adjacently to and in parallel with each other, and enabling the electrical current in the respective paths to flow in opposite directions, so as to minimise combined magnetic flux from the first and second electrical paths into the electronic component.

Shape memory alloy actuator

An actuator assembly () comprising: first () and second () parts that are movable relative to each other; and one or more actuating units, each actuating unit comprising: a force-modifying mechanism () connected to the first part (); a coupling link () connected between the force-modifying mechanism () and the second part (); and an SMA wire () connected between the first part () and the force-modifying mechanism () for applying an input force on the force-modifying mechanism () thereby causing the force-modifying mechanism () to apply an output force on the coupling link () and causing the coupling link () to apply an actuating force on the second part (); wherein the coupling link () is compliant in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the actuating force.

Actuator assembly

An actuator assembly comprising: a support structure; an image sensor assembly comprising an image sensor having a light-sensitive region, the image sensor assembly being suspended on the support structure in a manner allowing movement of the image sensor assembly relative to the support structure; and at least two flexible printed circuits, each electrically connected at one end to the image sensor assembly, wherein the flexible printed circuits fold around the image sensor assembly such that their other ends are at the same side of the image sensor assembly.

A shape memory alloy actuator assembly () is disclosed. The actuator assembly comprises a support (), a first stage () moveable in at least two different non-parallel directions in a first plane relative to the support, a first set of at least two shape memory alloy wires () configured to move the first stage in the first plane, a second stage () moveable in at least two different non-parallel in a second plane parallel to or coplanar with the first plane relative to the first stage, and a second set of at least two shape memory alloy wires () configured to move the second stage in the second plane. The first stage is coupled to the support via the first set of shape memory alloy wires and the second stage is coupled to the first stage via the second set of shape memory alloy wires such that movement of the second stage in the second plane with respect to the support is a combination of movement of the first stage relative to support and the second stage relative to the first stage.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Konstantinos Pantelidis