Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Shinji Kobayashi

Yoshihiro Konaka

Hiroshi Kawai

Masato Kobayashi

Kaneo Yaji

Koji Takemura

Eiichi Takata

Yasutaka Fujii

Kazufumi Moriya

Masaya Tamura

Yosuhiro Negoro

A buckling actuator has a connecting section of a supporting beam that is provided with a rotatable supporter for allowing a movable member to be stably maintained at one of two switch positions. A substrate, stationary members, rotatable supporters, and supporting beams support a movable member in a shiftable manner in a y-axis direction, such that the movable member can be shifted between first and second switch positions. Moreover, the rotatable supporters are each provided with arm portions which extend in a radial fashion and support the corresponding supporting beam in a rotatable manner. When the movable member is being shifted, each supporting beam can be rotated without having to bend a corresponding end by a significant amount. Thus, a large barrier &#x394;E of potential energy of the movable member is set between the first and second switch positions. The movable member can therefore be stably maintained at each of the switch positions even when electric power is not supplied to electrodes. Furthermore, each arm portion prevents the movable member from being displaced in an x-axis direction.

Buckling actuator

A variable capacitance element includes a coplanar line or signal conduction and a movable body, which are vertically displaced through a supporting bar and which are provided on a substrate. A movable electrode is provided between a first driving electrode and second and third driving electrodes which are movable electrodes. Voltage is applied between the movable electrodes, such that one of the movable electrodes is pressed against the coplanar line through a dielectric film. Thus, high frequency signals conducting through the coplanar line are shut off. When voltage is applied between the other electrodes, the movable electrode and the dielectric film are moved apart from the coplanar line. Thus, high frequency signals are conducted through the coplanar line.

Variable capacitance element

An RF-MEMS device includes a substrate, a coplanar line arranged on the substrate, a movable element disposed above the coplanar line, and a movable electrode arranged on the movable element so as to face the coplanar line. The movable element includes a high-resistivity semiconductor functioning as an insulator for an RF signal and functioning as an electrode for a low-frequency signal and a DC signal. Electrostatic attraction caused by a DC voltage applied between the movable element functioning as the electrode and a fixed electrode displaces the movable element towards the fixed electrode, thereby varying the capacitance between the movable electrode and the coplanar line. The movable element made of a high-resistivity semiconductor has dielectric loss characteristics in which the dielectric loss decreases as the frequency of a signal increases, thus readily reducing the dielectric loss of an RF signal.

RF microelectromechanical systems device

An angular velocity sensor includes a support body, a plurality of beams individually supported by the support body, and a coupling part with which a plurality of the beams are commonly coupled, and a vibrating weight formed on the coupling part, wherein each beam comprises a wide beam part and a narrow beam part narrower than the wide beam part.

Angular velocity sensor

A miniature electrostatic capacitive sensor in which electrical insulation is reliably established between a CV conversion circuit and a sensing unit. Also disclosed is a manufacturing method for the above type of capacitive sensor. The capacitive sensor is constructed of a sensing unit having a movable electrode and a stationary electrode, and a CV-conversion-circuit-forming portion having a CV conversion circuit. The movable electrode is constructed of a first support portion, a leaf spring connected to the first support portion, and a mass portion movably supported by the leaf spring. The stationary electrode is formed of a second support portion and a projecting portion connected to the second support portion. The CV-conversion-circuit forming portion and the first and second support portion are made thin. Accordingly, a shallow clearance is formed between the CV-conversion-circuit forming portion and each of the first support portion and the stationary electrode. An insulating substance can thus be positively deposited in the clearance, thereby forming an electrically insulating portion between the CV conversion circuit and the sensing unit.

Electrostatic capacitive sensor and method for manufacturing the same

An angular velocity sensor includes a board, a first vibrator, a second vibrator, a vibration generator, a displacement detector and a frequency adjuster. The first vibrator is supported on the board through first supporting beams and arranged so as to be vibrated in the direction of a first axis. The second vibrator is supported on the first vibrator through second supporting beams and arranged so as to be vibrated in the direction of the first axis and in the direction of a second axis at a right angle to the direction of the first axis. The vibration generator cause the first vibrator to vibrate in the direction of the first axis. The displacement detector detects a displacement of the second vibrator in the direction to the second axis when an angular velocity has been applied around a third axis at right angles with the first and second axes. The frequency adjuster adjusts a vibrating side resonance frequency at the time when the first vibrator is vibrated in the direction of the first axis and adjusts a detecting side resonance frequency at the time when the second vibrator is vibrated in the direction of the second axis by an angular velocity applied around the third axis.

Electrostatic capacitive sensor

The invention provides an angular-velocity detection apparatus, which includes a substrate (22) and a vibrating body (26) provided on the substrate (22), the vibrating body (26) being capable of displacing in a vibration axis direction and a detection axis direction which intersect at right angles to each other. A vibration generation section (33) is provided for vibrating the vibrating body (26) in the vibration axis direction by applying a driving signal, and a displacement detection section (34) is provided for detecting the amount of displacement of the vibrating body (26) when the vibrating body (26) is displaced in the detection axis direction on the basis of the angular velocity along a detected axis intersecting at right angles to the vibration axis and the detection axis in a state of the vibrating body (26) being vibrated in the vibration axis direction by the vibration generation direction (33). A corrective-vibration generation (35) is provided for causing the vibrating body (26) to vibrate for correction in the detection axis direction, thereby making it possible to reduce leakage vibration applied to the vibrating body (26) and to accurately detect the angular velocity .OMEGA..

Growing community of inventors

Sagamihara, Japan

Shinji Kobayashi