The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 26, 1995
Filed:
Dec. 31, 1992
Stephen M Bobbio, Wake Forest, NC (US);
Thomas D DuBois, Charlotte, NC (US);
Bruce W Dudley, Durham, NC (US);
Susan K Jones, Raleigh, NC (US);
Mark D Kellam, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Farid M Tranjan, Charlotte, NC (US);
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC (US);
MCNC, Research Triangle Park, NC (US);
Abstract
An electrically and mechanically robust microelectromechanical transducer is formed of a pleated dielectric sheet having patterned electrical conductors on the opposing faces thereof. The pleats define a plurality of spaced apart walls, with each wall including an electrically conductive portion at one side thereof. Positive and negative voltages, applied to opposite faces of the pleated sheet, cause the walls to move towards one another by electrostatic attraction. The walls can also move away from one another by electrostatic repulsion upon application of appropriate voltages. The microelectromechanical transducer may be fabricated by fabricating a sheet with integral pleats or by forming a 'self-pleating' flat sheet which forms pleats after conductor fabrication thereon.