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:
Nov. 30, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 30, 1997
Long-Sheng Fan, San Jose, CA (US);
Toshiki Hirano, San Jose, CA (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A rotary microactuator that includes a stationary structure formed on a substrate and a movable structure attached to the stationary structure by a flexure. The stationary structure has at least one branch, with each branch of the stationary structure having at least one electrode finger. The movable structure has at least one branch and a center of rotation about which the movable structure rotates. Each branch of the movable structure has at least one electrode finger. Each branch of the movable structure is separated from an adjacent branch of the stationary structure by a minimum-required distance along the branch of the movable structure. The minimum-required distance is based on an electrostatic attractive force generated between the branch of the movable structure and a branch of the stationary structure that is adjacent to the branch of the movable structure and is located in a direction from the branch of the movable structure that is opposite to a direction that the branch of the movable structure is driven. Additionally, the minimum-required distance is based on a minimum length of the fingers of a branch of the movable structure and of a branch of the stationary structure that is necessary for producing a position-independent electrostatic force. Each finger is attached to a branch of the movable structure at a proximal end of the finger at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to a straight line between the proximal end of the finger and the center of rotation.