Abstract: A resonator includes a vibration portion that has a substrate having a main surface, a lower electrode on the main surface of the substrate, a piezoelectric film on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode on the piezoelectric film. A frame surrounds at least part of the vibration portion. Opening grooves having different widths in a first direction in a plan view of the main surface are provided in a periphery of the vibration portion. In a plan view of the main surface, the upper electrode is provided so as to be spaced from an outer edge of the substrate by a gap which is along the first direction, such that a length of the gap in a region where a width of the opening groove is large is larger than a length of the gap in a region where a width of the opening groove is small.

Abstract: A scanner comprises a mirror, a first piezoelectric actuator, a second piezoelectric actuator, a third piezoelectric actuator, a fourth piezoelectric actuator, a first connecting member, a second connecting member, a first mirror spring, a second mirror spring, a stationary member, a first plurality of actuator springs, a second plurality of actuator springs, a third plurality of actuator springs, a fourth plurality of actuator springs, a first plurality of electrodes, and a second plurality of electrodes. The scanner is driven by piezoelectric actuators. A method of fabricating the scanner comprises the steps of providing a wafer; oxidation; deposition; patterning; and applying a singulation process.

Abstract: A short-travel nanoscale motion stage and a method for measuring thermally-related hysteresis data are provided. A stator unit of a left two-pole electromagnet and stator units of two inchworm motors are fixed on a right side surface of a left foundation frame, and an active unit of the left two-pole electromagnet and actives of the two inchworm motors are fixed on a left side surface of a stage moving component. An active unit of a right two-pole electromagnet is fixed on a right side surface of the stage moving component, while a stator unit of the right two-pole electromagnet is fixed on a left side surface of a right foundation frame. The stage moving component is fixedly mounted on a guide sleeve of an aerostatic guideway. Each of the stator units of the left and right two-pole electromagnets has an eddy current sensor and a hall sensor fixed therein.

Abstract: A driving control apparatus controls an actuator that relatively moves a vibrator and a contact body contacting the vibrator, the vibrator being made to generate vibration by applying a first signal and a second signal having a phase difference. The driving control apparatus includes at least one processor or circuit configured to execute a plurality of tasks including a first determining task configured to determine the phase difference, and a second determining task configured to determine a voltage amplitude of power supplied to the actuator so that the voltage amplitude decreases as an absolute value of the phase difference decreases.

Abstract: A method for sensing an abnormality of a piezoelectric drive device is a method for sensing a vibration abnormality of the piezoelectric drive device having a substrate and thin-film piezoelectric elements placed on the substrate and controlling amplitude of the piezoelectric elements using a drive control signal, and the method includes sensing the vibration abnormality by a drive voltage corresponding to the drive control signal.

Abstract: The vibration substrate having a main surface extending parallel to a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other, and that includes a main body region having a vibrating portion at least in a part thereof and at least one holding region arranged side by side with the main body region along the first direction. The at least one holding region including a holding portion and a beam portion connecting the holding portion and the main body region. The beam portion includes a first arm portion extending from the holding portion along the first direction, a second arm portion extending along the second direction from an end portion of the first arm portion on a side thereof opposite to the holding portion, and a connection portion connecting the second arm portion and the main body region.

Abstract: A vibration motor includes a first vibrating body including a first projection and a second vibrating body including a second projection, the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body receiving electric power and vibrating to generate a driving force and transmitting the driving force to a driven section, a first coil spring configured to urge the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body in a driving direction and restrict positions of the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body in the driving direction, and a case housing the first vibrating body, the second vibrating body, and the first coil spring. The first vibrating body, the second vibrating body, and the first coil spring are arranged in the driving direction. The number of first coil springs is smaller than the number of first and second vibrating bodies in the urging direction.

Abstract: A wearable device that is capable of harvesting kinetic energy from wrist motions using piezoelectric and/or electromagnetic energy harvesters is disclosed. A first part of the device is worn on the user and second part of the device is movable against the second part to accentuate the frequency of movements.

Abstract: A planar power module includes a second substrate arranged parallel to a first substrate, with the substrates respectively having a dielectric layer interposed between two conductive layers, such that one of the conductive layers of each substrate together forms parallel external conductive surfaces of the power module. The power module includes direct current (DC) bus bars, alternating current (AC) bus bars, and semiconductor switching dies arranged between the substrates. The dies are electrically connected to the bus bars, with each respective die electrically connected to a conductive layers of the first or second substrates. A polymer molding material partially surrounds the substrates and the switching dies. An electric powertrain system includes an electric machine, a propulsion battery pack, and a traction power inverter module (TPIM) having the power module. The power module is a three-phase full-bridge inverter circuit. An electric powertrain and motor vehicle use the power module.

Abstract: One example discloses a switch mode power supply (SMPS) circuit configured to receive an input voltage and generate an output voltage, including: a set of switching devices configured to receive the input voltage; a first transformer, having an input winding coupled to the switching devices, and an output winding configured to generate the output voltage; a second transformer, having an input winding coupled to receive the output voltage from the first transformer, and an output winding configured to generate an output voltage monitoring signal; and a controller configured to control the switching devices based on the output voltage monitoring signal.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to Bidirectional Multimode Power Converter which employs a high frequency dynamically varying amplitude modulation and voltage steering method to convert the source AC or DC voltages to output AC or DC voltages with programmable output voltage levels, output voltage frequency and duration. The Bidirectional Multimode Power Converters of the present invention support: inrush current control, turning off the idle converter, line voltage brown out protection, soft start, high pre-charge voltage generation, soft shut down of converter, dimming operation, programmable time of the day operation and operation for specified duration of time. The Bidirectional Multimode Power Converters of the present invention support coupling of multiple power sources for bidirectional power conversion.

Abstract: The invention discloses a modular differential compliant displacement reducer with output in same direction or reverse direction of input. The modular differential compliant displacement reducer includes a forward motion module, a reverse motion module and an actuator, and two ends of the forward motion module are respectively connected to one end of the reverse motion module. Differential superposition of displacement is achieved through combination of the forward motion module and the reverse motion module, a large displacement reduction ratio can be obtained, and therefore the resolution ratio and precision of motion are greatly improved. The reducer can be matched with a macro-motion platform, and large-range and ultrahigh-precision motion positioning is achieved.

Abstract: A method for operating an electric motor, the electric motor comprising at least one first stator with at least three coils and a rotor with at least two magnets, the first stator and the rotor being adjacently arranged in an axial direction, and the coils being adjacently arranged in a peripheral direction. The electric motor is operated at least in the following two states: a) in a first state, the coils are operated by respectively different phases of a three-phase current, and the rotor is rotated about an axis of rotation; and b) in a second state, the coils are operated by an equal-phase alternating current.

Abstract: A rotor core has steel laminations stacked in the axial direction, and a permanent magnet is embedded in the rotor core. A stator core has steel laminations stacked in the axial direction, and a coil is wound on the stator core. The stator core has a slot for housing the coil. The stator core has a first core portion at an end portion in the axial direction and a second core portion at a center portion in the axial direction. An area of the slot is larger in the first core portion than in the second core portion. A sheet thickness T0 and a lamination gap L0 of the steel laminations of the rotor core and a sheet thickness T1 and a lamination gap L1 of the steel laminations of the first core portion of the stator core satisfy at least one of 0.05 mm?T0?T1?0.15 mm and L0<L1.

Abstract: An inertia drive motor is disclosed which includes an element to be driven, and a stator, the stator having: an elastic frame, at least one friction element arranged on the elastic frame and configured to be brought into frictional contact with the element to be driven, and a first electromechanical actuator and a second electromechanical actuator, which are configured to cause, by interaction, a deformation of the elastic frame, upon excitation with different excitation voltages having a sawtooth signal, so as to displace the at least one friction element for driving the element to be driven by stick-slip contact with the friction element.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a packaging structure and method of an acoustic device, relating the technical field of semiconductors, including: a substrate and a piezoelectric stack structure located on the substrate, a first organic material layer is disposed on the piezoelectric stack structure, a second organic material layer is disposed on the first organic material layer, the first organic material layer includes a first supporting part and a second supporting part, the second supporting part forms a first acoustic reflection structure, when being transmitted to the first acoustic reflection structure, acoustic waves can be reflected back to the effective area, so that the loss of the acoustic waves is reduced, and the performance of the acoustic device is improved.

Abstract: A resonator includes an interdigital transducer provided with a main electrode area formed to a shape of a comb on a piezoelectric substrate by a reference pitch in such a manner as to have a unit length along a longitudinal direction thereof and one pair of first electrode areas constituted of one side first electrode area formed to a shape of a comb on the piezoelectric substrate by a first increment pitch obtained by increasing the reference pitch by a first value in such a manner as to have the unit length along the longitudinal direction and the other side first electrode area formed to a shape of a comb on the piezoelectric substrate by a first decrement pitch obtained by decreasing the reference pitch by almost the same value as the first value.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an ultrasonic actuator formed of a plate having a base, a cover surface which is geometrically similar to the base, and a lateral surface which interconnects the base and the cover surface, wherein the plate includes an electromagnetic material. Electrodes for inciting periodic deformations of the plate are arranged on the base of the plate and on the cover surface of the plate opposite the base. The base includes at least two faces which are arranged in parallel with one another and form contact portions of the lateral surface, and the two faces of the base arranged in parallel with one another, together with connecting lines which interconnect the respective end points of the faces arranged in parallel, form a parallelogram inscribed in the base, in which parallelogram an angle different from 90° is enclosed between adjacent faces. A motor having such an ultrasonic actuator is also disclosed.

Abstract: Various enhancements to grid-interactive inverters in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment includes input terminals configured to receive a direct current, output terminals configured to provide an alternating output current to the utility grid, a controller, an output current sensor, and a DC-AC inverter stage comprising a plurality of switches controlled by control signals generated by the controller. In addition, the controller is configured to: generate control signals that cause the switches in the DC-AC inverter stage to switch a direct current in a bidirectional manner; measure the alternating output current; perform frequency decomposition of the output current; and generate control signals that cause the switches in the DC-AC inverter stage to switch current in a way that the magnitude of a plurality of unwanted current components is subtracted from the resulting output current.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a circuit board that manages supply of electricity to the electronic device. The circuit board includes an integrated circuit and an external capacitor coupled to a supply terminal of the circuit board. During a startup operation of the integrated circuit, the integrated circuit supplies a first charging current to charge the capacitor to a supply voltage value. The circuit board includes a boost circuit that receives a portion of the first charging current and outputs a second charging current that augments charging of the capacitor. The second charging current is an amplification of the first charging current. The integrated circuit enables operation of the electronic device after the capacitor is charged to the supply voltage value.