Abstract: An electrostatic generator includes a substrate, an electrode formed on or in a surface of the substrate, an electret film provided so as to be opposed to the electrode and an insulating film on an electrode side formed on a surface of the electrode on a side opposed to the electret film.

Abstract: A semiconductor device controls an electrostatic actuator having first and second electrodes formed so as to come close to each other when transition occurs from opened state to closed state by electrostatic attraction against elastic force. The semiconductor device includes: a voltage generation unit generating different applied voltages to be applied to the first and second electrodes; a control unit controlling the voltage generation unit to switch the applied voltages; and a detection unit detecting voltage of the first or second electrode or a rate of change in the voltage. The control unit controls a target voltage of the voltage generation unit to be switched from a first voltage to a second voltage lower than the first voltage according to a detection output by the detection unit.

Abstract: A spindle motor includes a shaft arranged in an upward/downward direction along a central axis; a base member including a substantially cylindrical holder portion arranged around the central axis; a bearing unit arranged radially inward of the holder portion; and a rotating portion arranged above the base member to rotate about the central axis. The rotating portion preferably includes a mounting surface on which a disk is to be mounted. An adhesive containing an electrically conductive material and an adhesive containing an externally stimulated curing material and/or an anaerobic curing material are arranged in a clearance space defined between an inner circumferential surface of the holder portion and an outer circumferential surface of the bearing unit. The adhesive containing the electrically conductive material is arranged above the adhesive containing the externally stimulated curing material and/or the anaerobic curing material.

Abstract: In a motor comprising a stator and a rotor disposed in an inner circumference of the stator, the stator comprises a substantially cylindrical stator core and coils made up of wound conductors, and the stator core comprises an outer circumferential portion which constitutes an outer circumferential wall of the stator and an inner circumferential portion round which the conductors are wound. The outer circumferential portion is formed of a first sintered metal made of a powder magnetic material, while the inner circumferential portion is formed of a second sintered metal made of a powder magnetic material, and the first sintered metal is a sintered metal having a higher mechanical strength than the second sintered metal. Additionally, the stator core is formed by diffusion bonding the outer circumferential portion and the inner circumferential portion being bonded together.

Abstract: A power generation apparatus includes a dielectric, a movable member being opposed to the dielectric with a predetermined distance, and an electret and an opposing electrode that are formed on the surface of the movable member facing the dielectric so as to generate a fringe electric field penetrating the dielectric between the two electrodes. When the volume occupancy of the dielectric between the electret and the opposing electrode varies in accordance with a displacement of the movable member, the power generation apparatus outputs the electric charge induced in the opposing electrode as electric current.

Abstract: A controlling apparatus-integrated dynamoelectric machine Includes: a metal housing that includes a front bracket and a rear bracket; a rotor that is rotatably disposed inside the housing by being fixed to a shaft that is rotatably supported by the front bracket and the rear bracket; a stator that includes: a cylindrical stator core that is disposed so as to be held between the front bracket and the rear bracket so as to surround the rotor; and a stator winding that is mounted to the stator core; and a controlling apparatus that includes: a direct-current alternating-current power interconverting circuit portion that passes electric current to the stator winding; and a controlling circuit portion that controls the direct-current alternating-current power interconverting circuit portion, the controlling apparatus being disposed inside the rear bracket.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided having a cylindrical stator and a rotor that is spaced from a stator to define an annular primary air gap that receives AC flux from the stator. The rotor has a plurality of longitudinal pole portions disposed parallel to the axis of rotation and alternating in polarity around a circumference of the rotor. Each longitudinal pole portion includes portions of permanent magnet (PM) material and at least one of the longitudinal pole portions has a first end and an opposing second end and a side magnet is disposed adjacent the first end and a side pole is disposed adjacent the second end.

Abstract: Brush gear of a motor has a brush card with a plurality of brushes installed at one side thereof. Each brush is electrically connected with a connector. Two motor terminations provide power to the brushes via the corresponding connectors and at least one wire connects two of the connectors. Each of said two of the connectors has a hole to receive one end of the wire and at least two fingers extends from an edge of the hole inclined toward the axis of the hole, such that when the end of the wire extends through the hole, the fingers are resiliently deformed and grip the wire to prevent withdrawal of the wire from the hole.

Abstract: An electret electrode is constituted by forming a conductive film on a substrate, laminating a first insulating film and a second insulating film alternatively on the conductive film, and then disposing electret films in which a lower surface, an upper surface and a side surface are covered with a third insulating film and a fourth insulating film. Existing of the first insulating film and the second insulating film between the electret films and the conductive film enables an increase in electric field intensity in the film when the same electric charge is retained, while enables an increase in surface charge density (surface potential) when the electric field intensity is the same.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical actuator includes a comb drive and a deformable connector. The comb drive has a first capacitor plate and a second capacitor plate. The capacitor plates have teeth capable of inter-digitating. The deformable connector is configured to apply a mechanical restoring force to the first capacitor plate. The deformable connector is configured to restore the first capacitor plate to be at an equilibrium rest position in response to no control voltage being applied across the capacitor. The comb drive is more engaged at the equilibrium rest position than at a mechanical stability threshold of the comb drive. The capacitor plates are disengaged at the equilibrium rest position.

Abstract: A permanent magnet-less synchronous system includes a stator that generates a magnetic revolving field when sourced by an alternating current. An uncluttered rotor is disposed within the magnetic revolving field and spaced apart from the stator to form an air gap relative to an axis of rotation. The rotor includes a plurality of rotor pole stacks having an inner periphery biased by single polarity of a north-pole field and a south-pole field, respectively. The outer periphery of each of the rotor pole stacks are biased by an alternating polarity.

Abstract: A thermionic or thermotunneling generator or heat pump is disclosed, comprising electrodes substantially facing one another and separated by spacers disposed between the electrodes, wherein the substrate material for the cathode is preferably a single crystalline silicon wafer while the substrate for the anode is an organic wafer, and preferably a polished polyimide (PI) wafer. On the cathode side, standard silicon wafer processes create the 10-1000 nm thin spacers and edge seals from thermally grown oxide. Either wafer is partially covered with a thin film of material that is characterized by high electrical conductivity and low work function. In one embodiment, the cathode is partially covered with a thin film of Ag—Cs—O. In another embodiment, the anode is additionally covered with a thin film of Ag—Cs—O, in which case the work function of the cathode coating material is reduced further utilizing an Avto Metal structure of nanoscale patterned indents.

Abstract: An inverter power module includes: a heatsink that is shaped into a ring-shaped flat plate; a plurality of power MOSFETs that are mounted onto substrates, and mounted to a front surface of the heatsink; a circuit board that is a resin-molded body into which a plurality of inserted conductors are insert molded; and a bus bar that is fixed to the heatsink so as to be disposed on an opposite side of the circuit board facing the heatsink, and that is connected to a power source line of an inverter power circuit by means of a battery electric potential connecting terminal, the heatsink is electrically connected to the rear bracket by being fixed to the rear bracket, and the rear bracket is connected to a ground line of the inverter power circuit by means of the ground electric potential connecting terminal.

Abstract: A micro-electro-mechanical transducer (such as a cMUT) is disclosed. The transducer has a substrate, a top plate, and a resilient structure therebetween. The resilient structure has multiple connectors distributed over the device element area to vertically transport the top player with distributed support. The resilient structure may be cantilevers formed using a middle spring layer covering cavities on the substrate. Connectors define a transducing space below the top plate. The resilient structure enables a vertical displacement of the connectors, which transports the top plate in a piston-like motion to change the transducing space and to effectuate energy transformation. No separate cells are necessary for each addressable transducer element. Multiple device elements can be made on the same substrate.

Abstract: A rotary electric machine includes a stator having stator windings; and a rotor rotatably disposed in the stator, said rotor having a rotor core provided with a plurality of magnets and a plurality of magnetic auxiliary salient poles formed between poles of the magnets. In this rotary electric machine: a magnetic air gap is provided in an axial direction of the rotor in a position shifted in a circumferential direction from a q axis passing through a center of the magnetic auxiliary salient pole within the magnetic auxiliary salient pole; and an amount of shifting the magnetic air gap from the q axis in the circumferential direction differs according to a position of the magnetic air gap in the axial direction so as to cancel torque pulsation in energization caused due to the magnetic air gap.

Abstract: A brushless motor stator is provided that may be applied to a plurality of types of motors having different rotational speeds, merely by providing one type of a circuit substrate. A pair of fitting convex portions that project radially outside of a virtual circle centering on a center line C are formed on one insulator divided body of a slot insulator. Three pairs of diagonally located fitting concave portions are formed in an inner circumferential wall portion surrounding a through-hole of a circuit substrate. The pair of fitting convex portions of the one insulator divided body are fitted in one of the three pairs of fitting concave portions. With this, a positional relationship between three hall elements and stator magnetic poles is selected, corresponding to the speed range of a motor to be used.

Abstract: A low-cost minimal-loss zero-maintenance flywheel battery, to store electric power from a DC power source by conversion to kinetic energy, and regenerate electric power as needed. Its vertical spin-axis rotor assembly is supported axially by repelling annular permanent magnets, and is centered by ceramic ball bearings which have axial preload that prevents vibration and augments axial rotor support. A regenerative multi-pole permanent-magnet motor, controlled by its 2-phase stator current, and connected by power and signal conductors to power interface electronics, is integrated within the flywheel assembly, in a vacuum enclosure supported by a self-leveling structure. Sinusoidal 2-phase stator currents are controlled by high-frequency pulse-width-modulated H-bridge power electronics that draw and regenerate controlled DC current with minimal ripple, responsive to respective 2-phase rotation angle sensors, the DC power voltage, and other settings.

Abstract: The mold commutator of the present invention comprises a plurality of commutator segments made of copper or copper alloy and circumferentially arranged, a plurality of spark absorbing elements, disposed between adjacent commutator segments, with paired parallel surfaces respectively having electrodes thereon, and a resin mold portion which integrates these portions into one piece. The spark absorbing element is electrically connected to the commutator segment via the electrode, and spark voltage generated at the commutator segment is absorbed by current flowing between the electrodes.

Abstract: An electrostatic operating apparatus (electrostatic induction generator) includes a first substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode and set in a state where the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically separated from each other at least on the substrate and a second substrate including an electret member, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are so provided as to be opposed to each other at an interval and so formed as to be movable relatively with each other, and at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is so formed as to be capacitively coupled with the electret member.

Abstract: A motor includes a housing, a rotor and a stator. The housing includes a shaft tube having a free end. The rotor includes a shaft rotatably extending through the bearing and having an annular groove. The stator includes an assembling hole receiving the shaft tube. The stator includes an upper bobbin, a lower bobbin, a plurality of silicon steel plates and a winding. The upper bobbin includes a plurality of pressing plates annularly, each having first and second abutting portions. The first abutting portion has a first end connecting to the upper bobbin, and a second end abutting against a top surface of the bearing. The free end is lower than the first end but higher than the second end. The first abutting portion is spaced from the shaft tube and abuts only on the bearing. The second abutting portion extends from the first abutting portion into the annular groove.