Patents Examined by Emily P Pham
  • Patent number: 11588416
    Abstract: A stick-slip piezo motor. At least one voltage source is connected to a piezo motor. The piezo motor has at least one oscillating piezo element and at least one moving friction element connected to the oscillating piezo element. The moving friction element moves in a desired travel direction. A computer is programmed to control the voltage source to deliver voltage to the piezo motor at a predetermined frequency and amplitude to control the speed of the piezo motor. The computer is programmed to hold the frequency constant while varying the amplitude to adjust the speed of the piezo motor. In a preferred embodiment the computer is programmed to hold the frequency constant at an ultrasonic frequency. In another preferred embodiment the computer is programmed to hold the frequency constant at a value of 15 kHz or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventor: Manfred Schneider
  • Patent number: 11581825
    Abstract: An acoustic device includes a piezoelectric element, an attachment member to which the piezoelectric element is attached, and a spacer. The piezoelectric element includes first and second principal surfaces opposing each other. The attachment opposes the first principal surface. The spacer is disposed between the piezoelectric element and the attachment member in such a manner as to form an acoustic space between the piezoelectric element and the attachment member. The spacer includes an adhesive layer including a principal surface in contact with the first principal surface and a principal surface in contact with the attachment member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Satoh, Yoshikazu Shimura, Kaoru Kijima
  • Patent number: 11581826
    Abstract: A linear piezoelectric motor including a passive element having an elongated shape, and a piezoelectric actuator including a resonator including a pair of arms connected at one of their ends at a connection zone, the two other ends being called free, the passive element being capable of being moved linearly between the free ends by friction of the free ends against the passive element, the passive element and the resonator being inclined with respect to one another by a non-zero angle (?) of less than 90 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse
    Inventors: Pascal Lagorgette, Pascal Meyer
  • Patent number: 11569720
    Abstract: A motor for a vehicle may include: a shaft member rotatably installed; a magnet attached to the outside of the shaft member; a cover covering the magnet, and fixing the magnet on the shaft member; and a stator disposed outside the cover and the magnet. A distance between the cover and the stator may be equal to a distance between the magnet and the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae Woo Jung
  • Patent number: 11569430
    Abstract: Method for operating an ultrasonic motor with an ultrasonic actuator formed as a plate and an electrical excitation device. The ultrasonic actuator has at least four identical volume regions arranged symmetrically in relation to a transverse plane and in relation to a longitudinal plane, each volume region forming acoustic standing waves and static bending deformations. The electrical excitation device provides at least one electric alternating voltage and two static electric voltages the at least one alternating voltage U1 being applied in a dynamic operating mode simultaneously to two of the generators for forming an acoustic standing wave in the ultrasonic actuator, and the two static electric voltages being applied in a static operating mode simultaneously to all generators for forming a static bending deformation of the ultrasonic actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: PHYSIK INSTRUMENTE (PI) GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Wladimir Wischnewskiy, Alexej Wischnewski
  • Patent number: 11569762
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the technical field of mechanical precision manufacturing, in particular to a motor tracking error reduction method and an implementation device based on a micro-drive unit. A motor tracking error reduction method based on micro-drive unit includes: providing a motor mover as the working output end, and feeding back the position information of the motor mover to the micro-drive controller in real time by the sensor; controlling the micro-drive unit to compensate the displacement of the motor mover by the micro-drive controller; correcting the tracking error of the motor mover after the displacement compensation, and feeding back the tracking error information after correction to the motor controller. The error reduction method and implementation device in the present disclosure reduce the motor tracking error and solve the problem of coupling interference. In addition, the single position feedback is used to reduce the production cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: GUANGDONG UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Jian Gao, Jindi Zhang, Yuheng Luo, Lingwei Tan, Lanyu Zhang, Xin Chen
  • Patent number: 11563406
    Abstract: A quartz crystal unit comprising a quartz crystal resonator having a base portion, and first and second tuning fork arms connected to the base portion, the base portion having a length less than 0.5 mm and greater than a spaced-apart distance between the first and second tuning fork arms, each of the first and second tuning fork arms having a width less than 0.1 mm and a length less than 1.56 mm, and a plurality of different widths including a first width and a second width greater than the first width, at least one groove being formed in at least one of opposite main surfaces of each of the first and second tuning fork arms so that a length of the at least one groove is within a range of 0.3 mm to 0.79 mm, the quartz crystal resonator being housed in a case, and a lid being connected to the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Inventor: Hirofumi Kawashima
  • Patent number: 11563363
    Abstract: A motor for a vehicle may include: a shaft member rotatably installed; a magnet attached to the outside of the shaft member; a cover covering the magnet, and fixing the magnet on the shaft member; and a stator disposed outside the cover and the magnet. A distance between the cover and the stator may be equal to a distance between the magnet and the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae Woo Jung
  • Patent number: 11557716
    Abstract: A method of manufacture and resulting structure for a single crystal electronic device with an enhanced strain interface region. The method of manufacture can include forming a nucleation layer overlying a substrate and forming a first and second single crystal layer overlying the nucleation layer. This first and second layers can be doped by introducing one or more impurity species to form a strained single crystal layers. The first and second strained layers can be aligned along the same crystallographic direction to form a strained single crystal bi-layer having an enhanced strain interface region. Using this enhanced single crystal bi-layer to form active or passive devices results in improved physical characteristics, such as enhanced photon velocity or improved density charges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Akoustis, Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn R. Gibb, Steven Denbaars, Jeffrey B. Shealy
  • Patent number: 11557961
    Abstract: A multi-phase interleaved PFC converter includes at least six switches coupled in a multi-phase interleaved circuit arrangement, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to turn on and turn off a first one of the switches according to a PWM signal to operate the first switch as an active switch having an off-time as a function of a duty cycle of the PWM signal, while turning on and turning off a second one of the switches as a synchronous switch. The control circuit is also configured to receive signal(s) indicative of currents in each phase of the interleaved circuit arrangement, set an on-time of the second switch equal to the off-time of the first switch when the signal(s) indicate continuous mode operation, and set the on-time of the second switch to a duration less than the off-time of the first switch when the signal(s) indicate discontinuous mode operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventors: Zhihua Gu, Siu Chik Wong, Kim Ly Kha
  • Patent number: 11545609
    Abstract: Disclosed is electromechanical actuator for ultrasonic motor in the shape of an n-sided regular polygon plate with n being equal to or greater than five. The polygon plate has two larger main surfaces and at least five smaller side surfaces connecting the main surfaces with each other. Two electrodes are arranged on one of the main surfaces and are electrically isolated from each other by a linear isolation area. One electrode is arranged on the other of the main surfaces. The polygon plate comprises an electromechanical material that undergoes a deformation when electric voltage is applied to the electrodes. The material of the electromechanical actuator comprises a single or polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramic with piezoelectric charge constant d31 differing from piezoelectric charge constant d32 both in sign and in value. The piezoelectric charge constants d31 and d32 define a first and second main deformation direction of the actuator perpendicular to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: PHYSIK INSTRUMENTE (PI) GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Burhanettin Koc, Bülent Delibas
  • Patent number: 11545955
    Abstract: A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) guided wave device includes a single crystal piezoelectric layer and at least one guided wave confinement structure configured to confine a laterally excited wave in the single crystal piezoelectric layer. A bonded interface is provided between the single crystal piezoelectric layer and at least one underlying layer. A multi-frequency device includes first and second groups of electrodes arranged on or in different thickness regions of a single crystal piezoelectric layer, with at least one guided wave confinement structure. Segments of a segmented piezoelectric layer and a segmented layer of electrodes are substantially registered in a device including at least one guided wave confinement structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventor: Kushal Bhattacharjee
  • Patent number: 11545916
    Abstract: A vibration-type actuator, which achieves high accuracy and durability, includes a vibrating body, a contact body, a supporting member, and at least one positioning and holding member. The vibrating body includes an elastic body with grooves and projecting portions alternately formed in a direction of relative movement of the vibrating body and the contact body, and further includes an electromechanical transducer mounted on the elastic body. The at least one positioning and holding member restrains movement of the vibrating body with respect to the supporting member in the relative movement direction, and includes an interposing portion interposed between a plurality of the projecting portions and a mounting portion mounted on the supporting member. The supporting member includes a receiving portion onto which the mounting portion is mounted with a clearance formed between the mounting portion and the receiving portion in the relative movement direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kei Suefuji
  • Patent number: 11541688
    Abstract: A wheel hub assembly for motor vehicles, having a rotatable hub, a bearing unit in turn comprising a radially outer ring, a radially inner ring and a plurality of rolling bodies. The axial interface between the wheel hub assembly and a knuckle of a motor vehicle suspension provides at least one piezoelectric spacer configured to detect first mechanical vibrations coming from the components of the wheel hub assembly and to implement corrective action consisting of second mechanical vibrations of almost equal amplitude but with opposite direction and phase, so that the resultant of the first and second mechanical vibrations is close to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Inventor: Marco Falossi
  • Patent number: 11535034
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric layer having a perovskite structure including lead, zirconium, and titanium, and an electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer is provided. In the piezoelectric layer, in a range of 50 nm or smaller from an interface between the piezoelectric layer and the electrode in a thickness direction, a ratio c/a of a lattice spacing a in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and a lattice spacing c in the thickness direction satisfies 0.986?c/a?1.014.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Inventors: Koichi Morozumi, Hiromu Miyazawa, Hiroshi Kato, Hiroshi Ito
  • Patent number: 11539212
    Abstract: This application provides a photovoltaic power generation system. The system includes at least one first photovoltaic module, a photovoltaic inverter, a first two-way DC/DC converter, and at least one first energy storage unit, and further includes at least one second photovoltaic module or at least one second energy storage unit. The photovoltaic inverter includes a DC/DC converter and a DC-AC inverter, where the DC/DC converter is electrically connected to the at least one first photovoltaic module, and the DC/DC converter is connected to the DC-AC inverter through a direct current bus. For the photovoltaic power generation system, photovoltaic arrays and energy storage devices can be configured flexibly to cope with peaks and troughs of power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: HUAWEI DIGITAL POWER TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fei Xu, Yongbing Gao, Guoping Fan
  • Patent number: 11539309
    Abstract: A zero-voltage zero-current soft switching type driving method for an ultrasonic motor is provided, relating to the technical field of driving of a two-phase actuator. The disclosure solves the problems of high loss, high heat amount and the like in a traditional ultrasonic motor driving circuit. The method provided realizes resonance between series inductors and buffer capacitors by means of an optimal design of the inductance of matching inductors, the capacitance of buffer capacitors, a dead time value and a delay time value, thereby causing a power tube to realize zero-voltage and zero-current switching. Two signal input ends of a two-phase pseudo full bridge inverter are connected to a power grid, and two signal output ends of the two-phase pseudo full bridge inverter are respectively connected to two signal input ends of a matching circuit; and the output ends of the matching circuit are respectively connected to a two-phase ultrasonic motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Weijia Shi, Xuyang Yu, Bo Zhao, Jiubin Tan
  • Patent number: 11533004
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a rotary motor, which includes: a clamping member having a gripping unit installed at an inner circumference of a rotor to grip the rotor during a predetermined time; and a driving member installed at the inner circumference of the rotor and having a rotation unit configured to make an elastic deformation to rotate by a predetermined angle and then return to an original state so that the rotor is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Donghyun Hwang, Byeongkyu Lim
  • Patent number: 11529649
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film includes a substrate having flexibility, and at least two piezoelectric elements provided to the substrate so as to be arranged at intervals of a first dimension along a first direction, the piezoelectric elements are each configured by stacking a first electrode film, a piezoelectric film made of an inorganic material, and a second electrode film along a thickness direction of the substrate, and an area between the piezoelectric elements adjacent to each other along the first direction forms a vibrational region which can be displaced in the thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Hironori Suzuki, Eiji Osawa, Koji Ohashi
  • Patent number: 11533003
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a piezoelectric device, and more particularly, to a piezoelectric device including: a piezoelectric actuator; a displacement transmission structure disposed on the piezoelectric actuator; and a displacement amplification structure disposed between the piezoelectric actuator and the displacement transmission structure. Here, the displacement amplification structure includes: a first displacement amplification structure and a second displacement amplification structure, which cross each other; and a fixing pin that passes through the first displacement amplification structure and the second displacement amplification structure to connect the first displacement amplification structure and the second displacement amplification structure. Also, each of one end of the first displacement amplification structure and one end of the second displacement amplification structure may be fixed on the piezoelectric actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Hanbit Jin, Hye Jin Kim, Yun-Jeong Kim, YuLim Min, Wooseup Youm, JoonMin Lee, Chan-Hwa Hong