Patents Examined by J. San Martin
  • Patent number: 11903603
    Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes: a drive unit including a piezoelectric device; a proximal end block; and a distal end block. The distal end block includes a first portion, a supported portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The distal end block is configured such that a position of a boundary between the second portion and the third portion corresponds to or substantially corresponds to an antinode of the ultrasonic vibration while the piezoelectric device generates the ultrasonic vibration, and the ultrasonic vibration is being propagated to the proximal end block, the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion. A resonance frequency of the ultrasonic vibration differs according to a position of the boundary between the second portion and the third portion under a condition that a distance from the supported portion to a distal end of the third portion along the longitudinal axis is constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yukihiko Shimamura
  • Patent number: 11904360
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an acoustic wave transducer and a driving method thereof. The acoustic wave transducer includes cell groups, at least part of which each include acoustic wave transducer cells configured to perform a same operation, each acoustic wave transducer cell being configured to perform at least one of: converting an acoustic wave signal into an electrical signal and converting an electrical signal into an acoustic wave signal; and array element signal terminals, each of which is coupled to at least two adjacent cell groups, and is coupled to different cell groups through different switch devices, each switch device being configured to control connection and disconnection between the array element signal terminal and the cell group coupled to the switch device, and the cell groups coupled to an array element signal terminal and the cell groups coupled to an adjacent array element signal terminal are partly the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignees: BEIJING BOE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Liye Duan, Mengjun Hou, Yao Lu, Zongmin Liu
  • Patent number: 11901842
    Abstract: An energy harvesting apparatus using an electroactive material includes an electricity generator including the electroactive material to generate a voltage due to deformation caused by an external stimulus, and an impact generator including a deformable and restorable material capable of repetitive deformation and restoration and configured to generate a dynamic behavior based on the repetitive deformation and restoration in the electricity generator. A stimulus of the impact generator with respect to the electricity generator enables energy harvest. An electrode unit for deformation includes an electricity generator including an electroactive material to generate a voltage due to deformation caused by an external stimulus, and an electrode part electrically connected to at least one surface of the electricity generator, and including an elastically deformable material to achieve relative deformation while in contact with the electricity generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: CHUNG-ANG UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION
    Inventor: Seung Hwan Chang
  • Patent number: 11901874
    Abstract: Acoustic resonator devices and filters are disclosed. An acoustic resonator includes a substrate having a surface and a single-crystal piezoelectric plate having front and back surfaces, the back surface attached to the surface of the substrate except for a portion of the piezoelectric plate forming a diaphragm that spans a cavity in the substrate. An interdigital transducer (IDT) is formed on the front surface of the single-crystal piezoelectric plate such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are disposed on the diaphragm. The piezoelectric plate and the IDT configured such that a radio frequency signal applied to the IDT excites a shear primary acoustic mode in the diaphragm. A half-lambda dielectric layer is formed on one of the front surface and back surface of the piezoelectric plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ventsislav Yantchev
  • Patent number: 11894834
    Abstract: A vibrator device includes a vibrator element, a container in which the vibrator element is housed, a circuit which is disposed in the container, and which overlaps the vibrator element in a plan view, and an inductor which is disposed in the container, which fails to overlap the vibrator element in the plan view, and which is electrically coupled to the circuit. The container includes at least a first member and a second member, and a bonding area configured to bond the first member and the second member to each other, and the inductor is disposed in the bonding area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kamakura, Yusuke Matsuzawa
  • Patent number: 11890644
    Abstract: Ultrasonic devices include a transducer having a piezoelectric element therein that may operate as an acoustic signal receiving surface and/or an acoustic signal generating surface. At least one acoustic matching layer is provided on the piezoelectric element. This at least one acoustic matching layer may be configured as a composite of N acoustic matching layers, with a first of the N acoustic matching layers contacting the primary surface of the piezoelectric element. This first acoustic matching layer may have an acoustic impedance equivalent to ZL1, where N is a positive integer greater than zero. In some embodiments of the invention, the magnitude of ZL1 may be defined as: 0.75 ((Zp)N+1(Zg))1/(N+2)?ZL1?1.25 ((Zp)N+1(Zg))1/(N+2), where Zp is the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element (e.g., lead zirconate titanate (PZT)) and Zg is the acoustic impedance of a compatible gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Sensus Spectrum, LLC
    Inventor: Justin Rorke Buckland
  • Patent number: 11894833
    Abstract: Disclosed is a bulk acoustic wave resonator (BAWR). The BAWR includes a bulk acoustic wave resonance unit with a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. An air edge is formed at a distance from a center of the bulk acoustic wave resonance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jea Shik Shin, Duck Hwan Kim, Chul Soo Kim, Sang Uk Son, In Sang Song, Moon Chul Lee
  • Patent number: 11885007
    Abstract: A structure includes a substrate including a wafer or a portion thereof; and a piezoelectric bulk material layer comprising a first portion deposited onto the substrate and a second portion deposited onto the first portion, the second portion comprising an outer surface having a surface roughness (Ra) of 4.5 nm or less. Methods for depositing a piezoelectric bulk material layer include depositing a first portion of bulk layer material at a first incidence angle to achieve a predetermined c-axis tilt, and depositing a second portion of the bulk material layer onto the first portion at a second incidence angle that is smaller than the first incidence angle. The second portion has a second c-axis tilt that substantially aligns with the first c-axis tilt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventors: Derya Deniz, Matthew Wasilik, Robert Kraft, John Belsick
  • Patent number: 11882767
    Abstract: A method for producing an ultrasonic transducer or ultrasonic transducer array, the method comprising providing or depositing a layer of piezoelectric material on a substrate. The piezoelectric material is a doped, co-deposited or alloyed piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material comprises: a doped, co-deposited or alloyed metal oxide or metal nitride, the metal oxide or metal nitride being doped, co-deposited or alloyed with vanadium or a compound thereof; or zinc oxide doped, co-deposited or alloyed with a transition metal or a compound thereof. Optionally, the deposition of the layer of piezoelectric material is by sputter coating, e.g. using a sputtering target that comprises a doped or alloyed piezoelectric material. In examples, the layer of piezoelectric material is deposited onto the substrate using high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS). Further enhancement may be obtained using substrate biasing (e.g. DC and/or RF) during deposition of the layer of piezoelectric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Novosound Ltd.
    Inventors: David Hughes, Desmond Gibson, Daniel Irving
  • Patent number: 11873214
    Abstract: A method for fabricating nano-electro-mechanical tags for identification and authentication includes, in part, forming a protective layer above a substrate, forming a first conductive layer above the protective layer serving as a first electrode, forming a piezoelectric layer above the first conductive layer, forming a second conductive layer above the piezoelectric layer, patterning the second conductive layer to form a second electrode, patterning the piezoelectric layer to expose one or more portions of the first conductive layer, and forming one or more trenches that extends into a plurality layers formed above. In addition, a sacrificial layer can be formed above portions of the substrate, and the sacrificial layer can be removed by etching to release the nano-electro-mechanical tags from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated
    Inventors: Roozbeh Tabrizian, Swarup Bhunia
  • Patent number: 11877516
    Abstract: A displacement sensor having a rectangular shaped elastic member. A piezoelectric element is attached to a first main face of the elastic member. The piezoelectric element has a rectangular-shaped piezoelectric sheet and electrodes on both main faces of the piezoelectric sheet. The piezoelectric sheet is made of poly-L-lactic acid and is at least uniaxially-stretched. The piezoelectric element is attached so that the uniaxial-stretching direction of the piezoelectric sheet is 45° relative to a long-side direction of the elastic member. When the elastic member is bent along the long-side direction, the piezoelectric sheet is stretched along the long-side direction, and the piezoelectric element generates voltage of predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamichi Ando, Hideki Kawamura
  • Patent number: 11877518
    Abstract: A package for an electric device is proposed based on a substrate (SU, SU1, SU2) that comprises at least a piezoelectric layer. Device structures are enclosed in a cavity of an integrally formed package layer structure (PK) of a thin film package applied on the first surface (SI). A first contact pad (PI) is arranged on the first surface of the substrate and electrically connected to the device structures. A second contact pad (P2) is arranged on a second surface (S2) of the substrate opposite to the first surface (SI). A via (V) is guided through the substrate and interconnects first and second contact pads electrically. Packages may be stacked on one another and connected via two pads of different kind. The first substrate (SU1) is connected via its second pad (P2) on the second surface thereof to the first pad of a second substrate (SU2) by means of connection means (CM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: RF360 SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventor: Alexander Schmajew
  • Patent number: 11870423
    Abstract: Acoustic resonator devices and filters are disclosed. An acoustic resonator includes a substrate having a surface and a single-crystal lithium niobate (LN) plate having front and back surfaces, the back surface attached to the surface of the substrate except for a portion of the LN plate forming a diaphragm that spans a cavity in the substrate. An interdigital transducer (IDT) is formed on the front surface of the LN plate such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are disposed on the diaphragm. A half-lambda dielectric layer is formed on one of the front surface and back surface of the diaphragm. Euler angles of the LN plate are [0°, ?, 0°], where 20°???25°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ventsislav Yantchev
  • Patent number: 11870372
    Abstract: Disclosed are device implementations for a hybrid energy harvesting device and methods for harvesting mechanical energy from the ambient. The various device implementations utilize a combination of electrostatic energy conversion and piezoelectric energy conversion elements. The method simultaneously converts mechanical energy into electrical charge by electrostatic and piezoelectric energy harvesting. The devices include a piezoelectric harvester including a pair of electrodes and piezoelectric nanocomposite polymer, an electrostatic harvester including an electret film and a pair of electrostatic electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: James West, Ugur Erturun, Sung Hoon Kang, Adebayo Eisape
  • Patent number: 11863157
    Abstract: There is provided a vibrator device including: a vibrator element; a semiconductor substrate having a first surface on which the vibrator element is disposed and a second surface positioned on an opposite side of the first surface; a fractional N-PLL circuit disposed at the second surface; a wiring that is disposed at the first surface and electrically couples the vibrator element and the fractional N-PLL circuit; and an output terminal that is disposed at the second surface side of the semiconductor substrate, is electrically coupled to the fractional N-PLL circuit, and outputs a signal from the fractional N-PLL circuit, in which the output terminal does not overlap the wiring in a plan view along a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Takeuchi, Hisahiro Ito
  • Patent number: 11850629
    Abstract: A piezoelectric sensor assembly, a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel and an electronic device including the same are provided. The piezoelectric sensor assembly includes: a base substrate; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, wherein a spacing area is provided between two adjacent ultrasonic transducers; and an acoustic matching layer, wherein the acoustic matching layer includes a plurality of acoustic matching areas, and an orthographic projection of at least one acoustic matching area on the base substrate falls into an orthographic projection of the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to the acoustic matching area on the base substrate, wherein an isolation cavity is provided between two adjacent acoustic matching areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chenyang Zhang, Yingming Liu, Haisheng Wang, Peixiao Li, Xiufeng Li, Yuzhen Guo, Yanling Han, Lijun Zhao
  • Patent number: 11848614
    Abstract: A power supply circuit that outputs an electric power that is input from a vibration-driven energy harvesting element to an external load, includes: a negative half-wave rectifying circuit that half-wave rectifies an alternating current power that is input from the vibration-driven energy harvesting element, into a negative voltage output; an inverting chopper circuit that inverts and outputs the negative voltage output which is output from the negative half-wave rectifying circuit, into a positive voltage output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignees: The University of Tokyo, Saginomiya Seisakusho, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Toshiyoshi, Hisayuki Ashizawa, Masahiro Morita
  • Patent number: 11837977
    Abstract: Proposed is a self-resonance tuning piezoelectric energy harvester with broadband frequency, including: a piezoelectric beam which is extended along a horizontal direction; a fixing member which fixes opposite ends of the piezoelectric beam; and a mobile mass which the piezoelectric beam passes through, and which is capable of self-movement along the piezoelectric beam through a through-hole which has a free space in addition to a space which the piezoelectric beam passes through, wherein as the mobile mass moves to a position of the piezoelectric beam, generated displacement of a piezoelectric beam is increased, and as the generated displacement becomes greater than the free space, the mobile mass is fixed to a position of a piezoelectric beam at which resonance will occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Hyun-Cheol Song, Chong Yun Kang, Jin Sang Kim, Ji-Won Choi, Seung Hyub Baek, Seong Keun Kim
  • Patent number: 11832522
    Abstract: A piezoelectric transducer includes beam portions each with a fixed end portion and extending in a direction away from the fixed end portion. A base portion is connected to the fixed end portion of each of the beam portions. The beam portions extends in a same plane, and respective extending directions of at least two beam portions are different from each other. The beam portions each include a single crystal piezoelectric layer having a polarization axis in a same direction, an upper electrode layer, and a lower electrode layer. A polarization axis has a polarization component in the plane. An axial direction of an orthogonal axis that is orthogonal to the polarization axis and extends in the above-described plane intersects with an extending direction of each of the plurality of beam portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fumiya Kurokawa, Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Yoichi Mochida, Seiji Umezawa, Nobuyoshi Adachi, Yutaka Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 11824516
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a container and an AT-cut crystal element. The AT-cut crystal element has at least one side surface intersecting with a Z?-axis of the crystallographic axis of the crystal constituted of three surfaces. The first surface is a surface equivalent to a surface formed by rotating the principal surface by 4°±3.5° with an X-axis of the crystal as a rotation axis. The second surface is a surface equivalent to a surface formed by rotating the principal surface by ?57°±5° with the X-axis. The third surface is a surface equivalent to a surface formed by rotating the principal surface by ?42°±5° with the X-axis. When two corner portions on a side of a second side opposed to the first side of the AT-cut crystal element are viewed in plan view, each of the two corner portions have an approximately right angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: NIHON DEMPA KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Shimao, Tetsuya Watanabe, Koji Toshikawa, Hirokazu Iwata