Patents Examined by Karen B Addison
  • Patent number: 9793463
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a piezoelectric vibration module capable of improving adhesion between a piezoelectric element and an external electrode disposed on the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric vibration module, including: a piezoelectric element printing patterns of a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode therein and having a first external electrode electrically connected to the first internal electrode and a second external electrode electrically connected to the second internal electrode on an external surface thereof, wherein the first external electrode and the second external electrode are made of silver (Ag) and are formed on the external surface of the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: MPLUS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yeon Ho Son, Jae Kyung Kim, Jun Kun Choi
  • Patent number: 9780698
    Abstract: The inventive concept discloses a piezoelectric energy harvesting array and a method of manufacturing the same. The manufacturing method may include forming a plurality of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices; connecting masses to one side of the piezoelectric energy harvesting devices and connecting the other side of the piezoelectric energy harvesting devices facing the masses to a base; and individually tuning a resonant frequency of each of the piezoelectric energy harvesting devices to prevent mismatch of resonant frequency when the masses vibrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Sang Kyun Lee, Moonkeun Kim
  • Patent number: 9780296
    Abstract: The invention relates to a ceramic material, comprising lead zirconate titanate, which additionally contains K and optionally Cu. The ceramic material can be used in an electroceramic component, for example a piezoelectric actuator. The invention also relates to methods for producing the ceramic material and the electronic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Alexander Glazunov, Adalbert Feltz
  • Patent number: 9780290
    Abstract: A nanometer-scale precision actuator comprises a base, an intermediate structure, an output interface, and two linear elements producing a controllable extension in the same longitudinal direction, each between a first and a second end. A first of the two elements has a first end fixed onto the intermediate structure and a second end fixed onto the base, a second of the two elements has a first end fixed onto the intermediate structure and a second end fixed to the output interface. The base and the intermediate structure are positioned in such a manner that the controllable extension of the second element produces a displacement of the actuator in a first direction and the controllable extension of the first element produces a displacement of the actuator in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, with respect to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignees: THALES, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Christophe Devilliers, FĂ©lix Aguilar, Julien Ducarne, Francois Barillot, Frank Claeyssen
  • Patent number: 9774227
    Abstract: A linear electro-mechanical actuator includes a containment structure (2), a nut (5) positioned in the containment structure (2), a screw shaft (6) inserted in the nut (5) and interconnected with the nut (5) via a helical recirculating ball coupling, and an anti-rotation mechanism (9) positioned inside the screw shaft (6) to prevent the screw shaft (6) from rotating about the axis (X). The anti-rotation mechanism (9) includes a guide unit (10) fixed cantilever-style to the containment structure (2) and connected to the screw shaft by a non-rotational coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: UMBRA CUSCINETTI S.P.A.
    Inventors: Luciano Pizzoni, Romano Beffa, Riccardo Maccaglia, Nicola Borgarelli, Raffaele Picone
  • Patent number: 9761785
    Abstract: A ferroelectric device comprising a substrate; a textured layer; a first electrode comprising a thin layer of metallic material having a crystal lattice structure divided into granular regions; a seed layer; the seed layer being epitaxially deposited so as to form a column-like structure on top of the granular regions of the first electrode; at least one ferroelectric material layer exhibiting spontaneous polarization epitaxially deposited on the seed layer; the ferroelectric material layer, the seed layer, and first electrode each having granular regions in which column-like structures produce a high degree of polarization normal to the growth plane and a method of making.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Glen R Fox, Ronald G. Polcawich, Daniel M Potrepka, Luz M Sanchez
  • Patent number: 9755134
    Abstract: In a piezoelectric device, an identification pattern provided on a main face of a piezoelectric body is covered with an electrode, so as to inhibit the identification pattern from generating particles, while the identification pattern makes the polarity of the piezoelectric device discernible by the appearance thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuta Motani, Kazuo Nagata, Mitsunao Homma
  • Patent number: 9735337
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped piezoelectric element. One outer surface of the piezoelectric element includes a first region, and a second region located such as to project from the first region and to overlap a region corresponding to an active portion in the one outer surface. The second region has a flat surface configured to come into contact with a body to be driven and to generate a frictional force therewith. The flat surface is shorter in a longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element than in a lateral direction thereof. The flat surface is longer in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element at a lateral center region thereof than at a lateral end region thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ikeda, Keiji Oguchi
  • Patent number: 9728361
    Abstract: A piezoelectric multiplexer includes an actuator and multiple piezo-morph beams. The actuator includes an actuator conducting head and an actuator stem, and each piezo-morph beam includes a conducting beam contact head and a beam stem manufactured out of piezo-morph material. A control voltage is selectively applied to electrical contacts coupled to the beam stems to create a piezoelectric effect that bends the selected piezo-morph beam and creates an electrical connection between its contact head and the conducting head of the actuator. A control circuit with a controller signals which piezo-morph beam to connect to the actuator. This multi-piezo-morph-beam piezoelectric multiplexer can be affixed to the electrical terminals of different electrical components (e.g., a transistor) to create an electrical cell that can be manufactured on a semiconductor chip or in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: 19th Space Electronics
    Inventors: Lizon Maharjan, Babak Fahimi, Daniel Christopher Dial, Joseph Hearron, Job Timothy Brunet, Carlos Caicedo-Narvaez, Arash Hassanpour Isfahani
  • Patent number: 9729086
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasonic actuator (2) with a polarization axis P, said actuator being made of a piezoelectric ceramic. The ultrasonic actuator (2) has a temperature expansion coefficient which is parallel to the polarization axis P and which differs from a temperature expansion coefficient that is perpendicular to the polarization axis P, and at least one friction element (8) is arranged on the ultrasonic actuator. The friction element (8) consists of an anisotropic monocrystal with temperature expansion coefficients which are different along the three crystal axes a, b, and c. The temperature expansion coefficient along a first of the three crystal axes is the lowest, and the temperature expansion coefficient along a second of the three crystal axes is the greatest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Physik Instrumente GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Wladimir Wischnewskiy, Alexej Wischnewskiy
  • Patent number: 9728707
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an energy harvester device comprising an elongate resonator beam comprising a piezoelectric material, the resonator beam extending between first and second ends; a base connected to the resonator beam at the first end with the second end being freely extending from the base as a cantilever; a mass attached to the second end of the resonator beam; a package surrounding at least a portion of the second end of the resonator beam; and a compliant stopper connected to the package, where the stopper is configured to stabilize motion of the cantilever to prevent breakage. Also disclosed is a system, a method of powering an electrically powered apparatus, and methods of producing an energy harvester device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: MicroGen Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kathleen M. Vaeth, David Trauernicht, Robert G. Andosca
  • Patent number: 9716463
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a piezovoltaic energy harvesting laminate that includes a photovoltaic laminar wafer comprised of a plurality of photovoltaic cells and a dielectric wafer that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A boundary laminate interface is disposed between the photovoltaic laminar wafer and the dielectric wafer. The boundary laminate contains a metallization layer electrical terminal for the photovoltaic cells and a conduction layer of the dielectric wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Inventors: Gareth J. Knowles, William M. Bradley
  • Patent number: 9711709
    Abstract: Transducer systems with reduced acoustic noise coupling are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a transducer system includes pressure balancing features to prevent a floating portion of the transducer system from contacting a fixed portion of the transducer system, or to reduce the degree to which the floating portion is urged into contact with the fixed portion by process pressure or atmospheric pressure. In some embodiments, a transducer system includes one or more acoustic dampening elements, interruption grooves, annular projections, or dampening washers to reduce acoustic noise coupling between various components of the transducer system or between the transducer system and a flowcell in which the transducer system is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Toan H. Nguyen, Lei Sui, Nicholas Anderson Hobbs, Liguo Su
  • Patent number: 9705065
    Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric actuator including: a piezoelectric member having a multilayer structure; an external electrode formed on an outer surface of the piezoelectric member; and an intermediate electrode formed between layers of the piezoelectric members and having an area smaller than that of the external electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae Kyung Lee, Byung Hun Kim, Hwa Sun Lee, Jae Chang Lee, Seung Mo Lim
  • Patent number: 9705427
    Abstract: A driving motor includes a member having a contact surface, a vibrator including a contact part that is brought into contact with the contact surface, a pressing unit, and a contact member located between the pressing unit and the vibrator. The vibrator and the member move relatively by a vibration of the vibrator. The pressing unit comprises an elastic member so as to apply a pressing force on the contact part against the member including the contact surface. The contact member has a curved surface portion formed as an arc shape curved toward the pressing unit, and comes into contact with the pressing unit at the curved surface portion. The curved surface portion is formed so as to locate a position of a center of a circle including the arc shape of the curved surface portion not closer to the contact member than to the contact part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Oikawa, Ryo Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 9689748
    Abstract: An infrared detection element includes a substrate, a lower electrode layer, a pyroelectric layer, and an upper electrode layer. The lower electrode layer is fixed to the substrate, and the pyroelectric layer is formed on the lower electrode layer. The upper electrode layer is formed on pyroelectric layer. The lower electrode layer contains pores therein and has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the pyroelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshinari Noda, Takashi Kubo, Hisao Suzuki, Naoki Wakiya, Naonori Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 9680086
    Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric material which has excellent insulating and piezoelectric properties and which contains no lead and potassium and also provides a piezoelectric element and a multilayered piezoelectric element each using the above piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material is a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1). (1?x){(NayBa1-z)(Nb7Ti1-z)O3}-xBiFeO3??(1) In the formula, 0<x?0.015, 0.80?y?0.95, 0.85?z?0.95 are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunsuke Murakami, Takayuki Watanabe, Makoto Kubota
  • Patent number: 9680082
    Abstract: A device for charging and discharging a capacitive actuator connectable to an output connection has a first capacitor disposed between an input connection and a reference potential. The device has a series connection composed of a first and a second power switching element which is connected in parallel with the first capacitor. The device additionally has a first coil with a first connection connected to the center tap of the series connection, wherein the second connection of the first coil is connected to the reference potential via a third power switching element and to the output connection via a fourth power switching element. Wherein the power switching elements have diodes connected in parallel therewith such that they are reverse-biased from the input connection or the output connection to the reference potential. Wherein a connection of the fourth power switching element is connected to the input connection via a diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Walter Schrod, Albert Anzinger
  • Patent number: 9673380
    Abstract: The application is directed to piezoelectric single crystals having shear piezoelectric coefficients with enhanced temperature and/or electric field stability. These piezoelectric single crystal may be used, among other things, for vibration sensors as well as low frequency, compact sonar transducers with improved and/or enhanced performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Inventors: Wesley S. Hackenberger, Jun Luo, Shujun Zhang, Fei Li, Thomas R. Shrout, Kevin A. Snook, Raffi Sahul
  • Patent number: 9640751
    Abstract: A device for performing a precision movement comprising a plate composed of piezoelectric material and comprising electrodes which are provided at mutually opposite and preferably parallel planes, are connectable to a controlled voltage source having electrical voltage and in this case bring about a change in the form and/or mass of the plate is characterized in that at least one of the electrodes is designed in an elastic fashion to form a base module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Inventors: Alexander Potemkin, Petr Nikolaevich Luskinovich, Vladimir Alexandrovich Zhabotinsky