Patents Examined by Thomas Dougherty
  • Patent number: 10763763
    Abstract: A motor includes a pressing member pressing a vibrator onto a contacting member, first and second holding members respectively holding the vibrator and a transmission member, which transmits pressing force by the pressing member to the vibrator, and a coupling member coupling the first and second holding members. The vibrator and the contacting member move by vibrations occurring in the vibrator. The coupling member includes a rolling member moving the first and second holding members in a pressing direction of the pressing member, and an urging member, which is held by the second holding member, urging the first and second holding members in parallel with a moving direction of the vibrator and the contacting member. The rolling member is sandwiched between the first and second holding members, and abuts against the first holding member on a center side of the vibrator in the moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinsuke Yoshida, Yasufumi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10444431
    Abstract: A reticulated resonator includes: a reticulated substrate that includes: a substrate frame; and a phononic structure in mechanical communication with the substrate frame and including a plurality of unit members arranged in a two-dimensional array; and a membrane disposed on the reticulated substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Raymond W. Simmonds, Katarina Cicak, Cindy A. Regal, Pen-Li Yu, Yeghishe Tsaturyan, Thomas P. Purdy, Nir S. Kampel
  • Patent number: 10371667
    Abstract: A fluidic device includes a base structure, a wall structure, and a cover structure bounding a fluidic passage containing a functionalized active region of at least one bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator structure. One or more of the wall structure, the cover structure, or a portion of the base structure includes multiple features (e.g., protrusions and/or recesses) configured to interact with fluid flowing within the fluidic passage to promote mixing between constituents of the fluid. Methods for fabricating a fluidic device, as well as methods for biological or chemical sensing using a fluidic device, are further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: QORVO US, INC.
    Inventor: Rio Rivas
  • Patent number: 10357225
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating an ultrasound transducer. A substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side is provided. A bottom electrode is formed over the first side of the substrate. A piezoelectric element is formed over the bottom electrode. The piezoelectric element has a chamfered sidewall. A top electrode is formed over the piezoelectric element. A step metal element is formed over a portion of the top electrode proximate to the chamfered sidewall of the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: VOLCANO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cheryl Rice, Dongjuan Chris Xi
  • Patent number: 10284119
    Abstract: There is provided a power generating element which is capable of converting vibration energy in various directions into electric energy without waste and less likely to be damaged even upon application of excessive vibration. Made available is a main generating structure (MGS) in which a first layer (100), a second layer (200) and a third layer (300) are laminated. The second layer (200) has a plate-like bridge portion (210), a central plate-like portion (220), a left-hand side plate-like portion (230) and a right-hand side plate-like portion (240), each of which is flexible, and the third layer (300), that is a weight body, formed in the “U” letter shape is joined with the lower surface thereof. The plate-like bridge portion (210) is protected by the weight body (300) circumference thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: TRI-FORCE MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Okada, Miho Okada
  • Patent number: 10263596
    Abstract: Degenerately doped semiconductor materials are deployed within resonant structures to control the first and higher order temperature coefficients of frequency, thereby enabling temperature dependence to be engineered without need for cumulative material layers which tend to drive up cost and compromise resonator performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: SiTime Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph C. Doll, Paul M. Hagelin, Ginel C. Hill, Nicholas Miller, Charles I. Grosjean
  • Patent number: 10263172
    Abstract: To improve both of the mechanical reliability and electrical reliability of an electronic apparatus including a piezoelectric body, a vibrator, and a vibration wave motor. The piezoelectric body is configured by bonding a piezoelectric element and a flexible printed circuit substrate FPC, a coverlay has an end N made up of a first outline part and a second outline part that intersect with wiring layers, the first outline part coming in contact with an electrode F1 of electrodes F, and the second outline part coming in contact with another electrode of the electrodes F. Length L1 from an outer-shape line M of the piezoelectric element that intersects with the FPC to the first outline part is shorter than length L2 from the outer-shape line M to the second outline part, and the electrode F1 is located closer to the outer-shape line than the other electrode of the electrodes F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoshi Nishitani
  • Patent number: 10245064
    Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a transducer assembly with a housing having a conduit section and a base portion. A fluid passageway is defined through the conduit and base portion, an ultrasonic transducer including a plurality of piezoelectric elements and a plurality of electrodes are arranged in a stack configuration, where an electrode is located between each pair of piezoelectric elements. A first borehole is defined through the ultrasonic transducer and an end mass having a second borehole defined therethrough. A surface of the end mass is positioned adjacent a first end of the ultrasonic transducer, the end mass is configured to engage with the housing, and the conduit section of the housing is configured to pass through the second borehole of the end mass. The end mass is configured to compress the ultrasonic transducer against a surface of the housing when the end mass is engaged with the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ethicon LLC
    Inventors: Sora Rhee, Jacob S. Gee, Steven P. Smolik, Stephen J. Balek, William D. Dannaher
  • Patent number: 10246376
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lead-free piezoceramic material based on bismuth sodium titanate (BST) having the following parent composition: x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zSrTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z?0.07 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-yBaTiO3-zCaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z?0.05 or x(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3-y(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3-zBaTiO3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z<1, characterized by addition of a phosphorus-containing material in a quantity that gives a phosphorus concentration of from 100 to 2000 ppm in the piezoceramic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: PI CERAMIC GMBH
    Inventors: Eberhard Hennig, Antje Kynast, Michael Töpfer, Michael Hofmann
  • Patent number: 10243137
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer which is formed on the first electrode by using a solution method, and is formed from compound oxide which has a perovskite structure in which potassium, sodium, and niobium are provided, and a second electrode which is provided on the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer has a peak derived from a (200) plane and a peak derived from a (002) plane in an X-ray diffraction pattern obtained by ?-2? measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sakai, Koji Sumi, Tetsuya Isshiki, Toshiaki Takahashi, Tomokazu Kobayashi, Kazuya Kitada
  • Patent number: 10243134
    Abstract: An object is to cause a piezoelectric film to perform a piezoelectric operation at a higher voltage than the conventional piezoelectric film. An aspect of the present invention is a piezoelectric film, wherein a voltage at which a piezoelectric butterfly curve that is a result obtained by measuring a piezoelectric property of a piezoelectric film takes a minimum value is larger by 2 V or more than a coercive voltage of a hysteresis curve that is a result obtained by measuring a hysteresis property of said piezoelectric film. The piezoelectric film includes an anti-ferroelectric film, and a ferroelectric film formed on the anti-ferroelectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: ADVANCED MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kijima, Yasuaki Hamada, Takeshi Nomura
  • Patent number: 10242821
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques and systems for providing simulated, haptic feedback that is local to physical, non-actuating keys of a keyboard. A keyboard includes a plurality of non-actuating keys defined in a cover portion of the keyboard, a plurality of force-producing mechanisms coupled to a substrate underneath and adjacent the cover portion. The force-producing mechanisms may be positioned on suspended portions of the substrate that are mechanically isolated and arranged on the substrate to substantially correspond to a layout of the plurality of non-actuating keys. The force-producing mechanisms may be individually actuated to deflect the suspended portions of the substrate underneath the cover portion to create a tactile sensation for a user's finger that is local to a particular key. In some embodiments, the force-producing mechanisms are piezoelectric actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Hong Z. Tan, Zhaoyuan Ma, Chen Zhao
  • Patent number: 10233076
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for transducer array subdicing. A laminate material may include two laminate material flexures which each have a flexure boundary defined by a gap in the piece of laminate material. A trench may be located between the two flexures. The trench may be defined by a removal of a portion of laminate material from the piece of laminate material. A second trench may be on an opposite surface of the piece of laminate material from the trench. The second trench may be partially aligned with the trench. The trench and the second trench may result from the removal of laminate material from the piece of laminate material to a depth of 20% to 60% of the thickness of the piece of laminate material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: uBeam Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew Joyce
  • Patent number: 10230349
    Abstract: An acoustic wave device is an end surface reflection-type acoustic wave device and includes a substantially rectangular-parallelepiped composite substrate in which a piezoelectric substrate and a supporting substrate are joined together, with a pair of IDT electrodes provided on the substrate in such a manner as to be intercalated with each other. A chipping size in a first side face of the substrate is 1/10 of a wavelength ? of an acoustic wave or smaller, the face extending orthogonally to a direction of acoustic-wave propagation. A chipping size in a second side face of the substrate is larger than the chipping size in the face and is, for example, ½ of the wavelength ? or larger and 50 times the wavelength ? or smaller, the face extending in the direction of acoustic-wave propagation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyoshi Tai, Akira Hamajima, Yuji Hori
  • Patent number: 10230040
    Abstract: The present invention generally relates to high frequency piezoelectric crystal composites, devices, and method for manufacturing the same. In adaptive embodiments an improved imaging device, particularly a medical imaging device or a distance imaging device, for high frequency (>20 MHz) applications involving an imaging transducer assembly is coupled to a signal imagery processor. Additionally, the proposed invention presents a system for photolithography based micro-machined piezoelectric crystal composites and their uses resulting in improved performance parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: CTS Corporaton
    Inventors: Pengdi Han, Jian Tian, Kevin Meneou, Brandon Stone
  • Patent number: 10224898
    Abstract: This piezoelectric wafer has: a piezoelectric vibration piece; a frame portion that supports the piezoelectric vibration piece; and a coupling portion that couples the piezoelectric vibration piece to the frame portion. A pair of first and second metal bumps is formed in juxtaposition on the piezoelectric vibration piece. The coupling portion has slits extending in its width direction except in a bridge, i.e., a part of the coupling portion in its width direction. An end in the width direction of the bridge is distantly spaced from the first and second metal bumps both in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the coupling portion with no overlap with these metal bumps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Daishinku Corporation
    Inventors: Tadataka Koga, Tomo Fujii, Kozo Shibutani, Satoru Ishino, Yoshinari Morimoto, Kazuki Otani
  • Patent number: 10224476
    Abstract: Textured PMN-PZT fabricated by templated grain growth (TGG) method has a piezoelectric coefficient (d) of 3 to 5 times that of its random counterpart. By combining this TGG method with low-temperature co-firing ceramics (LTCC) techniques, co-fired multilayer textured piezoelectric ceramic materials with inner electrodes were produced at a temperature as low as 925° C., which silver could be used. Trilayer PMN-PZT ceramics prepared by this method show a strain increase of 2.5 times, a driving voltage decrease of 3 times, and an equivalent piezoelectric coefficient (d*) improvement of 10 to 15 times that of conventional random ceramic counterparts. Further, a co-fired magnetostrictive/piezoelectric/magnetostrictive laminate structure with silver inner electrode was also synthesized. The integration of textured piezoelectric microstructure with the cost-effective low-temperature co-fired layered structure achieves strong magnetoelectric coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yongke Yan, Shashank Priya
  • Patent number: 10215164
    Abstract: A device for harvesting energy from fabric or clothing includes a piece of fabric or clothing. One or more piezoelectric harvesters are coupled with the piece of fabric or clothing. The piezoelectric harvesters are capable of producing electric energy in response to the movement of the piece of fabric or clothing. Additionally, the device includes one or more energy storage mediums coupled to the one or more piezoelectric harvesters. The energy storage mediums are capable of storing the energy produced by the one or more piezoelectric harvesters. Further, the method for harvesting energy from fabric or clothing involves moving a piece of fabric such that one or more piezoelectric harvesters generate electricity. The method for harvesting energy from fabric or clothing also involves storing the generated electricity in one or more energy storage mediums.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Nadine L. Dabby, Feras Eid, Adel A. Elsherbini, Braxton Lathrop, Aleksandar Aleksov, Sasha Oster
  • Patent number: 10218293
    Abstract: A piezoelectric harvesting system using repulsion force, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a piezoelectric body comprising a piezoelectric material; a fixed portion to at least one surface of which the piezoelectric body is adhered; a support portion for supporting one side of the fixed portion; and a repulsion force-providing portion for providing repulsion force to the fixed portion, so that the piezoelectric body generates electric energy when the fixed portion is deformed due to application of external force and then recovered. According to one embodiment of the present invention, additional shock is applied to the fixed portion to which the piezoelectric body is adhered when recovering after being deformed, thereby increasing the amount of electric energy generated due to the deformation of the piezoelectric body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: AMC ENERGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tae Hyun Sung, Hyun Jun Jung, Ki Hwan Baek, Daniel Song, Chan Ho Yang
  • Patent number: 10218333
    Abstract: A moveable micromachined member of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device includes an insulating layer disposed between first and second electrically conductive layers. First and second mechanical structures secure the moveable micromachined member to a substrate of the MEMS device and include respective first and second electrical interconnect layers coupled in series, with the first electrically conductive layer of the moveable micromachined member and each other, between first and second electrical terminals to enable conduction of a first joule-heating current from the first electrical terminal to the second electrical terminal through the first electrically conductive layer of the moveable micromachined member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: SiTime Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph C. Doll, Nicholas Miller, Charles I. Grosjean, Paul M. Hagelin, Ginel C. Hill