Patents Examined by Thomas M. Dougherty
  • Patent number: 10418969
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a container including first and second projections disposed on a bottom plate; and a vibration element having an end on a third surface side of the vibration element placed in a container via a connector so that the first and second projections, and a first surface face each other with a void therebetween, and the first and second projection portions partially overlap the first surface on a fourth surface side of the vibration element, and are aligned along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the vibration element. In addition, a relationship of L1>L2>L3 is satisfied when an interval between ends in the intersecting direction is L1, an interval between the first and second projections is L2, and an interval between ends in the intersecting direction of an electrode film is L3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Seiichi Chiba
  • Patent number: 10418180
    Abstract: In an electronic component, a first outer electrode includes a first conductive layer provided on a first end surface. A second outer electrode includes a second conductive layer provided on a second end surface. A first inner electrode passes through the first conductive layer. A second inner electrode passes through the second conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Kageyama, Tetsuo Kawakami, Manabu Sakai, Takashi Ohara, Takahiro Hirao, Ryuki Kakuta
  • Patent number: 10401963
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a smart material for providing haptic feedback, as well as haptic actuators, and suitably haptic actuation resulting from electroactive materials. Such haptic actuators are useful in structural materials, including as elements of wearables or accessories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: IMMERSION CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vahid Khoshkava, Juan Manuel Cruz-Hernandez
  • Patent number: 10404918
    Abstract: In a translational driving apparatus that is capable of reducing the drive load of a vibration-type actuator, each of a plurality of drive units has a vibration-type actuator and an output portion that outputs a driving force that occurs by driving the vibration-type actuator. A holding portion holds the drive units. A movable body has driving-force receiving parts that slidably engage with the output portions, and is driven by the drive units. A fixing portion supports the movable body so as to allow translation in any direction in a plane. The output portions receive no force from the driving-force receiving parts in a direction that intersects perpendicularly with the plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Oda, Masanori Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10404232
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuation platform (1) including piezoelectric substrate (3) formed from a single crystal piezoelectric material, and at least one simple electrode (5) in contact with the piezoelectric substrate for applying an electrical signal to the substrate such that a lamb or surface acoustic wave can be generated within said substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Amgad Rezk, Leslie Yeo, James Friend
  • Patent number: 10396271
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body that is provided on a substrate and includes multiple sides; a first wiring that is provided from the piezoelectric body to the substrate; and a second wiring that is provided from the piezoelectric body to the substrate. When the piezoelectric element is viewed from a thickness direction of the piezoelectric body, a second side and a fourth side on which the piezoelectric body is superimposed on the first wiring are different from a first side and a third side on which the second wiring is superimposed on the piezoelectric body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 10396270
    Abstract: The vibration actuator enables easy inspection of conductivity of a conduction path for connecting an electrode of an electromechanical energy conversion element to a GND potential. In the vibration actuator, a vibration element includes an elastic body formed of a material which is insulating, dielectric, or semi-conductive, and a piezoelectric element joined to the elastic body. The piezoelectric element includes a first electrode formed on a surface of a piezoelectric body by which surface the piezoelectric body is joined to the elastic body, a second electrode provided in a manner opposed to the first electrode via the piezoelectric body, and at least two conduction paths each having a conductor in a through-hole formed in the piezoelectric body. One of the at least two conduction paths electrically connects the first electrode and the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasumichi Arimitsu
  • Patent number: 10393498
    Abstract: Provided is a technique related to a new sensor unit which is flexible in that the sensor unit can be installed in various locations such as inside of a structure with a large curvature, and which can stably measure multi-directional deformation and very efficiently and wireless measure deformation information, and thus provided is a technique of a sensor structure which can be universally utilized in various systems for measuring deformation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Chung-Ang University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Seung Hwan Chang, Ji Hun Bae
  • Patent number: 10389277
    Abstract: A device is provided for controlling a piezoelectric actuator able to combine two types of piezoelectric actuator control, namely voltage control and charge control. Switching between charge control and voltage control takes place automatically, without added switching elements, according to the nature of the voltage applied to the input of the setup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignees: UNIVERSITE D'AIX-MARSEILLE, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE
    Inventors: Issa Ouattara, Jean-Luc Gach, Philippe Amram
  • Patent number: 10389332
    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: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventor: Kushal Bhattacharjee
  • Patent number: 10381543
    Abstract: A multi-layer component (1) is specified, comprising a main body (2) with an external contact (3) arranged thereon, a further contact (5) for electrically contacting the multi-layer component (1), and a connecting element (4) for connecting the external contact (3) and the further contact (5), wherein the connecting element (4) is embodied in such a way that a decoupling of mechanical stresses that occur in the further contact (5) from the external contact (3) is brought about.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Martin Galler, Harald Kastl, Siegfried Fellner, Axel Pecina, Marion Ottlinger, Peter Gerletz, Robert Krumphals, Wolfgang Athenstaedt, Ivan Jagust, Zdravko Mijocevic, Zeljko Maric
  • Patent number: 10381544
    Abstract: A system and method provides a piezoelectric stack arrangement for reduced driving voltage while maintaining a driving level for active piezoelectric materials. A stack arrangement of d36 shear mode <011>single crystals of both air X-cut and Y-cut ±1:45° (±20°) arrangement are bonded with discrete conductive pillars to form a shear crystal stack. The bonding area between the neighboring crystal parts is minimized. The bonding pillars are positioned at less than a total surface are of the single crystal forming the stack. The stack fabrication is facilitated with a precision assembly system, where crystal parts are placed to desired locations on an assembly fixture for alignment following the preset operation steps. With the reduced clamping effect from bonding due to lower surface coverage of the discrete conductive pillars, such a piezoelectric d36 shear crystal stack exhibits a reduced driving voltage while maintaining a driving level and substantial and surprisingly improved performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: Pengdi Han, Jian Tian, Stephen Dynan, Brandon Stone
  • Patent number: 10381955
    Abstract: An ultrasonic actuator made of polarized piezoelectric material in the form of a single-layer or multilayer flat rectangular plate with two main faces, at least four lateral faces joining the main faces, and a thickness T, which is defined by the distance between the main faces in the direction of their surface normals, and wherein on both the one main face and the other opposite main face at least one layer including two triangular electrodes imposingly arranged and separated by a diagonal separating region, the electrodes on the one main face being offset relative to the electrodes on the other main face by 90°. The ultrasonic actuator is characterized in that on at least one of the lateral faces there are two mutually spaced friction elements designed to contact at least one element that is to be driven by the ultrasonic actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: PHYSIK INSTRUMENTE (PI) GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Wladimir Wischnewskiy, Alexej Wischnewski
  • Patent number: 10382008
    Abstract: Disclosed is a surface acoustic wave device including a piezoelectric substrate, first and second bus bars formed on the piezoelectric substrate to be opposite each other, a plurality of first inter-digital electrodes that are electrically connected to the first bus bar and extend from the first bus bar toward the second bus bar, and a plurality of second inter-digital electrodes that are electrically connected to the second bus bar and extend from the second bus bar toward the first bus bar, in which the first inter-digital electrodes and the second inter-digital electrodes are alternately arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: WISOL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ah Sung Kim, Chul Hwa Lee
  • Patent number: 10369787
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film is formed by adding a donor element to lead zirconate titanate. In the piezoelectric thin film, a molar ratio of lead to a total sum of zirconium and titanium is 105% or higher, and, when positive and negative coercive electric fields in polarization and electric field hysteresis are referred to as Ec (+) and Ec (?), respectively, a value of |Ec (+) |/|Ec (?) | is 0.5 or more and 1.5 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kenji Mawatari
  • Patent number: 10369596
    Abstract: A vibrator unit may be configured to vibrate a target material in a target channel and include a vibration element configured to vibrate in response to an external electrical signal having a predetermined frequency. A resonance frequency of the vibration element may be different from the predetermined frequency of the electrical signal. A vibrator unit may include a vibration transmission member in contact with the first member including the target channel in interior; and a vibration element that is in contact with the vibration transmission member. A mode-1 natural frequency of the vibration transmission member may be different from a resonance frequency of the vibration element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Hirashita
  • Patent number: 10370241
    Abstract: A physical quantity detection device includes a semiconductor element and a physical quantity detection vibrator element a portion of which overlaps the semiconductor element in a plan view of the semiconductor element. The physical quantity detection vibrator element includes a drive portion including a drive electrode, and a detection portion. At least a partial region of the drive electrode does not overlap the semiconductor element in the plan view of the semiconductor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinya Aoki
  • Patent number: 10374573
    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: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc.
    Inventor: Kushal Bhattacharjee
  • Patent number: 10363574
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element which includes a vibrating film, a piezoelectric body disposed on one surface of the vibrating film, and a horizontal electrode structure in which electrodes are disposed at a predetermined gap therebetween on the piezoelectric body. The vibrating film includes a recess portion in a portion corresponding to the predetermined gap in plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromu Miyazawa, Hiroshi Ito, Tomoaki Nakamura, Masayoshi Yamada, Jiro Tsuruno, Tsukasa Funasaka
  • Patent number: 10361643
    Abstract: A base end of a flexible plate-like structure body (111) having a first attribute is fixed to a pedestal (310) and a leading end thereof is connected to a connector between different attributes (112). Base end of a flexible plate-like structure body (113, 114) having a second attribute is connected to the connector between different attributes (112) and leading end thereof is given as free ends. Weight body (211, 212, 213) is connected to the lower surface of the connector between different attributes (112) and the leading-end lower surface of the plate-like structure body (113, 114) having the second attribute. When vibration energy is applied to the pedestal (310), the weight body (211, 212, 213) undergoes vibration, resulting in deformation of each of the plate-like structure bodies (111, 113, 114). The deformation energy is taken out by a charge generating element (400) such as a piezoelectric element to generate electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: WACOH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Okada, Miho Okada