Patents by Inventor Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz
Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7847885Abstract: A mechanical structure comprises an element which is moveable by nonmechanical means, such as heat or radiation, between a first state having a first shape and a second state having a second shape different. To this end, the element includes a layer of oriented polymerized liquid crystal which exhibits an anisotropic expansion when subjected to such means. In order to facilitate manufacture the element is positioned on a substrate which has a region of high adhesiveness and a region of low adhesiveness for polymerized liquid crystal. To manufacture such structures a layer of oriented polymerizable liquid crystal is formed on a substrate (201) which is provided with a patterned surface that provides adhesive regions (204) with high adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal and nonadhesive regions (203) with low adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2005Date of Patent: December 7, 2010Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltje Mol, Roel Penterman
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Patent number: 7578949Abstract: A foil moveable by non-mechanical means, such as light or heat, comprises an alternating array of first and second foil sections each resiliently and non-mechanically moveable between a flattened state and a bent state. The direction in which the first foil sections bend, when moved from the flattened to the bent state, is opposite to the direction in which the second foil sections bend when moved from the flattened to the bent state. When, in the flattened state, non-mechanically stimulating the first and second foil sections in unison, the first and second foil sections bend in opposite directions causing the foil to wrinkle, which results in a movement which is substantially linear. Using a different or removing the non-mechanical stimulus, the foil sections can be made to unbend resulting in a flattening and expansion of the foil to its original shape.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2005Date of Patent: August 25, 2009Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltje Mol
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Patent number: 7547402Abstract: A flexible foil which is moveable by light includes a dye which is capable of changing shape when absorbing light of a predetermined wavelength. The dye is dispersed in the foil such that, near at least one major surface of the foil, the dye is anisotropically oriented. Transverse to the foil, the concentration and/or orientation of the dye changes in an asymmetric manner. The change in orientation and/or concentration is such that, when exposed to light of the predetermined wavelength, the flexible foil moves. When exposed the dye changes shape which change in shape causes a change in lateral dimension of the foil which change in lateral dimension is, due to the change in concentration and/or orientation of the dye, different at different locations with the foil. This causes the flexible foil to move or more particular bend.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2005Date of Patent: June 16, 2009Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltie Mol
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Patent number: 7538930Abstract: The invention relates to a micro-mechanical thermal structure for modulating a light beam and a method for manufacturing such a structure. The micro-mechanical structure comprises two layers of material with different thermal expansion coefficients in a first direction and a second direction respectively, in which the first direction is transverse to the second direction and the two layers comprise an oriented polymer and the director of the molecules of the oriented polymer of the first layer is transverse to the director of the molecules of the oriented polymer of the second layer. An array of such micro-mechanical structures may form a thermo-optical modulator for modulating light. The method comprises a step of providing a mold with an orientation-inducing layer to obtain a molecular orientation in a mono-meric state of liquid crystalline monomers and a step of fixing the molecular orientation by photo-polymerization.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2003Date of Patent: May 26, 2009Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Grietje Neeltje Mol, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz
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Publication number: 20080264058Abstract: A foil moveable by non-mechanical means, such as light or heat, comprises an alternating array of first and second foil sections each resiliently and non-mechanically moveable between a flattened state and a bent state. The direction in which the first foil sections bend, when moved from the flattened to the bent state, is opposite to the direction in which the second foil sections bend when moved from the flattened to the bent state. When, in the flattened state, non-mechanically stimulating the first and second foil sections in unison, the first and second foil sections bend in opposite directions causing the foil to wrinkle, which results in a movement which is substantially linear. Using a different or removing the non-mechanical stimulus, the foil sections can be made to unbend resulting in a flattening and expansion of the foil to its original shape.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2005Publication date: October 30, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltje Mol
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Publication number: 20080259253Abstract: A mechanical structure comprises an element which is moveable by nonmechanical means, such as heat or radiation, between a first state having a first shape and a second state having a second shape different. To this end, the element includes a layer of oriented polymerized liquid crystal which exhibits an anisotropic expansion when subjected to such means. In order to facilitate manufacture the element is positioned on a substrate which has a region of high adhesiveness and a region of low adhesiveness for polymerized liquid crystal. To manufacture such structures a layer of oriented polymerizable liquid crystal is formed on a substrate (201) which is provided with a patterned surface that provides adhesive regions (204) with high adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal and nonadhesive regions (203) with low adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2005Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltje Mol, Roel Penterman
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Publication number: 20080259226Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanical shutter (601) that comprises a shutter element having a layer of polymerized liquid crystal. The polymerized liquid crystal is anisotropically oriented. At one major surface the orientation is an isotropic. In moving towards the opposite major surface the orientation varies, the variation being such that the thermal expansion coefficient varies in moving from the major surface to the opposite surface. When exposed to non-mechanical means such as heat, the shutter element moves. When for example a splayed or a twisted nematic orientation is used, the element bends and straightens in response to the non-mechanical means. Electrodes (604, 605, 606) can optionally be formed on the element and on a supporting substrate, rendering the element controllable by an electric field applied between the electrodes due to resulting electrostatic forces. The invention furthermore provides a method of manufacturing such mechanical shutters using in-situ polymerization.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2005Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltje Mol
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Publication number: 20080258108Abstract: A flexible foil which is moveable by means of light comprises a dye which is capable of changing shape when absorbing light of a predetermined wavelength. The dye is dispersed in the foil such that, near at least one major surface of the foil, the dye is anisotropically oriented. Transverse to the foil, the concentration and/or orientation of the dye changes in an asymmetric manner. The change in orientation and/or concentration is such that, when exposed to light of the predetermined wavelength, the flexible foil moves. When exposed the dye changes shape which change in shape causes a change in lateral dimension of the foil which change in lateral dimension is, due to the change in concentration and/or orientation of the dye, different at different locations with the foil. This causes the flexible foil to move or more particular bend. In a specific embodiment the movement is reversible.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2005Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONIC, N.V.Inventors: Dirk Jan Broer, Christiane Maria Rosette De Witz, Grietje Neeltie Mol