US 12,382,833 B2
Piezoelectric mems valve for an electronic device
Guo-Lun Luo, Santa Clara, CA (US); Gokhan Hatipoglu, Milpitas, CA (US); and Peter C. Hrudey, San Mateo, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/095,870.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/311,833, filed on Feb. 18, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0270010 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
Int. Cl. H10N 30/20 (2023.01); F16K 31/00 (2006.01); H10N 30/87 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 30/2042 (2023.02) [F16K 31/006 (2013.01); H10N 30/87 (2023.02)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A piezoelectric valve comprising:
a fixed portion defining an opening;
a number of movable portions extending from the fixed portion over the opening and separated from one another by radially oriented slits, each movable portion of the number of movable portions comprising a first material layer defining a first side and a second side of the movable portion having different lengths and a second material layer, the first material layer comprises an inactive material layer having corrugations formed in a surface of the inactive material layer and the second material layer comprises a piezoelectric material confined to a perimeter portion of the first material layer between the corrugations and that is operable to drive a displacement of the movable portion in a direction opposite to an adjacent movable portion sharing a same radially oriented slit upon application of a voltage; and
a sensor material layer formed on the inactive material layer of each movable portion to sense a position of each movable portion.