US 12,072,485 B2
Capacitive angle sensing of electrostatic MEMS mirrors
Sangtak Park, Mountain View, CA (US); Matthew Wakelin, Kitchener (CA); and Jordan Van Wyk, Waterloo (CA)
Assigned to GOOGLE LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by GOOGLE LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 1, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/220,627.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/004,616, filed on Apr. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0269070 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 26/08 (2006.01); B81B 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 26/0841 (2013.01) [B81B 3/0083 (2013.01); B81B 2201/047 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
driving an optical reflector, the optical reflector comprising a rotor, a first stator, and a second stator, wherein one of the first stator and the second stator is positioned between the rotor and the other one of the first stator and the second stator, wherein driving the optical reflector comprises applying a first actuation voltage to the first stator and applying a second actuation voltage to the second stator; and
determining a position attribute of the optical reflector based on a relationship between a first capacitance and a second capacitance, the first capacitance corresponding to a capacitance between the rotor and the first stator, and the second capacitance corresponding to a capacitance between the rotor and the second stator.