US 12,428,290 B2
Bending transducer as actuator, bending transducer as sensor, bending transducer system
Hermann Schenk, Dresden (DE); Bert Kaiser, Dresden (DE); and Lutz Ehrig, Dresden (DE)
Assigned to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Munich (DE)
Filed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Munich (DE)
Filed on Apr. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/228,380.
Application 17/228,380 is a continuation of application No. PCT/EP2018/078298, filed on Oct. 16, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0229979 A1, Jul. 29, 2021
Int. Cl. B81B 3/00 (2006.01); B81B 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC B81B 3/0021 (2013.01) [B81B 3/0086 (2013.01); B81B 7/008 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Bending transducer as actuator with a deflectable element, comprising
a first microelectromechanical transducer extending along a centroid fiber of the deflectable element that deflects the deflectable element in a first direction when a first electrical signal is applied, and
a second microelectromechanical transducer extending along the centroid fiber that deflects the deflectable element in a second direction opposite to the first direction when a second electrical signal is applied,
the centroid fiber being located between sides of the first and second microelectromechanical transducers facing away from each other, and
an electrical control configured to vary the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal depending on an input signal, such that a change of the first electrical signal and a change of the second electrical signal to deform deformable electrodes of the first microelectromechanical transducer and deformable electrodes of the second microelectromechanical transducer depend on the electrical input signal, and the phases of the first and second electrical signals are shifted with respect to one another, wherein the first microelectromechanical transducer comprises a first plate capacitor with deformable electrodes and the second microelectromechanical transducer comprises a second plate capacitor with deformable electrodes, the first and second plate capacitor segmented along a longitudinal direction of the deflectable element, and wherein the electrical control is configured to apply a combination of a first bias and a first signal portion depending on the input signal as the first electrical signal to the first microelectromechanical transducer and a combination of a second bias and a second signal portion depending on the input signal as the second electrical signal to the second microelectromechanical transducer.