US 12,469,659 B2
Microelectromechanical systems power relay
William Boettcher, Berkeley, CA (US); Eric Meshot, Berkeley, CA (US); Fabian Goericke, Berkeley, CA (US); Gregory C. Ghahramani, Berkeley, CA (US); Klaus Zietlow, Berkeley, CA (US); Jeffrey Holden, Berkeley, CA (US); and James Stölken, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to Atomic Machines, Inc., Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed by Atomic Machines, Inc., Berkeley, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/744,308.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/508,748, filed on Jun. 16, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0191864 A1, Jun. 12, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01H 50/36 (2006.01); H01H 50/44 (2006.01); H01H 50/64 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 50/36 (2013.01) [H01H 50/44 (2013.01); H01H 50/641 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electric relay circuit for use with a load, comprising:
a stator assembly that has a chamber partially defined therethrough along a central longitudinal axis, wherein the stator assembly includes a non-conductive substrate, a layer or layers including components with which the load interacts mechanically or electrically, a first ferromagnetic layer that is adjacent to a spacer, a first plurality of coils that is adjacent to the first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer that is adjacent to the first plurality of coils, a second plurality of coils that is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer, and a third ferromagnetic layer that is adjacent to the second plurality of coils, wherein a bottom surface of the third ferromagnetic layer is at a top end of the chamber;
a plunger assembly that is situated in the chamber of the stator assembly and, in operation, moves along the central longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position, the plunger assembly including a plunger that includes a pair of ferromagnetic plates with a magnet situated therebetween, wherein (i) a first ferromagnetic plate of the pair of ferromagnetic plates is situated between the first and second ferromagnetic layers and (ii) a second ferromagnetic plate of the pair of ferromagnetic plates is situated between the second and third ferromagnetic layers; and
the pair of ferromagnetic plates and the first, second, and third ferromagnetic layers further cooperating to drive more than one contact, each contact including:
a first contact member having an exposed surface, the exposed surface having asperities that form one or more high points and low points on the exposed surface; and
a second contact member having a contact surface, and a plurality of electrically conductive flexures extending from the contact surface;
wherein the first contact member and the second contact member may be moved relative to each other to provide differentiated open and closed positions, and
wherein, when the first contact member is positioned adjacent the second contact member in a closed position in which the contact surface of the second contact member is not in electrical contact with the one or more high points on the exposed surface of the first contact member, each flexure of the plurality of electrically conductive flexures is in electrical contact with the exposed surface of the first contact member.