55 results about "Flexure bearing" patented technology

An example include microelectromechanical die for sensing motion that includes a fixed portion, an anchor coupled to the fixed portion, a first nonlinear suspension member coupled to anchor on a side of the anchor, a second nonlinear suspension member coupled to the anchor on the same side of the anchor, the second nonlinear suspension member having a shape and location mirroring the first nonlinear suspension member about an anchor bisecting plane and a proof-mass that is planar, the proof mass suspended at least in part by the first nonlinear suspension member and the second nonlinear suspension member such that the proof-mass is rotable about the anchor and is slideable in a plane parallel to the fixed portion.

A densifier is provided which in one embodiment can simultaneously densify two cryogenic liquids at different temperatures. The densifier has an oscillatory power source for generating oscillatory power and a two stage pulse tube refrigerator. The oscillatory power source can be a thermoacoustic heat engine or a mechanical oscillatory power source such as a linear flexure bearing compressor. The first stage densifies a first cryogenic liquid to a first cryogenic temperature, and the second stage densifies a second cryogenic liquid to a second, lower cryogenic temperature. A densified propellant management system also is provided which has a densifier for simultaneously densifying two cryogenic liquids at different temperatures, and a cryogenic temperature probe for measuring the temperature gradient in a cryogenic liquid.

An aerial digital camera comprises a housing 15, a lens, a frame 45, an image sensor 35 mounted on the frame, at least three flexure bearings 51 connecting the frame and the housing, the flexure bearings allowing a displacement of the frame relative to the housing in a displacement direction 67 parallel to a light receiving surface of the image sensor, a spring 69 providing a biasing force between the housing and the frame oriented in the displacement direction; and an actuator 71 for displacing the frame relative to the housing against the biasing force of the spring.

This rotary flexure bearing is a monolithic structure with inner and outer hubs connected by unique rotary compound flexure stages. These rotary compound flexure stages provide the angular compliance required for bearing rotation as well as compliance for flexure foreshortening while holding a constant axis of rotation with great precision over the entire range of motion. This design offers large angular displacement, low operating stress, low operating torque, and high stiffness in the five noncompliant degrees of freedom. The rotary flexure bearing described herein has applications in precision mechanics, particularly opto-mechanics. Specific applications include but are not limited to wafer and reticle alignment stages used in microlithography systems, mirror pointing and scanning mechanisms used in tactical and spaceborne systems, as well as flip-in mechanisms used in multiple field of view optical systems.

A clamping device is provided for clamping an object, such as bonding wire for a wire bonding machine. The device comprises a pair of clamping arms arranged in pivotal relationship with each other about a pivot point, the clamping arms having clamping ends movable between an open position and a closed position. An attraction device is operative to provide an attraction force between the clamping arms about the pivot point. The device includes biasing means that is operative to provide a biasing force in opposition to the attraction force about the pivot point, such that the biasing force is operative to bias the clamping ends towards the closed position. In a preferred embodiment, the biasing means comprises a flexure bearing.

A compliant gripper with integrated position and force sensors dedicated to automated micro-assembly tasks. The gripper possesses a larger gripping range with a bidirectional drive, and is capable of detecting grasping force and environmental interaction forces in horizontal and vertical axes. The gripper has a compliant rotary flexure bearing. The gripper further has a compliant mechanism with two-stage stiffness designed to provide force sensing with dual sensitivities in two measuring ranges to accommodate the grasping of objects with different sizes. The dual-sensitivity, dual-range force sensor provides finer and coarser force sensing in a small and large ranges, respectively. Analytical models are derived to predict the grasping range, force sensing sensitivities, and force measuring ranges. These models are verified by conducting finite-element analysis simulations.

An extensometer assembly for use in association with a material testing system. The extensometer assembly has a pair of extensometers each of which includes a first arm and a second arm. The arms are pivotally coupled together through a connector, such as a flexure bearing. The extensometers may be positioned on opposing sides of a specimen to be tested. A pair of clips extending between opposing first arms and opposing second arms, respectively, retains the extensometers engaged to the specimen on opposing sides of the specimen.

An optical scanning or positioning mechanism has a head on which optical components are mounted and an actuator coupled to the head to cause the head to move when the actuator is actuated. There are one or more sets of flexure bearings mounted in the mechanism. The flexure bearings have a restoring torque when moved from a rest position. The bearings are coupled to the head to allow the head to move when actuated by the actuator. One or more magnets are mounted in the mechanism in a location other than in the actuator to compensate for the flexure bearings restoring torque.

A flexure bearing having a first sleeve and a second sleeve is provided. Each sleeve includes a first pillar having a first end attached to the sleeve and a second end projecting outwardly from the sleeve and a second pillar having a first end attached to the sleeve and a second end projecting outwardly from the sleeve parallel to and diametrically opposed to the first pillar. The flexure bearing has a plurality of blind holes and a plurality of compression springs, each compression spring having a first spring end fit into one of the blind holes of a pillar of the first sleeve and a second spring end fit into a corresponding blind hole of an adjacent pillar of the second sleeve when the second sleeve is interconnected to the first sleeve.

A flexure bearing “planar” spring that can spring multiple, independently reciprocating bodies, such as springing each body to a third body or springing a first body to a second body and springing the second body to a third body. A primary arm set of primary spring arms are separated from each other by openings and extend inwardly from a peripheral frame along a non-radial primary path progressing inwardly toward a central axis and angularly about the central axis. A secondary arm set of at least one secondary spring arm extends along a non-radial secondary path progressing radially and angularly about the central axis. Each secondary arm is interposed in an opening between the primary arms allowing the primary arms and the secondary arms to pass by each other through the openings without interfering with each other.

A cryogenic refrigerator and more particularly, the cryogenic refrigerator compressor assembly procedure and to a mechanism for supporting piston for use in such a cryogenic refrigerator is described. Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-mentioned drawbacks by avoiding the radial movements of the piston. The assembly procedure of a cooler compressor comprises coating at least one piston by a material, placing each piston in the cylinder, raising the temperature up until a predetermined temperature so as the piston and/or its coat expands to occupy all the cylinder, fixing each piston in the cylinder in this position until the temperature returns to ambient temperature. Another object of this invention is the cooler compressor piston spring having two flexure bearings separated by a gap connected together by a first and an outer ring.

Modular elements employing latches with flexure bearings are disclosed. A modular element may include a chassis body supporting electronic components. The body is in communication with a latch and a control member of the modular element. The modular element is removable from or secured to an enclosure using the latch. The latch may engage the enclosure and may remain engaged by being secured by interfacing with a catch of an arm of the control member. By connecting the arm to the control body with a flexure bearing, the flexure bearing may urge the catch into a detent of the latch to secure the latch and keep the modular element secured to the enclosure. The latch may be disengaged from the control member by removing the catch from the detent. In this manner, the modular element is efficiently secured and removed from the enclosure.

Timepiece resonator (100) comprising an inertia element (4; 5) suspended from a flexible strip (2) deformable in a plane XY parallel to a longitudinal direction Y, and whose transverse extension along a transverse axis X, in projection onto the plane XY, is variable and of positive value on at least one side of the neutral axis (FN) of said strip (2), which includes, at a distance from its embedments, at least one rib (3) extending substantially along an axis Z perpendicular to the plane XY, each having at least one generatrix which is farther from the neutral axis (FN) than the external surfaces of the sections (6) of the strip (2) located outside the ribs (3), and the longitudinal extension (LN) of each rib (3) of the strip (2), along the longitudinal axis Y, is less than one fifth of the length L of the strip (2) between its embedments.

A compact deformation-based micro-texturing apparatus and method employ flexure bearing houses for rotatably supporting opposite ends of each of a first (e.g. upper) roll and a second (e.g. lower) roll to provide a working roll gap between the rolls, wherein at least one of the rolls has one or more micro surface features to plastically deform a surface of a workpiece deformed by rolling action in the roll gap. An electrical current may be passed through the workpiece to assist micro deformation. A roll gap adjusting device is operably associated with the first and second flexure bearing houses for adjusting the roll gap dimension to the final depth of the micro surface features to be imparted to the surface of the workpiece by the rolling action.