503 results about "Micro actuator" patented technology

A micro-actuator is comprised of a piezoelectric motor mounted on a flexure tongue with offsetting hinges, to perform a fine positioning of the magnetic read / write head. The substantial gain in the frequency response greatly improves the performance and accuracy of the track-follow control for fine positioning. The simplicity of the enhanced micro-actuator design results in a manufacturing efficiency that enables a high-volume, low-cost production. The micro-actuator is interposed between a flexure tongue and a slider to perform an active control of the fly height of the magnetic read / write head. The induced slider crown and camber are used to compensate for thermal expansion of the magnetic read / write head, which causes the slider to be displaced at an unintended fly height position relative to the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The enhanced micro-actuator design results in reduced altitude sensitivity, ABS tolerances, and reduced stiction. The controlled fly height of the magnetic read / write head prevents a possibility of a head crash, while improving the performance and data integrity.

The present invention relates to surface assisted fluid loading and droplet dispensing on a droplet micro actuator. A droplet actuator is provided and includes one or more electrodes configured for conducting one or more droplet operations on a droplet operations surface of the substrate. The droplet actuator further includes a wettable surface defining a path from a fluid reservoir into a locus which is sufficiently near to one or more of the electrodes that activation of the one or more electrodes results in a droplet operation. Methods and systems are also provided.

According to one aspect, a holographic storage system including micro-actuators is presented. In one example of one aspect of the invention, the device includes a spatial light modulator, a detector, a storage medium, and at least one micro-actuator configured to move at least one of the spatial light modulator, the detector, and the storage medium. The micro-actuators may include a servomechanism or the like to control the positioning of a component based on feedback associated with a misalignment of a detected image. According to another aspect of the invention, various methods for determining component misalignments of a holographic storage system are presented.

A method is disclosed for efficiently determining and writing repeatable runout (RRO) compensation value sets for data tracks on a magnetic disk in a disk drive. The disk drive has a magnetoresistive (MR) head having a read element and a separate write element, and a secondary actuator coupled to the end of a primary actuator for adjusting a head skew angle. In the method, the head skew angle is set such that the read and write elements are substantially aligned along the first track. A position error signal for each servo sector is determined over a predetermined number of disk revolutions during track following along a first data track. An RRO compensation value set is calculated for the first data track based on the position error signals. The RRO compensation value set is written for the first data track. A seek operation is then performed to a second data track.

The present invention relates to surface assisted fluid loading and droplet dispensing on a droplet micro actuator. A droplet actuator is provided and includes one or more electrodes configured for conducting one or more droplet operations on a droplet operations surface of the substrate. The droplet actuator further includes a wettable surface defining a path from a fluid reservoir into a locus which is sufficiently near to one or more of the electrodes that activation of the one or more electrodes results in a droplet operation. Methods and systems are also provided.

A micro-actuator for a head gimbal assembly includes a metal frame including a bottom support integrated with a suspension flexure of the head gimbal assembly, a top support adapted to support a slider of the head gimbal assembly, and a pair of side arms that interconnect the top support and the bottom support. The top support includes a rotatable plate, connection arms that couple the rotatable plate to respective side arms, and an electrical pad support plate that supports bonding pads. A PZT element is mounted to each of the side arms. Each PZT element is excitable to cause selective movement of the side arms.

The optical image stabilizer includes a substrate, a carrier movably disposed on the substrate for carrying an image sensor, an anchor fixed on the substrate, a conducting pad fixed on the anchor for coupling an image processing circuit, a flexible suspension disposed between the conducting pad and the carrier, a conducting line disposed on the flexible suspension coupled to the conducting pad and protruding over the carrier for coupling the image sensor, and a micro actuator disposed between the substrate and the carrier for adjusting the position of the carrier according to control signals from an actuator control circuit.

A system and method using a connection plate to electrically couple a magnetic read / write head to a printed circuit assembly. The connection plate has a set of contact pads to control reads and a set of contact pads to control. The printed circuit assembly also allows control of the micro-actuator arms. The connection plate can be attached to a framing assembly of the micro-actuator by laser welding or by using an ultraviolet cured epoxy.

A head gimbal assembly includes a slider, a rotatable micro-actuator and a suspension to load the slider and the rotatable micro-actuator. The rotatable micro-actuator horizontally rotates the slider with a central portion of the slider as an axis, which includes a bottom plate to be connected with the suspension, two arm plates symmetrically disposed on the bottom plate with a central portion of the bottom plate as symmetry point and at least one piezoelectric pieces to be connected with the arm plates. Selectively, the amount of the arm plates can be four and four piezoelectric pieces to be connected with the four arm plates, respectively.

A system for measuring a property of a sample includes an actuation device disposed on a substrate and includes a flexible surface spaced apart from the substrate and configured so as to allow placement of the sample thereupon. The actuation device also includes a vertical actuator that is configured to cause the flexible surface to achieve a predetermined displacement from the substrate when a corresponding potential is applied thereto. A sensing probe is disposed so as to be configured to interact with the sample thereby sensing the property of the sample.

A head gimbal assembly (HGA) for a disk drive unit that includes a micro-actuator, a slider and a suspension to load the slider and the micro-actuator. The micro-actuator is provided with a vibration canceller that counteracts forces generated by activation of the micro-actuator when making fine head position adjustments. The vibration canceller incorporates PZT elements that generate counteracting forces in the bottom plate of the micro-actuator to cancel the vibration generated by the micro-actuator, thereby providing improved resonance performance for a disk drive unit.

A head gimbal assembly (HGA) for a disk drive unit that includes a micro-actuator, a slider and a suspension to load the slider and the micro-actuator. The micro-actuator includes a pair of actuator side arms, a PZT element extending between and connecting the actuator side arms; a rotatable plate positioned between the actuator side arms, wherein the slider is mounted on the rotatable plate; and a pair of connection elements that connect the rotatable plate to the actuator side arms, respectively. The rotatable plate rotates in a first direction when the PZT element contracts and a second direction when the PZT element expands.

A HGA of the invention includes a slider; a micro-actuator to adjust the position of the slider; and a suspension to support the slider and the micro-actuator. The micro-actuator includes two side arms; a load plate for supporting the slider, which is connected with at least one of the side arms; a pair of piezoelectric (PZT) elements connected with the side arms; and a support shaft coupled with the suspension, the support shaft being connected with the side arms and positioned between the PZT elements. The invention also discloses a disk drive unit using such a HGA.

A HGA of the invention includes a slider; a micro-actuator to adjust the position of the slider; and a suspension to load the slider and the micro-actuator. The micro-actuator includes two side arms; a load plate for supporting the slider, which is connected with at least one of the side arms; a piezoelectric element connected with the side arms; and a base shaft to couple with the suspension, which is connected with the side arms and positioned between the load plate and the piezoelectric element. The invention also discloses a disk drive unit using such a HGA.

A micro-actuator of the invention includes a support frame having a base, a moving plate, a leading beam to connect the base with the moving plate; and two slider holding arms extending from both sides of the moving plate; at least one piezoelectric element bonding to the support frame to connect a free end of the base with the moving plate; wherein the moving plate sways in a first direction or in a second direction when the at least one piezoelectric element is actuated. The invention also discloses a head gimbal assembly and a disk drive unit using the micro-actuator.

A head gimbal assembly includes a micro-actuator, a slider, and a suspension that supports the micro-actuator and the slider. The micro-actuator includes a metal frame including a top support to support the slider, a bottom support to connect to the suspension, and a pair of side arms that interconnect the top support and the bottom support. The top support includes a rotatable plate and connection arms that couple the rotatable plate to respective side arms. A PZT element is mounted to each of the side arms. Each PZT element is excitable to cause selective movement of the side arms. The suspension includes a load beam having a dimple that engages and supports the rotatable plate in use.

An infusion pump includes a plurality of projections configured so that they enter the subcutaneous region of the patients skin and provides a painless means of creating a breach in the stratum corneum which is sealed against leakage by the skin surrounding each projection and provides a flow path for either a basal and bolus injection of medication. The pump includes a drug reservoir containing a drug. The pump includes a microactuator and includes a housing having a foundation or lid which opens and closes so that the medication container can be inserted and supported in a delivery mode position. A micro actuator is used to advance either a roller or a piston in communication with the medication container. Attached to the micro-actuator is a device that is mounted for movement along the access of the medication container. The device indexes along the medication container that is used to dispense the medication.

The invention relates to a human finger simulation device on an artificial hand for the handicapped, in particular to a multimode under-actuated human finger simulation device with a quick reflex grabbing function. The device comprises a primary movement mechanism, a secondary movement mechanism, an elastic coupling link mechanism and a link surpassing mechanism and is capable of realizing human simulated grabbing movement. The primary movement mechanism is capable of realizing coupling under-actuated and adaptive under-actuated multimode grabbing actions by matching of a motor with the elastic coupling link mechanism, and the grabbing movement space of the artificial hand is greatly widened. The secondary movement mechanism is capable of realizing quick reflex grabbing of the human finger simulation device by the aid of a micro-actuator mechanism. When an article subjected to envelop grabbing is in external disturbance, a grabbing force pointing to the interior of the grabbed article is quickly outputted to compensate force and displacement output of the primary movement mechanism until the primary movement mechanism makes adjustment. Secondary movement has millisecond-scale response speed to realize human simulated quick reflex movement and anti-slip stable grabbing functions. The specific link surpassing mechanism guarantees the grabbing space of far dactyluses. The multimode under-actuated human finger simulation device is simple in structure, low in manufacturing cost and high in output force, has human simulation characteristics in terms of appearance and actions, and is particularly suitable for artificial hands for the handicapped.

A micro-actuator that reduces suspension tongue stiffness and a method of manufacturing the micro-actuator are disclosed. In one embodiment, the micro-actuator has a base piece with two arms extending from the base piece. The electric contact pads for the arms are situated on the exterior of the arms at the end opposite the base piece. In one embodiment, the electric contact pads are electrically coupled to the same connection plate that the magnetic read / write head is coupled to, reducing the number of connection traces.

A liquid-gap electrostatic hydraulic micro actuator is provided that produces higher displacement (in and out of plane) and larger force than typical electrostatic actuators by utilizing a non-conducting liquid as its dielectric material. This new class of actuators utilizes the liquid dielectric for hydraulic amplification and force transfer. The liquid electrostatic actuator consists of two chambers each forming a parallel-plate capacitor, filled with a non-conducting incompressible liquid. One chamber is compressed by pulling down a flexible membrane using electrostatic actuation, thus forcing the liquid under it to transfer into the other chamber. Such movement causes the other chamber's membrane to expand out of plane.

The invention discloses a high-precision large-caliber electric reflecting mirror frame based on an orthogonal axis, relates to an electric reflecting mirror frame, and aims to solve the problems that the process of guiding the transmission direction of a large-caliber laser beam is not precise enough and is not easily controlled, and collimated guide and near-field adjustment for the laser beam are poor in flexibility. A rack is connected with a pitching shaft frame through a rotation shaft, the pitching shaft frame is used for adjusting pitching angles relative to the rack, the pitching shaft frame and the rotation shaft are connected with a deflection shaft frame, the deflection shaft frame is used for adjusting deflection relative to the pitching shaft frame, a transverse positioning barrier strip is close to the inner side surface of a transition frame, an axial positioning barrier strip is close to the inner side surface of a second positioning frame, a mini-driver output end of a pitching shaft micro-actuator is connected with the pitching shaft frame through a pitching connection block, and a mini-driver output end of a deflection shaft micro-actuator is connected with the deflection shaft frame through a deflection connection block. The high-precision large-caliber electric reflecting mirror frame is used for a light beam guide system of an inertial confinement laser fusion device or other optical path adjustment systems needing large calibers.

A disk drive configured with micro-actuator interconnect conditioning. The disk drive includes a disk, a head, an actuator, a piezoelectric element, a hardened conductive adhesive, a voltage-supply circuit, and a controller. The head is configured to access the disk. The actuator includes a suspension supporting the head, and an arm supporting the suspension. The piezoelectric element is disposed on the suspension, is electrically connected to a first drive line and a second drive line, and is configured to change the position of the head. The hardened conductive adhesive is electrically connected to at least one connecting part of the piezoelectric element and the first drive line. The voltage-supply circuit is configured to supply a voltage to the piezoelectric element. The controller is configured to control a voltage-control circuit each time a designated process is executed, and to apply a voltage to the piezoelectric element with a prescribed maximum absolute value.

A micro actuator having separated stages and a data storage apparatus employing the same are provided. The micro actuator includes: a supporting unit; stages that are elastically supported by the supporting unit, each stage having a mounting surface where a target driven body is mounted thereon, and arranged adjacent to each other; levers which are disposed between the stages, each lever having two ends respectively connected to adjacent stages, and which apply force to the adjacent stages so that when one of the stages is moved, an adjacent stage is moved in an opposite direction to a moving direction of the moved stage; and driving units which respectively provide a driving force to the stages.

An integrated flexure tongue micro-actuator is disclosed. One embodiment provides a first arm on a first side of the flexure tongue, the first arm approximately perpendicular with the flexure tongue. In addition, a second arm is provided on a second side of the flexure tongue, the second arm approximately parallel with the first arm. At least one piezoelectric device is coupled with either the first arm or the second arm and a slider is disposed between and coupled with the first am and the second arm.

A reusable EAS tag that is detachable from an article by placing the EAS tag in proximity to a detaching device is provided. The tag includes an energy coupler, a micro-actuator, and a clamping mechanism. The detaching device transmits a signal to the EAS tag to signal detachment, which is received by the energy coupler. The energy coupler converts the energy from the transmitted signal to electrical energy and delivers the electrical energy to the actuator. The actuator converts the electrical energy to mechanical energy to actuate the clamping mechanism and release the tag's locking or clamping mechanism for removal of the tag from the article to which it is attached.

An electromagnetic micro actuator, e.g. for use in fiber optics, is operated by a ferromagnetic piston mounted within two electromagnetic coils inside a housing. The piston is held in place and magnetized by a plurality of permanent magnets. The coils are wired for opposite polarity and energizing the coils will tend to push the piston away from one coil and draw it towards another. A ceramic shaft attached to the piston protrudes from both ends of the micro actuator housing and moves with said piston. Energizing the coils thus moves the piston in one or the opposite direction depending on the current direction. Tapered jewel bearings guide the shaft with minimal friction.

A micro-actuator having a stage capable of a see-saw motion and a method for its manufacture are disclosed. In the micro-actuator according to the present invention, a plurality of parallel driving comb-type electrodes are formed on the bottom of the stage, and a plurality of parallel fixed comb-type electrodes are formed on a base plate. At both sides of the stage is a torsion bar that enables the see-saw motion. The torsion bar is supported by a frame comprised of a first frame layer and a second frame layer. The torsion bar and the first frame layer form one body. The first and second frame layers are bonded by a metal eutectic bonding layer between metal layers.

The invention provides a conductive film thickness measurement system based on an eddy current sensor and a corresponding measurement method. The thickness measurement is realized by using the relation between the slope of an LOC line formed by the corresponding points of the impedance of an eddy current sensor detection coil in a resistance-inductance plane in different detection distances and the thickness of a measured conductive film. The conductive film thickness measurement system comprises an eddy current sensor probe with the detection coil, an impedance measurement circuit, a micro actuator for realizing the vertical movement of the probe, and a controller which controls the measurement process and thickness result output. The method is simple and efficient, the thickness of a conductive film can be accurately measured without contact, the measurement result is nearly not affected by a detection distance, a thickness measurement range is in a range from tens of nanometers to several millimeters, and the method can be widely applied to the semiconductor metal film detection, a metal film online measurement system in an industrial production line and the quality monitoring or detection of various film coating processes.

A servo system for displacing a head relative to a disk of a hard disk drive. The servo system comprises a dual-stage actuator, a calibration signal generator, and a calibration factor generator. The calibration signal generator generates a calibration signal having a calibration portion. The calibration factor generator generates a calibration factor. The servo system operates in operating and calibration servo modes. In the operating mode, the system defines first and second servo loops. The calibration factor is used as one of the parameters of the second servo loop. In the calibration servo mode, the calibration signal forms the second control signal, and the calibration factor generator generates the calibration factor based on movement of the head before any substantial response of the third servo loop to the calibration portion.