Impulse Actuated MEMS Shutter Blade Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional miniature camera shutters require large, power-consuming electromagnetic actuators to achieve sufficient force and travel distance, which are not amenable to efficient MEMS fabrication and precision.
Innovation Solution
The use of compact, low-power, short-throw, high-force shutter blade actuators that transfer momentum to the shutter blade through an impulse, allowing it to travel a long distance without further actuation forces, utilizing flexures and electrostatic or other types of actuators for efficient MEMS fabrication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional electromagnetic actuators are used to achieve sufficient force and travel distance for shutter blade actuation, then the shutter can move the required distance, but the device size increases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic impulse actuation where the actuator delivers short, periodic force pulses to the shutter blade rather than continuous force. This allows the blade to coast during non-actuation periods, reducing average power consumption while achieving the required travel distance through repeated acceleration cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a dynamic actuation strategy where the actuator mass and applied force are modulated over time to optimize momentum transfer. By varying the actuator's motion characteristics dynamically, the system achieves efficient blade propulsion with reduced energy input compared to static actuation methods.
2Length of moving object
If conventional electromagnetic actuators are used to achieve sufficient force and travel distance for shutter blade actuation, then the shutter can move the required distance, but the device complexity and fabrication difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional electromagnetic actuators with a purely mechanical impulse-based actuation system that can be fabricated using standard MEMS processes. This substitution eliminates the need for complex electromagnetic coil structures and enables integration with semiconductor manufacturing techniques, significantly improving ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation system is segmented into distinct functional components: a movable actuator mass, a shutter blade, and flexure-based mechanical linkages. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized and fabricated separately using specialized MEMS processes, then integrated into the final device, simplifying the overall manufacturing complexity.
3Force
If high force is applied over short travel distance by the actuator, then the shutter blade can be accelerated rapidly, but the actuator itself must be large and powerful
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the actuator mass itself as a counterweight that stores potential energy during the retraction phase and converts it to kinetic energy during the forward impulse. This counterweight mechanism allows a small actuator to generate high instantaneous force by leveraging its own mass and the stored elastic energy in flexures, rather than requiring a large powered actuator.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator performs preliminary action by storing energy in flexure elements during a retraction or cocking phase before the actual shutter actuation. This pre-stored energy is then released in a concentrated impulse, allowing a small actuator to deliver a large force pulse without requiring continuous high power output, thus reducing the actuator's required size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high-speed shutter operation with reduced power consumption and improved precision, suitable for miniature cameras, by separating actuation from blade travel and using impulse-based momentum transfer.
Implementation Method 1
momentum transfer is used to launch the game ball into play... the momentum, or kinetic energy, of the moving plunger is transferred to the ball, causing it to separate from the plunger and accelerate rapidly forward
Implementation Method 2
an actuator operable to apply an impulse to the object such that the object moves from a first position to a second position
Implementation Method 3
at least one flexure coupled to the object and operable to confine movement of the object to movement along a predefined trajectory
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, useful in, for example, a miniature camera, includes an object, e.g., an optical element such as a shutter blade, an actuator operable to apply an impulse to the object such that the object moves from a first position to a second position, and at least one flexure coupled to the object and operable to confine movement of the object to movement along a predefined trajectory extending between the first and second positions.