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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7400488 | Variable capacitance membrane actuator for wide band tuning of microstrip resonators and filters A device for varying the capacitance of an electronic circuit is disclosed. The device comprises a flexible membrane located above the electronic circuit, a metal layer connected to the flexible membrane, and bias circuitry located above the membrane. Variation of t... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7363814 | Multi-axial angular velocity sensor An angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity about a Z-axis in an XYZ coordinate system has a substrate oscillator, a flexible member for connecting the oscillator to a casing, a device for oscillating the oscillator in an X-axis direction, and a detect... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7360455 | Force detector and acceleration detector and method of manufacturing the same An electrode layer is formed on the upper surface of a first substrate, and a processing for partially removing the substrate is carried out in order to allow the substrate to have flexibility. To the lower surface of the first substrate, a second substrate is conne... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7274079 | Sensor design and process An accelerometer (305) for measuring seismic data. The accelerometer (305) includes an integrated vent hole for use during a vacuum sealing process and a balanced metal pattern for reducing cap wafer bowing. The accelerometer (305) also includes... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7234358 | Pressure detecting apparatus A pressure detecting apparatus has a pressure detecting device that converts a strain caused by a stress exerted thereto to an electrical signal, and outputs the converted electrical signal. The apparatus has a housing base including a housing recess that houses the... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7176390 | Capacitive load cell with multi-layer dielectric for extended range A capacitive load cell includes upper and lower capacitor plates and an intermediate dielectric comprising two or more layers of compressible material with diverse compressibility characteristics. The most easily compressed dielectric layer provides sensitivity to l... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7152485 | Acceleration detector An electrode layer is formed on the upper surface of a first substrate, and a processing for partially removing the substrate is carried out in order to allow the substrate to have flexibility. To the lower surface of the first substrate, a second substrate is conne... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7119550 | Capacitance difference detecting circuit and MEMS sensor Oscillators have capacitors, respectively, whose capacitances change according to an external force and generate first oscillating signals according to the capacitances. Each of the capacitors is disposed, for example, between a substrate and a mass body that is mov... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7059188 | Angular velocity sensor A flexible substrate (110) having flexibility and a fixed substrate (120) disposed so as to oppose it are supported at their peripheral portions by a sensor casing (140). An oscillator (130) is fixed on the lower surface of the flexible s... | 06/13/2006 |
| 6996051 | Data storage module suspension system having primary and secondary flexures A micro-electro-mechanical device includes a moveable mass supported within a frame. To support the mass within the frame, a first flexure extends between the mass and the frame. An angle softening element is positioned between a first end of the first flexure and t... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6992492 | Capacitive sensor A capacitive sensor is disclosed that includes a variable capacitor transducer that varies its capacitance with changes in an environmental parameter. The present invention is adapted to measure any linear parameter such as pressure, force, or distance. The sensor o... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6973706 | Method of making a transcutaneous electrochemical sensor A process for the manufacture of small sensors with reproducible surfaces, including electrochemical sensors. One process includes fanning channels in the surface of a substrate and disposing a conductive material in the channels to form an electrode. The conductive... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6958615 | Method and device for evaluating deformations and forces A method and a device for evaluating the deformations or forces to which a structure having an elastomeric body (2) is subjected. The device includes a dipole (6), the dielectric (3) of which is formed by the elastomeric body, and an electronic ... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6945110 | Sensor design and process An accelerometer (305) for measuring seismic data. The accelerometer (305) includes an integrated vent hole for use during a vacuum sealing process and a balanced metal pattern for reducing cap wafer bowing. The accelerometer (305) also includes... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6947291 | Photolithographically-patterned out-of-plane coil structures and method of making An out-of-plane micro-structure which can be used for on-chip integration of high-Q inductors and transformers places the magnetic field direction parallel to the substrate plane without requiring high aspect ratio processing. The photolithographically patterned coi... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6941810 | Angular velocity sensor An angular velocity sensor for detecting an angular velocity component includes an oscillator having mass, a sensor casing for accommodating the oscillator therewithin, a flexible member for connecting the oscillator to the sensor casing so that the oscillator can b... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6922327 | Photolithographically-patterned variable capacitor structures and method of making A new type of high-Q variable capacitor includes a substrate, a first electrically conductive layer fixed to the substrate, a dielectric layer fixed to a portion of the electrically conductive layer, and a second electrically conductive layer having an anchor portio... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6912902 | Bending beam accelerometer with differential capacitive pickoff A low cost, pendulous, capacitive-sensing Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometer is provided. The accelerometer includes a pendulous proof mass, one or more securing pads, and one or more flexures coupled with the pendulous proof mass and the one or m... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6853369 | Variable capacity condenser and pointer The present invention provides a variable capacity condenser having fewer components. A variable capacity condenser according to the present invention comprises a dielectric substance, two electrodes, and a flexible electrode. The dielectric substance has two end fa... | 02/08/2005 |
| 6684711 | Three-phase excitation circuit for compensated capacitor industrial process control transmitters A capacitor industrial process control transmitter includes a three-phase excitation circuit to charge a sensing capacitor and a compensation capacitor of the transmitter and transfer charges to an integrator. The sensing capacitor is charged during the f... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6683780 | Capacitive displacement sensor A displacement responsive device e.g. a measurement probe (110) is disclosed. Displacement of a stylus (130) causes resilient movement of a carriage (134) supported by planar springs (112) and (114). This movement is detected by a capacitance sensor (160)... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6658938 | Electret transducer A transducer with at least one variable-area capacitor comprising a flexible electrode with a surface facing a surface of a cooperating rigid electrode and an electret affixed to a portion of one of said surfaces, wherein said surface of said rigid electr... | 12/09/2003 |
| 6622368 | Method of manufacturing a transducer having a diaphragm with a predetermined tension A method of manufacturing a transducer of the type having a diaphragm (11) with a predetermined tension. After the transducer has been manufactured with its basic structure the diaphragm is adjusted to have a predetermined tension, which is preferably low... | 09/23/2003 |
| 6441449 | MEMS variable capacitor with stabilized electrostatic drive and method therefor A micro electro-mechanical systems device having variable capacitance is controllable over the full dynamic range and not subject to the "snap effect" common in the prior art. The device features an electrostatic driver (120) having a driver capacitor of ... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6373682 | Electrostatically controlled variable capacitor A MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) electrostatically operated high voltage variable controlled capacitor device is provided. This device can store high energy over a wide range while using relatively low electrostatic operating voltages. The MEMS de... | 04/16/2002 |
| 6147855 | Variable capacitor A variable capacitor that provides a full range of capacitance, while reducing the amount of rotation necessary to effect maximum variation in capacitance, and while eliminating any wear-related deterioration in device performance includes at least two co... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6051853 | Semiconductor pressure sensor including reference capacitor on the same substrate A semiconductor pressure sensor utilizing electrostatic capacitance has a plurality of pressure sensing electrostatic capacitances and a reference electrostatic capacitance formed on one side of a silicon chip. As a movable electrode, the pressure sensing... | 04/18/2000 |
| 6026677 | Apparatus for microindentation hardness testing and surface imaging incorporating a multi-plate capacitor system A force, weight or position sensor unit and sensor element incorporated into an apparatus for microindentation hardness testing and surface imaging which allows immediate imaging of the surface subsequent to hardness testing. The sensor uses a multi-capac... | 02/22/2000 |
| 5869751 | Multi-dimensional capacitive transducer High precision force imparting and/or a force (including weight) and displacement measuring/indicating device which includes a multi-dimensional capacitor transducer system. The multi-dimensional transducer includes a first capacitive transducer for impar... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5707077 | Airbag system using three-dimensional acceleration sensor A three-dimensional acceleration sensor capable of detecting a small acceleration value and even an acceleration value amounting up to 100 G occurring in the event of a collision has a diaphragm for linking a frame and a massive part, and diaphragms and b... | 01/13/1998 |
| 5661235 | Multi-dimensional capacitive transducer High precision force imparting and/or a force (including weight) and displacement measuring/indicating device which includes a multi-dimensional capacitor transducer system. The multi-dimensional transducer includes a first capacitive transducer for impar... | 08/26/1997 |
| 5604313 | Varying apparent mass accelerometer A varying apparent mass accelerometer 1 for detecting earthquake vibrations includes a frame 2 vibrating with an earthquake wave, a mass 51 supported on the frame 2 via a spring 52, electrodes 6 and 7 disposed above and below the mass 51, power sources 8 ... | 02/18/1997 |
| 5598356 | Displacement converting device and method for measuring pressure differences using same A displacement converter in which a pressure difference is determined by detecting capacitances C1 and C2 between fixed electrodes 3,4 and a diaphragm 1, which receives pressure differences on both of its sides and can be displaced. The pressure differenc... | 01/28/1997 |
| 5578528 | Method of fabrication glass diaphragm on silicon macrostructure A method for fabricating microelectromechanical systems containing a glass diaphragm formed on a silicon macrostructure is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a silicon wafer and forming a cavity in the silicon wafer; (b) using a f... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5576483 | Capacitive transducer with electrostatic actuation High precision force imparting and/or a force (including weight) and displacement measuring/indicating device which includes a multi-plate capacitor transducer system. The transducer may be used for both applying and measuring the applied force during mic... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5542295 | Apparatus to minimize stiction in micromachined structures An electro-mechanical micromachined structure uses bumpers to prevent contact between structures at different potentials. A beam is connected to one or more anchors by flexible suspensions, which permit the beam to move along a predetermined axis relative... | 08/06/1996 |
| 5446616 | Electrode structure and method for anodically-bonded capacitive sensors A sensing electrode on a glass layer of an anodically-bonded capacitive sensor has an interfacial barrier film containing a nitride compound between the electrode and the glass layer. In one embodiment, the capacitive sensor is an inertial sensor having a... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5441300 | Three-dimensional acceleration sensor and airbag using the same A three-dimensional acceleration sensor capable of detecting a small acceleration value and even an acceleration value amounting up to 100G occurring in the event of a collision comprises a diaphragm for linking a frame and a massive part and diaphragms a... | 08/15/1995 |
| 5381300 | Capacitive micro-sensor with a low stray capacity and manufacturing method A capacitive micro-sensor includes a sandwich of three silicon wafers, a peripheral stripe of each surface of the central plate being assembled to a corresponding stripe of an opposing external plate through an insulating layer. At least one of the extern... | 01/10/1995 |
| 5323118 | Hinged displacement sensor This invention comprises two electrode plates 1a and 1c which are arranged in parallel to each other, and a middle electrode plate 1b. One end of an electrostatic capacity member 2 serves as a fixed portion 3 while the other end thereof serves as a movabl... | 06/21/1994 |
