Latching microaccelerometer
Patent 6130464 Issued on October 10, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date: 
September 8, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
September 8, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesSolid state force transducer and method of making same Acceleration switch Method of undercut anisotropic etching of semiconductor material Multidirectional force-sensing transducer (110) Oriented silicon wafer latch accelerometer and process for forming the same Micromechanical memory sensor Patent #: 5712609 InventorAssigneeApplicationNo. 925202 filed on 09/08/1997US Classes:257/417, Strain sensors73/491, With means for retaining reading73/514.15, Spinning or vibrating accelerometer337/70, Latch or latch-release means337/298THERMALLY ACTUATED SWITCHESExaminersPrimary: Crane, Sara W.Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassH01L 029/82AbstractA surface micromachined microaccelerometer includes a substrate which has a surface plane, and a cantilever formed on the substrate with a fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being anchored to the substrate. The cantilever includes a mass fixed along the length of the cantilever. A cooperating device reads out the occurrence of an acceleration event when the free end of the cantilever has moved to a predetermined position. The cooperating device may be fixed or an opposing co-aligned cantilever structure. In a first embodiment, the cooperating device takes the form of a fixed structure having slots in which the tip of the cantilever is selectively retained. A further embodiment configures the cooperating device as an overlapping opposed cantilever. A further feature of the invention enables a reset function of a latched cantilever and comprises a pair of layers which when energized cause a cantilever to be suitably deflected so as to return from the latched state back to the unlatched state.Other References
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