A piezoelectric driver (10) includes n piezoelectric layers (3A to 3D) (where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) that are stacked, with electrode layers (4B to 4D) each interposed between any adjacent piezoelectric layers, and with electrode layers (4A and 4E) further formed underneath the lowermost piezoelectric layer (3A) and on top of the uppermost piezoelectric layer (3D), and the piezoelectric driver (10) is bent and displaced in the direction in which the piezoelectric layers are stacked. A signal converter (11) converts an n-bit digital signal (IS) into n bits of a bit string data signal (BS) comprising of bit data indicating whether a drive voltage to be applied to each of the piezoelectric layers (3A to 3D) via the electrode layers (4A to 4B) is on or off. An output device (12) outputs, in accordance with values of the individual bits in the bit string data signal (BS) provided through conversion performed by the signal converter (11), drive voltages to be applied to the individual piezoelectric layers (3A to 3D).

Actuator apparatus for generating a physical effect, at least one attribute of which corresponds to at least one characteristic of a digital input signal sampled periodically in accordance with a sampling clock, the apparatus comprising at least one actuator device, each actuator device including an array of moving elements, wherein each individual moving element is operative to be constrained to travel alternately back and forth along a respective axis responsive to an individual first electrostatic force operative thereupon, wherein each moving element has an at-rest position and is driven away from its at rest position solely by the first electrostatic force; and at least one electrode operative to apply a controlled temporal sequence of potential differences with at least one individual moving element from among the array of moving elements thereby to selectably generate the first electrostatic force; and a controller operative to receive the digital input signal and to control at least one of the at least one electrode and the individual moving element to apply the sequence of potential differences.

An control system for unmanned highway entrance is provided. The control system includes a server system and a toll collection system. The server system includes an unmanned entrance management system, a data center database, a speech synthesis component, and a speaker component. The unmanned entrance management system electrically is connected with the data center database, the speech synthesis component and the speaker component respectively. The toll collection system includes a data synchronization system, a toll collection database, a vehicle data collection system, a core data processing system, a watchdog system, a variable-message sign system, a card dispensing system, and an unmanned entrance toll collection system.

A system includes an apparatus and a processor. The apparatus includes a set of actuator elements that move between two positions. Each actuator element is comprised in: exactly one first subset out of a plurality of non-empty first subsets and exactly one second subset out of a plurality of non-empty second subsets. The processor is configured to generate one or more control commands for a group of subsets out of the first and the second pluralities of subsets in response to a number of moving elements which, if released from the first extreme position during a second sampling cycle, enables production by the apparatus during the second sampling cycle of a sound.

Various examples are provided for digital sound reconstruction using piezoelectric array elements. In one example, a digital loudspeaker includes a fixed frame and an array of transducers disposed on the fixed frame. Individual transducers of the array of transducers can include a flexible membrane disposed on a piezoelectric actuation element positioned over a corresponding opening that extends through the fixed frame. In another example, a method includes forming a flexible membrane structure on a substrate and backetching the substrate opposite the flexible membrane structure. The flexible membrane structure can be formed by disposing a first electrode layer on a substrate, disposing a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode layer and disposing a second electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer. A flexible membrane layer (e.g., polyimide) can be disposed on the second electrode layer.

Actuator apparatus for generating a physical effect, at least one attribute of which corresponds to at least one characteristic of a digital input signal sampled periodically in accordance with a sampling clock, the apparatus comprising at least one actuator device, each actuator device including an array of moving elements, wherein each individual moving element is operative to be constrained to travel alternately back and forth along a respective axis responsive to an individual first electrostatic force operative thereupon, wherein each moving element has an at-rest position and is driven away from its at rest position solely by the first electrostatic force; and at least one electrode operative to apply a controlled temporal sequence of potential differences with at least one individual moving element from among the array of moving elements thereby to selectably generate the first electrostatic force; and a controller operative to receive the digital input signal and to control at least one of the at least one electrode and the individual moving element to apply the sequence of potential differences.

According to some embodiments there is provided a sound and detection system comprising at least a digital sound reconstruction speaker apparatus, comprising a plurality of pressure-pulse producing elements, and at least a controlling unit configured to control the actuation of the plurality of pressure-pulse producing elements, so as to produce at least an ultrasonic beam directed towards space during at least a first time interval, for the calculation of at least the position of at least part of an object present in space based on the sensing of at least ultrasonic sound waves reflected by said part of the object, and control the actuation of the plurality of pressure-pulse producing elements, so as to produce audible content during at least a second time interval. Various other systems, methods and applications are described.

Aspects of a microelectromechanical device, an array of microelectromechanical devices, a method of manufacturing a microelectromechanical device, and a method of operating a microelectromechanical device, are discussed herein. The microelectromechanical device may include: a substrate; a diaphragm mechanically coupled to the substrate, the diaphragm comprising a stressed region to buckle the diaphragm into one of two geometrically stable positions; an actuator mechanically coupled to the diaphragm, the actuator comprising a piezoelectric layer over the diaphragm; a controller configured to provide an electrical control signal in response to a digital sound input; wherein the actuator is configured to receive the electrical control signal to exert a mechanical piezoelectric force on the diaphragm via the piezoelectric layer to move the diaphragm to create a sound wave.

The disclosure relates to a microphone assembly (100) for acquiring a plurality of audio signals, wherein the microphone assembly (100) has a reconfigurable geometry so that the microphone assembly (100) may be configured to be embedded in or attached to a body. The microphone assembly (100) comprises: a plurality of digital microphones (101a-h) configured to convert the sound signal impinging on each digital microphone into a corresponding digital electrical signal, a digital signal processing unit (102) comprising a serial digital communication interface (102a) and a processor (102b), and a connecting and mounting structure configured to provide a flexible electrical connection and a flexible mechanical arrangement for the plurality of digital microphones (101a-h).

The present invention relates to a sensor wiring substrate in which a decrease in detection accuracy is suppressed, a sensor package, and a sensor device. A gas sensor wiring substrate includes a substrate having a first accommodation recessed portion for accommodating a microphone element and a second accommodation recessed portion for accommodating an infrared light emitting element, and connection wiring. In the gas sensor wiring substrate, thermal resistance of a heat transfer path between a bottom surface of the first accommodation recessed portion and a bottom surface of the second accommodation recessed portion is greater than thermal resistance in any position of an imaginal heat transfer path in case of a depth of the first accommodation recessed portion identical with a depth of the second accommodation recessed portion. For example, the depth of the second accommodation recessed portion is deeper than the depth of the first accommodation recessed portion.