An apparatus comprises a stressed glass member and an actuator mounted on the stressed glass member. A power source is coupled to the actuator. An abrasion structure is disposed between the actuator and the stressed glass member. The abrasion structure comprises abrading features in contact with the stressed glass member. The abrading features have a hardness higher than a hardness of the stressed glass member. When energized by the power source, the actuator is configured to induce movement of the abrasion structure that causes the abrading features to create scratches in the stressed glass member to a depth sufficient to initiate fracture of the stressed glass member.

A crystal vibrator that includes a crystal substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, including a vibration portion in a region including a center of the crystal substrate, and a first peripheral portion that surrounds a periphery of the vibration portion and that has a smaller thickness than the vibration portion. Drive electrodes are formed on both surfaces of the vibration portion of the crystal substrate. In at least one of the front surface and the rear surface of the crystal substrate, a step is provided between the vibration portion and the first peripheral portion, and a first peripheral edge portion of the vibration portion and a second peripheral edge portion of the first peripheral portion are in a curved surface shape.

Electric connection flexures for moving stages of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices are disclosed. The disclosed flexures may provide an electrical and mechanical connection between a fixed frame and a moving frame, and are flexible in the moving frame's plane of motion. In implementations, the flexures are formed using a process that embeds the two ends of each flexure in the fixed frame and moving frame, respectively.

A piezoelectric actuator part which generates a driving force to rotate a mirror part about a rotation axis includes a first actuator part and a second actuator part having a both-end supported beam structure in which base end parts on both sides in an axial direction of the rotation axis are fixed. Upper electrodes and lower electrodes of the first actuator part and the second actuator part are divided to correspond to a stress distribution of principal stresses in a piezoelectric body during resonance mode vibration, a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of a first piezoelectric conversion part and third piezoelectric conversion parts and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of second piezoelectric conversion parts and a fourth piezoelectric conversion part generate stresses in opposite directions.

Single bulk unimorph piezoelectric elements, with interdigitated electrodes aligned obliquely relative to the direction perpendicular to the axis of the element, such that a torsional response is induced into the element. When such elements are used as a beam structure, with angularly oriented electrodes on both opposite surfaces of the beam, and with their orientations at mutually opposite angles, motion ranging from pure torsional rotation to pure bending can be obtained, depending on the comparative level and polarity of the voltages applied to each of the two electrode sets. If such elements are used as the spiral support arms of a central platform, a large displacement of the stage can be achieved. Due to the oblique orientation of the IDE's, the piezoelectric transduction induces torsional deformation in the spirals, and this torsion is converted by the spiral arms to a parallel out-of-plane platform motion.

A piezoelectric actuator part which generates a driving force to rotate a mirror part about a rotation axis includes a first actuator part and a second actuator part having a both-end supported beam structure in which base end parts on both sides in an axial direction of the rotation axis are fixed. The first actuator part has a first electrode part and second electrode parts. The second actuator part has third electrode parts and a fourth electrode part. The arrangement of the each electrode part constituting an upper electrode corresponds to a stress distribution of principal stresses in a piezoelectric body during resonance mode vibration, and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of the first electrode part and the third electrode parts and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of the second electrode parts and the fourth electrode part generate stresses in opposite directions.

Acoustic transducers can be formed form piezoelectric materials including one or more curved (non-linear) segments. The piezoelectric material can be shear poled such that a poling direction of the piezoelectric material can follow the curvature of the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material can also have a unidirectional poling direction. In some examples, the piezoelectric material can be a closed ring with a circular or partially circular shape. A shear poling process for a piezoelectric material with curves can include shear poling segments of the piezoelectric material with one or more sets of poling electrodes. The poling electrodes of a respective one of the one or more sets of poling electrodes can be coupled to the same side of the piezoelectric material.

An actuator providing a large shear movement in a chosen direction. The angle of inclination of the fibers relative to the chosen direction is larger than 2? and smaller than 40?; the spaces between the piezoelectric fibers of the active layer are filled with an incompressible elastic material; the active layer comprises at least two dimensionally stable elongate elements parallel to the chosen direction; the ends of each fiber are adhesively bonded to said dimensionally stable elements using a rigid adhesive; and said dimensionally stable elements are adhesively bonded, by a rigid adhesive, to said electrode-bearing layers.

The piezoelectric actuator of the present invention has at least one ceramic component. The ceramic component has an output surface and two driving surfaces. The ceramic component has a height and the output surface is rectangular in shape, wherein the length of the short axis side of the output surface is shorter than the height. Therefore, when a pulse wave input voltage is applied on the driving surfaces, the output surface generates an elliptical motion.

A dielectric elastomer including a crosslinked network comprising a polypropylene oxide) unit on a network chain or a pendant group. In another example, the dielectric elastomer is stacked in a multi-layer dielectric elastomer structure comprising two adjacent dielectric elastomer layers, a layer of a. conductive network sandwiched between the two adjacent dielectric elastomer layers, and. a polymer layer binding the conductive network and the two adjacent dielectric elastomer layers. The dielectric elastomer can be used as an actuator or artificial muscle in a variety of robotic, haptic, or wearable devices. In one or more examples, the dielectric elastomer has a strain, including an area strain, greater than least 100% in response to the electric field less than 150 Volts per micron and converts at least 10% of inputted electrical energy to mechanical work.