Piezoelectric vacuum pump and method
US6450773B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 13, 2001 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 13, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF04B45/047
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A piezoelectric vacuum pump that includes a diaphragm comprising an upper diaphragm member and a lower diaphragm member. The diaphragm members preferably comprise thin metal sheets that are plated with a noble metal, such as gold, silver, or platinum, and are mated together so as to form a hermetic seal along the length of the diaphragm. The piezoelectric vacuum pump further includes a plurality of piezoelectric bimorph elements that are mounted to the upper surface of the upper diaphragm member. When the piezoelectric bimorph elements are electrically activated, they cause a localized portion of the upper diaphragm member to flex, thereby creating a change in volume in a portion of the diaphragm proximate to that piezoelectric bimorph element. The apparatus further includes a sequencing circuit that provides a patterned switching sequence to control electrical activation of selected piezoelectric bimorph elements such that a volume of gas is drawn into an input port, moved through the diaphragm, and exhausted out of an output port.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.