US 7,595,925 B2
Actuating device having a flexible diaphragm controlled by electrowetting
Serge Valette, Grenoble (France); Yves Fouillet, Voreppe (France); Olivier Raccurt, Lyons (France); and Jean Berthier, Meylan (France)
Assigned to Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Paris (France)
Appl. No. 11/997,060
PCT Filed Aug. 07, 2006, PCT No. PCT/EP2006/065118
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jan. 28, 2008,
PCT Pub. No. WO2007/017495, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 15, 2007.
Claims priority of application No. 05 52463 (FR), filed on Aug. 08, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2008/0212161 A1, Sep. 04, 2008
Int. Cl. G02B 26/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 359—290  [359/291] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An actuation device comprising:
a support;
a flexible membrane attached to the support, cooperating with the support to form a volume filled with a first liquid and a second liquid, the first liquid and the second liquid being immiscible such that one or plural drops of said first liquid are embedded in said second liquid;
an electrode coupled to said support; and
a polarization device configured to control a polarization of the electrode thereby controlling the shape of at least one of the drops of said first liquid so as to controllably deform the membrane.