System and method for flexure based microstructural logic gates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10122365-B2
Application number	US-201715445038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A resettable mechanical logic circuit is disclosed which is formed as part of a material structure. The circuit makes use of a bistable element. The bistable element may have a characteristic of being stable in either one of first and second orientations, once moved past a midpoint between the first and second orientations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A resettable mechanical logic circuit formed as part of a material structure, the circuit comprising:
a first pair of bistable elements, a first one of the pair forming an input node flexure and the other one of the pair forming an output node flexure, each of the input and output node flexures having a logic 1 state and a logic 0 state corresponding to their two positions of low potential energy;
a second pair of bistable elements arranged non-parallel to the first pair of bistable elements, the second pair of the bistable elements each forming a gate for applying a gate signal, and each having a logic 1 state and a logic 0 state;
each said bistable element having a characteristic of being stable in either one of first and second orientations, once moved past a midpoint orientation between the first and second orientations by an input signal;
center material portions arranged between each of the bistable elements of each one of the first and second pairs of bistable elements;
rigid material lengths forming linkages coupling center material portions of each of the bistable elements to a center node; and
wherein orientations of the second pair of bistable elements control generation of the gate signals which form an input signal, the input signal controlling whether a change in state of the input node flexure from the logic 1 state to the logic 0 state enables a change in state of the output node flexure.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein a state change of the output flexure node in response to an input signal applied to the input flexure node only occurs when both ones of the second pair of bistable elements are in logic 1 states.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the circuit forms a static random access memory.

4. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein movement of the input node flexure into its logic 0 state causes rotation of a beam which causes movement of the output node flexure into its logic 1 state.

5. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the circuit forms a NOT cell.

6. A resettable mechanical logic circuit formed as part of a material structure, the circuit comprising:
a pair of bistable input node elements each formed as a length of material supported at opposite ends thereof, each of said bistable input node elements having first and second orientations of low potential energy separated by a midpoint of high potential energy, each said bistable input node element being movable by an input signal applied to a center area of its length toward the midpoint of high potential energy;
a bistable output node element formed as a length of material supported at least at one end thereof, and having first and second orientations of low potential energy separated by a midpoint of high potential energy, said bistable output node element being movable by an input signal applied to a center area of its length toward the midpoint of high potential energy;
each of the bistable input node elements and the bistable output node element having a characteristic of being stable in either of its first and second orientations of low potential energy, once moved past the midpoint of high potential energy;
a slide limiter structure interposed between the pair of bistable input node elements and the output node element, the slide limiter structure including a beam, and being operatively coupled to the center areas of each of the bistable input node elements at outer ends of the beam, and the beam being movable pivotally about a midpoint thereof;
a lever arm beam operatively coupled to a midpoint of the slide limiter structure, and at one distal end operatively to the center area of the output node element;
and wherein movement of either one of the input node elements from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state causes movement of the output node element from its logic 0 state to its logic 1.

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein movement of the output node element from its logic 1 state to its logic 0 state occurs only when both of the input node elements are moved into their logic 0 states.

8. The logic circuit of claim 6 , wherein movement of the second one of the input node elements from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state, while the first one of the input node elements is already in its logic 1 state, causes no change in the state of the output node element.

9. The logic circuit of claim 1 , wherein the bistable elements of at least one of the first and second pairs of bistable elements comprise non-linear, displacement dependent stiffness.

10. A resectable mechanical logic AND circuit formed as part of a material structure, the circuit comprising:
a pair of bistable input node elements each formed as a length of material supported at opposite ends thereof, each said bistable input node element having first and second orientations of low potential energy separated by a midpoint of high potential energy, each said bistable input node element being movable by an input signal applied to a center area of its length toward the midpoint of high potential energy;
a bistable output node element formed as a length of material supported at opposite ends thereof, and having first and second orientations of low potential energy separated by a midpoint of high potential energy, said bistable output node element being movable by an input signal applied to a center area of its length toward a midpoint of high strength;
each of the bistable input node elements and the bistable output node element having a characteristic of being stable in either of its first and second orientations of low potential energy, once moved past the midpoint of high potential energy;
a slide limiter structure interposed between the pair of bistable input node elements and the bistable output node element, the slide limiter structure including a beam, and the center areas of each of the bistable input node elements being coupled to outer ends of the beam, and the beam being movable pivotally about a midpoint thereof as well as translatable in a linear direction;
a lever arm beam operatively coupled to a midpoint of the slide limiter structure, and at one distal end operatively to the center area of the bistable output node element;
and wherein movement of only one of the bistable input node elements from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state, while the other one of the bistable input node elements is in its logic 0 state, is not sufficient for the slide limiter structure to cause movement of the bistable output node element from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state.

11. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein only pivotal movement of the beam associated with the slide limiter structure occurs when only one of the bistable input node elements is moved from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state, the pivoting movement being insufficient to move the bistable output node element into its logic 1 state.

12. The circuit of claim 10 , wherein movement of both of the bistable input node elements into their logic 1 states is required for the slide limiter structure to produce movement of the bistable output node element from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state.

13. The circuit of claim 12 , wherein the beam of the slide limiter structure translates in response to movement of both of the bistable input node elements from their logic 0 state to their logic 1 state, causing movement of the bistable output node element from its logic 0 state to its logic 1 state.

14. A resettable mechanical logic signal wire circuit formed as part of a material structure, the circuit comprising:
first and second bistable elements each formed as a length of material of non-linear stiffness and su

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Pascall Andrew J
• Panas Robert Matthew

Classifications

• H03K19/20 Primary

  characterised by logic function, e.g. AND, OR, NOR, NOT circuits (H03K19/003 - H03K19/01 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F7/388

  using other various devices such as electro-chemical, microwave, surface acoustic wave, neuristor, electron beam switching, resonant, e.g. parametric, ferro-resonant · CPC title