Patent ID: 7038358

Claim:
An electro-active transducer, comprising: a ferroelectric material defining a first surface and a second surface opposing said first surface, wherein said first surface and said second surface lie in substantially parallel planes; a first electrode pattern coupled to said first surface; a second electrode pattern coupled to said second surface, wherein said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern are configured to introduce an electric field into said ferroelectric material when said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern have voltage applied thereto, said electric field originating at a region of said ferroelectric material between said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern, said electric field extending radially outward from said region of said ferroelectric material and substantially parallel to said first surface and said second surface, whereby said ferroelectric material correspondingly deflects symmetrically about said region in a direction substantially perpendicular to said electric field, and wherein said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern are configured to produce an induced electric field in said ferroelectric material when said ferroelectric material experiences deflection in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first surface and said second surface, said induced electric field originating at said region of said ferroelectric material between said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern, said induced electric field extending radially outward from said region of said ferroelectric material and substantially parallel to said first surface and said second surface, whereby a current induced in each of said first electrode pattern and said second electrode pattern is indicative of said deflection; and, a shaped electrode pair, the first piece of said shaped electrode pair being electrically coupled to a center portion of said first electrode pattern, the second piece of said shaped electrode our being electrically coupled to a center portion of said second electrode pattern, wherein each said center portion is aligned with one another to define a common perimeter, wherein voltage applied to said first piece of said shaped electrode pair is an opposite polarity with respect to voltage applied to said second piece of said shaped electrode pair, and wherein said ferroelectric material aligned with said common perimeter defines said region of said ferroelectric material at which said electric field originates.