Patent ID: 8076921

Claim:
A self-regulating power supply for a micro electronic mechanical systems thermal actuator, comprising: a power source; a monitor being configured to monitor voltage and current across a thermal actuator; and a controller being connected to the power source and the monitor, wherein the controller is configured to control power from the power source to a thermal actuator responsive to the monitored voltage and current across the thermal actuator, wherein the power from the power source is controlled responsive to resistance across the thermal actuator to provide a maximum displacement of the thermal actuator, wherein the resistance is calculated from the voltage and current monitored across the thermal actuator, wherein the controller is configured to ramp voltage across the thermal actuator and determine a maximum resistance point responsive to the monitor as the voltage is ramped, and wherein the maximum resistance point is determined responsive to one of determine a maximum monitored resistance value, determine when a slope of the monitored resistance equals zero, and determine when a trend of decreasing resistance occurs.