1. Assembly for perforating rod-shaped elements, comprising a driving shaft provided with a number of rotary perforating cutters arranged along the shaft and separated by distance rings, the assembly further comprising a groove drum conveyor located below the driving shaft, each rotary cutter being positioned between two pushing elements and protruding from between the pushing elements wherein the pushing elements comprise cleaning rings, which are loosely arranged and off-centrally movable on the distance rings, the distance rings being fixed to the driving shaft.
2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the off-center movement of the cleaning rings is directed perpendicularly to the direction of the movement of the rod-shaped elements.
3. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the off-center movement of the cleaning rings is substantially parallel to the movement of the rod-shaped elements.
4. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rod-shaped elements are cigarettes.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A micro-mirror device comprising:
a micro-mirror; and
a flexure spring supporting said micro-mirror, said flexure spring having supports thereon that are attached to said micro-mirror and that space said micro-mirror from said flexure spring;
wherein said flexure spring is configured to store potential energy during movement of said micro-mirror that is released as kinetic energy to drive movement of said micro-mirror when said micro-mirror is re-oriented.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein said flexure spring comprises:
a post;
a flexure supported on said post; and
said supports being on said flexure and attached to and supporting opposite corners of said micro-mirror.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein said flexure spring comprises a piezoelectric element configured to controllably orient said micro-mirror.
4. The device of claim 1, further comprising electrodes for electrostatically driving said flexure spring to controllably orient said micro-mirror.
5. The device of claim 1, further comprising drive circuitry for driving said spring to orient said micro-mirror.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein said flexure spring is supported on a substrate.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein said substrate comprises silicon.
8. The device of claim 6, wherein said substrate comprises glass or plastic.
9. The device of claim 2, wherein said flexure runs diagonally between opposite corners of said micro-mirror.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein said flexure has a non-uniform width.
11. The device of claim 2, wherein said flexure comprises a plurality of flexures extending from said post along an underside of said micro-mirror, wherein, during operation of said micro-mirror, said plurality of flexures contact said micro-mirror and store energy due to movement of said micro-mirror.
12. The device of claim 2, wherein said supports have a square shape, with corners of said supports being matched with corners of said micro-mirror.
13. An array of micro-mirrors comprising:
a plurality of micro-mirrors; and
a flexure spring supporting each said micro-mirror, each said flexure spring having supports thereon that are attached to a corresponding micro-mirror;
wherein each said flexure spring is configured to store potential energy during movement of a corresponding micro-mirror that is released as kinetic energy to drive movement of said corresponding micro-mirror when said corresponding micro-mirror is re-oriented.
14. The array of claim 13, wherein each said flexure spring comprises:
a post;
a flexure supported on said post; and
said supports being on said flexure and attached to and supporting opposite corners of said micro-mirror.
15. The array of claim 13, wherein each said flexure spring comprises a piezoelectric element configured to controllably orient said corresponding micro-mirror.
16. The array of claim 13, wherein each said flexure spring has a corresponding set of electrodes for electrostatically driving said that flexure spring to controllably orient said corresponding micro-mirror.
17. The array of claim 13, further comprising drive circuitry for driving said springs to orient said micro-mirrors in response to incoming image data.
18. The array of claim 13, wherein said array of micro-mirrors is formed and supported on a substrate.
19. The array of claim 18, wherein said substrate comprises silicon.
20. The array of claim 18, wherein said substrate comprises glass or plastic.
21. The array of claim 14, wherein said flexure runs diagonally between opposite corners of said corresponding micro-mirror.
22. The array of claim 21, wherein said flexure has a non-uniform width.
23. The array of claim 14, wherein said flexure comprises a plurality of flexures extending from said post along an underside of said corresponding micro-mirror, wherein, during operation of said array, said plurality of flexures contact said corresponding micro-mirror and store energy due to movement of said corresponding micro-mirror.
24. The array of claim 14, wherein said supports have a square shape, with corners of said supports being matched with corners of said corresponding micro-mirror.
25. A spatial light modulation device comprising:
a micro-mirror; and
a pliant flexure supporting said micro-mirror, said pliant flexure having a bias, and including:
a post;
a flexure member supported on said post; and
supports on said flexure member for supporting said micro-mirror;
wherein said pliant flexure stores energy due to said bias in response to any re-positioning of said micro-mirror away from a default orientation; and
wherein said pliant flexure releases said stored energy to drive movement of said micro-mirror when a force against said bias is relaxed.
26. The device of claim 25, wherein said pliant flexure holds said micro-mirror in said default orientation according to said bias when said pliant flexure is not driven.
27. The device of claim 25, wherein said pliant flexure comprises a piezoelectric element configured to bend said pliant flexure to controllably orient said micro-mirror.
28. The device of claim 25, further comprising a set of electrodes for electrostatically driving said pliant flexure to controllably orient said micro-mirror.
29. The device of claim 25, further comprising drive circuitry for driving said pliant flexure to orient said micro-mirror.
30. The device of claim 25, wherein said pliant flexure runs diagonally between opposite corners of said micro-mirror.
31. The device of claim 30, wherein said pliant flexure has a non-uniform width.
32. The device of claim 25, wherein said pliant flexure comprises a plurality of flexures extending from said post along an underside of said micro-mirror, wherein, during operation of said micro-mirror, said plurality of flexures contact said micro-mirror and store energy due to movement of said micro-mirror.
33. The device of claim 25, further comprising a plurality of micro-mirrors arranged in an array.
34. A micro-mirror device comprising:
a micro-mirror; and
a flexure spring, wherein said micro-mirror is supported on arms of said flexure spring, with supports connected between said arms and opposite corners of said micro-mirror,
wherein said flexure spring comprises a plurality of flexures disposed side-by-side, substantially parallel to each other and extending toward opposite corners of said micro-mirror;
wherein said flexure spring is configured to store potential energy during movement of said micro-mirror that is released as kinetic energy to drive movement of said micro-mirror when said micro-mirror is re-oriented.
35. The device of claim 34, wherein said supports have a square cross-section with corners of said supports being matched to said opposite corners of said micro-mirror.
36. The device of claim 34, wherein said plurality of flexures are unconnected arms extending from a central portion.
37. The device of claim 34, wherein said plurality of flexures compnses:
a flexure having said supports thereon connected to and for supporting said micro-mirror; and
at least one other flexure which only applies force to said micro-mirror when said micro-mirror tilts about said axis into contact with said at least one other flexure.
38. The device of claim 34, wherein said flexure spring is supported on a substrate in a dielectric liquid disposed on said substrate.
39. The device of claim 34, wherein any re-positioning of said micro-mirror away from a default position is resisted by a bias of said flexure spring.
40. A micro-mirror device comprising:
a micro-mirror; and
a flexure spring, wherein said micro-mirror is supported on arms of said flexure spring, with supports connected between said arms and opposite corners of said micro-mirror, said supports spacing said micro-mirror from said arms of said flexure spring,
wherein said flexure spring comprises a plurality of flexures disposed substantially parallel to each other and extending toward opposite corners of said micro-mirror, where movement of said micro-mirror brings said micro-mirror into contact with at least some of said plurality of flexures which then flex and store energy due to continued movement of said micro-mirror toward those flexing flexures;
wherein said flexure spring is configured to store potential energy during movement of said micro-mirror that is released as kinetic energy to drive movement of said micro-mirror when said micro-mirror is re-oriented.