1. A piezoelectric actuator comprising:
an upper piezoelectric layer;
a lower piezoelectric layer;
a first electrode placed under the lower piezoelectric layer;
a second electrode and a third electrode placed between the upper layer and the lower layer; and
a fourth electrode placed above the upper piezoelectric layer,
wherein the second electrode is connected to a first voltage having a first polarity and the third electrode is connected to a second voltage having a second polarity opposite the first polarity and
wherein the actuator undergoes a substantially S-shaped deformation when the first voltage is applied to the second electrode and the second voltage is applied to the third electrode.
2. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a micro electromechanical switch.
3. The actuator of claim 2, wherein said actuator is formed on a substrate.
4. The actuator of claim 3, further comprising a first contact pad provided under the lower piezoelectric layer and a second contact pad provided above the substrate.
5. The actuator of claim 4, wherein the first and second contact pad are chosen from the group consisting of gold, platinum, titanium-platinum, and titanium-gold.
6. The actuator of claim 4, wherein the first contact pad is positioned so as to face the second contact pad.
7. The actuator of claim 4, wherein the first contact pad is separated from the second contact pad when the actuator is in a first condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition, and the first contact pad contacts the second contact pad when the actuator is in a second condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition, different from the first condition.
8. The actuator of claim 7, wherein the distance between the first contact pad and the second contact pad when the actuator is in said first condition is about 1 \u03bcm.
9. The actuator of claim 2, further comprising a support layer connected to the first electrode and placed under the first electrode.
10. The actuator of claim 9, wherein the support layer is a Si3N4 layer.
11. The actuator of claim 2, wherein a spacer separates the switch from the substrate.
12. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the second electrode and the third electrode are placed between the upper layer and the lower layer at a same level.
13. The actuator of claim 1, wherein the substantially S-shaped deformation occurs by deflecting the upper and lower piezoelectric layers both downwards and upwards due to the first and second voltages applied to the second and third electrodes.
14. A micro electromechanical switch formed on a substrate and operating under a combined piezoelectric and electrostatic effect, the switch comprising:
a first piezoelectric layer;
a second piezoelectric layer;
a first electrode placed under the second piezoelectric layer;
a second electrode placed between the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer;
a third electrode placed on the first piezoelectric layer;
a fourth electrode placed on the substrate;
a first contact pad located under the second piezoelectric layer; and
a second contact pad connected with the substrate,
wherein the first contact pad is positioned so as to face the second contact pad and the fourth electrode is coplanar with the second contact pad.
15. The switch of claim 14, further comprising a support layer connected with the first electrode.
16. The switch of claim 14, wherein the first contact pad is separated from the second contact pad when the switch is in a first condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition and the first contact pad contacts the second contact pad when the switch is in a second condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition, different from the first condition.
17. The switch of claim 16, wherein the first electrode is connected to a voltage having a first polarity and the third electrode is connected to a voltage having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and wherein the switch undergoes a substantially S-shaped deformation when the first contact pad contacts the second contact pad.
18. The switch of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first, second and third electrodes is T-shaped.
19. The switch of claim 14, wherein the first electrode is connected to a first voltage having a first polarity and the third electrode is connected to a second voltage having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and wherein the switch undergoes a substantially S-shaped deformation when the first voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second voltage is applied to the third electrode.
20. The switch of claim 19, wherein the substantially S-shaped deformation occurs by deflecting the upper and lower piezoelectric layers both downwards and upwards due to the first and second voltages applied to the first and third electrodes.
21. The switch of claim 14, wherein the fourth electrode allows the piezoelectric and electrostatic effect to be combined.
22. The switch of claim 14, wherein the first contact pad and the second contact pad are made of a conductive material.
23. A micro electromechanical switch formed on a substrate and operating under a combined piezoelectric and electrostatic effect, the switch comprising:
a first piezoelectric layer;
a second piezoelectric layer;
a first electrode placed under the second piezoelectric layer;
a second electrode and a third electrode placed between the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer;
a fourth electrode placed on the first piezoelectric layer; and
a fifth electrode placed on the substrate.
24. The switch of claim 23, further comprising a support layer connected with the first electrode.
25. The switch of claim 23, further comprising a first contact pad located under the second piezoelectric layer and a second contact pad connected with the substrate, the first contact pad being positioned so as to face the second contact pad.
26. The switch of claim 25, wherein the first contact pad is separated from the second contact pad when the switch is in a first condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition and the first contact pad contacts the second contact pad when the switch is in a second condition chosen from an ON condition and an OFF condition, different from the first condition.
27. The switch of claim 23, wherein the second electrode is connected to a voltage having a first polarity and the third electrode is connected to a voltage having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and wherein the switch undergoes a substantially S-shaped deformation when the first contact pad contacts the second contact pad.
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 server comprising:
an input storage unit for storing input information containing location information indicating a geographical location, a word assigned to the location, and a user ID identifying a user having assigned the word to the location, the location information, the word, and the user ID being in association with one another;
a determination unit for reading out first input information indicating locations to which a first word is assigned by a first user and second input information indicating locations to which a second word is assigned by a second user from the input storage unit, and determining whether the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations based on the first and second input information; and
a registration unit for creating dictionary data containing the first and second words in association with each other and entering the dictionary data into a dictionary storage unit when the determination unit determines that the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations.
2. The server according to claim 1, wherein, when the dictionary data containing the first word and the second word in association with each other are stored in the dictionary storage unit and further the determination unit determines, based on the second input information and third input information indicating locations to which a third word is assigned by a third user, that the second and third users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations, the registration unit creates dictionary data containing the first to third words in association with one another and enters the dictionary data into the dictionary storage unit.
3. The server according to claim 1, wherein, when the dictionary data containing the first word and the second word in association with each other is stored in the dictionary storage unit and further the determination unit determines, based on the second input information and third input information indicating locations to which a third word is assigned by a third user, that the second and third users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations, the registration unit creates dictionary data containing the second and third words in association with each other without associating the first and third words each other, and enters the dictionary data into the dictionary storage unit.
4. The server according to claim 1, wherein
the location information is information representing the geographical location by at least latitude and longitude, and
when a location indicated by one of the input information and a location indicated by another one of the input information are within a predetermined geographical range, the determination unit determines the both locations to be common.
5. The server according to claim 4, wherein
the location information is information representing the geographical location by the latitude and longitude, and an altitude, and
the predetermined geographical range is a range represented in a three-dimensional form.
6. The server according to claim 1, further comprising:
a receiving unit for receiving a request signal containing a specified category name input by a user from a terminal of the user;
a search unit for reading facility information corresponding to the request signal received by the receiving unit from a facility storage unit for storing facility information containing a facility ID identifying a facility and a category name assigned to the facility by a user in association with each other; and
a transmitting unit for transmitting the facility information read by the search unit to the terminal, wherein
the word is a category name assigned to a facility located in a predetermined location, and
the search unit reads another category name associated with the specified category name from the dictionary storage unit, and reads facility information corresponding to the specified category name or said another category name from the facility storage unit.
7. The server according to claim 6, wherein
the facility information further contains information indicating privacy settings of the facility information based on a relationship between users assigned by a user,
the receiving unit receives the request signal further containing a user ID identifying a user of the terminal, and
the search unit reads facility information corresponding to the specified category name or said another category name and in which the user identified by the user ID contained in the request signal is within boundaries of the privacy settings by reference to the facility storage unit and a user relationship storage unit for storing user relationship information indicating the relationship between users.
8. The server according to claim 6, wherein, when the search unit reads facility information containing said another category name and not containing the specified category name, the search unit temporarily associates the specified category name with the facility information for processing in the terminal.
9. A dictionary creation method to be executed by a server, comprising:
a determination step of reading out first input information indicating locations to which a first word is assigned by a first user and second input information indicating locations to which a second word is assigned by a second user from an input storage unit for storing input information containing location information indicating a geographical location, a word assigned to the location, and a user ID identifying a user having assigned the word to the location, and determining whether the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations based on the first and second input information, the location information, the word, and the user ID being in association with one another; and
a registration step of creating dictionary data containing the first and second words in association with each other and entering the dictionary data into a dictionary storage unit when the determination step determines that the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations.
10. (canceled)
11. A computer-readable recording medium recording a dictionary creation program causing a computer to function as:
an input storage unit for storing input information containing location information indicating a geographical location, a word assigned to the location, and a user ID identifying a user having assigned the word to the location, the location information, the word, and the user ID being in association with one another;
a determination unit for reading out first input information indicating locations to which a first word is assigned by a first user and second input information indicating locations to which a second word is assigned by a second user from the input storage unit, and determining whether the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations based on the first and second input information; and
a registration unit for creating dictionary data containing the first and second words in association with each other and entering the dictionary data into a dictionary storage unit when the determination unit determines that the first and second users have assigned the words to a predetermined number or more of common locations.