Coiled actuator system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10793979-B2
Application number	US-201815949881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2018
Priority date	Apr 10, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A system and method of generating a coiled actuator fiber. The method includes twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber, wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber; and removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber. In some aspects that fiber can be a yarn with one or more fibers or a fiber comprising a single elongated element. In some aspects, a portion of the core includes a removable sacrificial portion. The removable sacrificial portion can be dissolvable in a solvent or physically removable. In some aspects, the core further includes a non-dissolvable portion that is not dissolvable and generating a coiled actuator can include removing the sacrificial portion by treating a twisted fiber on the core to remove the sacrificial portion and leaving the non-dissolvable portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of constructing a thermally adaptive garment configured to be worn on and to at least partially surround a portion of the body of a user, the thermally adaptive garment comprising:
generating a plurality of coiled actuator fibers, with each of the plurality of coiled actuator fibers being generated by:
twisting a fiber to generate a highly twisted fiber having a fiber bias angle α fiber between 25° and 50°;
wrapping the highly twisted fiber around a sacrificial core to generate a coil in the highly twisted fiber;
setting the highly twisted fiber coil by applying heat or a chemical setting agent to the highly twisted fiber coil disposed on the sacrificial core; and
removing the sacrificial core by dissolving the sacrificial core in a solvent to generate a coiled actuator fiber having the following characteristics:
a coil spring index (C) greater than or equal to 2.0,
a coil portion contact temperature greater than or equal to 20° C.,
a thermal response of |CTE|2 mm/m/K, and
a fiber bias angle α fiber between 25° and 50°;

generating a thermally adaptive fabric that comprises the generated plurality of coiled actuator fibers;
generating a garment body defined by the thermally adaptive fabric that includes:
an internal portion having an internal face configured to face the body of a wearing user; and
an external portion having an external face configured to face an environment external to the wearing user,
wherein the thermally adaptive fabric is configured to assume a base configuration in response to a first environmental temperature range, and
wherein the thermally adaptive fabric is configured to assume a lofted configuration in response to a second environmental temperature range separate from the first environmental temperature range.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fiber comprises one of: a yarn comprising one or more fibers, or a fiber comprising a single elongated element.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial core is removed through dissolution in water.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial core comprises a water soluble polymer monofilament, filament yarn, or staple yarn.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial core is removed after the coiled actuator fibers have been incorporated into a fabric.

6. A method of generating a plurality of coiled actuator fibers, with each of the plurality of coiled actuator fibers being generated by:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber having a fiber bias angle α fiber between 25° and 50°;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a sacrificial core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber;
setting the highly twisted fiber coil by applying heat or a chemical setting agent to the twisted fiber coil disposed on the sacrificial core; and
removing the sacrificial core by dissolving the sacrificial core in a solvent to generate a coiled actuator fiber having two or more the following characteristics:
a coil spring index (C) greater than or equal to 2.0,
a coil portion contact temperature greater than or equal to 20° C.,
a thermal response of |CTE|2 mm/m/K, and
a fiber bias angle α fiber between 25° and 50°.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fiber comprises one of: a yarn comprising one or more fibers or other elements, a fiber comprising a single elongated element.

8. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber;
setting of the coiled actuator fiber by heat or chemical treatment; and
removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the fiber comprises one of: a yarn comprising one or more fibers, or a fiber comprising a single elongated element.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein setting the twisted fiber coil is carried out prior to the partial or complete removal of the core.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the setting of the twisted fiber coil is carried out on a spool of the coiled actuator fiber.

12. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber; and
removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber, wherein the coiled actuator fiber comprises a coil spring index (C) greater than or equal to 2.0.

13. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber; and
removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber, wherein the coiled actuator fiber comprises a coil portion contact temperature greater than or equal to 10° C.

14. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber; and
removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber, wherein the coiled actuator fiber comprises a thermal response of |CTE|≥2 mm/m/K.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises wrapping at least two twisted fibers around a core to generate coils in the twisted fibers.

16. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber;
removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber, wherein the core is removed through
a. dissolution;
b. chemical reaction;
c. or combinations thereof and wherein the core further comprises a non-removable portion that is not dissolvable or chemically reactive under the same conditions as the removable portion, leaving a portion of the core.

17. A method of generating a coiled actuator fiber comprising:
twisting a fiber to generate a twisted fiber;
wrapping the twisted fiber around a core to generate a coil in the twisted fiber; and removing at least a portion of the core to generate a coiled actuator fiber,
wherein twisting the fiber to generate the twisted fiber comprises twisting the fiber to have a fiber bias angle α fiber greater than 25°.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein twisting the fiber to generate the twisted fiber comprises twisting the fiber to have a fiber bias angle α fiber between 30° and 40°.

Assignees

• Other Lab Llc

Inventors

• Ridley Brent
• Chang Jean
• Maikranz Shara

Classifications

• D01F6/00

  Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof · CPC title

• D02G1/205 Primary

  After-treatments for fixing crimp or curl · CPC title

• D02G1/02 Primary

  by twisting, fixing the twist and backtwisting, i.e. by imparting false twist · CPC title

• D10B2501/00

  Wearing apparel · CPC title

• D10B2401/04

  Heat-responsive characteristics · CPC title