Actuator device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10815976-B2
Application number	US-201916547569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

An actuator device comprises an actuator wire, a net-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises heating wires, and a controller for supplying electric power to the net-shaped heating element to heat the net-shaped heating element. The actuator wire is contracted by application of heat and restored by release of the heat. The side surface of the actuator wire is formed of a polymer. One end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to an end of the actuator wire. Another end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to another end of the actuator wire. Each of the heating wires comprises an insulative first elastic yarn and a metal wire. The metal wire are helically wound onto the first elastic yarn. When the net-shaped heating element is not heated, the net-shaped heating element is in contact with the side surface of the actuator wire. When the net-shaped heating element is heated, the net-shaped heating element moves outward from the side surface of the actuator wire due to contraction of the actuator wire.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator device comprising:
an actuator wire;
a net-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises heating wires; and
a controller for supplying electric power to the net-shaped heating element to heat the net-shaped heating element,
wherein
the actuator wire is contracted by application of heat and restored by release of the heat;
the side surface of the actuator wire is formed of a polymer;
one end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to an end of the actuator wire;
another end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to another end of the actuator wire,
each of the heating wires comprises an insulative first elastic yarn and a metal wire;
the metal wire are helically wound onto the first elastic yarn;
when the net-shaped heating element is not heated, the net-shaped heating element is in contact with the side surface of the actuator wire; and
when the net-shaped heating element is heated, the net-shaped heating element moves outward from the side surface of the actuator wire due to contraction of the actuator wire.

2. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the heating wires further comprises an insulative second elastic yarn;
the metal wire is S-twisted;
the second elastic yarn is wound helically onto the first elastic yarn around which the metal wire has been helically; and
the second elastic yarn is Z-twisted.

3. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the heating wires comprises an insulative second elastic yarn;
the metal wire is Z-twisted;
the second elastic yarn is helically wound onto the first elastic yarn around which the metal wires has been helically; and
the second elastic yarn is S-twisted.

4. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the heating wires is helically wound onto the side surface of the actuator wire; and
the heating wires are braided to form the net-shaped heating element.

5. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
the heating wires are S-twisted.

6. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
the heating wires are Z-twisted.

7. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the heating wires has a shape of a rectangular wave; and
the wires each having the rectangular wave shapes are knitted to form the net-shaped heating element.

8. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
the heating wires are helically wound onto the side surface of the actuator wire; and
the heating wires are woven to form the net-shaped heating element.

9. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
the actuator wire is formed of a fiber;
the fiber is twisted around a longitudinal axis thereof;
the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of cylindrical coil;
the fiber is formed of linear low-density polyethylene; and
the following mathematical formula is satisfied:
D/d< 1  (I)

where
D represents an mean diameter of the cylindrical coil; and
d represents a diameter of the fiber.

10. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
a product of tensile strength of the metal wire and a cross-sectional area of the metal wire is more than 0.27 N and not more than 0.63 N.

11. An actuator comprising:
an actuator wire; and
a net-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises heating wires;
wherein
the actuator wire is contracted by application of heat and restored by release of the heat;
the side surface of the actuator wire is formed of a polymer,
each of the heating wires comprises insulative first elastic yarn and a metal wire, and
the metal wire is wound helically onto the first elastic yarn.

12. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
an end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to an end of the actuator wire,
another end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to another end of the actuator wire, and a part of the first elastic yarn is exposed to outside.

13. The actuator according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a first joint and a second joint,
wherein
an end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to an end of the actuator wire with the first joint, and
another end of the net-shaped heating element is connected to another end of the actuator wire with the second joint.

14. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
each of the heating wires further comprises an insulative second elastic yarn;
the metal wire is S-twisted;
the second elastic yarn is helically wound onto the first elastic yarn around which the metal wire has been wound; and
the second elastic yarn is Z-twisted.

15. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
each of the heating wires further comprises an insulative second elastic yarn;
the metal wire is Z-twisted;
the second elastic yarn is helically wound onto the first elastic yarn around which the metal wire has been wound; and
the second elastic yarn is S-twisted.

16. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
each of the heating wires is helically wound onto the side surface of the actuator wire; and
the heating wires are braided to form the net-shaped heating element.

17. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
the heating wires are S-twisted.

18. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
the heating wires are Z-twisted.

19. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
each of the heating wires has a shape of a rectangular wave, and
the wires each having the rectangular wave shapes are knitted to form the net-shaped heating element.

20. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
the heating wires are helically wound onto the side surface of the actuator wire, and
the heating wires are woven to form the net-shaped heating element.

21. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
the actuator wire is formed of a fiber;
the fiber is twisted around a longitudinal axis thereof;
the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of cylindrical coil;
the fiber is formed of linear low-density polyethylene; and
the following mathematical formula is satisfied:
D/d <1  (I)

where
D represents an mean diameter of the cylindrical coil; and
d represents a diameter of the fiber.

22. The actuator according to claim 11 , wherein
a product of tensile strength of the metal wire and a cross-sectional area of the metal wire is more than 0.27 N and not more than 0.63 N.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Yuriko
• Hiraoka Maki
• Hayashi Naoki
• Tagashira Kenji

Classifications

• F03G7/0612 Primary

  using polymers · CPC title

• D02G3/38

  Threads in which fibres, filaments, or yarns are wound with other yarns or filaments, {e.g. wrap yarns, i.e. strands of filaments or staple fibres are wrapped by a helically wound binder yarn; (D02G3/32 takes precedence)}; (covering endless core threads with fibres by using open-end spinning techniques D01H4/00) · CPC title

• D02G3/12

  Threads containing metallic filaments or strips · CPC title

• H02N10/00

  Electric motors using thermal effects {(motors using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating or cooling F03G7/06)} · CPC title

• F03G7/065 Primary

  using a shape memory element · CPC title