Electroadhesive device, system and method for gripping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11065771-B2
Application number	US-201716079514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A device for electroadhesion and conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy, for example electrostatic actuation, is provided, including a soft polymeric dielectric support having at least two sets of overlapping electrodes patterned respectively on the upper surface and bottom surface of the polymeric support, the electrodes of the two sets can be electrically activated through a power supply for providing voltage change suitable for electroadhesion, electrostatic actuation or both at the same time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for both converting between electrical energy and mechanical energy and for providing electrostatic adhesion, comprising:
a soft dielectric polymeric support having an upper surface and a bottom surface;
a first set of adjacent electrodes operatively disposed on the upper surface of a first active area of the polymeric support;
a second set of adjacent electrodes operatively disposed on the bottom surface of the first active area of the polymeric support;
a first circuitry configured to provide a first voltage between electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the first set and electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the second set of electrodes, and configured to provide a second voltage between an electrode of the first set and an electrode of the second set that overlap with each other; and
a first deformable insulating layer covering the first set of electrodes and a second deformable insulating layer covering the second set of electrodes,
wherein the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes are overlapped along a first axis.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric support is arranged in a manner which causes the first active area to deflect in response to a suitable applied voltage.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric support is uniaxially and elastically pre-strained on the first active area.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes in the first set and the second set are arranged to be parallel to each other.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes in the first set and the second set are evenly disposed.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electrodes in the first set and the second set are configured to change their shape without substantially compromising a mechanical and electrical performance.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein conversion between electrical and mechanical energy is provided by applying the second voltage with the first circuitry to create opposed charges between the electrode of the first set and the electrode of the second set that overlap with each other, and by applying the first voltage with the first circuitry to create equal charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the first set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the second set of electrodes.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electrostatic adhesion is provided by applying the first voltage with the first circuitry to create alternating unlike charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the first set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the second set of electrodes, and by applying the second voltage with the first circuitry to create equal charges between the electrode of the first set and the electrode of the second set that overlap with each other.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein conversion between electrical and mechanical energy is provided concurrently with the electrostatic adhesion by applying the first voltage with the first circuitry to create alternating unlike charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the first set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the second set of electrodes, and by applying the second voltage with the first circuitry to create opposed charges between the electrode of the first set and the electrode of the second set that overlap with each other.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third set of adjacent electrodes operatively disposed on the upper surface of a second active area of the polymeric support; and
a fourth set of adjacent electrodes operatively disposed on the bottom surface of the second active area of the polymeric support,
wherein the third set of electrodes and the fourth set of electrodes in the second active area are overlapped along a second axis.

11. The device of claim 10 , further comprising a third deformable insulating layer operatively connected on the third set of electrodes of the second active area and a fourth deformable insulating layer operatively connected below the fourth set of electrodes of the second active area.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the polymeric support is arranged in a manner which causes the second active area to deflect in response to a suitable applied voltage.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the polymeric support is uniaxially and elastically pre-strained on the second active area.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the electrodes in the third set and the fourth set are parallel to each other.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the electrodes in the third set and the fourth set are evenly disposed.

16. The device of claim 10 , wherein the electrodes in the third set and the fourth set are configured to change their shape without substantially compromising a mechanical and electrical performance.

17. The device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a second circuitry configured to provide a third voltage between electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the third set and electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the fourth set of electrodes, and configured to provide a fourth voltage between an electrode of the third set and an electrode of the fourth set that overlap with each other.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein conversion between electrical and mechanical energy is provided in the second active area by applying the fourth voltage with the second circuitry to create opposed charges in the electrode of the third set and the electrode of the fourth set that overlap with each other, and by applying the third voltage with the second circuitry to create equal charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the third set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the fourth set of electrodes.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the electrostatic adhesion is provided by applying the third voltage with the second circuitry in the second active area to create alternating unlike charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the third set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the fourth set of electrodes, and by applying the fourth voltage with the second circuitry to create equal charges in the electrode of the third set and the electrode of the fourth set that overlap with each other.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein, in the second active area, conversion between electrical and mechanical energy is provided concurrently with the electrostatic adhesion by applying the third voltage with the second circuitry to create alternating unlike charges in the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the third set and the electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the fourth set of electrodes, and by applying the fourth voltage with the second circuitry to create opposed charges in the electrode of the third set and the electrode of the fourth set that overlap with each other.

21. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first active area and the second active area are disposed on opposite sides of the polymeric support.

22. A shear gripping system comprising:
the device according to claim 10 , the device operatively connected to a movable load-bearing structure disposed between the first and the second active areas; and
a second circuitry configured to provide a third voltage between electrodes that are adjacent to each other within the third s

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechniqaue Fed De Lausanne Epfl
• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl

Inventors

• Shintake Jun
• Rosset Samuel
• Schubert Bryan
• Floreano Dario
• Shea Herbert

Classifications

• B65G47/92

  incorporating electrostatic or magnetic grippers · CPC title

• H02N13/00

  Clutches or holding devices using electrostatic attraction, e.g. using Johnson-Rahbek effect · CPC title

• B25J15/0085 Primary

  with means for applying an electrostatic force on the object to be gripped · CPC title