Actuator device, actuator band, and method for manufacturing actuator band

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11181100-B2
Application number	US-202016931036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2020
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

In order to stably operate an actuator device in repeated operations with suppression of an increase in a resistance value of a heating wire, the actuator band according to the present disclosure comprises a plurality of actuator wires and a plurality of heating wires. Each of the plurality of the actuator wires is formed of a fiber which consists of a polymer. The fiber is twisted along the long axis thereof and folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape. Each of the plurality of the actuator wires is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat. A braided fabric is formed with the plurality of the actuator wires arranged in a planer shape and the plurality of the heating wires. A first end of each of the plurality of heating wires is connected to a first end of each of the plurality of the actuator wires. A second end of each of the plurality of the heating wires is connected to a second end of each of the plurality of the actuator wires.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator device, comprising:
an actuator band; and
a control device, wherein:
the actuator band comprises a plurality of actuator wires and a plurality of heating wires,
each of the plurality of actuator wires is formed from a fiber which consists of a polymer,
the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof,
the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil,
each of the plurality of actuator wires is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat,
any one of a braided fabric, a woven fabric, and a knitted fabric is formed with the plurality of actuator wires and the plurality of heating wires,
the plurality of actuator wires are arranged in parallel in a planar shape,
at a first end of the actuator band, a first end of each of the plurality of heating wires is connected to a first end of each of the plurality of actuator wires,
at a second end of the actuator band, a second end of each of the plurality of heating wires is connected to a second end of each of the plurality of actuator wires,
the control device is configured to supply, to each of the plurality of heating wires, electric power for heating each of the plurality of heating wires,
the actuator band is contracted in a first direction from the first end to the second end of the actuator band by heating the actuator band in a state where a tension has been applied along the first direction, and
in a cross section of the actuator band along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, each outer periphery of the plurality of actuator wires is provided with at least three of the plurality of heating wires.

2. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein:
each of the plurality of heating wires comprises non-conductive elastic yarn and a metal wire, and
the metal wire is helically wound around the elastic yarn.

3. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein
the fiber is formed of linear low density polyethylene, and
the following formula (I) is satisfied:
D/d< 1  (I)

where
D represents an average diameter of the cylindrical coil, and
d represents a diameter of the fiber.

4. An actuator band, comprising:
a plurality of actuator wires; and
a plurality of heating wires, wherein:
each of the plurality of actuator wires is formed from a fiber which consists of a polymer,
the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof,
the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil,
each of the plurality of actuator wires is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat,
any one of a braided fabric, a woven fabric, and a knitted fabric is formed with the plurality of actuator wires and the plurality of heating wires,
the plurality of actuator wires are arranged in parallel in a planar shape,
a first end of each of the plurality of heating wires is connected to a first end of each of the plurality of actuator wires,
a second end of each of the plurality of heating wires is connected to a second end of each of the plurality of actuator wires, and
in a cross section of the actuator band along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, each outer periphery of the plurality of actuator wires is provided with at least three of the plurality of heating wires.

5. The actuator band according to claim 4 , wherein:
each of the plurality of heating wires comprises non-conductive elastic yarn and a metal wire, and
the metal wire is helically wound around the elastic yarn.

6. The actuator band according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first connector; and
a second connector, wherein:
the first end of each of the plurality of heating wires are connected to the first end of each of the plurality of actuator wires with the first connector, and
the second end of each of the plurality of heating wires are connected to the second end of each of the plurality of actuator wires with the second connector.

7. The actuator band according to claim 4 , wherein:
the fiber is formed of linear low density polyethylene, and
the following formula (I) is satisfied:
D/d< 1  (I)

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

8. A method for manufacturing an actuator band, the method comprising:
forming any one of a braided fabric, a woven fabric, or a knitted fabric with a plurality of actuator wires each of which is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat and a plurality of heating wires to form the actuator band, wherein:
each of the plurality of actuator wires is formed of a fiber which consists of a polymer,
the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof and folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil,
the plurality of actuator wires are disposed in parallel in a planer shape, and
in a cross section of the actuator band along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, each outer periphery of the plurality of actuator wires is provided with at least three of the plurality of heating wires.

9. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein in the cross section of the actuator band along the second direction, one of the at least three of the plurality of heating wires is provided between two of the plurality of actuator wires.

10. The actuator band according to claim 4 , wherein in the cross section of the actuator band along the second direction, one of the at least three of the plurality of heating wires is provided between two of the plurality of actuator wires.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein in the cross section of the actuator band along the second direction, one of the at least three of the plurality of heating wires is provided between two of the plurality of actuator wires.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Yuriko
• Hiraoka Maki

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

• D03D1/00

  Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles · 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

• D04C1/06

  Braid or lace serving particular purposes · CPC title