Actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11601074-B2
Application number	US-202117211279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2021
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

An actuator capable of attaining high output. The actuator includes a frame structure part that forms a frame structure surrounding a housing part, and a volume change part housed in the housing part. The volume change part increases a volume thereof by input of external energy. The frame structure part has a higher Young's modulus than a Young's modulus of the volume change part. The housing part has an anisotropic shape, with a maximum width in first direction of the housing part longer than a maximum width in second direction different from the first direction of the housing part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuator comprising:
a volume change part housed in the housing part, the volume change part being configured to increase a volume thereof by external input of external energy except mechanical energy;
a frame structure part that forms a frame structure surrounding a housing part, the frame structure part being configured to deform to contract the housing part in a first direction and widen the housing part in a second direction different from the first direction along with the increasing of the volume of the volume change part; and
a fiber material having a fiber axis direction, the fiber material being composed of at least a polymer material including a plurality of crystalline portions in which polymer chains are regularly arranged, a plurality of tie molecule domains in which polymer chains extend to connect the plurality of crystalline portions to each other, and a plurality of amorphous portions in which polymer chains are irregularly arranged, an extension direction of the polymer chains in the amorphous portion being along the fiber axis direction,
wherein the frame structure part has a higher Young's modulus than a Young's modulus of the volume change part,
the actuator is configured to output tensile force in the fiber axis direction by the external input of the external energy, and
the first direction is along the fiber axis direction.

2. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing part has an anisotropic shape, with a maximum width in the first direction of the housing part longer than a maximum width in the second direction of the housing part.

3. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of tie molecule domains include a plurality of first tie molecule domains extending in the first direction and a plurality of second tie molecule domains extending in the first direction,
the plurality of first tie molecule domains and the plurality of second tie molecule domains are disposed alternately one by one in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
one second tie molecule domain among the plurality of second tie molecule domains and one first tie molecule domain among the plurality of first tie molecule domains form a first space therebetween, the one first tie molecule domain being positioned adjacent to the one second tie molecule domain on one side in the second direction,
the one second tie molecule domain and one first tie molecule domain among the plurality of first tie molecule domains form a second space therebetween, the one first tie molecule domain being position adjacent to the one second tie molecule domain on another side in the second direction,
the plurality of crystalline portions include a plurality of first crystalline portions disposed in the first space and a plurality of second crystalline portions disposed in the second space,
the plurality of amorphous portions include a plurality of first amorphous portions disposed in the first space and a plurality of second amorphous portions disposed in the second space,
the plurality of first crystalline portions and the plurality of first amorphous portions are, in the first space, disposed alternately one by one in the first direction,
the plurality of second crystalline portions and the plurality of second amorphous portions are, in the second space, disposed alternately one by one in the first direction,
one first crystalline portion among the plurality of first crystalline portions in the first space faces, in the second direction, one second amorphous portion among the plurality of second amorphous portions in the second space, and one second crystalline portion among the plurality of second crystalline portions in the second space faces, in the second direction, one first amorphous portion among the plurality of first amorphous portions in the first space,
each of the plurality of amorphous portions has a longer length in the first direction than a length in the first direction of each of the plurality of crystalline portions,
the volume change part is one amorphous portion among the plurality of amorphous portions,
the frame structure part is a part of the plurality of crystalline portions and the plurality of tie molecule domains that surrounds the one amorphous portion, and
the polymer material has a density of higher than 0 g/cm 3 and lower than 1.03 g/cm 3 .

4. The actuator according to claim 3 , wherein
the polymer material contains a resin having an amide bond.

5. The actuator according to claim 4 , wherein
the resin is polyamide 12.

6. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the polymer material contains polyamide 12.

7. The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the frame structure part is a braided sleeve having a tubular structure of a combination of one or more fibers and surrounds the housing part, and is stretched more easily in a width direction perpendicular to the fiber axis direction than in the fiber axis direction,
the volume change part is a solid polymer material that is isotropically expanded by input of heat energy as the external energy when having no restriction to an outer shape thereof, and
the solid polymer material increases a volume thereof by the input of the heat energy into the solid polymer material, and the braided sleeve is deformed to contract the housing part in the fiber axis direction and widen the housing part in the width direction along with the increase of the volume of the polymer material.

8. The actuator according to claim 7 , wherein
the one or more fibers constituting the braided sleeve generates heat by electrification.

9. The actuator according to claim 8 , wherein
the fiber material includes a joint that suppresses the expansion in the width direction of the braided sleeve, and
the joint has a thinner shape than an outer shape of the braided sleeve and is fixed circularly or spirally around the braided sleeve at prescribed intervals.

10. The actuator according to claim 9 , wherein
a material constituting the joint generates heat by electrification.

11. An actuator comprising:
a fiber material having a fiber axis direction;
a volume change part housed in the housing part, the volume change being a solid polymer material configured to be isotropically expanded by external input of heat energy when having no restriction to an outer shape thereof; and
a frame structure part that forms a frame structure surrounding a housing part, the frame structure having a tubular structure of a combination of one or more fibers and surrounding the housing part, and being stretched more easily in a width direction perpendicular to the fiber axis direction than in the fiber axis direction, the frame structure part being configured to deform to contract the housing part in a first direction along the fiber axis direction, and widen the housing part in second direction different from the first direction along with the increasing of the volume of the volume change part,
wherein the frame structure part has a higher Young's modulus than a Young's modulus of the volume change part, and
the actuator outputs tensile force in the fiber axis direction of the fiber material by the external input of the heat energy.

12. An actuator comprising:
a volume change part housed in the housing part, the volume change part being configured to increase a volume thereof by external input of external energy except mechanical energy;
a frame structure part that forms a frame structure surrounding a housing part, the frame structure part being configured to deform to contract the housing part in a first direction and widen the housing part in second direction different

Assignees

• Denso Corp
• Tokyo Inst Tech
• National Univ Corporation Tokai National Higher Education And Research System

Inventors

• Sakurai Daichi
• Washino Seiichiro
• Chatani Shota
• Watanabe Haruhiko
• Shioya Masatoshi
• Kimura Daisuke
• IRISAWA Toshihira
• Takagi Kentaro
• Hasegawa Takashi

Classifications

• F03G7/0612

  using polymers · CPC title

• F03G7/06

  using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like (using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K) · CPC title

• H02N10/00 Primary

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

• F03G7/0121 Primary

  Electroactive polymers · CPC title