Actuator and actuator set

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017175719-A1
Application number	US-201615366106-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An actuator includes a first actuator fiber and a second actuator fiber that are connected to plate members, a frame member provided at a fixed distance from the plate member; and a controller that controls temperature of the first actuator fiber and temperature of the second actuator fiber. Each of the first actuator fiber and the second actuator fiber is wound spirally and stretches or contracts when temperature thereof is changed. Stretch or contraction of the first actuator fiber or the second actuator fiber based on the control of the temperature causes the plate member to be locked to the frame member or to be unlocked from the frame member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An actuator comprising:
one or more first actuator fibers that are connected to a first plate and a second plate via a connection member; one or more second actuator fibers that are connected to the first plate and the second plate via a connection member; a locking unit that is provided at a fixed distance from the first plate; and a controller that controls temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers, wherein each of the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers is wound spirally and stretches or contracts when temperature thereof is changed, and wherein the control of the temperature causes the second plate to be locked to the locking unit by controlling a difference in temperature between the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers in response to a locking command and causes the second plate to be unlocked from the locking unit by controlling the difference in temperature between the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers in response to an unlocking command.

2 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers has a structure in which a high polymer fiber bundle including one or more twisted high polymer fibers is wound spirally.

3 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers has a structure in which a fibrous shape-memory alloy is wound spirally.

4 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the control of the temperature causes the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers to be equal to each other in response to the locking command and produces a predetermined difference in temperature between the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers in response to the unlocking command.

5 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the control of the temperature causes the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers to be equal to each other after producing a difference in temperature between the one or more first actuator fibers and the one or more second actuator fibers in response to the locking command and increases the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers while keeping the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers equal to each other in response to the unlocking command.

6 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
a spring rate of each of the one or more first actuator fibers is equal to a spring rate of each of the one or more second actuator fibers.

7 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
a guide member that guides movement of the second plate when the second plate is locked or unlocked is provided on the locking unit.

8 . The actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller returns the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers to a room temperature in a state where the temperature of the one or more first actuator fibers and the temperature of the one or more second actuator fibers have been increased and the second plate has been locked.

9 . An actuator set comprising a plurality of actuators as set forth in claim 4 that are arranged in parallel with one another.

10 . An actuator set comprising a plurality of actuators as set forth in claim 5 that are arranged in series with one another.

11 . A contraction belt comprising:
the actuator as set forth in claim 1 , the first plate and the second plate of the actuator and an elastic fiber being connected so as to form a ring.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Asai Katsuhiko

Classifications

• E05B51/005

  by a bimetallic or memory-shape element (heated by electricity E05B47/0009; for panic door actuation E05B65/104) · CPC title

• F03G7/065 Primary

  using a shape memory element · CPC title

• F03G7/0636

  with several elements connected in parallel · CPC title

• F03G7/06145

  Springs · CPC title

• F03G7/0612 Primary

  using polymers · CPC title