JP7645448B2 - ACTUATOR AND ACTUATOR DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an actuator having a laminate in which multiple actuator elements, each of which has a gel-like dielectric sandwiched between an anode and a cathode, are stacked, and an actuator device having the actuator.

As an actuator and actuator device of this type, the actuator and unit disclosed by the applicant in the following Patent Document 1 are known. This actuator is constructed by laminating multiple basic structural units, each of which has a gel layer made of a dielectric polymer material between a mesh-like anode member and a sheet-like cathode member. In this case, when a voltage is applied between the anode member and the cathode member, the gel layer is drawn into the gaps in the mesh of the anode member, causing the gel layer to shrink in the thickness direction. When the application of the voltage is stopped, the gel layer returns to its original thickness and generates a restoring force. This actuator is configured to extract the restoring force of the gel layer as a generating force. Furthermore, this unit is configured with multiple actuators.

JP 2015-171225 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional actuators and units have the following problems to be solved. Specifically, in the above-mentioned actuators, the anode side conductors connected to each anode member are bundled and connected to the power supply wiring, and the negative side conductors connected to each negative member are bundled and connected to the power supply wiring to apply a voltage. Furthermore, in conventional units that include multiple actuators, it is necessary to further bundle the anode side conductors of each bundled actuator to connect to the power supply wiring, and further bundle the negative side conductors of each bundled actuator to connect to the power supply wiring. Thus, conventional actuators and units have the problem that it is difficult to improve manufacturing efficiency due to the complicated wiring work.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its main objective is to provide an actuator and actuator device that can improve manufacturing efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, the actuator described in claim 1 includes a laminate in which actuator elements each consisting of a gel-like dielectric that deforms in a thickness direction when a voltage is supplied thereto and an anode and a cathode arranged to sandwich the gel-like dielectric are laminated on either side of the gel-like dielectric, and generates, as a driving force, a restoring force in the thickness direction caused by the restoration of each of the gel-like dielectrics when the supply of voltage is stopped from a state in which a voltage is supplied to each of the gel-like dielectrics via each of the anodes and each of the cathodes, and a non-conductive sheet made of a material different from the gel-like dielectric that constitutes the actuator element is arranged on at least one end surface in the thickness direction of the laminate, and the non-conductive sheet has a first electrode electrically connected to each of the anodes arranged at a first position on the outer surface of the non-conductive sheet, and a second electrode electrically connected to each of the cathodes arranged at a second position different from the first position on the outer surface of the non-conductive sheet , and a notch is formed on an edge of the non-conductive sheet .

According to the actuator of claim 1, the first electrode electrically connected to the anode of the actuator element and the second electrode electrically connected to the cathode of the actuator element are disposed on the outer surface of a non-conductive sheet disposed on the end surface of the laminate, so that all the anodes and all the cathodes of all the actuator elements constituting the laminate can be electrically connected to the power supply wiring simply by connecting the power supply wiring to the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively. Therefore, according to this actuator, compared to the conventional configuration in which the conductors connected to each anode must be tied together and connected to the power supply wiring, and the conductors connected to each negative electrode must be tied together and connected to the power supply wiring, the wiring work can be omitted, and the manufacturing efficiency can be sufficiently improved.

Furthermore, with this actuator, by forming a notch in the edge of the non-conductive sheet, for example, it is possible to place a rod-shaped member or a rib-shaped member on the outer periphery of the actuator and fit the member into the notch, thereby reliably preventing collapse of the stacked actuators and misalignment of the actuators in the rotational direction.

Moreover, according to this actuator, a non-conductive sheet is provided on each of both end faces in the thickness direction of the laminate, and a first electrode and a second electrode are provided on both of the non-conductive sheets, so that even if power supply wiring is connected to the first electrode and the second electrode provided on either of the non-conductive sheets, a voltage can be supplied to each anode and each cathode. Moreover, according to this actuator, by simply stacking the first electrodes and the second electrodes of the multiple actuators facing each other, it is possible to electrically connect all the anodes and all the cathodes of the actuators without performing wiring work between the actuators.

According to this actuator device, the actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a non-conductive plate on which the actuator can be placed, a pair of conductors arranged on the surface of the plate so that the first electrode and the second electrode of the actuator in the placed state can be in contact with each other, and a power supply unit that supplies a voltage to the actuator via each conductor, so that the actuator can be driven by supplying a voltage to all of the gel-like dielectrics via all of the anodes and cathodes of the actuator simply by placing the actuator on the surface of the plate so that the first electrode and the second electrode are in contact with each conductor. According to this actuator device, the conductors formed in strips, for example, can be arranged over a wide area of the surface of the plate, so that any number of actuators can be arranged at any position within the range of the conductors and each actuator can be driven.

Furthermore, according to this actuator device, there are provided a plurality of actuators as described in claim 3 stacked so that the first electrodes and the second electrodes are in contact with each other and conductive with each other, and a power supply unit which supplies a voltage to each actuator via any of the first electrodes and second electrodes of each actuator. This makes it possible to electrically connect all of the anodes and cathodes of each actuator without performing wiring work between each actuator, thereby supplying a voltage to all of the gel-like dielectrics via all of the anodes and cathodes of each actuator, thereby driving each actuator.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an actuator 10. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an actuator element 30. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an actuator device 50. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an actuator device 60. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the actuator 10 is covered with a cover 70.

The following describes embodiments of the actuator and actuator device with reference to the attached drawings.

First, the configuration of the actuator 10 shown in Figure 1 will be described. The actuator 10 is an example of an actuator according to the present invention, and as shown in the figure, is configured with a laminate 20 and a non-conductive sheet 40.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the laminate 20 is constructed by stacking a plurality of actuator elements 30 (10 layers, for example) each of which is composed of a sheet-like gel dielectric 31 that is circular in plan view and has the property of deforming in the thickness direction when a voltage is applied, a mesh-like anode 32 that is circular in plan view, and a sheet-like cathode 33 that is circular in plan view, arranged to sandwich the gel dielectric 31. As shown in Fig. 1, a wire (conductor) for supplying power is connected to the anode 32 and the cathode 33.

The non-conductive sheets 40 are formed of a material having non-conductivity (for example, a PET sheet) and are disposed on both end surfaces in the thickness direction of the laminate 20 as shown in FIG. 1. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an electrode 41a (first electrode) electrically connected to each anode 32 of each actuator element 30 via a wire (conductor) 34, and an electrode 41b (second electrode) electrically connected to each cathode 33 of each actuator element 30 via a wire 34 are disposed on the edge of each outer surface of each non-conductive sheet 40. In this case, the arrangement position (first position) of the electrode 41a and the arrangement position (second position) of the electrode 41b are, for example, defined as positions facing each other across the center of the non-conductive sheet 40 (positions different from each other). Also, a notch 42 is formed on the edge of the non-conductive sheet 40 as shown in FIG. 3.

In this actuator 10, when a voltage is supplied to each gel-like dielectric 31 through each anode 32 and each cathode 33 constituting each actuator element 30, the laminate 20 contracts due to the deformation of each gel-like dielectric 31, and when the supply of voltage to each gel-like dielectric 31 is stopped, the laminate 20 expands with the restoring force due to the restoration of each gel-like dielectric 31. In other words, in this actuator 10, it is possible to generate this restoring force as a driving force F (see FIG. 1). Here, the driving force F generated by the actuator 10 is proportional (or approximately proportional) to the area of the gel-like dielectric 31, anode 32, and cathode 33 constituting each actuator element 30, and the amount of displacement (amount of expansion and contraction) of the laminate 20 is proportional (or approximately proportional) to the number of actuator elements 30 stacked.

In this actuator 10, as described above, the electrodes 41a electrically connected to the anodes 32 of each actuator element 30 and the electrodes 41b electrically connected to the cathodes 33 of each actuator element 30 are disposed on the outer surface of the non-conductive sheet 40 disposed on the end surface of the laminate 20. Therefore, with this actuator 10, all the anodes 32 and all the cathodes 33 in each actuator element 30 constituting the laminate 20 can be electrically connected to the power supply wiring simply by connecting the power supply wiring to the electrodes 41a and 41b. Therefore, with this actuator 10, compared to the conventional configuration in which the wires 34 connected to each anode 32 must be tied together and connected to the power supply wiring, and the wires 34 connected to each cathode 33 must be tied together and connected to the power supply wiring, the wiring work can be omitted, and the manufacturing efficiency can be sufficiently improved.

In addition, in this actuator 10, non-conductive sheets 40 are disposed on both end surfaces in the thickness direction of the laminate 20, and electrodes 41a, 41b are disposed on both of the non-conductive sheets 40. Therefore, with this actuator 10, even if power supply wiring is connected to the electrodes 41a, 41b of either of the non-conductive sheets 40, voltage can be supplied to each anode 32 and each cathode 33. Furthermore, with this actuator 10, all anodes 32 and all cathodes 33 of each actuator 10 can be electrically connected without wiring between each actuator 10 by simply stacking the electrodes 41a and electrodes 41b of multiple actuators 10 facing each other.

Next, the configuration of the actuator device 50 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. Note that components similar to those of the actuator 10 described above are given the same reference numerals and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

The actuator device 50 is an example of an actuator device according to the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 4, is configured with a plurality of actuators 10 (for example, six actuators), a plate 51, conductors 52a and 52b, and a controller 53.

The plate 51 is formed of a non-conductive material (e.g., acrylic resin or PTFE) and is configured to allow multiple actuators 10 to be placed on it with the outer surface of the non-conductive sheet 40 (the lower surface in FIG. 1) facing downward, as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the conductors 52a and 52b are formed in a band shape and arranged over a wide area (almost the entire area) of the surface 51a of the plate 51. The conductors 52a and 52b are arranged in positions that are in contact with the electrodes 41a and 41b, respectively, of the actuator 10 when it is placed on the surface 51a of the plate 51.

The controller 53 is configured with a power supply unit capable of outputting a driving voltage for driving the actuator 10, and a control unit capable of controlling the voltage value and frequency of the output voltage, and supplies the driving voltage to the actuator 10 via the conductors 52a and 52b.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this actuator device 50, when a driving voltage is output from a controller 53 with multiple actuators 10 placed on a plate 51, the voltage is supplied to the actuators 10 via conductors 52a, 52b arranged on the plate 51 and electrodes 41a, 41b of the actuators 10 that are in contact with the conductors 52a, 52b, thereby driving the actuators 10 to generate a driving force F.

According to this actuator device 50, the actuator 10, the plate 51 on which the actuator 10 can be placed, the conductors 52a and 52b arranged on the surface 51a of the plate 51 so that the electrodes 41a and 41b of the actuator 10 in the placed state can contact each other, and the controller 53 that supplies voltage to the actuator 10 via the conductors 52a and 52b is provided. Therefore, by simply placing the actuator 10 on the surface 51a of the plate 51 so that the electrodes 41a and 41b contact the conductors 52a and 52b, the actuator 10 can be driven by supplying voltage to each gel-like dielectric 31 via each anode 32 and each cathode 33 of the actuator 10. In addition, according to this actuator device 50, the conductors 52a and 52b formed in a strip shape are arranged over a wide range on the surface 51a of the plate 51, so that any number of actuators 10 can be arranged at any position within the range of the conductors 52a and 52b, and each actuator 10 can be driven.

Next, the configuration of the actuator device 60 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. Note that components similar to those of the actuator 10 and actuator device 50 described above are given the same reference numerals and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

The actuator device 60 is another example of an actuator device according to the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 5, is configured with a plurality of actuators 10 (for example, three), a cylinder 61, a fixed plate 62, an upper plate 63a, a lower plate 63b, a plurality of rods 64 (for example, four), and a controller 53. Note that in the figure, each component is shown partially or entirely in a see-through state to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the actuator 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical body 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. The cylindrical body 61 is formed from a material (e.g., acrylic resin or PTFE) that is resistant to solvents and plasticizers and is non-conductive.

The fixed plate 62 is formed in a disk shape from the same material as the cylindrical body 61, and is fixed to the bottom side of the cylindrical body 61 as shown in FIG. 5. The fixed plate 62 is also formed with an insertion hole H through which the rod 64 can be inserted. Furthermore, conductors 52a and 52b that can come into contact with the electrodes 41a and 41b of the actuator 10 are arranged on the upper surface of the fixed plate 62 (the surface on which the actuator 10 is arranged).

The upper plate 63a is formed in a disk shape from the same material as the cylinder 61, and is disposed above the actuator 10 within the cylinder 61 so as to be slidable in the length direction of the cylinder 61, as shown in FIG. 5. The lower plate 63b is formed in a disk shape from the same material as the cylinder 61, and is disposed below the fixed plate 62 within the cylinder 61 so as to be slidable in the length direction of the cylinder 61, as shown in the same figure. A cord 65 (e.g., a string made of aramid fiber) is connected to the lower plate 63b.

The rod 64 is formed to be non-conductive, and as shown in FIG. 5, when inserted into the insertion hole H of the fixed plate 62, the upper end is engaged with the upper plate 63a and the lower end is engaged with the lower plate 63b, connecting the upper plate 63a and the lower plate 63b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the actuators 10 are stacked such that the electrodes 41a face each other and the electrodes 41b face each other, and are disposed above the fixed plate 62 (between the fixed plate 62 and the upper plate 63a) in the cylinder 61. In this state, the electrodes 41a and 41b of the actuator 10 disposed at the bottom come into contact with the conductors 52a and 52b disposed on the upper surface of the fixed plate 62. As shown in the figure, each actuator 10 is disposed with a rod 64 fitted into a notch 42 (see FIG. 3) formed in each non-conductive sheet 40.

The controller 53 supplies driving voltage to each actuator 10 via conductors 52a and 52b arranged on the upper surface of the fixed plate 62.

In this actuator device 60, when a voltage is supplied to each gel-like dielectric 31 via each anode 32 and each cathode 33 constituting each actuator element 30 of each actuator 10, the deformation of each gel-like dielectric 31 causes the laminate 20 of the actuator 10 to contract, and the upper plate 63a and the lower plate 63b move downward, and when the supply of voltage to each gel-like dielectric 31 is stopped, the laminate 20 expands with the restoring force due to the restoration of each gel-like dielectric 31, and the upper plate 63a and the lower plate 63b move upward. This makes it possible to generate the restoring force of each gel-like dielectric 31 as a driving force F (tensile force via the cord 65).

This actuator device 60 includes a plurality of actuators 10 stacked such that the electrodes 41a and 41b are in contact with each other and conductive, and a controller 53 that supplies voltage to each actuator 10 via the electrodes 41a, 41b (either of the electrodes 41a, 41b) of the bottom actuator 10 that is in contact with the conductors 52a, 52b of the fixed plate 62. This makes it possible to electrically connect all the anodes 32 and cathodes 33 of each actuator 10 without wiring between the actuators 10, supply voltage to all the gel dielectrics 31 via all the anodes 32 and cathodes 33, and drive each actuator 10.

In addition, with this actuator device 60, when a failure occurs in some of the actuators 10, such as a short circuit between the anode 32 and the cathode 33 or poor continuity due to a broken wire 34, repairs can be made quickly by replacing only the actuator 10 in which the failure occurred with another actuator 10.

In addition, with this actuator device 60, by fitting a rod 64 into a notch 42 formed in the non-conductive sheet 40 of the actuator 10, it is possible to reliably prevent the collapse of stacked actuators 10 and the misalignment of the actuators 10 in the rotational direction.

The configurations of the actuator 10, actuator device 50, and actuator device 60 described above are examples of the actuator and actuator device according to the present invention, and appropriate modifications can be made to the configuration. For example, in the configuration of the actuator 10 described above, ten layers of actuator elements 30 are stacked to form the laminate 20, but the number of layers of actuator elements 30 that form the laminate 20 can be specified as desired.

In addition, in the configuration of the actuator 10 described above, the gel-like dielectric 31, the anode 32, and the cathode 33 are formed in a circular shape when viewed from above, but it is also possible to adopt gel-like dielectric 31, anode 32, and cathode 33 having other shapes when viewed from above (e.g., elliptical or polygonal).

In addition, in the configuration of the actuator 10 described above, a non-conductive sheet 40 is disposed on each of both end surfaces in the thickness direction of the laminate 20, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a non-conductive sheet 40 is disposed on only one of both end surfaces of the laminate 20.

In addition, in the actuator device 50 described above, six actuators 10 are mounted on the plate 51, but the number of actuators 10 mounted on the plate 51 can be changed as desired. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which multiple actuators 10 are stacked and mounted on the plate 51.

In addition, in the actuator device 60 described above, three actuators 10 are stacked, but the number of actuators 10 stacked can be changed as desired.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6, a configuration can be adopted in which the top and sides of the actuator 10 are covered with an insulating cover 70.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Actuator 20 Laminate 30 Actuator element 31 Gel dielectric 32 Anode 33 Cathode 40 Non-conductive sheet 41a, 41b Electrode 42 Notch 50, 60 Actuator device 51 Plate 51a Surface 52a, 52b Conductor 53 Controller

Claims (1)

An actuator comprising a laminate in which a gel-like dielectric is sandwiched between actuator elements, each of which is made of a gel-like dielectric that deforms in a thickness direction when a voltage is applied thereto and an anode and a cathode arranged to sandwich the gel-like dielectric, and which generates, as a driving force, a restoring force in the thickness direction caused by the restoration of each of the gel-like dielectrics when the supply of voltage is stopped from a state in which voltage is being applied to each of the gel-like dielectrics via each of the anodes and each of the cathodes,
a non-conductive sheet made of a different material from the gel dielectric constituting the actuator element is disposed on at least one end surface in the thickness direction of the laminate,
The non-conductive sheet has first electrodes electrically connected to the anodes disposed at first positions on an outer surface of the non-conductive sheet, and second electrodes electrically connected to the cathodes disposed at second positions different from the first positions on the outer surface of the non-conductive sheet ,
The actuator has a notch formed in an edge of the non-conductive sheet .

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