JP2005006490A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actuator, including a driver which can be easily fixed and which can be easily fixed, even when a plurality of layers are provided. <P>SOLUTION: The actuator includes the driver, an electrolyte and paired electrodes. The driver contains a conductive polymer and has a shape of an endless band-like or ring stage. The actuator engages the driver with a plurality of supports. Or, the actuator includes the driver, the electrolyte and the paired electrodes, in such a manner that the driver is a winding containing the conductive polymer. The actuator further includes a space to be engaged inside the driver and uses the driver engaged with the plurality of the supports. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive unit that is driven by applying a voltage or an actuator including the drive unit, and an apparatus using the actuator.

  It is known that a conductive polymer such as polypyrrole exhibits electrolytic stretching, which is a phenomenon that stretches or deforms by electrochemical redox. A molded article containing a conductive polymer can be driven by this electrolytic expansion and contraction by applying a voltage, and can be used as a drive part of an actuator or a drive mechanism. Actuators or drive mechanisms using this conductive polymer molded product are expected to be used for applications such as artificial muscles, robot arms, and artificial hands, and have attracted attention in recent years.

As an actuator using a conductive polymer molded product, a configuration of an actuator including an electrolytic solution, a counter electrode, and a polypyrrole film in a cell was reported in 1997 (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In this actuator, the polypyrrole film expands and contracts by applying a voltage between the counter electrode and the polypyrrole film while the polypyrrole film and the counter electrode are immersed in the electrolytic solution, and the polypyrrole film is subjected to a load of 14.6 MPa (45 g). Is also described as 1% expansion and contraction. That is, this actuator can generate a force of 14 MPa in the length direction by electrolytic expansion and contraction.
A. Della Santa, 2 others, “Performance and work capacity of a polymer conductor polymer scientist” (Elscvier Science), 1997, Vol. 90, P93-100.

  Since the molded article containing the conductive polymer is a film, the actuator needs to be sandwiched by a chuck or the like and fixed as an actuator when used as a drive unit.

  However, the method of fixing a film-like conductive polymer molded product by chucking it with a chuck claw, etc., may cause insufficient film-like fixing when chucked with a strong force. The conductive polymer molded product may be difficult to deform and chuck due to the flexibility of the conductive polymer. Therefore, it is difficult to fix the position by chucking the film-like conductive polymer molded product, and the member to be chucked is connected to a shaft or the like to drive the conductive polymer molded product as a driving force. It's also difficult.

  In addition, in order to obtain a large force with respect to the force generated by driving due to the expansion and contraction of the conductive polymer, when a device is obtained by laminating a plurality of conductive polymer thin films in the thickness direction, The method of fixing by chucking both ends is difficult to apply the same tension to all layers, and is inappropriate as a method of fixing an element (laminated body).

  Further, as a method used as a drive unit of a drive device or the like, a mechanical or electrical drive method such as traction by a wire or rotation by a motor is usually used. However, in the case of driving by pulling with a wire, the structure becomes complicated, such as screwing the wire or providing a pulley. When driven by a motor, vibration and sound are generated, which causes a problem in quietness, the structure becomes large, and weight reduction is difficult. Further, there is no known driving mechanism in which an element driven by an electrochemical expansion / contraction operation by applying a voltage to the element is hung on a plurality of supports and driven by the expansion / contraction operation of the element.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator including a drive unit that can be easily fixed and can be easily fixed even in the case of a multilayer structure.

  Therefore, as a result of intensive investigations, the inventors of the present invention are actuators including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit includes a conductive polymer, and the shape of the drive unit is an endless belt or a ring. Yes, by using an actuator that hangs the drive unit on a plurality of supports, the drive unit can be easily fixed, and when the drive unit is driven, the drive force is transmitted to the support, The inventors have found that a driving force can be obtained and have reached the present invention.

  In addition, by using a wound body containing a conductive polymer as the driving unit, the driving unit can be easily fixed, and when the driving unit is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the support body, so that The inventors have found that a driving force can be obtained and have reached the present invention.

  An actuator including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit has an endless belt shape or a ring shape, and includes a drive unit mounting support for hanging the drive unit, By using an actuator provided with an auxiliary support for stretching, it is easy to fix the drive unit, and the drive unit is attached to the auxiliary support in a substantially S shape, a substantially M shape, or these Since it is easy to hold in a continuous shape, zigzag shape, spiral shape, or folded shape, even when the drive unit is long, for example, 20 cm or longer, it is possible to save space and achieve a compact state. Thus, the drive unit can be easily held.

  In the above-mentioned actuator, by using a driving body having a loop-shaped part at least one end as a driving part, the loop-shaped part is hung on a driving part mounting support body and wound around the support body. A driving unit which is a rotating body can be formed.

  Furthermore, the drive unit includes a conductive polymer having a maximum expansion / contraction rate of 8% or more by electrolytic expansion / contraction as a material, and the expansion / contraction rate of the drive unit during driving of the actuator is 50% or less of the maximum expansion / contraction rate. By using the actuator driving method according to claim 32, wherein the driving unit is extended and contracted, (1) the expansion / contraction amount can be increased by lengthening the driving unit, and (2) the maximum expansion / contraction rate The expansion / contraction speed can be increased by expanding / contracting at an expansion / contraction ratio of 50% or less.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Actuator)
The present invention is an actuator including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit includes a conductive polymer, the drive unit has an endless belt shape or a ring shape, and the drive unit is supported in a plurality of ways. It is an actuator hung on the body. Hereinafter, the present invention is referred to as a first invention.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the first invention. The box-shaped actuator 1 includes an endless belt-like drive unit 2 containing a conductive polymer, a counter electrode 3, and a liquid electrolyte 4 inside a box-shaped housing 5. The drive unit 2 is suspended on conductive supports 61 and 62. The drive unit 2 is connected to the power source 7 via a conductive support 62 and leads, and the counter electrode 3 is connected to the power source 7 via leads. When a voltage is applied to the drive unit and the counter electrode, the drive unit is driven by electrolytic expansion and contraction.

  In FIG. 1, the supports 61 and 62 are slidably provided on the housing 4, and columnar shafts 81 and 82 are fixed. The shaft is provided so as to be slidable left and right along a horizontal groove in the figure provided in the upper part of the housing. The rod-shaped supports 61 and 62 are gripped on the inner surface of the driving unit by stretching the belt-shaped driving unit 2 or are bonded to the inner surface of the driving unit so as to be conductive by a conductive adhesive or the like. In such a case, the two supports follow the expansion and contraction movement of the drive unit to the left and right in the drawing, and slide to the left and right, and the shaft also slides to the left and right. Since the support body moves when the endless belt-shaped drive section expands and contracts by electrolysis, the drive section is transmitted by transmitting the force generated by the movement of the support body directly or via a shaft or the like. The force generated by the electrolytic expansion and contraction can be taken out as a driving force.

  In the actuator according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving unit may be endless or ring-shaped as long as it includes a conductive polymer. Since the drive unit includes a conductive polymer, the drive unit is a drive unit in which the conductive polymer in the drive unit is subjected to electrolytic expansion and contraction when a voltage is applied between the drive unit and the counter electrode via an electrolyte. is there. Since the drive unit includes a conductive polymer and has an endless belt shape or a ring shape, the drive unit can be easily installed as a drive unit by being hung on two or more support members. By being held on the inner surface of the drive unit, the drive unit can be easily driven, and the drive unit can be easily fixed.

Since the drive part can be easily manufactured by electrolytic polymerization, an endless belt-shaped or ring-shaped conductive polymer molded article containing a conductive polymer as a main component can be suitably used. The method for producing the conductive polymer molded product is not particularly limited. For example, production method (1): using pyrrole as a monomer component, methyl benzoate as an electrolyte, 0.2 M-TBACF ₃ SO ₃ as a dopant in the electrolyte, a Ni electrode as a counter electrode, and a diameter of 100 mm as a working electrode By conducting a known electrolytic polymerization method using a Ti cylinder, the conductive polymer is polymerized on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical working electrode, and the conductive polymer obtained on the outer peripheral surface of the working electrode is cut out to endlessly. A band or ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product can be obtained. When the conductive polymer molded product is formed into a ring shape having a width of 5 mm, and two Pt rods with a spacing of 150 mm are used as a support, the conductive polymer molded product is stretched. The product exhibited good expansion and contraction by applying a voltage of ± 0.7 V vs Ag / Ag ^{+ in} the electrolyte containing the counter electrode.

Production method (2): Using pyrrole as a monomer component, methyl benzoate as an electrolyte, 0.2M-TBACF ₃ SO ₃ as a dopant in the electrolyte, a Ni electrode as a counter electrode, and a plate-like Ti electrode as a working electrode A conductive polymer film having a length of 200 mm and a width of 5 mm obtained by electropolymerization using an adhesive is bonded to the both ends of the film with a known conductive adhesive to obtain a ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product. be able to. When the ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product is stretched using two Pt rods with a spacing of 100 mm as a support, the conductive polymer molded product is ± 0. By applying a voltage of 7 V vs Ag / Ag ⁺ , good expansion and contraction was exhibited.

Production method (3): Using pyrrole as a monomer component, methyl benzoate as an electrolyte, 0.2M-TBACF ₃ SO ₃ as a dopant in the electrolyte, a Ni electrode as a counter electrode, and a plate-like length as a working electrode Ten conductive polymer films having a length of 100 mm and a width of 5 mm obtained by electrolytic polymerization using a Ti electrode having a width of 100 mm and a width of 50 mm are bonded to each end of each film with a known conductive adhesive. Ten ring-shaped conductive polymer molded products can be obtained. When the ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product is stretched and laminated using two Pt rods with a spacing of 150 mm as a support, the laminate of the conductive polymer molded product includes a counter electrode. By applying a voltage of ± 0.7 V vs Ag / Ag ^{+ in} the electrolyte, good expansion and contraction was exhibited.

Production method (4): Using pyrrole as a monomer component, methyl benzoate as an electrolyte, 0.2M-TBACF ₃ SO ₃ as a dopant in the electrolyte, a Ni electrode as a counter electrode, and a plate-like Ti electrode as a working electrode A conductive polymer film having a length of 200 mm and a width of 5 mm obtained by electropolymerization using 10 is bonded to each end of 10 sheets with a known conductive adhesive to form a strip-shaped conductive polymer film. Can be obtained. In the case where two strips of Pt rods with an interval of 100 mm are used as a support and the strip-shaped conductive polymer molded product is attached to two supports to form an endless strip-shaped wound body, the conductive polymer molding is performed. The product exhibited good expansion and contraction by applying a voltage of ± 0.7 V vs Ag / Ag ^{+ in} the electrolyte containing the counter electrode.

In contrast, pyrrole was used as the monomer component, methyl benzoate as the electrolyte, 0.2M-TBACF ₃ SO ₃ as the dopant in the electrolyte, a Ni electrode as the counter electrode, and a plate-like Ti electrode as the working electrode. When 20 conductive polymer films having a length of 100 mm and a width of 5 mm obtained by electropolymerization are laminated and caulked at both ends, this laminate is ± 0 in an electrolyte containing a counter electrode. When a voltage of 0.7 V vs Ag / Ag ⁺ was applied, uniform tension could not be maintained in each layer, and good stretch performance could not be obtained.

  In the production method (1), a known electrolytic polymerization method is performed using a Ti cylindrical body as a working electrode in a circular or elliptical conductive molded body in the circumferential direction and a Ni electrode as a counter electrode, The conductive polymer obtained on the outer peripheral surface of the working electrode is cut out to obtain an endless band or ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product. As the conductive molded body having a circular or elliptical cross section in the circumferential direction, a conductive molded body having an inner surface such as a cylindrical body may be used. In this case, a known electrolytic polymerization method is performed using a Ti cylinder as the working electrode, and the conductive polymer obtained on the outer peripheral surface and / or the inner peripheral surface of the working electrode is cut out to form an endless belt or a ring-like shape. A conductive polymer molded product can be obtained. The conductive molded body is not particularly limited as long as it is molded from a conductive material, and can be used as a working electrode. The conductive material may be a metal such as Ti, Ni, Mo, W, or SUS, or a metal including a noble metal such as Au or Pt, or a conductive nonmetal such as a conductive resin or ITO glass. However, Ni, Mo or Ti is particularly preferable in order to obtain a conductive polymer having a large stretchability.

  In the actuator of the first invention, the shape of the drive unit is not particularly limited as long as it is an endless belt or a ring. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drive unit having a shape that can be used as the drive unit. The shape of the drive unit may be a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 2A and an elliptical shape with a hollow cross section in the circumferential direction. Moreover, even if it is ring-shaped like FIG.2 (b), endless-band shape where the endless belt was laminated | stacked like FIG.2 (c) may be sufficient. Alternatively, a band-shaped conductive polymer film may be wound to form a wound body, and an endless band-shaped drive unit may be used.

(Second invention)
The invention of the present application is an actuator including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit is a wound body including a conductive polymer, and a space portion to be hung is provided inside the drive unit. And an actuator in which the drive unit is hung on a plurality of supports. Hereinafter, the present invention is a second invention.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the second invention. The box-shaped actuator 11 includes an endless belt-like drive unit 12 containing a conductive polymer, a counter electrode 13, and a liquid electrolyte 14 inside a box-shaped housing 15. The drive unit 12 is suspended on conductive supports 161 and 162. The drive unit 12 is connected to a power source 17 through a conductive support 162 and leads, and the counter electrode 13 is connected to the power source 17 through leads. When a voltage is applied to the drive unit and the counter electrode via an electrolyte, the drive unit is driven by electrolytic expansion and contraction.

  In FIG. 3, as in FIG. 1, the supports 161 and 162 are provided to be slidable on the housing 14, and columnar shafts 181 and 182 are fixed. The shaft is provided so as to be slidable left and right along a horizontal groove in the figure provided in the upper part of the housing. The rod-shaped supports 61 and 62 are gripped on the inner surface of the driving unit by stretching the belt-shaped driving unit 2 or are bonded to the inner surface of the driving unit so as to be conductive by a conductive adhesive or the like. In such a case, the two supports follow the expansion and contraction movement of the drive unit to the left and right in the drawing, and slide to the left and right, and the shaft also slides to the left and right. Since the support body moves when the endless belt-shaped drive section expands and contracts by electrolysis, the drive section is transmitted by transmitting the force generated by the movement of the support body directly or via a shaft or the like. The force generated by the electrolytic expansion / contraction can be taken out as a driving force.

  In the actuator according to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive unit is a wound body including a conductive polymer, and it is sufficient that a space for hanging is provided inside the drive unit. The drive unit is a drive unit in which a conductive polymer in the drive unit is subjected to electrolytic expansion and contraction when a voltage is applied. Since the drive unit is a wound body and includes a space portion to be hung on the inside of the drive unit, installation as a drive unit can be performed by hanging on two or more supports. It is easy and can be easily driven by holding the support on the inner surface of the drive unit, and the drive unit can be easily fixed.

  In the actuator of the second invention, the shape of the drive unit is not particularly limited as long as the shape of the drive unit is a wound body and a space for hanging is provided inside the drive unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drive unit having a shape that can be used as the drive unit. The shape of the drive unit may be an endless belt shape as shown in FIG. 4A, and may be an elliptical shape having a hollow cylindrical cross section in the circumferential direction. Moreover, the shape provided with the space part for hanging like FIG.4 (b) inside the said drive part may be sufficient. Alternatively, a band-shaped conductive polymer film may be wound to form a wound body, and an endless band-shaped drive unit may be used.

  In the case where a conductive polymer winding body is used as the driving unit, a winding obtained by winding a driving body including a conductive polymer and having at least one loop-shaped portion is wound. A round body can be used. Since the driving body includes the loop-shaped portion, one end of the driving body is fixed by hanging the loop-shaped portion on the support body, so that it is easy to form a wound body.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment when a driving body having a loop-shaped portion at least one end is used as a driving portion. The box-shaped actuator 21 in FIG. 5 has the same configuration as the actuator in FIG. 3, and includes a drive unit 22 including a conductive polymer, a counter electrode 23, and a liquid electrolyte 24 inside a box-shaped housing 25. Yes. The drive unit 22 is an endless belt-like drive unit that is looped over the conductive support member 261 so that the drive unit 22 is fixed to the support member and is further suspended between the support member 262 and the support member 262. is there. The drive unit 22 is connected to a power source 27 through a conductive support 262 and leads, and the counter electrode 23 is connected to the power source 27 through leads. When a voltage is applied to the drive unit and the counter electrode via an electrolyte, the drive unit is driven by electrolytic expansion and contraction. In FIG. 5, as in FIG. 3, the support members 261 and 262 are provided on the housing 24 so as to be slidable in the left and right directions in the figure, and the cylindrical shaft 281 is slidable in the left and right directions. 282 is fixed. By applying a voltage to the drive unit 22 that is a wound body, a force generated by electrolytic expansion and contraction of the drive unit can be taken out as a drive force.

  In FIG. 5, the drive unit 22 prepares a drive body having the loop-shaped portion at the end, and supports the loop-shaped portion so that the inner surface of the loop-shaped portion is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the support body. After being applied, the driving body is wound around the support body 262 and the support body 262 to obtain the driving body. The driving body forms a loop-shaped portion 221 by bending and laminating one end portion 222 of a belt-shaped conductive polymer in the center direction, and the belt-shaped conductive polymer is used as a body portion, and at one end. Has a loop-shaped part. In the method of obtaining a driving unit using the driving body, an endless belt-shaped winding body can be obtained by winding the loop-shaped portion on a supporting body and then winding it around the supporting body, as shown in FIG. It is preferable because a drive unit for gripping the support can be obtained more easily than using an already wound endless belt-shaped wound body.

  The drive body is not particularly limited as long as it has a loop-shaped portion at at least one of the end portions of the entire drive body, and may have a loop-shaped portion at both ends. 6 (a) to 6 (c) are perspective views of an embodiment of the driving body. FIG. 6A shows an embodiment of a driving body provided with a loop portion by bending and laminating one end portion of a belt-like conductive polymer in the center direction. The driving body 31 has a loop-shaped portion 33 formed by bending one end portion 32 of the belt-like conductive polymer in the center direction and laminating the end portion 32 on the body portion 34 of the driving body 31. In the driving body 31, the loop-shaped portion 33 is formed at the left end portion in the drawing, but the loop-shaped portion may be formed by stacking the opposite end portion 35 in the same manner as described above. In the laminated portion of the end portion 32 and the body portion 34, it is preferable that the end portion is fixed to the body portion so that the end portion is not detached from the body portion. As a method for fixing the end portion to the body portion, a known fixing method such as an adhesive, caulking, staple, or the like can be used depending on the application.

  FIG. 6B is an example of an embodiment of a driving body including a loop-shaped portion in which a loop-shaped member is formed by providing a loop-forming member at one end of a belt-shaped conductive polymer. The driving body 31 ′ is a driving body in which a loop forming member 36 is provided at one end portion 32 ′ of the belt-like conductive polymer, and the body portion 34 ′ of the driving body is formed in an opening of the loop forming member. The loop-shaped portion 33 ′ is formed by penetrating. The loop forming member 36 may be fixed to the body portion 34 ′, but it is preferable that the body portion 34 ′ is loosely inserted so as to be slidable. The loop forming member is not particularly limited, and may be metallic or resinous. In this embodiment, the other end 35 'may be provided with the loop forming member.

  FIG. 6C is an example of an embodiment of a driving body provided with a loop-shaped portion by providing a loop-shaped member at one end of the belt-shaped conductive polymer. In the driving body 31 ″, a loop-shaped portion 33 ″ is formed by providing a loop-shaped member 37 at one end portion 32 ″ of the belt-shaped conductive polymer. In the example of FIG. 6C, the loop-shaped member is substantially cylindrical, but the shape of the loop-shaped member is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and is a shape that hinders the configuration of a wound body. If not, the desired shape can be used. Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6B, the driver 31 ″ may include a loop member at the other end 35 ″.

(Third invention)
Further, the present invention includes an endless belt-shaped or ring-shaped drive unit, a drive unit mounting support for hanging the drive unit, and an auxiliary support for stretching the drive unit. It is also an actuator characterized by this. Hereinafter, the present invention is referred to as a third invention.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the drive mechanism of the third invention. The drive mechanism device 91 is hooked by the endless belt-like drive unit 92 hooked on the drive unit mounting supports 93, 93 '. The drive unit 92 is hung on a plurality of auxiliary supports and attached in a stretched manner to a drive unit mounting plate 94 including a drive unit mounting support and an auxiliary support.

  In FIG. 7, the drive unit is attached to the drive unit mounting support so that the inner surface of the endless belt-like drive unit is in contact with the drive unit mounting support. The drive unit includes a pin-shaped auxiliary support 95 that forms a row with the drive unit mounting supports 93 and 93 ′, and a pin-shaped auxiliary support 95 ′ that forms a row that faces the row. The drive unit is stretched by attaching an outer surface to the outer periphery of the auxiliary support. In FIG. 7, the drive unit 92 is stretched around the outer periphery of the auxiliary supports 95 and 95 ′, and is stretched to have a substantially S-shaped or substantially M-shaped continuous shape (or a zigzag shape or a folded shape). ). The drive unit is held in a substantially S-shaped or M-shaped continuous shape on the drive unit mounting support 93 side and the drive unit mounting support 93 'side. By adopting such a stretched configuration, the drive unit 92 is folded so as to have a structure, and even when the drive unit is long, for example, 2 m or longer, space saving can be achieved. And the drive unit can be easily held in a compact state.

  In addition, a connecting member 96 for connecting to the driving object is attached to the driving unit 92. The connecting member 96 is attached to the driving unit by attaching the outer surface of the driving unit to the outer periphery of a cylindrical body included in the connecting member. Further, in FIG. 7, the drive member installation plate 94 provided with the drive unit mounting support and the auxiliary support is connected to another member and the drive unit installation plate. 97 is provided. For example, the driving member 91 is suspended by hanging the coupling member on the hanging hole, and the connecting member 96 is connected to the object to be pulled, so that the driving unit 92 is expanded and contracted to move the object to be pulled up and down. it can.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the drive mechanism of the third invention. In FIG. 7, the drive unit 92 is hooked by being hooked on two drive unit mounting supports 93, 93 ′, but in FIG. 8, the drive unit 101 is hooked on one mounting support 103. It is hung by. Further, the drive unit includes the drive unit mounting supports 103 and 103 ′ in a row with a pin-shaped auxiliary support member 105 and a pin-shaped auxiliary support member 105 ′ in a row facing the row. The drive part is stretched by attaching the outer surface of the part to the outer periphery of the auxiliary support. In the embodiment example shown in FIG. 8, a connecting member is attached to the outer surface of the drive unit. In the embodiment example shown in FIG. 9, a connecting member is attached to the inner surface of the drive unit. What is necessary is just to be transmitted to a member. The drive unit is stretched by the drive unit mounting support 103 and the auxiliary support 10 and is held in a continuous shape of a substantially S shape or a substantially M shape. Also in the second embodiment, for example, by extending the drive unit 102 by hanging the drive member 101 by hanging the coupling member on the hanging hole and connecting the connecting member 106 to the object to be pulled. The towed object can be moved up and down.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the drive mechanism of the third invention. The drive mechanism 111 is hooked by the endless belt-like drive unit 112 hooked on the drive unit mounting support 113. The drive unit 112 is hung on a plurality of auxiliary supports, and is attached in a stretched manner to a drive unit mounting plate 114 including a drive unit mounting support and an auxiliary support.

  In FIG. 9, the drive unit is attached to the drive unit mounting support so that the inner surface of the endless belt-like drive unit is in contact with the drive unit mounting support. The drive unit is configured such that in the spiral row formed by the drive unit mounting support body 113 and the plurality of auxiliary support bodies 115, the outer surface of the drive unit is placed around the outer periphery of the auxiliary support body. Is stretched. By adopting such a configuration in which the drive unit is held in a spiral shape, even when the drive unit is long, for example, 2 m or longer, it is possible to save space and drive in a compact state. The part can be easily held.

  Further, in FIG. 9, the driving unit installation plate 114 provided with the driving unit mounting support and the auxiliary support is connected to another member and the driving unit installation plate. 117 is provided. For example, the driving member 111 is suspended by hanging the coupling member on the hanging hole, and the connecting member 116 is connected to the object to be pulled, so that the driving unit 112 can be expanded and contracted to move the object to be pulled up and down. it can.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the drive mechanism of the third invention. In FIG. 8, an endless belt-like drive body is used as the drive unit 92. On the other hand, in the example of embodiment of FIG. 10, it is a case where the drive body provided with the loop-shaped part shown to Fig.6 (a) is used as a drive part. In the actuator element 121, the driving unit 122 includes a loop-shaped portion 128 at one end, and the loop-shaped portion is hooked by being hooked on the driving unit mounting support 123. Similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 8, the drive unit 122 is stretched around the outer surface of the drive unit on the outer periphery of the pin-like auxiliary support. In addition, a loop-shaped portion 128 ′ is also provided at the end opposite to the end including the loop-shaped portion 128 of the driving body, and a connecting member 126 is provided in the loop-shaped portion 128 ′. Similarly to the actuator element 101 of FIG. 8, the actuator element 121 applies a voltage to the drive unit in the electrolytic solution, so that the drive body 122 undergoes electrolytic expansion and contraction, and moves the towed object connected to the connection member 126 up and down. Can be made. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the drive body provided with the loop-shaped portion is provided with the loop-shaped portion at the end of the drive body, so that it can be easily attached to the support body. Since it is not necessary to attach an auxiliary support as a sheet weight, it is suitable as a drive unit. In particular, the driving body is suitable for use in a complicated actuator structure such as a case where the distance between the support and the auxiliary support in FIG. 10 is narrow.

  In the third invention of the present application, the mechanism of expansion and contraction is not particularly limited as long as the drive unit expands and contracts, but it is easy to control the amount of expansion and contraction of the drive unit. For this reason, it is preferable that the driving unit includes a conductive polymer, and the driving unit expands and contracts by an electrochemical expansion and contraction operation by applying a voltage to the conductive polymer.

(Drive part)
In the actuator according to the first to third inventions of the present application, the driving unit includes a conductive polymer and is driven by electrolytic expansion and contraction. Examples of the conductive polymer include polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyaniline, polyphenylene, and the like. Although it can be used, the conductive polymer containing pyrrole and / or a pyrrole derivative in the molecular chain is easy to manufacture and not only is stable as a conductive polymer, but also has excellent electrolytic stretching performance. This is preferable.

The driving unit may include a conventional conductive polymer such as a conductive polymer including sodium p-toluenesulfonate as a dopant. When the actuator according to the first aspect of the invention is used for an application that requires large expansion and contraction, the drive unit is made of a conductive polymer produced by an electrolytic polymerization method. A production method, wherein the electrolytic polymerization method comprises an organic compound comprising at least one bond or functional group of an ether bond, an ester bond, a carbonate bond, a hydroxyl group, a nitro group, a sulfone group, and a nitrile group, and / or Conductivity produced by a method for producing a conductive polymer using an electrolytic solution containing a halogenated hydrocarbon as a solvent, wherein the electrolytic solution contains trifluoromethanesulfonic acid ions and / or an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to a central atom. Preferably, it is a functional polymer. When the driving unit is a driving unit including a conductive polymer manufactured by the manufacturing method, the expansion / contraction rate per one oxidation-reduction cycle of the driving unit can be easily set to 3% or more. Can be used for applications such as artificial muscles that require a large stretch rate. The drive unit can also be obtained as a strip or film obtained by winding a conductive polymer obtained by electrolytic polymerization. Further, the electrolyte solution may contain a known dopant, and contains a plurality of fluorine atoms bonded to the trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or the central atom in order to obtain a larger expansion / contraction rate per one redox cycle. It is preferable that an anion is included. Furthermore, in order to make the expansion / contraction rate per oxidation-reduction cycle of the obtained conductive polymer 16% or more, as the electrolytic solution, fluorine atoms are added to the trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or the central atom. Instead of multiple anions, the chemical formula (1)
(C _n F _{(2n + 1)} SO ₂ ) (C _m F _{(2m + 1)} SO ₂ ) N ⁻ (1)
(Here, n and m are arbitrary integers.)
It is preferable to use an electrolytic solution containing a perfluoroalkylsulfonylimide ion represented by the formula:

  Examples of the organic compound include 1,2-dimethoxyethane, 1,2-diethoxyethane, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane (an organic compound containing an ether bond), γ-butyrolactone, and ethyl acetate. , N-butyl acetate, t-butyl acetate, 1,2-diacetoxyethane, 3-methyl-2-oxazolidinone, methyl benzoate, ethyl benzoate, butyl benzoate, diethyl phthalate (including ester bond) Organic compound), propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, methyl ethyl carbonate (an organic compound containing a carbonate bond), ethylene glycol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, cyclohexanol, 1-octanol, 1-octanol, Big Nord, 1-dodecanol, 1-octadecanol (above, organic compound containing hydroxyl group), nitromethane, nitrobenzene (above, organic compound containing nitro group), sulfolane, dimethyl sulfone (above, organic compound containing sulfone group) And acetonitrile, butyronitrile, and benzonitrile (an organic compound containing a nitrile group). Note that the organic compound containing a hydroxyl group is not particularly limited, but is preferably a polyhydric alcohol or a monohydric alcohol having 4 or more carbon atoms because the stretching ratio is good. In addition to the above-mentioned examples, the organic compound may have any two or more bonds or functional groups among the ether bond, ester bond, carbonate bond, hydroxyl group, nitro group, sulfone group and nitrile group in the molecule. The organic compound contained in the combination may be sufficient.

  In the above production method, the halogenated hydrocarbon contained as a solvent in the electrolytic solution is one in which at least one hydrogen in the hydrocarbon is substituted with a halogen atom, and exists stably as a liquid under electrolytic polymerization conditions. If it can do, it will not specifically limit.

  Examples of the halogenated hydrocarbon include dichloromethane and dichloroethane. Although only one kind of the halogenated hydrocarbon can be used as a solvent in the electrolyte solution, two or more kinds can be used in combination. The halogenated hydrocarbon may be used in a mixture with the above organic compound, or a mixed solvent with the organic solvent may be used as a solvent in the electrolytic solution.

  The electrolytic solution used for the electrolytic polymerization method includes an organic compound (for example, pyrrole) to be electropolymerized and a trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom. By conducting electrolytic polymerization using this electrolytic solution, it is possible to obtain a conductive polymer excellent in the expansion / contraction rate per one oxidation-reduction cycle and / or the displacement rate per specific time in electrolytic expansion / contraction. By the electrolytic polymerization, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid ions and / or anions containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom are taken into the conductive polymer.

  The content of the anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or the central atom is not particularly limited, but is 0.1 to 30% by weight in the electrolyte. Preferably, it is contained in an amount of 1 to 15% by weight.

Trifluoromethanesulfonate ion is a compound represented by the chemical formula CF ₃ SO ₃ ^— . An anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom has a structure in which a plurality of fluorine atoms are bonded to a central atom such as boron, phosphorus, antimony and arsenic. The anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom is not particularly limited, but includes tetrafluoroborate ion (BF ₄ ⁻ ), hexafluorophosphate ion (PF ₆ ⁻ ), hexafluoroantimonate ion. (SbF ₆ ⁻ ) and hexafluoroarsenate ion (AsF ₆ ⁻ ) can be exemplified. Among these, CF ₃ SO ₃ ⁻ , BF ₄ ⁻ and PF ₆ ⁻ are preferable in consideration of safety to the human body and the like, and CF ₃ SO ₃ ⁻ and BF ₄ ⁻ are more preferable. In order to obtain a conductive polymer film having excellent film quality, CF ₃ SO ₃ ^— is particularly preferable. As the anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom, one kind of anion may be used, or a plurality of kinds of anions may be used simultaneously. Furthermore, a trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and a plurality of kinds of central atoms may be used. Alternatively, an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms may be used simultaneously.

  The electrolytic solution used in the electrolytic polymerization method includes a single amount of a conductive polymer in a solution of the organic compound solvent and the trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to a central atom. And may contain other known additives such as polyethylene glycol and polyacrylamide.

As the electropolymerization method, a known electropolymerization method can be used as the electropolymerization of the conductive polymer monomer, and any of a constant potential method, a constant current method, and an electric sweep method can be used. . For example, the electrolytic polymerization is performed under the conditions of a current density of 0.01 to 20 mA / cm ² , a reaction temperature of −70 to 80 ° C., preferably a current density of 0.1 to ² mA / cm ² and a reaction temperature of −40 to 40 ° C. It is preferable to carry out, and it is more preferable that the reaction temperature is −30 to 30 ° C.

In addition to the conductive polymer being included, the driving unit may appropriately include a conductive material such as a metal wire or a conductive oxide in order to reduce the resistance value as the driving unit. Alternatively, a composite structure of a conductive substrate and a conductive polymer may be formed by combining with a conductive substrate having an electric conductivity of 1.0 × 10 ³ S / cm or more.

The conductive substrate is not particularly limited as long as the conductive substrate has elasticity and the conductivity of the conductive substrate is 1.0 × 10 ³ S / cm or more. When the conductivity of the conductive substrate is 1.0 × 10 ³ S / cm or more, even if the size of the conductive polymer composite structure including the conductive substrate is increased, it is practical as an actuator. Large expansion and contraction can be obtained.

The material of the conductive substrate is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits stretchability and the conductivity is 1.0 × 10 ³ S / cm or more. The material is preferably a metal, a metal-plated polymer fiber, and a carbon material in terms of conductivity and mechanical strength. The structure of the conductive substrate is a structure that can expand and contract when the conductive substrate includes a non-stretchable material such as metal and has a conductivity of 1.0 × 10 ³ S / cm or more. It is preferable to do. Since the conductive substrate can be expanded and contracted, the conductive polymer composite structure in which the conductive substrate is combined with the conductive polymer can obtain a displacement such as expansion and contraction that can be used as an actuator. The conductive polymer composite structure can also improve mechanical strength because the conductive substrate can function as a core material in the conductive polymer composite structure.

  The stretchable structure is not particularly limited as long as it can be stretched. The stretchable structure is different from a plate-like or straight line-segmented structure, and has a structure having a space between members constituting a conductive substrate in a longitudinal section like a coil spring, a leaf spring, and a mesh. It is preferable that Typical examples of the stretchable structure include spring-like members, mesh-like members, and fiber structure sheets.

(Support)
The support in the actuator according to the first to third inventions of the present application is not particularly limited as long as the drive unit can be suspended, and two or more of the supports are provided in the actuator. 1, 3, and 7 to 10, the shape of the support is a rod, but if the drive unit that is endless belt or ring can be hung, it can be a rod, tube, or circle A desired shape such as a columnar shape or a prismatic shape can be obtained.

  In these drawings, the support has conductivity, and is connected to a power source through a lead, so that a drive unit including a conductive polymer is hung on the support. A voltage can be applied to the drive unit. However, the support does not necessarily have conductivity, and when the support does not have conductivity, a lead connected to a power source is directly connected to the drive unit, so that the drive unit It is possible to apply a voltage to. In the case where the support has conductivity, any material that exhibits conductivity by including a material exhibiting conductivity may be used. For example, gold, platinum, tungsten, or nickel may be used. The material may be formed. When a plurality of the supports are installed, a potential can be applied from each support. Therefore, when the drive unit is long, the expansion / contraction speed can be improved, and in particular, the drive unit having a length of 50 mm or more. In such a case, it is possible to improve the expansion / contraction speed by applying an electric potential to each support within the interval between the supports within 50 mm.

  The number of the supports is not particularly limited as long as two or more supports are included in the actuator. Since the drive unit is stretched, the support is preferably two or more. In the support, one drive unit may be stretched between two supports, or may be stretched between three or more supports. Moreover, the said support body may stretch two or more drive parts on one support body. Moreover, in the said actuator, in order to stretch a drive part on a support body, auxiliary members, such as a pin, for pressing or pulling the said drive part can be used.

  Although the lead wire and the power supply are not clearly shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the support has conductivity, and includes a conductive polymer in the support by being connected to the power supply through the lead. A voltage can be applied to the drive unit by hanging the drive unit. However, the support does not necessarily have conductivity, and when the support does not have conductivity, a lead connected to a power source is directly connected to the drive unit, so that the drive unit It is possible to apply a voltage to.

(Electrolytes)
The actuator of the first to third inventions contains an electrolyte. The electrolyte may be disposed so as to be in contact with the drive unit, and the drive unit and the counter electrode may be disposed via the electrolyte, similarly to an actuator using a normal conductive polymer as the drive unit. The electrolyte is not particularly limited, and may be a liquid or a solid electrolyte. When the electrolyte is in a liquid state, it may be an aqueous solvent or an organic solvent, but it is easy to handle because it is low in toxicity and has a relatively low volatilization rate, and can be greatly stretched. Since it can do, it is preferable that it is a water solvent. When the electrolytic solution is a solid electrolyte, it may be a gel polymer electrolyte or a completely solid polymer electrolyte, but a gel polymer electrolyte is preferred because of its high ionic conductivity in the electrolyte. As the gel used for the gel polymer electrolyte, polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol, agar or the like is preferably used because it can be easily combined with an aqueous electrolyte to prepare a gel polymer electrolyte. It is preferable that the electrolyte is an electrolyte containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of trifluoromethanesulfonate ions, anions containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to the central atom, and sulfonates having 3 or less carbon atoms. Is preferable because it can cause further expansion and contraction per one oxidation-reduction cycle.

(Counter electrode)
The actuators of the first to third inventions of the present application include a counter electrode. The said counter electrode should just be arrange | positioned so that a drive part and a counter electrode may interpose electrolyte like the actuator which uses a normal electroconductive polymer as a drive part, and is arrange | positioned. The shape of the counter electrode is not particularly limited as long as it is formed of a conductive material that can be used as an electrode, and may be a rod shape, a line shape, a film shape, or a plate shape. Moreover, the material of the said counter electrode is not specifically limited, The metal containing noble metals, such as gold | metal | money and platinum, may be sufficient as a kind, and electroconductive nonmetals, such as conductive resin and ITO glass, may be sufficient as it. However, since it is difficult to corrode and is easy to process, it is preferably a noble metal, more preferably platinum or gold.

(Casing)
1 and 3, the actuator of the first invention includes a housing, but the first invention is used depending on the configuration and application of the actuator. For example, when the actuator transmits the force of movement due to the movement of the support to the driven object via the housing, the actuator housing is formed of a flexible material, and the entire actuator expands and contracts. It may be something that exercises. When the entire actuator expands and contracts, the flexible material forming the housing is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the elongation rate of the actuator, and the elongation rate is 5% or more. It is preferable to use a synthetic resin, and it is more preferable to use a synthetic resin having an elongation of 20% or more. As the flexible material, for example, a silicone resin, a urethane resin, a silicone rubber, a urethane rubber, or the like can be used. The flexible material preferably has a solvent resistance because it also has a function of preventing the electrolyte from leaking to the outside of the actuator, and is preferably a silicon-based resin, a urethane-based resin, a silicon-based rubber, or a urethane-based material. Rubber can be preferably used. When the actuator has a structure in which the operating part is sealed by the casing, the means for transmitting a force like a rod-like body penetrates the casing and is used for a long time compared to the structure. Since there is no leakage of electrolyte, it is excellent for use as mechanical parts such as artificial muscles.

(Actuator structure)
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the drive unit is in a state in which the drive unit, which is an endless single layer, is immersed in a liquid electrolyte. As another embodiment, the electrolyte solution is disposed inside the drive unit. You may be prepared for. In the case where the electrolyte is provided inside the driving unit, a coating for preventing liquid leakage is not necessary, so that the electrolyte is preferably a solid electrolyte. Moreover, when the space on a machine structure is narrow and a housing | casing cannot be installed, it is preferable to make the said drive part into the laminated body of a conductive polymer content layer and a solid electrolyte layer. Further, the drive unit can be used by stacking ring-shaped drive units, and may be stacked in the ring thickness direction to form a ring-shaped stack, or stacked in the ring width direction and cylindrical. A ring-shaped laminated body may be used. The laminated body of the ring-shaped body may further be provided with an electrolyte layer so as to be a laminated body of a drive unit and an electrolyte.

(Surfactant)
In the actuator of the present invention, it is preferable that the electrolyte contains a surfactant. When there is a member in contact with the driving unit such as the above-described auxiliary support or connecting member by driving the driving unit, the number of times the actuator is driven by including a surfactant in the electrolyte of the actuator. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent wear of the drive unit in the vicinity of the member in contact with the drive unit and the contact unit.

  The surfactant is not particularly limited, and anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and the like can be used. It is preferable to use a neutral surfactant because it hardly causes interaction with the dopant. Examples of the surfactant include polyoxyethylene (8) isooctyl phenyl ether (trade name “Triton X-114”, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), polyoxyethylene (10) iooctyl phenyl ether (trade name “ Triton X-100 "(manufactured by Aldrich) can be used.

  The concentration of the surfactant is not particularly limited as long as it is contained in the electrolyte, and the concentration can be appropriately adjusted according to the type of the surfactant. For example, when polyoxyethylene (8) isooctyl phenyl ether is used as the surfactant, it can be contained in the electrolyte in a concentration range of 0.1 wt% to 50 wt%, and can be contained in the surface of the drive unit. In the case of using a surfactant having a small orientation, the content can be made larger than the above range. The electrolyte is not particularly limited, but is preferably a gel or liquid electrolyte.

(Driving method)
The present invention is also a driving method for driving the actuators of the first to third inventions. In particular, it includes a conductive polymer having a maximum expansion ratio of 8% or more by electrolytic expansion and contraction as a material, and is driven so that the expansion ratio of the drive unit when the actuator is driven is 50% or less of the maximum expansion ratio. It is preferable to use a driving method of an actuator that expands and contracts a portion because a desired length of displacement can be obtained in a shorter time. The expansion / contraction rate is the ratio (D / L) of the difference (displacement amount, D) of the length of the drive unit when displaced from the extended state to the contracted state with respect to the length (L) of the drive unit in the extended state. × 100 (%)), and the maximum expansion / contraction rate is the length of the drive unit when displaced from the most extended state to the most contracted state with respect to the length (Lmin) of the drive unit in the most extended state. The ratio (Dmax / Lmin × 100 (%)) of the difference (displacement amount, Dmax).

FIG. 11 shows −0.7 V vs Ag / for a conductive polymer (strip shape, length 14 mm, width 2 mm, thickness 0.02 mm) that performs electrochemical expansion and contraction with a maximum expansion ratio of 12%. It is the figure which showed the correlation with time and expansion / contraction rate at the time of applying the voltage of Ag ⁺ . This conductive polymer requires 80 seconds from the start of driving to expand and contract at the expansion ratio (7.5%) which is 62.5% of the maximum expansion ratio (12%). On the other hand, in this conductive polymer, the expansion / contraction of the expansion / contraction rate (6%), which is 50% of the maximum expansion / contraction rate (12%), can be carried out in 20 seconds from the start of driving, so it is large in a short time Expansion and contraction can be performed. Furthermore, by setting the expansion / contraction rate (6%), which is 50%, to the expansion / contraction rate (4%), which is 30%, the time required for expansion / contraction can be reduced to 7 seconds. The driving method for expanding / contracting the drive unit so that the expansion / contraction rate of the drive unit is 30% or less of the maximum expansion / contraction rate can be suitably used for practical applications because it expands / contracts in a shorter time.

  As a factor that the drive unit is driven in a shorter time than the maximum expansion / contraction rate, the conductive polymer having a maximum expansion / contraction rate of 8% or more in electrolytic expansion / contraction is the maximum. It can be considered that the structure has a structure in which ions in the electrolyte are easily taken in and out as compared with a conductive polymer which is electrolytic expansion and contraction with a stretch ratio of 1 to 3%. Therefore, the initial ion entry / exit at the time of expansion / contraction is fast, and as the expansion / contraction increases, the ion occupation amount in the conductive polymer increases or decreases, and it is considered that the ion input / output speed decreases due to ion repulsion or the like. .

  In the above driving method, the expansion rate per unit time 20 seconds after the start of driving in FIG. 11 is 0.3% / s, whereas the expansion rate per unit time 10 seconds after the start of driving is about 0.47% / s, and the shorter the drive time, the shorter the expansion / contraction rate per unit time. That is, in the above driving method, in order to obtain a desired expansion / contraction length, the length of the conductive polymer (driving body) constituting the driving unit is lengthened, so that (1) the conventional expansion / contraction amount is increased. (2) Furthermore, when the length of the conductive polymer (driving body) is such that the desired expansion / contraction length is 50% or less than the maximum expansion / contraction rate, it is fast. It can be driven. An actuator that has a large expansion / contraction ratio and that performs a quick expansion / contraction is advantageous for practical applications such as robots and artificial hands, and is therefore suitable for driving devices of various devices.

(Use)
Since the actuator according to the first to third inventions is easy to obtain a larger expansion / contraction rate, the actuator has a large displacement in addition to a switch or a sensor that can be used even if the displacement is small. It can also be suitably used as an artificial muscle. That is, the actuator of the present invention can be used for an application including a conductive polymer, which could only be used for applications with small displacement, to applications with large displacement of artificial muscles and the like. In the first and second inventions, a lead having a buffer function may be used. The actuator can also be used as a linear actuator, and can be used as a driving device or a pressing device. In the actuator, when the expansion / contraction rate per oxidation-reduction cycle of the drive unit is 3% or more, the shaft can be expanded / contracted by 3% or more, and the actuator can be expanded / contracted by 3% or more. It can be suitably used for applications where the displacement is large. Since the actuator of the present invention is an actuator in which a conductive polymer is driven by electricity, and is silent during driving, it is suitable as a driving unit or a pressing unit in an indoor use apparatus. In addition, the actuator is lighter than conventional linear actuators because there are few metal parts, so a positioning device, a posture control device, a lifting device, a transport device, a moving device, an adjusting device, an adjusting device, a guiding device, and a joint It can be suitably used as a drive unit of the apparatus.

  In order to use the actuators of the first invention and the second invention as an artificial muscle, the expansion / contraction ratio of the drive unit can obtain a large expansion / contraction as an actuator, so that the actuator per one oxidation-reduction cycle can be obtained. It is preferably 3% or more, more preferably 6% or more.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used for artificial muscles, robot arms and artificial hands. In addition, medical instruments such as tweezers, scissors, forceps, snare, laser knife, spatula, and clips in microsurgery technology, various sensors or repair tools for inspection and repair, health instruments, hygrometers, hygrometer control devices, It can also be suitably used for articles used in water such as industrial equipment such as soft manipulators, underwater valves, and soft transport devices, underwater mobiles such as goldfish, or hobby equipment such as moving fishing baits and propeller fins. .

  The actuator of the present invention is an OA device, an antenna, a device on which a person such as a bed or a chair is placed, a medical device, an engine, an optical device, a fixture, a side trimmer, a vehicle, a lifting device, a food processing device, or a cleaning device. , Measuring instrument, inspection instrument, control instrument, machine tool, processing machine, electronic instrument, electron microscope, electric razor, electric toothbrush, manipulator, mast, game machine, amusement instrument, riding simulation apparatus, vehicle occupant presser and aircraft In the attached equipment extension device, a driving unit that generates a linear driving force or a driving unit that generates a driving force for moving a track-type track composed of an arc portion, or a linear or curved operation It can use suitably as a press part to do. The actuator and the drive mechanism are, for example, a track composed of a drive part or an arc part that generates a linear drive force in valves, brakes, and lock devices used in all machines including the above-mentioned equipment such as OA equipment and measurement equipment. It can be used as a driving unit that generates a driving force for moving the trajectory of the mold or a pressing unit that performs a linear operation. In addition to the above-mentioned devices, devices, instruments, etc., in general mechanical devices, a positioning device drive unit, a posture control device drive unit, a lifting device drive unit, a transport device drive unit, and a movement device drive unit It can be suitably used as a drive unit for an adjustment device such as an amount and a direction, a drive unit for an adjustment device such as a shaft, a drive unit for a guidance device, and a pressing unit for a pressing device. In addition, the actuator and the drive mechanism of the present invention described above can be suitably used as a drive unit in a joint apparatus, such as a joint unit that can be directly driven, such as a joint intermediate member, or a drive unit that gives a rotational motion to the joint.

  The actuator according to the present invention includes, for example, a drive unit for an inkjet part in an inkjet printer such as a CAD printer, a drive unit for displacing the optical axis direction of the light beam of the printer, and a head drive for a disk drive device such as an external storage device. And a drive unit for a paper pressing contact force adjusting means in a paper feeding device of an image forming apparatus including a printer, a copier, and a fax machine.

  The actuator according to the present invention includes, for example, a measurement unit for moving a high frequency power supply unit such as a frequency sharing antenna for radio astronomy to the second focal point, a drive unit for a drive mechanism for moving the power supply unit, and a vehicle It can be suitably used for a mast such as a mounted pneumatic operation telescopic mast (telescoping mast) or a drive unit of a lift mechanism in an antenna.

  The actuator of the invention of the present application is, for example, a drive unit of a massage unit of a chair-shaped massage machine, a drive unit of a nursing bed or a medical bed, a drive unit of a posture control device of an electric reclining chair, a massage machine, an easy chair, etc. Recliner backrest used Ottoman telescopic rod drive part that can be tilted up and down, chair backrest and legrest in furniture that carries a backrest and legrest, etc. Or it can use suitably for the drive part used for the rotation drive of the bed of a care bed, etc., and the drive part for posture control of a standing chair.

  The actuator of the present invention described above includes, for example, a driving unit of a testing device, a driving unit of a pressure measuring device such as a blood pressure used in an extracorporeal blood treatment device, a driving unit of a catheter, an endoscope device, a forceps, etc. Drive unit of cataract surgery device using sound wave, drive unit of exercise device such as jaw movement device, drive unit of means for relatively expanding and contracting chassis member of sick hoist, and raising and lowering and moving of care bed It can be suitably used for a driving unit for controlling the posture or the posture.

  The actuator according to the present invention includes, for example, a drive unit for a vibration isolator that attenuates vibration transmitted from a vibration generating unit such as an engine to a vibration receiving unit such as a frame, and a valve operating device for intake and exhaust valves of an internal combustion engine. The drive unit of the engine, the drive unit of the engine fuel control device, and the drive unit of an engine fuel supply device such as a diesel engine can be suitably used.

  The actuator according to the present invention includes, for example, a driving unit of a calibration device of an imaging apparatus with a camera shake correction function, a driving unit of a lens driving mechanism such as a home video camera lens, and a moving lens group of an optical device such as a still camera or a video camera. A driving unit of a mechanism for driving a lens, a driving unit of an autofocus unit of a camera, a driving unit of a lens barrel used in an imaging apparatus such as a camera or a video camera, a driving unit of an auto guider for taking in light of an optical telescope, a stereoscopic camera, Driving to give a compressive force to a wavelength conversion fiber of a fiber type wavelength tunable filter used for a lens driving mechanism of an optical apparatus having two optical systems such as binoculars or a lens barrel driving unit, optical communication, optical information processing, optical measurement, etc. It can be suitably used for a driving part of a shutter or a shutter mechanism of a camera.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used for a pressing portion of a fixture such as a caulking fixing of a hose fitting to a hose body, for example.

  The actuator of the present invention described above includes, for example, a drive unit such as a winding spring of an automobile suspension, a drive unit of a fuel filler lid opener that unlocks a fuel filler lid of a vehicle, a drive unit of a bulldozer blade extension and retraction drive, The present invention can be suitably used for a drive unit of a drive device for automatically switching a gear ratio of an automobile transmission or for automatically connecting and disconnecting a clutch.

  The actuator of the present invention described above includes, for example, a drive unit of a lift device for a wheelchair with a seat plate lift device, a drive unit of a lift for eliminating a level difference, a drive unit of a lift transfer device, a medical bed, an electric bed, an electric table, an electric drive It is suitable for use as a drive unit for lifting / lowering devices for chairs, bed for nursing care, lifting table, CT scanner, truck cabin tilt device, lifter, etc. be able to.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used, for example, in a drive unit of a discharge amount adjusting mechanism such as a food material discharge nozzle device of a food processing apparatus.

  For example, the actuator of the present invention can be suitably used for a drive unit such as a carriage or a cleaning unit of a cleaning device.

  The actuator of the present invention described above includes, for example, a driving unit of a measuring unit of a three-dimensional measuring device that measures the shape of a surface, a driving unit of a stage device, a driving unit of a sensor part such as a detection system for tire operating characteristics, a force sensor The drive unit of the device that gives the initial velocity of the impact response evaluation device, the drive unit of the piston drive device of the piston cylinder of the device including the in-hole water permeability test device, the drive unit for moving in the elevation angle direction in the concentrating tracking power generator, When alignment is required in the drive unit of the tuning mirror vibration device of the sapphire laser oscillation wavelength switching mechanism of the measuring device including the gas concentration measuring device, the inspection device of the printed circuit board, and the flat panel display such as a liquid crystal or PDP XYθ table drive unit, electron beam (E beam) system or focused ion beam (F B) Adjustable aperture device drive unit used in charged particle beam system such as system, support device or drive unit of measurement target in flatness measuring device, and assembly of fine device, semiconductor exposure apparatus It can be suitably used for a driving unit of a precision positioning device such as a semiconductor inspection device or a three-dimensional shape measuring device.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used for, for example, an electric razor drive unit and an electric toothbrush drive unit.

  The actuator of the present invention described above is deformed by changing the shape of the surface to be driven into an active curved surface by, for example, a driving unit of a three-dimensional object imaging device or a focus depth adjusting device of a readout optical system shared by CDs and DVDs, and a plurality of actuators. Of a disk device capable of linearly moving a movable unit having at least one of a magnetic head such as a variable mirror driving unit and an optical pickup that can easily change a focal position by forming a desired curved surface approximately. Installation of drive unit, drive unit of head feeding mechanism of magnetic tape head actuator assembly such as linear tape storage system, drive unit of image forming apparatus applied to electrophotographic copying machine, printer, facsimile, etc., magnetic head member, etc. Drive control of member drive unit and focusing lens group in the optical axis direction Drive unit of disc master exposure apparatus, drive unit of head driving means for driving optical head, drive unit of information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording information on recording medium or reproducing information recorded on recording medium, and circuit cutoff It can be suitably used for a drive unit for opening / closing operation of a power supply (circuit breaker for power distribution).

  The actuator of the invention of the present application is, for example, a drive unit of a rubber composition press molding vulcanization device, a drive unit of a component alignment device that aligns a transferred component into a single row / single layer or a predetermined posture, Drive unit of compression molding device, drive unit of welding device holding mechanism, drive unit of bag making filling and packaging machine, drive unit of machine tool such as machining center, molding machine such as injection molding machine and press machine, printing device, coating Drive unit of fluid application device such as a device or a lacquer spraying device, drive unit of a manufacturing device that manufactures a camshaft, etc., drive unit of a lifting device for lining materials, a drive device such as a tuft ear regulating body in a woven loom, tough Needle drive system for looping machine, looper drive system, drive unit for knife drive system, etc., drive unit for polishing machine that polishes parts such as cam grinder and ultra-precision machined parts, braking of ridge frame in loom Assembling of the drive unit of the device, the drive unit of the opening device that forms the opening of the warp yarn for inserting the weft in the loom, the drive unit of the protective sheet peeling device such as a semiconductor substrate, the drive unit of the threading device, and the electron gun for CRT Drive unit of shifter fork drive selection linear controller in torsion race machine for manufacturing torsion races with application to device drive, clothing trim, table cloth, seat cover, etc., horizontal movement mechanism of annealing window drive device Drive unit, glass melt furnace fore-hearth support arm drive unit, drive unit for moving the rack of the exposure device such as the fluorescent screen forming method of the color picture tube, drive unit of the torch arm of the ball bonding apparatus, XY of the bonding head Component mounting process and measurement inspector in driving direction, chip component mounting and measurement using probe Drive unit, elevating drive unit for the cleaning tool support of the substrate cleaning apparatus, drive unit for moving the detection head that scans the glass substrate forward and backward, drive unit for the exposure apparatus positioning device that transfers the pattern onto the substrate, precision processing When manufacturing circuit devices such as conductive circuit elements and liquid crystal display elements such as conductor circuit elements and liquid crystal display elements in the sub-micron order in the fields such as micro-positioning device drive units, chemical mechanical polishing tool measurement device drive units. A drive unit for positioning a stage device suitable for an exposure apparatus and a scanning exposure exposure apparatus used in the above, a drive unit for a means for conveying or positioning a workpiece, etc., and a drive for positioning and conveying a reticle stage, a wafer stage, etc. , Drive unit for precision positioning stage device in chamber, chemical mechanical polishing system As a drive unit for positioning devices for semiconductors or semiconductor wafers, a drive unit for semiconductor stepper devices, a drive unit for devices that position accurately in the processing machine introduction station, a machine tool such as an NC machine or a machining center, or a stepper in the IC industry A reference grating plate for a light beam scanning device is used in a drive unit of a passive vibration isolation device for various types of representative devices and an active vibration isolation device, an exposure device used in a lithography process for manufacturing semiconductor elements and liquid crystal display elements, etc. It can be suitably used for a drive unit that displaces the light beam in the optical axis direction and a drive unit of a transfer device that transfers the light beam into the article processing unit in the transverse direction of the conveyor.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used for, for example, a drive unit for a probe positioning device of a scanning probe microscope such as an electron microscope and a drive unit for positioning a sample micro-movement device for an electron microscope.

  The actuator of the present invention described above is, for example, a driving unit of a joint mechanism represented by a wrist of a robot arm in a robot or a manipulator including an automatic welding robot, an industrial robot or a nursing robot, and driving of a joint other than a direct drive type , The fingers of the robot itself, the drive unit of the motion conversion mechanism of the slide opening and closing chuck device used as a robot hand, and the operation of minute objects in any state in cell micro-operation and micro-part assembly work It is preferably used for a driving part of a micromanipulator for driving, a driving part of a prosthesis such as an electric prosthesis having a plurality of fingers that can be opened and closed, a driving part of a handling robot, a driving part of a prosthesis, and a driving part of a power suit Can do.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be suitably used for, for example, a pressing portion of a device that presses the upper rotary blade or the lower rotary blade of the side trimmer.

  The actuator of the present invention described above is suitable for, for example, a driving unit for an accessory in a game machine such as a pachinko machine, a driving unit for an amusement device such as a doll or a pet robot, and a driving unit for a simulation apparatus for a boarding simulation apparatus. Can be used.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be used, for example, in a valve drive unit used in all machines including the above devices, for example, a valve drive unit of an evaporative helium gas reliquefaction device, a bellows pressure sensitive Control valve drive unit, opening device drive unit for driving the frame, vacuum gate valve drive unit, solenoid-operated control valve drive unit for hydraulic system, valve incorporating a motion transmission device using a pivot lever It can be suitably used for a drive unit, a drive unit for a movable nozzle of a rocket, a drive unit for a suck back valve, and a drive unit for a pressure regulating valve unit.

  The actuator of the present invention can be used, for example, as a pressing portion of a brake used in all machines including the above devices and the like. For example, it is used for an emergency brake, a safety brake, a stop brake, and an elevator brake. It can be suitably used for a pressing part of a suitable braking device and a pressing part of a brake structure or a brake system.

  The actuator of the present invention described above can be used, for example, as a pressing portion of a locking device used in general machines including the above devices, etc., for example, a pressing portion of a mechanical locking device, a pressing portion of a vehicle steering lock device, And it can use suitably for the press part of the power transmission device which has a load limiting mechanism and a coupling release mechanism together.

  The actuators according to the first to third inventions of the present application can be easily fixed by hanging on the support, and even when the driving unit has a multilayer structure, the same tension is applied to each layer. Therefore, it is suitable as an actuator having a large generated force.

  As described above, the actuators according to the first to third inventions of the present application can be easily fixed and are electrically driven by the conductive polymer. It is suitable as a drive part or a pressing part in the application device. In addition, the actuator is lighter than conventional linear actuators because there are few metal parts, so a positioning device, a posture control device, a lifting device, a transport device, a moving device, an adjusting device, an adjusting device, a guiding device, and a joint It can be suitably used as a drive unit of the apparatus.

Sectional drawing about the example of one embodiment of 1st invention. (A) The perspective view of the endless belt-shaped drive part made into the cylinder shape. (B) The perspective view of a ring-shaped drive part. (C) The perspective view of the endless belt-shaped drive part by which the endless belt was laminated | stacked. Sectional drawing about one embodiment of 2nd invention. (A) The perspective view of an endless belt-shaped winding body. (B) The perspective view of the winding body provided with the space part for hanging up inside. Sectional drawing about the 2nd embodiment of 2nd invention. (A) The perspective view about the example of the 1st embodiment of the said drive body. (B) The perspective view about the example of the 2nd embodiment of the said drive body. (C) The perspective view about the example of the 3rd embodiment of the said drive body. The perspective view of the example of the 1st embodiment about the actuator element of 3rd invention. The perspective view of the example of the 2nd embodiment about the actuator element of 3rd invention. The perspective view of the example of 3rd embodiment about the actuator element of 3rd invention. The perspective view of the example of the 4th embodiment about the actuator element of 3rd invention. The correlation diagram of time and expansion / contraction rate when a voltage is applied to a conductive polymer having a maximum expansion / contraction rate of 12%.

Explanation of symbols

1, 11, 21 Actuator 2, 12, 22 Drive unit 3, 13, 23 Counter electrode 4, 14, 24 Electrolyte 5, 15, 25 Case 61, 62 Support body 7, 17, 27 Power source 81, 82 Shaft 161, 162 Supports 181 and 182 Shaft 221 Loop-like parts 261 and 262 Supports 281 and 282 Shaft 31 Driving body 32 End part 33 Loop-like part 34 Body part 35 Opposite end part

Claims (26)

An actuator including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit includes a conductive polymer, the drive unit has an endless belt shape or a ring shape, and the drive unit is suspended on a plurality of supports. Actuator. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit expands and contracts by an electrochemical expansion and contraction operation by applying a voltage of the conductive polymer. The conductive polymer is
A method for producing a conductive polymer produced by an electrolytic polymerization method,
The electrolytic polymerization method uses an ether compound, an ester bond, a carbonate bond, a hydroxyl group, a nitro group, a sulfone group and a nitrile group as an organic compound and / or a halogenated hydrocarbon containing at least one bond or functional group. Use the electrolyte containing
The electrolytic solution is a method for producing a conductive polymer containing a trifluoromethanesulfonate ion and / or an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to a central atom.
The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a conductive polymer obtained by the above. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an expansion / contraction ratio of the driving unit is 3% or more. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driving unit is an endless belt body or a multilayer body of a ring body. An actuator including a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode, wherein the drive unit is a wound body including a conductive polymer, and a space part to be hung is provided inside the drive unit, and the drive unit Is an actuator that is mounted on multiple supports. The actuator according to claim 6, wherein the driving unit expands and contracts by an electrochemical stretching operation by applying a voltage of the conductive polymer. The conductive polymer is
A method for producing a conductive polymer produced by an electrolytic polymerization method,
The electrolytic polymerization method uses an ether compound, an ester bond, a carbonate bond, a hydroxyl group, a nitro group, a sulfone group and a nitrile group as an organic compound and / or a halogenated hydrocarbon containing at least one bond or functional group. Use the electrolyte containing
8. The conductive polymer obtained by the method for producing a conductive polymer containing a trifluoromethanesulfonic acid ion and / or an anion containing a plurality of fluorine atoms with respect to a central atom. The actuator described. The actuator according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein an expansion / contraction ratio of the driving unit is 3% or more. A positioning device, a posture control device, a lifting device, a transport device, a moving device, an adjusting device, an adjusting device, a guiding device, or a joint device using the actuator according to claim 1 or 6 as a drive unit. A pressing device using the actuator according to claim 1 as a pressing portion. A positioning device, a posture control device, a lifting device, a transport device, a moving device, an adjusting device, an adjusting device, a guiding device, or a joint device using the driving mechanism according to claim 10 or 11 as a driving unit. A pressing device using the driving part of the driving mechanism according to claim 10 or 11 as a pressing part. Endless belt-shaped or ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product. By conducting electropolymerization using the outer peripheral surface and / or inner peripheral surface of a conductive molded body having a circular or elliptical circumferential section as a working electrode, an endless belt-shaped or ring-shaped conductive polymer molded product is obtained. A process for producing a conductive polymer molded product, characterized in that it is obtained. A conductive polymer molded product obtained by winding a strip-like or film-like conductive polymer. An actuator having a drive unit, an electrolyte, and a counter electrode,
The drive unit has an endless belt shape or a ring shape, and includes a drive unit mounting support for hanging the drive unit, and an auxiliary support for stretching the drive unit. Characteristic actuator. The drive unit is stretched by coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary support, and the drive unit is held in a substantially S shape, a substantially M shape, or a continuous shape, zigzag shape, spiral shape, or folded shape. The actuator according to claim 17. The drive unit, the electrolyte, and the counter electrode are provided inside a housing, and the drive unit mounting support and the auxiliary support are provided on an inner surface of the housing. The actuator described. The actuator according to claim 17, wherein the counter electrode is formed on a surface of an inner wall of the casing. 21. The drive unit according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the drive unit includes a conductive polymer, and the drive unit expands and contracts by an electrochemical expansion and contraction operation by applying a voltage to the conductive polymer. Actuator. The actuator according to any one of claims 17 to 21, further comprising a sleeve and / or a bearing for allowing the drive unit to slide on the auxiliary support. The actuator according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein a driving body including at least one end loop-like portion is used as the driving portion. The actuator according to any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein a surfactant is contained in the electrolyte. 25. A driving method of an actuator, wherein the actuator according to claim 17 is driven by electrolytic expansion and contraction of a driving unit. The drive unit includes a conductive polymer having a maximum expansion / contraction rate of 8% or more by electrolytic expansion / contraction as a material, and the expansion / contraction rate of the drive unit during driving of the actuator is 50% or less of the maximum expansion / contraction rate. 26. The method of driving an actuator according to claim 25, wherein the driving unit is expanded and contracted.

Images